56-pound Weight Throw, Men

This was expected to be one of the few international battles, as John Flanagan and Canada’s Étienne Desmarteau were co-favorites. They had met once, at the 1902 AAU meet, and Desmarteau had beaten Flanagan at that time. In July of 1904, Flanagan had broken the world record with 40’2), but this was with an unlimited run-and-follow, while at St. Louis the weight was thrown from a seven-foot circle.

Ralph Rose opened the proceedings with a foul, and Desmarteau followed with 34’4). This eventually proved to be the winning mark, as Flanagan also followed with his best throw, 33’4). It was a warm day, and Flanagan was reported to be suffering from the flu, which may have hurt him a bit. An infection treated Étienne Desmarteau, however, much more severely. Within a year, he was dead of typhoid fever.