The 1904 Olympics introduced both team archery and women's archery as competitive events, with all participants being American due to lack of foreign entrants.
Key Facts
- Total archery events
- 6 (3 men's, 3 women's)
- Male competitors
- 23
- Female competitors
- 6
- Matilda Howell gold medals
- 3
- Foreign competitors
- 0 (none entered)
- Official event name
- 26th Grand Annual Target Meeting of the NAA
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Early Olympic archery lacked standardization, meaning each Games held events with little continuity from previous editions. The 1904 St. Louis Games formally adopted the National Archery Association's Grand Annual Target Meeting format, and while open to international athletes, no foreign competitors chose to enter, resulting in an entirely American field.
Six archery events were contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis: three for men and three for women. Team archery and women's archery both made their Olympic debuts. George Bryant swept both men's individual gold medals, while Matilda Howell won three gold medals across both women's individual events and the sole women's team competition.
The introduction of women's archery at the 1904 Games marked an early milestone for female participation in Olympic competition. Matilda Howell became a noted pioneer of women's archery. However, because no international athletes competed, the results reflected only American performance, limiting the events' global significance in the short term.
Result
at St. Louis, Missouri