Margaret Abbott Won An Olympic Gold Medal in 1900 Olympics And Had No Idea

Published on October 7th, 2024 10:45 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The Accidental Gold: How Margaret Abbott Made Olympic History. Margaret Abbott holds a distinct place in the history of American sport - she was the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

The funny thing is that Abbott didn't even realize that she was an Olympic champion.

Let's set the stage.

It was 1900 and women were being allowed to participate in the Olympic Games for the very first time.

There were five events that were open to them: golf, tennis, sailing, rowing and horse racing.

Abbott, who was an amateur golfer living in Chicago, saw a notice in the newspaper about a golf tournament, open to amateurs, that was taking place in Paris.

Back in 1900, the Olympics weren't a big deal. In fact, the Paris Exposition, which was a much bigger deal, was taking place at the same time.

Abbott didn't realize that the golf tournament that she had signed up for was an Olympic event. The tournament, billed as the "Women's Golf Cup", was seen as just another golf tournament.

The women's tournament took place on October 3rd, 1900 in Compiegne, France.

The event was just nine holes, with the longest hole measuring in at 213 yards.

There were only 10 players in the event and some were hilariously dressed in high heels and "tight skirts".

Abbott shot a 47 - a hilariously high score for what was essentially nine holes of Par 3 golf - and ended up winning. The next closest competitor shot a 49.

-

Abbott was awarded a porcelain bowl for her win. After that, she stayed in France for a while before marrying and returning to the United States.

Many decades later, a professor from the University of Florida noticed that Abbott was being mentioned as an Olympic champion.

After a decade of researching the matter, Professor Paula Welch notified the son of Margaret Abbott that his mother had been an Olympic champion.

Abbott's son was just as astonished as his mother would have been, had she still been alive.

-

In the end, Abbott will forever hold a place in history, as she was the first woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal, even if she had no clue that she had done it at the time.

Related Articles