The men's 200 metres was a sprinting 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 22, 1900, well after most of the rest of the athletics events. The 1900 Games were the first time the 200 metres was contested. The races were held on a track of 500 metres in circumference. Eight athletes from seven nations competed.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.

World Record	21.4(*)	Jim Maybury	Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	June 5, 1897
Olympic Record		none

(*) unofficial 220 yards (= 201.17 m)

William Holland

William Holland (athlete)

William Joseph Holland was an American track and field athlete.At the age of 26, Holland, a medical student at Georgetown University, won the Silver medal in the Men's 400-metre race at the 1900 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, with a time of 49.6 seconds, just 2 tenth of a second behind Gold...

 set the first Olympic record when he won the first heat of the first round in 24.0 seconds. In the final Walter Tewksbury set a new Olympic record with 22.2 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		24.0s
2		Unknown
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

The first heat was an easy win for Holland.

First round, heat 2

Place	Athlete	Time
1		25.0s
2		(25.1)
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

Rowley beat Tewksbury by about a foot, and neither of the other two runners were close.

Final

Place	Athlete	Time
1		22.2s
2		(22.8)
3		(22.9)
4		(22.9)

Tewksbury passed Pritchard in the second half of the race and crossed the finish line 2½ yards clear of the field, with Pritchard half a yard ahead of Rowley, and Rowley six inches ahead of Holland, who was the slowest in the final despite improving upon his time by over a second.

Sources

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