1904 Olympics Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

The Tug-o-War Competition at the 1904 Olympics

Posted on Thursday, October 11th, 2018 by John Wood

“St. Louis Missouri — On Wednesday August 30th, 1904, the tug-o-war contest was pulled on the turf without the cleats, the ground having been dug up, so that the men could get some sort of hold with their feet. Six teams had entered for the honors as follows: Boers, South Africa; first and second teams of the Southwestern Turnverein, of St. Louis; Pan-Hellenic team, Greece; Milwaukee Athletic Club, Milwaukee, Wis, New York Athletic Club, New York.

In the prelimininary heats, Milwaukee defeated the Boers; the first St. Louis Turnverein team defeated the Greeks two inches after five minutes of work; and New York Athletic Club defeated the second team of the Southwestern Turnverein of St. Louis by four feet.

On Thursday, September 1st, the final rounds of the Olympic tug-o-war contest were contested and the championship when to Milwaukee Athletic Club, with the two St. Louis teams, West St. Louis Turnverein second and third; forth honors going to the New York Athletic Club.”

John J. Flanagan

Posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2018 by John Wood

John J. Flanagan, looking lean and mean in this rare shot from 1899, was one of the world’s greatest heavy event athletes. Flanagan, who immigrated to the U.S from Ireland in 1897, competed in three Olympic games: Paris (1900), St. Louis (1904), and London (1908). He won four Olympic medals, in the throwing events: three Golds in the Hammer (setting the Olympic record of 51.01 m) and one Silver medal in the 56-pound weight throw. Flanagan also competed in the discus in Paris in 1900 (finishing seventh) and in the Tug-O-War in the 1908 Olympics.

The Hammer throw continues to be an ongoing event in the Olympic Track and Field competition but the 56-pound weight was only contested twice: the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Missouri and the 1920 Games held in Antwerp, Belgium. The 56-pound weight is, however, still contested in the Highland Games where it is thrown for distance and height.
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Flanagan raised the world record in the 16 lbs. hammer throw in sixteen installments during his competitive career which lasted from 1895 to 1909. On July 24, 1909, at the age of 41, Flanagan set his last world record in the hammer with a throw of 56.18 meters.

Fred Winters

Posted on Tuesday, December 26th, 2017 by John Wood

It is fairly well known (at least around these parts) that Fred Winters won the Silver Medal at the 1904 Summer Olympics — the rarely seen shot above is a one-arm lift from that performance. what most people don’t know is that a few weeks before the Olympics, August 8th, 1904, Winters set a new world record in what would today be called the one-arm snatch. Winters successfully lifted a 141 lb. dumbbell from the ground to overhead, beating by three pounds the previous record set by G. W. Stoesset at Madison Square Garden, December 17, 1897.

Perikles Kakousis

Posted on Monday, November 13th, 2017 by John Wood

Shown is Greek Weightlifter Perikles Kakousis on his way to winning the “Two Hand Lift” Weightlifting competition at the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St. Louis, Missouri. This lift of 246 pounds was good enough for the Gold Medal and set the world record at the time (breaking the old record by a mere four ounces.) The judge Dr. R.Tait McKenzie (a noted physical training author, btw) looks on from the right. At the same games, Kakousis also competed in the Tug ‘O War event although his team only finished tied for 5th place.

Fred Winters

Posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 by John Wood

Fred Winters

Fred Winters, of the New Westside Athletic Club of New York, won the Silver Medal in the Dumbell Lifting portion of the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. The competition consisted of nine individual dumbbell lifting events with the tenth event being an original feat of strength of the competitor’s choice.

Above is the result of Section #6 of the contest “Pushing up slowly one dumbbell with one hand from the shoulder to arm’s length above the shoulder” which Mr. Winters won with a lift of 126-1/2 pounds.

Fred was in the lead after the all dumbbell events and for his choice feat he performed six one-arm pushups with 105 extra pounds of weight strapped to his back… An impressive feat, but only good enough for second place.