Sporting event delegation
| South Africa at the 1908 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 The Union Flag flew over South Africa before 1910 | |
| IOC code | RSA (ZAF used at these Games) |
| NOC | South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee |
| in London | |
| Competitors | 14 |
| Flag bearer | Doug Stupart |
| Medals Ranked 14th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
South Africa competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. At the time, South Africa consisted of four separate British colonies — the Cape Colony, Natal Colony, the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal Colony; they would form the Union of South Africa in 1910. At the 1908 Olympics, the South African team competed under a flag described as "the Red Ensign with a springbok in the corner."
Hurdler Doug Stupart carried the flag at the opening ceremony.
Medalists
Further information: 1908 Summer Olympics medal table and List of 1908 Summer Olympics medal winners| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold
|
Reggie Walker | Athletics | Men's 100 m | July 22 |
 Silver
|
Charles Hefferon | Athletics | Men's marathon | July 24 |
Results by event
 | This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) |
Athletics
Main article: Athletics at the 1908 Summer OlympicsSouth Africa was one of 5 nations to win at least one gold medal in athletics, taking the gold medal in the short sprint. Reggie Walker was the 100 metres champion, setting a new Olympic record in the semifinals and matching it in the final. Charles Hefferon added a silver medal in the marathon.
| Event | Place | Athlete | Heats | Semifinals | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 metres | 1st | Reggie Walker | 11.0 seconds 1st, heat 4 |
10.8 seconds (OR) 1st, semifinal 1 |
10.8 seconds (=OR) |
| Semi- finalist |
Edward Duffy | 11.6 seconds 1st, heat 1 |
Unknown 3rd, semifinal 3 |
Did not advance | |
| — | Herbert Phillips | Did not finish —, heat 11 |
Did not advance | ||
| Men's 200 metres | Heats | Edward Duffy | Unknown 2nd, heat 2 |
Did not advance | |
| Men's 110 metre hurdles | Heats | Douglas Stupart | Unknown 3rd, heat 1 |
Did not advance | |
| Men's 5 miles | 4th | Charles Hefferon | None held | Unknown 2nd, semifinal 1 |
25:44.0 |
| Men's marathon | 2nd | Charles Hefferon | None held | 2:56:06.0 | |
| — | J. N. Mitchell-Baker | Did not finish | |||
| A. B. Mole | Did not start | ||||
| C. E. Stevens | Did not start | ||||
| Vincent | Did not start | ||||
| Event | Place | Athlete | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's triple jump | 10th | Douglas Stupart | 13.40 metres |
Cycling
Main article: Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics| Event | Place | Cyclist | Heats | Semifinals | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 660 yards | Semi- finalist |
Floris Venter | 1:03.2 1st, heat 10 |
Unknown 4th, semifinal 2 |
Did not advance |
| Heats | T. H. E. Passmore | Unknown 2nd, heat 9 |
Did not advance | ||
| Philipus Frylink | Unknown 3rd, heat 16 | ||||
| — | Frank Shore | Time limit exceeded —, heat 5 | |||
| Men's 5000 metres | Semi- finalist |
Philipus Frylink | None held | Unknown 3rd, semifinal 3 |
Did not advance |
| T. H. E. Passmore | Unknown 4th, semifinal 4 | ||||
| Floris Venter | Unknown 4-7, semifinal 7 | ||||
| Frank Shore | Unknown 4-9, semifinal 5 | ||||
| Men's 20 kilometres | Semi- finalist |
Floris Venter | None held | 32:34.4 3rd, semifinal 2 |
Did not advance |
| T. H. E. Passmore | 32:39.4 3rd, semifinal 4 | ||||
| Frank Shore | 33:40.0 2nd, semifinal 3 | ||||
| Men's 100 kilometres | — | T. H. E. Passmore | None held | Did not finish —, semifinal 2 |
Did not advance |
| Men's sprint | Semi- finalist |
Floris Venter | 1:33.2 1st, heat 2 |
Unknown 3rd, semifinal 1 |
Did not advance |
| Heats | Philipus Frylink | Unknown 2nd, heat 8 |
Did not advance | ||
| — | Frank Shore | Time limit exceeded —, heat 16 | |||
| Men's tandem | Heats | Philipus Frylink Floris Venter |
Unknown 2nd, heat 5 |
Did not finish | |
Fencing
Main article: Fencing at the 1908 Summer Olympics| Event | Place | Fencer | First round |
Second round |
Semi- final |
Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's épée | First round |
Walter Gates | 3-5 (6th in B) | Did not advance | ||
| Men's sabre | First round |
Walter Gates | 0-5 (6th in H) | Did not advance | ||
Tennis
Main article: Tennis at the 1908 Summer Olympics| Event | Place | Name | Round of 64 |
Round of 32 |
Round of 16 |
Quarter- finals |
Semi- finals |
Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's singles | 4th | John Richardson | Bye | Bye | Defeated Foulkes | Defeated Brown | Lost to Froitzheim | Did not advance |
| 16th | Vincent Gauntlett | Bye | Lost to Ritchie | Did not advance | ||||
| Harold Kitson | Bye | Lost to Caridia | ||||||
| Men's doubles | 4th | Vincent Gauntlett Harold Kitson |
None held | Bye | Defeated Hykš/Slíva |
Defeated Froitzheim/Schomburgk |
Lost to Cazalet/Dixon |
Did not advance |
| Opponent nation | Wins | Losses | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemia | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Canada | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Germany | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Great Britain | 0 | 3 | .000 |
| Total | 4 | 4 | .500 |
References
- "Doug Stupart". olympedia.org. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- Goldblatt, D. (2016:77). The Games: A Global History of the Olympics. United Kingdom: Pan Macmillan.
- Jenkins, R. (2011). The First London Olympics: 1908. United Kingdom: Little, Brown Book Group.
- Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
- De Wael, Herman (2001). "Top London 1908 Olympians". Herman's Full Olympians. Archived from the original on 12 July 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2006.
| Nations at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom | |
|---|---|