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Charles Gmelin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Athletics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 1896 Athens | 400 metres | |
Charles Henry Stuart Gmelin (born May 28, 1872 in Krishnagar, India - died 1950 in Oxford) was a British athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Gmelin was born in Bengal, India, where his father was a Christian missionary, but returned to England at an early age for schooling. He was educated at Magdalene College School and Keble College. After graduating he took holy orders and later become headmaster of Freshfields School in Oxford. Gmelin was an all round sportsman who represented Oxfordshire at both football and cricket.
He had the distinction of being the first British athlete to compete in Olympic competition when he finished third in the inaugural heat of the 100 metres. He did not advance to the final.
He was more successful in the 400 metres where he finished second behind Tom Burke of the United States in his preliminary heat. This qualified him for the final, where he placed third behind the United States pairing of Tom Burke and Herbert Jamison in a time of 55.6 seconds. For many years the German runner Fritz Hoffmann was incorrectly listed as placing ahead of Gmelin.
Although no awards were made for third place in the 1896 Summer Olympics he is usually credited as a bronze medal winner.
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