Australasia at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Australasia
was the name of a combined team at the 1912 Summer Olympics
in Stockholm
, Sweden
, consisting of 26 athletes from Australia
and New Zealand
. The combined team had also competed at the 1908 Games
, but Australia
and New Zealand
would send separate teams to the next Games in 1920
.
There were three New Zealanders in the 1912 team; Malcolm Champion
, Tony Wilding
and George Hill
. Wilding won a bronze medal in the men's indoor singles event, and Champion won a gold medal as part of the swimming relay team.
Fanny Durack
and Mina Wylie
, the two women who swam for Australasia, finished first and second in the only women's individual event, the 100 metres freestyle. Durack set a new Olympic record in the quarterfinals, which held throughout the rest of the competition.
The men's freestyle relay team earned the gold medal, breaking the world record of 10:26.4 (itself being newly set after the Americans broke the 10:53.4 set by the British team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
) swam by the United States team in the first semifinal by swimming 12.4 seconds faster in the second final. The Australasia team dropped the world record in that event a further 2.8 seconds in the final.
Harold Hardwick
and Cecil Healy
each briefly took the Olympic record in the men's 400 meters freestyle heats, with the pair finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the final. Hardwick took another bronze medal in the 1500 free, while Healy took silver in the 100 free.
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
was the name of a combined team at the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, consisting of 26 athletes from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The combined team had also competed at the 1908 Games
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
, but Australia
Australia at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Australia competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. Australian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games.A brother and sister combination swam for Australia, Frank and Lily Beaurepaire.- Silver:...
and New Zealand
New Zealand at the 1920 Summer Olympics
New Zealand competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first time that the nation had competed independently at the Olympic Games...
would send separate teams to the next Games in 1920
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
.
There were three New Zealanders in the 1912 team; Malcolm Champion
Malcolm Champion
Malcolm Eadie Champion was New Zealand's first Olympic gold medallist, and the first swimmer to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games...
, Tony Wilding
Tony Wilding
Anthony "Tony" Frederick Wilding was a champion tennis player from Christchurch, New Zealand and a soldier killed in action during World War I near Neuve-Chapelle, Pas-de-Calais, France....
and George Hill
George Hill (athlete)
George Neville Hill known as Neville Hill was a New Zealand track and field athlete who competed as a member of the Australasian team in the 1912 Summer Olympics at Stockholm....
. Wilding won a bronze medal in the men's indoor singles event, and Champion won a gold medal as part of the swimming relay team.
Gold
- Fanny DurackFanny DurackSarah Frances "Fanny" Durack was an Australian swimmer. From 1910 until 1918 she was the world's greatest female swimmer of all distances from freestyle sprints to the mile marathon.-Life and career:...
— swimming, 100 metre freestyle - Leslie BoardmanLeslie BoardmanLeslie Boardman was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1910s, who won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....
, Malcolm ChampionMalcolm ChampionMalcolm Eadie Champion was New Zealand's first Olympic gold medallist, and the first swimmer to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games...
, Cecil HealyCecil HealyCecil Patrick Healy was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1900s and 1910s, who won silver in the 100m freestyle at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He also won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay...
and Harold HardwickHarold HardwickHarold Hampton Hardwick was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century - an Olympic gold-medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion and a state representative rugby union player...
— swimming, 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
Silver
- Cecil HealyCecil HealyCecil Patrick Healy was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1900s and 1910s, who won silver in the 100m freestyle at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He also won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay...
— swimming, 100 metre freestyle - Wilhelmina WylieMina WylieWilhelmina "Mina" Wylie was one of Australia's first two female Olympic swimming representatives, along with friend Fanny Durack.-Early life:...
— swimming, 100 metre freestyle
Bronze
- Harold HardwickHarold HardwickHarold Hampton Hardwick was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century - an Olympic gold-medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion and a state representative rugby union player...
— swimming, 400 metre freestyle - Harold HardwickHarold HardwickHarold Hampton Hardwick was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century - an Olympic gold-medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion and a state representative rugby union player...
— swimming, 1500 metre freestyle - Anthony WildingTony WildingAnthony "Tony" Frederick Wilding was a champion tennis player from Christchurch, New Zealand and a soldier killed in action during World War I near Neuve-Chapelle, Pas-de-Calais, France....
— tennis, men's indoor singles
Swimming
Nine athletes competed for Australasia at the 1912 Games. The team finished with six medals, two of each color, as well as one world record and an additional Olympic record at the end of the Games.Fanny Durack
Fanny Durack
Sarah Frances "Fanny" Durack was an Australian swimmer. From 1910 until 1918 she was the world's greatest female swimmer of all distances from freestyle sprints to the mile marathon.-Life and career:...
and Mina Wylie
Mina Wylie
Wilhelmina "Mina" Wylie was one of Australia's first two female Olympic swimming representatives, along with friend Fanny Durack.-Early life:...
, the two women who swam for Australasia, finished first and second in the only women's individual event, the 100 metres freestyle. Durack set a new Olympic record in the quarterfinals, which held throughout the rest of the competition.
The men's freestyle relay team earned the gold medal, breaking the world record of 10:26.4 (itself being newly set after the Americans broke the 10:53.4 set by the British team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
) swam by the United States team in the first semifinal by swimming 12.4 seconds faster in the second final. The Australasia team dropped the world record in that event a further 2.8 seconds in the final.
Harold Hardwick
Harold Hardwick
Harold Hampton Hardwick was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century - an Olympic gold-medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion and a state representative rugby union player...
and Cecil Healy
Cecil Healy
Cecil Patrick Healy was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1900s and 1910s, who won silver in the 100m freestyle at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He also won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay...
each briefly took the Olympic record in the men's 400 meters freestyle heats, with the pair finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the final. Hardwick took another bronze medal in the 1500 free, while Healy took silver in the 100 free.
| Swimmer | Events | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Leslie Boardman Leslie Boardman Leslie Boardman was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1910s, who won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.... |
100 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle The men's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had not been featured at the 1900 Games... |
1:06:0 | 6 | 1:05.4 | 7 | Did not advance | |||
| Malcolm Champion Malcolm Champion Malcolm Eadie Champion was New Zealand's first Olympic gold medallist, and the first swimmer to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games... |
400 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre freestyle The men's 400 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1904... |
5:37.0 | 5 | 5:38.0 | 6 | Did not advance | |||
| 1500 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metre freestyle The men's 1500 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1908. At the 1904 and 1906 Olympics a one mile freestyle contest was held... |
23:34.0 | 7 | 23:24.2 | 6 | Did not finish | ||||
| Fanny Durack Fanny Durack Sarah Frances "Fanny" Durack was an Australian swimmer. From 1910 until 1918 she was the world's greatest female swimmer of all distances from freestyle sprints to the mile marathon.-Life and career:... |
100 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metre freestyle The women's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of a women's event in Olympic swimming, followed closely by the 4x100 metre free relay... |
1:19.8 OR | 1 | 1:20.2 | 1 | 1:22.2 |  |
||
| Harold Hardwick Harold Hardwick Harold Hampton Hardwick was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century - an Olympic gold-medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion and a state representative rugby union player... |
100 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle The men's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had not been featured at the 1900 Games... |
1:05.8 | 5 | 1:06.0 | 8 | Did not advance | |||
| 400 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre freestyle The men's 400 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1904... |
5:36.0 OR | 3 | 5:31.0 | 3 | 5:31.2 |  |
|||
| 1500 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metre freestyle The men's 1500 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1908. At the 1904 and 1906 Olympics a one mile freestyle contest was held... |
23:23.2 | 6 | 23:14.0 | 4 | 23:15.4 | |
|||
| Cecil Healy Cecil Healy Cecil Patrick Healy was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1900s and 1910s, who won silver in the 100m freestyle at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He also won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay... |
100 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle The men's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had not been featured at the 1900 Games... |
1:05:2 | 3 | 1:04.8 | 5 | 1:05.6 | 3 | 1:04.6 |  |
| 400 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre freestyle The men's 400 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1904... |
5:34.0 OR | 1 | 5:37.8 | 5 | 5:37.8 | 4 | |||
| William Longworth William Longworth William Longworth was an Australian freestyle swimmer who competed for Australasia in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Rixs Creek, Singleton, New South Wales and died in Wahroonga, New South Wales.... |
100 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle The men's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had not been featured at the 1900 Games... |
1:05.2 | 3 | 1:05.2 | 6 | 1:06.2 | 5 | Did not start | |
| 1500 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metre freestyle The men's 1500 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1908. At the 1904 and 1906 Olympics a one mile freestyle contest was held... |
23:03.6 | 3 | Did not start | Did not advance | |||||
| Frank Schryver | 200 m breaststroke Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metre breaststroke The men's 200 metre breaststroke was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1908. Germany swept the medals in the event... |
3:24.0 | 17 | Did not advance | |||||
| 400 m breaststroke Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre breaststroke The men's 400 metre breaststroke was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1904... |
7:07.8 | 10 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Theodore Tartakover | 100 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle The men's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had not been featured at the 1900 Games... |
1:12.2 | ? | Did not advance | |||||
| 400 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre freestyle The men's 400 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1904... |
Did not finish | Did not advance | |||||||
| Mina Wylie Mina Wylie Wilhelmina "Mina" Wylie was one of Australia's first two female Olympic swimming representatives, along with friend Fanny Durack.-Early life:... |
100 m freestyle Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metre freestyle The women's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of a women's event in Olympic swimming, followed closely by the 4x100 metre free relay... |
1:26.8 | 6 | 1:27.0 | 3 | 1:25.4 | |
||
| Leslie Boardman Leslie Boardman Leslie Boardman was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1910s, who won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.... Malcolm Champion Malcolm Champion Malcolm Eadie Champion was New Zealand's first Olympic gold medallist, and the first swimmer to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games... Harold Hardwick Harold Hardwick Harold Hampton Hardwick was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century - an Olympic gold-medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion and a state representative rugby union player... Cecil Healy Cecil Healy Cecil Patrick Healy was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1900s and 1910s, who won silver in the 100m freestyle at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He also won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay... |
4x200 m freestyle relay Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay The men's 4x200 metre freestyle relay was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1908... |
10:14.0 WR | 1 | 10:11.2 WR | |
||||
Athletics
Five athletes competed for Australasia at the 1912 Games.| Athlete | Events | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| George Hill George Hill (athlete) George Neville Hill known as Neville Hill was a New Zealand track and field athlete who competed as a member of the Australasian team in the 1912 Summer Olympics at Stockholm.... |
5000 m Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 5000 metres The men's 5000 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the debut of the event, which along with the 10000 metre event replaced the 5 mile race held at the 1908 Summer Olympics... |
15:56.8 | ? | Did not advance | |||
| 10000 m Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres The men's 10,000 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the debut of the event, which along with the 5000 metres replaced the 5 mile race held at the 1908 Summer Olympics... |
Did not finish | Did not advance | |||||
| William Murray | 10 km walk Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 10 kilometre walk The men's 10 kilometres walk was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of racewalking, which had debuted at the previous games with the 10 mile and 3500 metre walks. The 10 kilometre was the only... |
Disqualified | Did not advance | ||||
| Stuart Poulter | Marathon Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon The men's marathon was a track and field athletics event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The distance used was 40.2 kilometres, nearly 2... |
Did not finish | |||||
| Claude Ross | 400 m Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres The men's 400 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics... |
? | ? | Did not advance | |||
| William Stewart | 100 m Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres The men's 100 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics... |
11.0 | ? | ? | ? | Did not advance | |
| 200 m Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres The men's 200 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth appearance of the event, which has appeared at every edition of the Summer Olympics since the 1900 Summer Olympics... |
26.0 | ? | Did not finish | Did not advance | |||
Rowing
Ten athletes competed for Australasia at the 1912 Games.| Rower | Cox | Events | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | |||
| Cecil McVilly Cecil McVilly Cecil Leventhorpe McVilly was an Australian rower who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.McVilly was born on in Hobart, the son of Joseph Henry McVilly, a newspaper editor, and his wife Marion Jane Thompson, née Smith. He was educated at Queen's College, Hobart. He was a sculler and won the... |
Single sculls Rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's single sculls The men's single sculls was a rowing event held as part of the Rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth appearance of the event.-Heats:... |
Disqualified | Did not advance | |||||||
| John Ryrie Simon Fraser Hugh Ward Thomas Parker Henry Hauenstein Sydney Middleton Sydney Middleton Sydney Albert 'Syd' Middleton DSO, OBE was an Australian Army officer and national representative rugby union player and rower. He won a gold medal in rugby at the 1908 Summer Olympics and competed in rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He had a distinguished career in World War I being awarded... Harry Ross-Boden Roger Fitzhardinge |
Robert Waley | Eights Rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's eights The men's eights was a rowing event held as part of the Rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth appearance of the event... |
6:57.0 | ? | ? | ? | Did not advance | |||
Tennis
One athlete competed for Australasia at the 1912 Games. Anthony Wilding competed only in the indoor men's singles, finishing with the bronze medal.| Athlete | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
|||
| Anthony Wilding | Indoor singles Tennis at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Indoor Men's Singles -Section 1:-Section 2:-Section 3:-Section 4:... |
W – 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 |
W – 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 |
W – 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 |
L – 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
W – 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-0 |
|