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.
Medalists
Of the 14 Americans at the Athens Games, 12 won medals. Charles Waldstein, a shooter, and Gardner Williams, a swimmer, were the two who did not win any medals.
The following competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded.
thumb|right|Several members of America's first Olympic team in 1896. Standing: T.E. Burke, Thomas P. Curtis, Ellery H. Clark. Seated: W.W. Hoyt, Sumner Paine, Trainer John Graham, John B. Paine, Arthur C. Blake
thumb|right|Several members of America's first Olympic team
{|class="wikitable sortable" style=font-size:95%
|-
!Medal
!Name
!Sport
!Event
!Date
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's triple jump ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's discus throw ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's shot put ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's long jump ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's 400 metres ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's 100 metres ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's 110 metre hurdles ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's high jump ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's pole vault ||
|-
| || || Shooting || Men's 25 metre military pistol ||
|-
| || || Shooting || Men's 30 metre free pistol ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's 400 metres ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's 1500 metres ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's long jump ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's high jump ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's high jump ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's pole vault ||
|-
| || || Shooting || Men's 25 metre military pistol ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's long jump ||
|-
| || || Athletics || Men's 100 metres ||
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%; float:right;"
|-
!colspan=5|Medals by sport
|-
!Sport
|bgcolor=F7F6A8|
|bgcolor=DCE5E5|
|bgcolor=FFDAB9|
!Total
|-
|Athletics
|bgcolor=F7F6A8|9
|bgcolor=DCE5E5|6
|bgcolor=FFDAB9|2
|17
|-
|Shooting
|bgcolor=F7F6A8|2
|bgcolor=DCE5E5|1
|bgcolor=FFDAB9|0
|3
|-
!Total
!style=background:gold|11
!style=background:silver|7
!style=background:#c96|2
!20
|}
Multiple medalists
The following competitors won multiple medals at the 1896 Olympic Games.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"
|-
! Name
! Medal
! Sport
! Event
|-
| || <br /><br /><br /> ||Athletics|| Men's shot put<br />Men's discus throw<br />Men's high jump<br />Men's long jump
|-
| || <br /> ||Athletics|| Men's 100 m<br />Men's 400 m
|-
| || <br /> ||Athletics|| Men's high jump<br />Men's long jump
|-
| || <br /><br /> ||Athletics|| Men's triple jump<br />Men's high jump<br />Men's long jump
|-
| || <br />||Shooting|| Men's 30 metre pistol<br />Men's 25 metre military pistol
|}
Competitors
| width=78% align=left valign=top |
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style=text-align:center
|-
! width=180|Sport
! width=55|Men
! width=55|Women
! width=55|Total
|-
| align=left|Athletics
| 10 || 0 || 10
|-
| align=left|Shooting
| 3 || 0 || 3
|-
| align=left|Swimming
| 1 || 0 || 1
|-
! Total || 14 || 0 || 14
|}
| width="22%" align="left" valign="top" |
{|class=wikitable style=font-size:85%;float:right;text-align:center
|-
!colspan=6|Medals by day
|-
!Day
!Date
| bgcolor=F7F6A8|
| bgcolor=DCE5E5|
| bgcolor=FFDAB9|
!Total
|-
|1
|April 6
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |2
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |0
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |0
|2
|- style="text-align:center"
|2
|April 7
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |3
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |3
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |1
|7
|- style="text-align:center"
|3
|April 8
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |0
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |0
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |0
|0
|- style="text-align:center"
|4
|April 9
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |0
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |0
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |0
|0
|- style="text-align:center"
|5
|April 10
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |5
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |4
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |1
|10
|- style="text-align:center"
|6
|April 11
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |1
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |0
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |0
| 1
|- style="text-align:center"
|7
|April 12
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |2
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |1
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |0
|3
|- style="text-align:center"
|8
|April 13
| bgcolor=F7F6A8 |0
| bgcolor=DCE5E5 |0
| bgcolor=FFDAB9 |0
|0
|-
!colspan=2|Total
! style="background:gold" |11
! style="background:silver" |7
! style="background:#c96" |2
!20
|}
Athletics
thumb|right|Thomas Curtis
thumb|right|US athletic team
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<br/>
{| class=wikitable style=font-size:90%;text-align:center
|-
!rowspan=2|Athlete
!rowspan=2|Event
!colspan=2|Heat
!colspan=2|Final
|-style=font-size:95%
!Time
!Rank
!Time
!Rank
|-
|align=left|Thomas Burke
|align=left rowspan=5|100 m
|11.8 OR
|1 Q
|12.0
|
|-
|align=left|Thomas Curtis
|12.2
|1 Q
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|Ralph Derr
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|Did not advance
|-
|align=left|Francis Lane
|12.2
|1 Q
|12.6
|
|-
|align=left|Charles Vanoni
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|Did not advance
|-
|align=left|Thomas Burke
|align=left rowspan=2|400 m
|58.4
|1 Q
|54.2 OR
|
|-
|align=left|Herbert Jamison
|56.8
|1 Q
|55.2
|
|-
|align=left|Thomas Burke
|align=left|800 m
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|Did not advance
|-
|align=left|Arthur Blake
|align=left|1500 m
|colspan=2
|4:33.6
|
|-
|align=left|James Brendan Connolly
|align=left rowspan=5|110 m hurdles
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|Did not advance
|-
|align=left|Thomas Curtis
|18.0
|1 Q
|17.6 OR
|
|-
|align=left|William Hoyt
|Unknown
|2
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|Fred Lord
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|Did not advance
|-
|align=left|Charles Vanoni
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|Did not advance
|-
|align=left|Arthur Blake
|align=left|Marathon
|colspan=2
|colspan=2|
|}
Field events
{|class=wikitable style=font-size:90%;text-align:center
|-
!rowspan=2|Athlete
!rowspan=2|Event
!colspan=2|Final
|-style=font-size:95%
!Distance
!Position
|-
|align=left|Ellery Harding Clark
|align=left rowspan=4|Men's high jump
|1.81 OR
|
|-
|align=left|James Brendan Connolly
|1.65
|
|-
|align=left|John Stanley Edwards
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|Robert Garrett
|1.65
|
|-
|align=left|William Hoyt
|align=left rowspan=3|Men's pole vault
|3.30 OR
|
|-
|align=left|Albert Tyler
|3.20
|
|-
|align=left|Charles Vanoni
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|Ellery Harding Clark
|align=left rowspan=5|Men's long jump
|6.35 OR
|
|-
|align=left|James Brendan Connolly
|6.11
|
|-
|align=left|Thomas Curtis
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|Ralph Derr
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|Robert Garrett
|6.18
|
|-
|align=left|James Brendan Connolly
|align=left|Men's triple jump
|13.71 OR
|
|-
|align=left|Ellery Harding Clark
|align=left rowspan=3|Men's shot put
|Unknown
|5-7
|-
|align=left|Robert Garrett
|11.22 OR
|
|-
|align=left|Charles Vanoni
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|Robert Garrett
|align=left rowspan=2|Men's discus throw
|29.15 WR
|
|-
|align=left|Charles Vanoni
|colspan=2|
|}
Cycling
Road
{|class=wikitable style=font-size:90%;text-align:center
|-
!Athlete
!Event
!Time
!Rank
|-
|align=left|A. Johnson
|align=left rowspan=2|Men's road race
|colspan=2|
|-
|align=left|B. MacDonald
|colspan=2|
|}
Fencing
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|-
!rowspan=2|Athlete
!rowspan=2|Event
!colspan=3|Round 1
!colspan=2|Final
|- style="font-size:95%"
!
!
!Rank
!Opposition <br /> Score
!Rank
|- align=center
|align=left|Fred Hellen
|align=left|Men's foil
|colspan=5|
|- align=center
|align=left|Albertson Van Zo Post
|align=left|Men's sabre
|colspan=5|
|}
Shooting
The Paine brothers contested only two events, taking the top two spots in the event in which they both competed, the military pistol. Sumner was the only one of the two to enter the free pistol, which he won. Waldstein was the third member of the American shooting contingent, competing in the military rifle event.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
!rowspan="2"|Athlete
!rowspan="2"|Event
!colspan=2|Final
|-style="font-size:95%"
!Score
!Rank
|-align=center
|align=left|Charles Waldstein
|align=left|Men's 200 m military rifle
|Unknown
|14-41
|-align=center
|align=left|John Paine
|align=left rowspan=2|Men's 25 m military pistol
|442
|
|-align=center
|align=left|Sumner Paine
|380
|
|-align=center
|align=left|Sumner Paine
|align=left|Men's 30 m pistol
|442
|
|}
Swimming
Williams competed in two swimming events, with his results currently being unknown (lost in the years since).
{|class=wikitable style=font-size:90%;text-align:center
|-
!rowspan=2|Athlete
!rowspan=2|Event
!colspan=2|Final
|-style=font-size:95%
!Time
!Rank
|-
|align=left|Gardner Williams
|align=left|100 m freestyle
|Unknown
|3-10
|-
|align=left|Gardner Williams
|align=left|1200 m freestyle
|Unknown
|3-8
|}
References
- (Excerpt available at [http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/Mallon/1896.pdf] )