Eric Lemming
A Swedish throwing pioneer who dominated the early Olympic javelin, setting the first officially recognized world record and winning three consecutive gold medals.
1880–1930 (age 50)·Swedish athlete·Birthday: February 22·The Gilded Age
Biography
Eric Lemming was a throwback to an era of athletic versatility, but he found his destiny in a single, spear-like event. Competing in four Olympic Games from 1900 to 1912, he initially tried everything from pole vault to hammer throw. It was with the javelin, an event steeped in Scandinavian tradition, that he became untouchable. He won gold in the javelin at the 1906 Intercalated Games, then again at the official 1908 and 1912 Olympics, a streak of dominance that defined the event's early history. His final world record throw of 62.32 meters in 1912 was later ratified as the first official world record by the IAAF, making him the inaugural name in the javelin's record books and a foundational figure in track and field.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Eric was born in 1880, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1880
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1880Born
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1885Started school
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1893Became a teenager
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1896Could drive
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Could vote
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1901Turned 21
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Turned 30
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 40
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 50
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
Key Achievements
- Won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the javelin throw (1906 Intercalated Games, 1908 London, 1912 Stockholm).
- Set the first officially ratified IAAF world record in the javelin throw with a mark of 62.32 meters in 1912.
- Competed in four Olympic Games, participating in a wide range of throwing and jumping events.
- Held multiple unofficial world records in the javelin between 1899 and his final record in 1912.
Did You Know?
In his first Olympics in 1900, he competed in the pole vault, hammer throw, and the now-defunct tug of war event.
He was also a talented gymnast and swimmer, showcasing the broad athleticism of early Olympians.
The 1906 Games in Athens where he won his first javelin gold are not considered an official Olympic Games by the IOC today, but were major at the time.
“I threw the javelin not as a sport, but as an ancient art.”
