Julius Lenhart
Encyclopedia
Julius Lenhart was an Austria
n gymnast
who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics
. He won two gold medals and one silver medal, making him the most successful Austrian competitor ever at the Summer Olympic Games
.
He started his career in Vienna at a local gymnastics club. Due to his work as mechanical engineer he came to Germany and Switzerland, where he continued to compete in local clubs at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903 he travelled to the United States and found work and a new gymnastics club in Philadelphia
. As a member of Philadelphia Turngemeinde, Lenhart competed at the Olympic Games in St. Louis
in 1904. Soon after the games he returned to Austria where he retired from gymnastics in 1908.
Because athletes did not compete for their nations at early Olympic Games as they do now, the International Olympic Committee
credit's Lenharts medals to the United States instead of Austria, as he was representing his Philadelphia-based club.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n gymnast
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
. He won two gold medals and one silver medal, making him the most successful Austrian competitor ever at the Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
.
He started his career in Vienna at a local gymnastics club. Due to his work as mechanical engineer he came to Germany and Switzerland, where he continued to compete in local clubs at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903 he travelled to the United States and found work and a new gymnastics club in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. As a member of Philadelphia Turngemeinde, Lenhart competed at the Olympic Games in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1904. Soon after the games he returned to Austria where he retired from gymnastics in 1908.
Because athletes did not compete for their nations at early Olympic Games as they do now, the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
credit's Lenharts medals to the United States instead of Austria, as he was representing his Philadelphia-based club.