Czechoslovakia_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympics
Czechoslovakia at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Sporting event delegation
Czechoslovakia competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first time that the nation had competed at the Summer Olympic Games, after the republic was founded in 1918. Previously, Bohemia had competed at the Olympic Games from 1900 to 1912.
| Czechoslovakia at the 1920 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
| IOC code | TCH |
| NOC | Czechoslovak Olympic Committee |
| in Antwerp | |
| Competitors | 121 in 13 sports |
| Flag bearer | Ladislav Žemla[1] |
| Medals Ranked 21st |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Bohemia (1900–1912) Czech Republic (1994–) Slovakia (1994–) | |
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bronze | Karel Hartmann Vilém Loos Jan Palouš Jan Peka Karel Pešek Josef Šroubek Otakar Vindyš Karel Wälzer |
Ice hockey | Men's | April 29 |
| Bronze | Milada Skrbková Ladislav Žemla |
Tennis | Mixed doubles | August 24 |
Swimming
Four swimmers, all male, represented Czechoslovakia in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport as well as the Olympics. None of the swimmers were able to advance to the finals.
Ranks given are within the heat.
- Men
| Swimmer | Event | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Václav Bucháček | 100 m free | 1:19.2 | 2 Q | Unknown | 5 | Did not advance | |
| Alois Hrášek | 400 m free | Unknown | 4 | Did not advance | |||
| 1500 m free | Unknown | 5 | Did not advance | ||||
| Emanuel Prüll | 1500 m free | Unknown | 5 | Did not advance | |||
| Eduard Stibor | 200 m breast | Unknown | 5 | Did not advance | |||
| 400 m breast | Unknown | 5 | Did not advance | ||||
Water polo
Czechoslovakia competed in the Olympic water polo tournament for the first time in 1920. A modified version of the Bergvall System was in use at the time. The team was shut out in both of its games, first by Sweden in the round of 16 and then by the Netherlands in the bronze medal quarterfinals.
- Squad
- Round of 16
Sweden  |
11–0 |  Czechoslovakia |
Antwerp |
- Bronze medal quarterfinals
Netherlands  |
7–0 | Czechoslovakia |
Antwerp |
- Final rank
- 11th
16 athletes represented Czechoslovakia in the country's Olympics debut in 1920. The best result for the team was Vohralík's 4th-place finish in the 1500 metres, just 1.6 seconds behind the bronze medal winner.
Ranks given are within the heat.
| Athlete | Event | Heats | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Karel Frankenstein | 400 m | 52.5 | 3 | Did not advance | |||||
| 800 m | — | 6 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Eduard Hašek | 100 m | 4 | Did not advance | ||||||
| František Kiehlmann | 400 m hurdles | — | 59.9 | 3 Q | Did not advance | ||||
| František Marek | 110 m hurdles | — | 4 | Did not advance | |||||
| 400 m hurdles | — | 4 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Karel Pacák | 5000 m | — | 8 | Did not advance | |||||
| 10000 m | — | 11 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Vojtěch Plzák | 100 m | 4 | Did not advance | ||||||
| 200 m | 23.4 | 1 Q | 23.1 | 4 | Did not advance | ||||
| Karel Přibyl | 400 m | 54.0 | 3 | Did not advance | |||||
| 800 m | — | 8 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Jaroslav Procházka | 800 m | — | 5 | Did not advance | |||||
| Adolf Reich | 110 m hurdles | — | 4 | Did not advance | |||||
| Josef Šlehofer | 3 km walk | — | Disqualified | Did not advance | |||||
| 10 km walk | — | Did not finish | Did not advance | ||||||
| Josef Teplý | 800 m | — | 2:00.6 | 7 | Did not advance | ||||
| Václav Vohralík | 1500 m | — | 4:02.2 | 1 Q | 4:08.0 | 4 | |||
| Athlete | Event | Qualifying | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| František Hoplíček | Discus throw | 36.75 | 13 | Did not advance | |
| František Šretr | Long jump | 5.55 | 26 | Did not advance | |
| Triple jump | No mark | 20 | Did not advance | ||
| František Stejskal | Triple jump | No mark | 20 | Did not advance | |
| High jump | 1.65 | 16 | Did not advance | ||
| Ardy Vydra | Javelin throw | 37.75 | 24 | Did not advance | |
| Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Eduard Hašek | Decathlon | Did not finish | |
Four cyclists represented Czechoslovakia in the nation's Olympic debut 1920. The four cyclists competed in the road time trials, placing ninth as a team. Procházka was the best of the four, finishing 34th individually.
Road cycling
| Cyclist | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Ladislav Janoušek | Time trial | 5:29:23.4 | 36 |
| František Kundert | Time trial | 5:38:07.0 | 39 |
| Josef Procházka | Time trial | 5:23:31.4 | 34 |
| Bohumil Rameš | Time trial | 5:40:00.0 | 40 |
| Ladislav Janoušek František Kundert Josef Procházka Bohumil Rameš |
Team time trial | 22:10:01.8 | 9 |
Nine fencers represented Czechoslovakia in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. The country had two individual fencers reach semifinals, but neither advanced to a final. The nation's teams were unsuccessful in team competitions, unable to win a single bout.
Ranks given are within the group.
| Fencer | Event | First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Jan Černohorský | Épée | 1–8 | 10 | Did not advance | |||||
| František Dvořák | Foil | N/A | 2–4 | 4 | Did not advance | ||||
| Josef Javůrek | Épée | 2–7 | 10 | Did not advance | |||||
| Foil | N/A | 3–5 | 6 | Did not advance | |||||
| Sabre | N/A | 3–3 | 5 Q | 3–3 | 5 | Did not advance | |||
| Josef Jungmann | Épée | 4–4 | 5 Q | 1–9 | 11 | Did not advance | |||
| Foil | N/A | 1–5 | 6 | Did not advance | |||||
| Antonín Mikala | Foil | N/A | 1–4 | 5 | Did not advance | ||||
| Jaroslav Šourek | Sabre | N/A | 3–5 | 7 | Did not advance | ||||
| Otakar Švorčík | Épée | 4–4 | 4 Q | 1–9 | 11 | Did not advance | |||
| Viliam Tvrský | Épée | 1–7 | 9 | Did not advance | |||||
| Foil | N/A | 6–2 | 3 Q | 1–4 | 5 | Did not advance | |||
| Sabre | N/A | 2–5 | 7 | Did not advance | |||||
| Zdeněk Vávra | Sabre | N/A | 3–4 | 5 | Did not advance | ||||
| František Dvořák Josef Javůrek Antony Mikala Viliam Tvrský |
Team foil[2] | N/A | 0–5 | 5 | Did not advance | ||||
| Jan Černohorský Josef Javůrek Josef Jungmann Otakar Švorčík Zdeněk Vávra |
Team épée[2] | N/A | 0–5 | 5 | Did not advance | ||||
| František Dvořák Josef Javůrek Josef Jungmann Antony Mikala Otakar Švorčík |
Team sabre[2] | N/A | 0–7 | 6 | |||||
Czechoslovakia competed in the Olympic football tournament for the first time. The squad started strong, outscoring opponents 15 to 1 in the first three rounds to qualify for the final. There the team fell behind 2–0 to Belgium before abandoning the match in protest in the 40th minute. Czechoslovakia, which was not guaranteed the silver medal by advancing to the final due to the use of the Bergvall System, was disqualified from the competition, losing the opportunity to play in the second-place tournament. Archived 2012-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
- First round
| Czechoslovakia | 7–0 |  Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
Vanik  20' 46' 79' Janda 34' 50' 75' Sedláček 43' |
Report |
- Quarterfinals
- Semifinals
- Final
- Final rank
- Disqualified
Sixteen gymnasts represented Czechoslovakia in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport, though Bohemia had competed three times previously. No gymnasts competed in the individual all-around, and the country sent a team in only one of the three team events. That team took fourth place out of five.
Artistic gymnastics
Czechoslovakia competed in the inaugural Olympic ice hockey tournament. The team took a bronze medal, thanks in large part to the use of the Bergvall System in the tournament. This system allowed the team to continue competing despite an early loss. Czechoslovakia was blown out by Canada, 15 to nil, in the quarterfinals. Because Canada went on to win the gold medal, the Bergvall System operated to put Czechoslovakia in the silver medal tournament; there, the team received a bye in the semifinals and went immediately to play against the United States in the silver medal match. The Americans did Canada one better, beating Czechoslovakia 16 to nothing. Still the Czechoslovakian team was not done; having lost only to the gold and silver medalists, the team competed for the bronze medal. Again Czechoslovakia received a semifinal bye, facing Sweden in the bronze medal match. This time, they were on the right end of the shutout, beating the Swedes 1 to zero to finish in third place.
- Roster
Coach: Adolf Dušek
| Pos | Player | GP | G | Birthdate | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Karel Hartmann | 3 | 0 | July 6, 1885 | 34 |
| F | Vilém Loos | 3 | 0 | September 20, 1895 | 24 |
| D | Jan Palouš | 3 | 0 | October 25, 1888 | 31 |
| G | Jan Peka | 2 | 0 | July 27, 1894 | 25 |
| F | Karel Pešek | 3 | 0 | September 20, 1895 | 24 |
| F | Josef Šroubek | 3 | 1 | December 2, 1891 | 28 |
| D | Otto Vindyš | 3 | 0 | April 9, 1884 | 36 |
| G | Karel Wälzer | 1 | 0 | August 28, 1888 | 31 |
| G | Karel Kotrbá | 0 | – |
- Gold medal quarterfinals
| 24 April 1920 21:30 | Canada  | 15 – 0 (7–0, 8–0) | Czechoslovakia | Palais de Glace d'Anvers |
| Game reference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Byron | Goalies | Jan Peka | |||
| |||||
| 0 min | Penalties | 0 min | |||
- Silver medal match
| 28 April 1920 22:00 |  United States  | 16 – 0 (7–0, 9–0) | Czechoslovakia | Palais de Glace d'Anvers |
| Game reference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cy Weidenborner | Goalies | Jan Peka | Referee: Paul Loicq | ||
| |||||
| 0 min | Penalties | 0 min | |||
- Bronze medal match
| 29 April 1920 23:00 | Czechoslovakia | 1 – 0 (1–0, 0–0) | Sweden | Palais de Glace d'Anvers |
| Game reference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karel Wälzer | Goalies | Seth Howander | Referee: Frank Fredrickson | ||
| |||||
| 0 min | Penalties | 0 min | |||
| 2 | Shots | 48 | |||
- Final rank
Bronze
Fifteen rowers represented Czechoslovakia in the nation's debut in 1920 (Bohemia had competed in rowing once, in 1912). The nation sent three boats, each of which came in last in their initial heats in its event and did not advance.
Ranks given are within the heat.
| Rower | Cox | Event | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | |||
| Gustav Zinke | N/A | Single sculls | Unknown | 3 | Did not advance | |||
| Jindřich Mulač Jaroslav Oplt Dominik Štillip Jiří Wihan |
Jan Bauch | Coxed four | N/A | Unknown | 3 | Did not advance | ||
| Ferdinand Brožek Bohdan Kallmünzer Jiří Kallmünzer Emil Ordnung Ivan Schweizer Josef Širc Vladimír Širc Otakar Votík |
Karel Čížek | Eight | 6:43.0 | 2 | Did not advance | |||
Eight shooters represented Czechoslovakia in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport as well as the Olympics.
| Shooter | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Antonín Brych | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | Unknown | |
| Rudolf Jelen | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | Unknown | |
| Václav Kindl | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | Unknown | |
| Josef Linert | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | Unknown | |
| Josef Sucharda | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | Unknown | |
| František Bláha Antonín Brych Václav Kindl František Procházka Josef Štojdl |
50 m team free pistol | Did not finish | |
| Antonín Brych Rudolf Jelen Václav Kindl Josef Linert Josef Sucharda |
Team free rifle | 3542 | 14 |
| 300 m team military rifle, prone | 271 | 10 | |
| 300 m team military rifle, standing | 200 | 14 | |
| 600 m team military rifle, prone | 258 | 11 | |
| 300 & 600 m team military rifle, prone | 536 | 8 | |
Seven tennis players, including one woman, competed for Czechoslovakia in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport as well as the Olympics, though Bohemia had competed three times. Three of the Czechoslovakian men had previously competed. Skrbková, the lone woman, did not compete in the singles but only as part of a mixed pair with Žemla-Rázný. That pair won the bronze medal, contributing three of the nation's four match wins in 1920. Žemla-Rázný was also involved in the fourth, as part of a men's pair with Ardelt which won its first match before being defeated. The other two men's pairs, as well as all four men's singles players, were defeated in their first match.
| Player | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score | |||
| Karel Ardelt | Men's singles | Bye |  Beamish (GBR) L 6–2, 6–4, 6–3 |
Did not advance | 17 | |||
| Jaroslav Just | Men's singles |  Alonso (ESP) L 6–3, 2–6, 6–0, 6–2 |
Did not advance | 32 | ||||
| Otto Woffek | Men's singles | Beamish (GBR) L 6–1, 6–3, 6–4 |
Did not advance | 32 | ||||
| Ladislav Žemla-Rázný | Men's singles | Bye |  Malström (SWE) L 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5 |
Did not advance | 17 | |||
| Karel Ardelt Ladislav Žemla-Rázný |
Men's doubles | N/A |  Laloux & Laloux (BEL) W 6–2, 6–4, 6–4 |
 Norton & Raymond (RSA) L 6–1, 6–4, 6–4 |
Did not advance | 9 | ||
| Bohuslav Hykš-Černý Jaroslav Just |
Men's doubles | N/A | Bye |  Blanchy & Brugnon (FRA) L 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 |
Did not advance | 9 | ||
| Milada Skrbková Ladislav Žemla-Rázný |
Mixed doubles | N/A | Bye | Dupont & Laloux (BEL) W 7–5, 6–4 |
Halot & Storms (BEL) W 7–5, 6–3 |
McKane & Woosnam (GBR) L 9–7, 6–3 |
 Hansen & Tegner (DEN) W 8–6, 6–4 |
|
| František Týř Otto Woffek |
Men's doubles | N/A | Bye | Turnbull & Woosnam (GBR) L 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 |
Did not advance | 9 | ||
|
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Two weightlifters represented Czechoslovakia in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport as well as the Games. Wágner placed fifth and Dvořák took eighth in their respective weight classes.
| Weightlifter | Weight class | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Jaroslav Dvořák | 82.5 kg | 227.5 | 8 |
| Ludvík Wágner | 60 kg | 195.0 | 5 |
Ten wrestlers, two in each of the Greco-Roman weight classes, competed for Czechoslovakia in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport as well as the Games, though Bohemia had competed twice previously. Czechoslovakia had no freestyle wrestlers in 1920.
Greco-Roman
| Wrestler | Event | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver quarters | Silver semis | Silver match | |||||
| Bronze quarters | Bronze semis | Bronze match | |||||
| Jan Balej | Greco-Roman middle | Bye |  Corsanego (ITA) (W) |
 Lindfors (FIN) (L) |
Did not advance | 7 | |
| Did not advance | |||||||
 Eillebrecht (NED) (L) |
Did not advance | ||||||
| Josef Beránek | Greco-Roman feather | Bye | Bouquet (FRA) (W) |
 Pütsep (EST) (L) |
Did not advance | 9 | |
| N/A | Did not advance | ||||||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Karel Halík | Greco-Roman light | Bye | Coerse (NED) (L) |
Did not advance | 12 | ||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Josef Huml | Greco-Roman middle | Prunier (FRA) (W) |
 Szymanski (USA) (L) |
Did not advance | 13 | ||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Václav Kocián | Greco-Roman light heavy | Bye | Snoeck (BEL) (L) |
Did not advance | 10 | ||
| N/A | Did not advance | ||||||
| N/A | |||||||
| František Kopřiva | Greco-Roman light | Bye | Tamminen (FIN) (L) |
Did not advance | 5 | ||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Bye |  Andersen (NOR) (L) |
Did not advance | |||||
| Jan Kraus | Greco-Roman heavy | Calza (ITA) (L) |
Did not advance | Did not advance | 18 | ||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| František Řezáč | Greco-Roman feather | Torgensen (DEN) (L) |
Did not advance | Did not advance | 17 | ||
| N/A | Did not advance | ||||||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Josef Struna | Greco-Roman heavy | Willkie (USA) (L) |
Did not advance | Did not advance | 18 | ||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| Did not advance | |||||||
| František Tázler | Greco-Roman light heavy |  Theisen (LUX) (W) |
Rajala (FIN) (L) |
Did not advance | 10 | ||
| N/A | Did not advance | ||||||
| N/A | |||||||
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- Objev! Po 101 letech byla odhalena identita našeho prvního československého vlajkonoše, Olympijskytym.cz, 2021-08-13
- "Czechoslovakia Fencing at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games". Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Composition for teams.
- Belgium Olympic Committee (1957). Olympic Games Antwerp 1920: Official Report (in French).
- Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
- International Olympic Committee results database