Athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games:

America’s hurdlers had been pre-eminent at all the early Olympics. But in 1912 it was difficult to pick a favorite among the nine American hurdlers entered. The three U.S. Olympic trials had been won by Fred Kelly (west), John Case (central), and Vaughn Blanchard (east). Case had also been AAU champion in 1910.

All nine Americans advanced to the six semi-finals, where only the winner of each heat advanced to the final. There, Britain’s Kenneth Powell met five Americans. In the final, Kelly, John Nicholson, and James Wendell held the lead at the halfway mark. But Nicholson fell at the 8th hurdle. Kelly held on to win by a narrow margin over Wendell.