page_title: United States at the 1896 Summer Olympics
section_title: Athletics
hierarchical_section_title: United States at the 1896 Summer Olympics / Athletics
context_page_description: Fourteen competitors from the United States competed in three sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Americans were the most successful athletes in terms of gold medals, beating host nation Greece, 11 to 10, despite fielding only 14 competitors compared to an estimated 169 Greek entrants. However, the Greeks' 46 total medals dwarfed the Americans' 20.
  The United States team had 27 entries in 16 events, with 20 of the 27 resulting in top-three finishes.
  Most of the American competitors were students at Harvard University or Princeton University or members of the Boston Athletic Association. The team trained at The Pennington School, in Pennington, New Jersey, while preparing for the first modern Olympic Games.
context_section_description: The United States squad of 11, which featured only one national champion, won nine gold medals in the twelve athletics events, with contributions from six different athletes. Six silver medals and two bronze medals also went to the Americans in athletics.
  Track & road events
  Field events
caption: Thomas Curtis
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