The men's pentathlon was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first time the event was held.[1] Twenty-six athletes from 11 nations competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.[2]Jim Thorpe's gold medal was the first ever won by an Indigenous American athlete in Olympic history.
Thorpe's gold medal was stripped by the International Olympic Committee in 1913, after the IOC learned that Thorpe had taken expense money for playing baseball, violating contemporary Olympic amateurism rules, before the 1912 Games. This moved everyone else up in the rankings. In 1982, the IOC was convinced that the disqualification had been improper, as no protest against Thorpe's eligibility had been brought within the required 30 days and reinstated Thorpe's medals, but without demoting the other athletes. This made Thorpe and Bie co-champions. In 2022, in consultation with surviving members of Bie's family, the IOC reinstated Thorpe as the sole winner of the event, as all his competitors had always wanted.[3]
The placings for each discipline, used to calculate the points awarded against each athlete, were recalculated discounting Thorpe in 1913. Thorpe's reinstatement in 1982 was as co-holder of his positions in each discipline, leaving the revised points against the other athletes unchanged. The points were not recalculated again when Thorpe was reinstated as sole gold medallist in 2022, because the extra point that would have been debited against Donahue would have placed him below Lukeman and required the medals to be redistributed; this was considered inappropriate, as Donahue initially finished ahead of Lukeman before Thorpe's disqualification.
Halt and Waitzer both dropped out of the running, not finishing the 200 metres. After the event was over, only the top 12 athletes advanced to the fourth event, with everyone else eliminated. Scores were recalculated after the eliminations.
Only the top 6 athletes after the discus throw advanced to the final event. Since at the time there was a tie for 6th (before the points were recalculated after Jim Thorpe's disqualification), both of the 6th-place athletes moved on, making 7 competitors in the 1500 metres. Scores were not recalculated after the second cut.
The tie between Donahue and Lukeman was broken by calculating each athlete's score on the decathlon table, originally deciding between a bronze medal and fourth place. Donahue won, 3475.865 points to 3396.975 points, to take the bronze medal. Thorpe's disqualification in 1913 resulted in Bie being awarded the gold medal, while Donahue and Lukeman moved up to silver and bronze, respectively. When Thorpe's results were reinstated 70 years later, his gold medal status was returned while the other three athletes kept their upgraded placings—resulting in two gold medalists. In 2022, the IOC declared Thorpe as the sole winner of the gold medal, and named Bie a co-winner of silver alongside Donahue.[3]
^ abDistances for these two Germans are unknown. Since all other athletes' places are known, Waitzer and Halt took 22nd and 24th places, though which took which place is unknown.
^Waitzer's distance in the javelin throw is also unknown, though it was less than 33.36 metres as he finished in last place.
^ abHalt's score from the first event is either 21 or 23 points, giving him a total of 30 or 32. If it is 21, Halt would be placed 18th, between Menaul (17th) and Ericson (19th). If it is 23, Halt is tied at 20th with Kröjer, and Ericson is placed 18th.
Bergvall, Erik (ed.) (1913). Adams-Ray, Edward (trans.). (ed.). The Official Report of the Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
Jim Thorpe (USA)
Ferdinand Bie (NOR)
Oscar Lemming (SWE)
Otto Bäurle (GER)
Frank Lukeman (CAN)
Pierre Failliot (FRA)
Julius Wagner (SUI)
Emil Kukko (FIN)
Gustav Krojer (AUT)
Alfredo Pagani (ITA)
Mgirdiç Migiryan (TUR)
