# Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put

The men's shot put was one of six throwing events on the Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on July 16, 1908. 25 shot putters from eight nations competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes. The event was won by Ralph Rose, successfully defending his title from 1904 and making it four consecutive Games that the event was won by an American. The two-Games streak of sweeps in 1900 and 1904 ended, however, as Denis Horgan of Great Britain took silver. Johnny Garrels of the United States took bronze. Rose was the second man to win two medals in the shot put (and the first to win two golds); Wesley Coe nearly was the third as he ended up in 4th place, only 11 centimetres behind Garrels.

## Background

This was the fourth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Three Americans returned from the 1904 Games: gold medalist Ralph Rose, silver medalist Wesley Coe, and fourth-place finisher Martin Sheridan. Sheridan was best at the discus, but had won the shot put at the 1906 Intercalated Games (and was also an accomplished standing jumper). Irishman Denis Horgan, one of the best shot putters in the world over the past decade and a half, finally competed in the Olympics after not participating in prior Games. Horgan was 37 years old; still a strong contender (he would continue winning AAA championships until 1912), but unable to compete with Rose in his 23-year-old prime.
Finland, France, Great Britain, and Norway made their debut in the men's shot put. Greece and the United States each appeared for the fourth time, having competed in all Olympic shot put competitions to date.

## Competition format

The competition returned to the two-round format of 1900, with results carrying over between rounds. Each athlete received three throws in the qualifying round. The top three men advanced to the final, where they received an additional three throws. The best result, qualifying or final, counted. The throw itself was largely under modern rules (16 pound weight, 7 foot circle), but no toe board was used.

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.
| World record | Ralph Rose (USA)$^*$ | 15.12 | Montreal, Canada | 21 September 1907 |
| Olympic record | Ralph Rose (USA) | 14.81 | St. Louis, United States | 31 August 1904 |
$^*$ unofficial
No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Round |
| Wednesday, 22 July 1908 | 14:30 | Qualifying Final |

## Results

Distances and placement are known only for the top eight. Sequences are not known.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Distance | Distance | Distance |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Qualifier | Final | Best |
| | Ralph Rose | United States | 14.08 | 14.21 | 14.21 |
| | Denis Horgan | Great Britain | 13.33 | 13.62 | 13.62 |
| | John Garrels | United States | 13.18 | Unknown | 13.18 |
| 4 | Wesley Coe | United States | 13.07 | Did not advance | 13.07 |
| 5 | Edward Barrett | Great Britain | 12.89 | Did not advance | 12.89 |
| 6 | Bill Horr | United States | 12.83 | Did not advance | 12.83 |
| 7 | Jalmari Sauli | Finland | 12.58 | Did not advance | 12.58 |
| 8 | Lee Talbott | United States | 11.63 | Did not advance | 11.63 |
| 9–25 | James Barrett | Great Britain | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Wilbur Burroughs | United States | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Michalis Dorizas | Greece | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Nikolaos Georgantas | Greece | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Juho Halme | Finland | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Arne Halse | Norway | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | István Mudin | Hungary | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Verner Järvinen | Finland | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Charles Lagarde | France | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Henry Alan Leeke | Great Britain | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Mór Kóczán | Hungary | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Tom Nicolson | Great Britain | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Elmer Niklander | Finland | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Martin Sheridan | United States | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | André Tison | France | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Hugo Wieslander | Sweden | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |
| 9–25 | Bruno Zilliacus | Finland | Unknown | Did not advance | Unknown |