The men's 200 metres hurdles was a hurdling

Hurdling

Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...

 event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics

1900 Summer Olympics

The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...

 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. It was held on July 16, 1900. 11 athletes from five nations competed in the middle of the three hurdling

Hurdling

Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...

 events.

Records

None, this was the first time the event was held.

Alvin Kraenzlein

Alvin Kraenzlein

Alvin Christian Kraenzlein was an American athlete. He was the first sportsman to win four Olympic titles in a single Olympic Games...

 set the first Olympic record for this event when he ran 27.0 seconds in the first heat of the first round. Norman Pritchard

Norman Pritchard

Norman Gilbert Pritchard was an athlete from India who went on to star in Hollywood and Broadway...

 improved this record in the second heat with 26.8 seconds. Finally Alvin Kraenzlein

Alvin Kraenzlein

Alvin Christian Kraenzlein was an American athlete. He was the first sportsman to win four Olympic titles in a single Olympic Games...

took the Olympic record by winning the final with 25.4 seconds.

First round

In the first round, there were two heats. The top two runners in each advanced to the final.

First round, heat 1

Place	Athlete	Time
1		27.0 s
2		(27.5)
3		(27.6)
4		Unknown
5		Unknown

Kraenzlein won by four yards.

First round, heat 2

Place	Athlete	Time
1		26.8 s
2		(27.1)
3		(27.2)
4		Unknown
5		Unknown
6		Unknown

Pritchard won by two yards.

Final

Place	Athlete	Time
1		25.4 s
2		(26.0)
3		(26.1)
4		Unknown

Kraenzlein won by five yards, despite having been penalized one metre for a false start. The 200 metre hurdles was his fourth individual victory in Paris; no other athlete has won as many individual victories in a single Olympics.

Sources

• International Olympic Committee.
• De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically at .