Edwin Flack became Australia's first Olympic competitor and gold medalist at the inaugural modern Olympic Games in Athens, 1896.
Key Facts
- Dates of competition
- 6–15 April 1896
- Australian competitors
- 1 (Edwin Flack)
- Gold medals won
- 2
- Total medals won
- 2
- Final medal table rank
- 8th
- Events entered by Flack
- 5
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 opened international athletic competition to participants from across the British Empire. Edwin Flack, born in England but resident in Australia for most of his life, was in London at the time and traveled to Athens to compete, representing the Colony of Victoria under the Union Flag.
Flack was the sole competitor from an Australian colony at the 1896 Athens Olympics. He entered five events and won medals in three, including two gold medals. The International Olympic Committee retrospectively recognizes him as an Australian athlete, giving Australia a presence at the first modern Olympics.
Australia finished eighth on the medal table with two gold medals, establishing a national Olympic legacy from the very first modern Games. Flack's participation set a precedent for Australian involvement in the Olympics, which has continued uninterrupted through subsequent Games.
Result
at Athens, Greece