Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw
| Men's discus throw at the Games of the V Olympiad
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Taipale on the way to win the gold medal.
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| Date | July 12 | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 41 from 15 nations | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Armas Taipale |
 Finland
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Richard Byrd |
 United States
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James Duncan |
United States
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The men's discus throw was a track and field athletics event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The competition was held on Friday, July 12, 1912.
Forty-one discus throwers from 15 nation competed.
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics.
No fewer than seven throwers beat the old Olympic record of 40.89 metres, beginning with Duncan and Niklander's first throws. Niklander's was the best of the round. The second throw resulted in Mucks joining those who beat the old record, while Taipale, Byrd, and Duncan beat even the new one, with Taipale's 43.91 metres setting a mark no other thrower would reach. Philbrook and Tronner beat the old record in the third throw, but neither was able to break into the top three (all three of whom had scratched with their final preliminary throws, but still maintained top ranks). Niklander, after his first throw, was unable to make another legal mark and fell to fourth, where he finished.
In the final, Byrd and Duncan were unable to improve upon their previous marks, throwing shorter in their first throws and scratching in their second and third throws each. Taipale, on the other hand, regardless of the safety of his lead, threw even further in his first and then his third throw, finishing at 45.21 metres, nearly 3 metres ahead of Byrd.
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