L. Atcherley, Frankfurt/Main (GER), April 13, 1895
Harry Beaton, Rotterdam (NED), August 28, 1895
In front of 40,000 people in the stadium, and thousands more looking
on from the hills above, Francis Lane of Princeton won the first heat in
12.2. This was the first competition in the Olympics since their denoue-
ment in 393 AD. Thomas Curtis (12.2) and Thomas Burke (11.8) won
the other heats.
Curtis, focusing on the 110m hurdles, did not turn out for the final.
Burke and Hofmann were drawn next to each other in lanes 4 and 5,
and were level until 50m, when Burke drew away to win by about one-
and-a-half metres. Wind and track surface conditions were unhelpful;
note that Lane later placed fourth in the US Championships 100y in
10.5e, three yards behind the world’s number one Bernie Wefers. A
head-on shot of the finish suggests that Lane may have beaten Szokolyi
for third place.