View source for Stan Rowley

{{short description|Australian sprinter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}}
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{{MedalSport|Men's [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry|a [[File:Olympic flag.svg|22px]] [[Mixed team at the 1900 Summer Olympics|Mixed team]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]]|[[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 5000 metres team race|5000 metre team race]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{flagicon|AUS}} Australia}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]]|[[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 60 metres|60 metres]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]]|[[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|100 metres]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]]|[[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 metres]]}}
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'''Stanley Rupert Rowley''' (11 September 1876 &ndash; 1 April 1924) was an Australian [[Sprint (running)|sprinter]] who won four medals at the [[1900 Summer Olympics]]. He was born in [[Young, New South Wales]] and died in [[Manly, New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/64789 |title=Stan Rowley |work=Olympedia |accessdate=22 December 2020}}</ref>

==Early life==
Rowley was born on 11 September 1876 in [[Young, New South Wales]]. He was the son of Tempest Jane (née Hodge) and William Rowley; his father worked as a confectioner and hotel-keeper. He was orphaned in 1884 and subsequently lived with an aunt at [[Croydon, New South Wales|Croydon]], along with a brother and sister. He attended [[Sydney Boys' High School]].<ref name=adb>{{cite web|url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rowley-stanley-rupert-8288|title=Rowley, Stanley Rupert (1876–1924)|first=Chris|last=Cunneen|year=1988|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography}}</ref>

==Biography==
In 1900 he won three of his four medals for Australia and one for a [[Mixed team at the 1900 Summer Olympics|mixed team]], when he competed as a fifth member with four runners from [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain and Ireland]].

Starting for Australia in the short sprint events at the 1900 Olympics, he won [[bronze medal]]s over [[60 metres]], [[100 metres]] and [[200 metres]]. His first event was the 100 metres on 14 July, and after finishing second in the semi-final behind [[Arthur Duffey]], he had to go through a [[repechage]], which he won with 11.0 seconds, a few inches ahead of [[Norman Pritchard]] of India who was consequently eliminated. In the final race Rowley was unable to match this time and finished in 11.2 seconds to win a bronze medal behind silver medalist [[Walter Tewksbury]], who ran in 11.1s. The 60 metres race on 15 July saw him finish in 7.2 seconds, less than half a metre behind gold medal winner [[Alvin Kraenzlein]] and Tewksbury, who won another silver medal. Rowley and Tewksbury would meet one final time, in the 200 metres race held on 22 July. Rowley managed to beat his rival in the heats, but Tewksbury won the final race by a clear margin. Rowley, who finished in 22.9 seconds, also lost to Norman Pritchard and received his third bronze medal.

Subsequently, Rowley was persuaded by his English athlete friends to participate on the British team which faced the French team in the 5000 metre team race. The participation was in order, as Australia was still a part of the [[British Empire]] and as well as [[Mixed team at the Olympics|mixed teams]] were allowed in 1896, 1900 and 1904. The British team needed a fifth runner, and were confident that they could win regardless of how well the fifth runner performed. Thus, the sprinter Rowley, without any experience in longer races, was drafted to fill the quota. Following the first lap Rowley began walking and trailed behind everyone. After the ninth runner crossed the finishing line, Rowley was the only athlete still going and therefore would receive tenth place were he to finish. The race officials decided that it would be pointless for him to walk the final 1,500 metres and awarded him a tenth place at the end of his seventh lap. Nonetheless, the British team, including Rowley, beat the French team by three points and [[Mixed team at the 1900 Summer Olympics|won the gold medal]].

Rowley also won the national championships over 100 and 220 yards in 1898 and 1900. Also he won both these events at the Australasian Championships in 1897 and 1899.

He attended [[Sydney Boys High School]] from 1890.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shsobu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sport.pdf |title=Australian Sporting Representatives |website=shsobu.org.au |access-date=14 March 2023 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913002445/http://www.shsobu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sport.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2009}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Sports links}}
*{{cite book | author=Mallon, Bill | title=The 1900 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary | location=Jefferson | publisher=McFarland | year=1998 | isbn=0-7864-0378-0 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/1900olympicgames00mall }} (excerpt available at [http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/Mallon/1900.pdf])

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[[Category:1876 births]]
[[Category:1924 deaths]]
[[Category:Australian male sprinters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Young, New South Wales]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales]]
[[Category:Australian Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:People educated at Sydney Boys High School]]