The men's 100 metres was a track and field athletics

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics

These are the results of athletics competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics. 30 events were contested, all for men only.The athletics programme grew by 4 events since the 1908 Summer Olympics. The 5000 and 10000 metre races were introduced for the first time, as the 5 mile event was eliminated...

 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 competition was held on July 6, 1912 and on July 7, 1912.

Seventy runners from 22 nations competed.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics.

World Record	10.5(*)	Emil Ketterer Emil Ketterer Emil Ketterer was a German track and field athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Later in his life, he became an ardent Nazi and SA-Obergruppenführer. As a medical doctor, he was involved in approval and promotion of euthanasia under the Nazi regime...	Karlsruhe Karlsruhe The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...  (GER German Empire The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German... )	July 9, 1911
	10.5(*)	Richard Rau Richard Rau Richard Rau was a German track and field athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Berlin and died in Vyazma.In 1912 he finished fourth in the 200 metres competition...	Braunschweig Braunschweig Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....  (GER German Empire The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German... )	August 13, 1911
	10.5(*)	Richard Rau Richard Rau Richard Rau was a German track and field athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Berlin and died in Vyazma.In 1912 he finished fourth in the 200 metres competition...	Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...  (GER German Empire The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German... )	May 12, 1912
	10.5(*)	Erwin Kern Erwin Kern Erwin Kern was a German track and field athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Ferrette and died in Schönau im Schwarzwald....	Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...  (GER German Empire The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German... )	May 26, 1912
Olympic Record	10.8	Frank Jarvis Frank Jarvis Frank Washington Jarvis was an American athlete, and the Olympic 100 m champion of 1900.Jarvis, an AAU champion in the 100 y, was among the pre-race favourites for the 100 m at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, but the hot favourite was American Arthur Duffey, who won the British Championships...	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...  (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... )	July 14, 1900
	10.8	Walter Tewksbury	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...  (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... )	July 14, 1900
	10.8	James Rector	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  (GBR Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... )	July 20, 1908
	10.8(**)	Reggie Walker Reggie Walker Reginald Edgar Walker was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.-Biography:...	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  (GBR Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... )	July 21, 1908
	10.8	James Rector	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  (GBR Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... )	July 21, 1908
	10.8	Reggie Walker Reggie Walker Reginald Edgar Walker was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.-Biography:...	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  (GBR Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... )	July 22, 1908

(*) unofficial

(**) Actual time was 10.7, rounded up to the nearest fifth, in accordance with rules in force at the time. So his time was only given as 10.

The Olympic record for the 100 metres coming into 1912 was 10.8 seconds. It was matched by David Jacobs of Great Britain in the 10th heat before being broken by American

United States at the 1912 Summer Olympics

The United States competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Out of the 2,547 athletes who had participated, 63 won medals.- Gold:The United States won 25 gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics.* Athletics...

 Donald Lippincott with 10.6 seconds in the 16th heat. This was also the inaugural official world record in the 100 metres. Three semifinalists (including Lippincott) ran the race in 10.7 seconds, but the new record of 10.6 seconds stood for the rest of the event.

Heats

All heats were held on Saturday, July 6, 1912.

Heat 1

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		12.8	QS

Heat 2

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.5	QS
2			QS
3

Heat 3

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.2	QS
2			QS
3
4
5
6

Heat 4

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.4	QS
2			QS

Heat 5

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.2	QS
2			QS
3

Heat 6

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.5	QS
2			QS
3
4
5
6

Heat 7

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.0	QS
2			QS
3
4
5

Heat 8

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.6	QS
2		11.6	QS
3		11.6
4		12.1

Heat 9

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.6	QS
2			QS
3
4

Heat 10

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		10.8 =OR	QS
2			QS
3
4
5

Heat 11

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.0	QS
2			QS
3
4

Heat 12

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.2	QS
2			QS
3
4
5

Heat 13

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.0	QS
2			QS
3
4
—		Did not finish

Heat 14

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.0	QS
2			QS
3
4

Heat 15

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.0	QS
2			QS
3
—		Did not finish

Heat 16

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		10.6 WR	QS
2			QS
3
4
5

Heat 17

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.2	QS
2			QS
3
4

Semifinals

All semi-finals were held on Saturday, July 6, 1912.

Semifinal 1

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.0	QF
2
3
4
5
6

Semifinal 2

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		10.9	QF
2
3
4
5

Semifinal 3

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		10.7	QF
2
3
4
—		Did not finish

Semifinal 4

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		10.7	QF
2		10.9
3
4
5
6

Semifinal 5

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		10.7	QF
2
3
4
5
6

Semifinal 6

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		11.1	QF
2
3
4
5

Final

The final was held on Sunday, July 7, 1912. Drew was forced to scratch from the final after he pulled a tendon at the end of the first semi-final.

The official report gives the result as Ralph Craig

Ralph Craig

Ralph Cook Craig was an American athlete, winner of the sprint double at the 1912 Summer Olympics.Craig was born in Detroit, Michigan. Initially a hurdler, he developed into a sprinter at the University of Michigan...

 10, Alvah Meyer

Alvah Meyer

Alvah T. Meyer was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. He was Jewish, and was one of a number of Jewish members of the Irish American Athletic Club, which also included Abel Kiviat and Myer Prinstein.He was born in New York City and died in Tucson, Arizona.In 1914 he set a...

 60 cm behind winner, and Donald Lippincott 15 cm behind second man.

Place	Athlete	Time
1		10.8
2		10.9
3		10.9
4.		11.0
5.		11.0
—		DNS