Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics

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Pairs figure skating

at the Games of the IV Olympiad

Date

29 October

Competitors

6 from 2 nations

Medalists

		Heinrich Burger / Anna Hübler	Germany
		James H. Johnson / Phyllis Johnson	Great Britain
		Edgar Syers / Madge Syers	Great Britain

1920 →

Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics

Singles	men	ladies
Special figures	men
Pairs	mixed
v t e

The mixed pairs was one of four events in figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Each nation could enter up to 3 pairs (6 skaters).^[1] Twelve years later, silver medalist Phyllis Johnson would capture a bronze medal with a new partner at the 1920 Olympics.^[2]

Competition format

Each skater performed a five-minute free skate. Scores from 0 to 6 were given for each figure for both (a) content (difficulty and variety) and (b) performance. The total possible score was therefore 12. Each judge would then arrange the pairs in order of total score by that judge; these ordinal rankings were used to provide final placement for the pairs, using a "majority rule"--if a majority of the judges ranked a pair first, the pair won. If there was no majority, the total ordinals controlled. Ties were broken by total points.^[3]

Results

The judges were unanimous in ranking the German pair first. For second place, two judges scored a tie between the Johnsons and the Syerses, while three judges put the Johnsons clearly in second; this being a majority, the Johnsons received the silver medal.

Rank	Skaters	Nation	Points (Rank)					Average score	Total ordinals
Rank	Skaters	Nation	HW	GH	HT	HF	GS	Average score	Total ordinals
	Anna Hübler Heinrich Burger^[4]	Germany	10 (1)	12 (1)	11 (1)	12 (1)	11 (1)	11.20	5
	Phyllis Johnson James H. Johnson	Great Britain	9 (2)	11.5 (2)	10.5 (2)	10.5 (2)	10 (2)	10.30	10^[5]
	Madge Syers Edgar Syers	Great Britain	9 (2)	11.5 (2)	10 (3)	8 (3)	9.5 (3)	9.60	13

Referee:

Herbert G. Fowler

Judges:

References

^ Official Report, p. 39.
^ "Figure Skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics: Pairs, Mixed". Olympedia. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
^ Official Report, p. 558.
^ Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. xxi. ISBN 978-0-8108-6859-5.
^ The Official Report gives the total ordinals for the silver medal pair as 10 and for the bronze medal pair as 13, in each case counting the two judges who awarded a tie for 2nd as being 2 ordinals. Other sources give both pairs a 2.5 for those ties, resulting in total ordinals of 11 and 14.

Sources

Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Figure skating 1908". Accessed 2 May 2006. Available electronically at [1] Archived 3 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine.