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The Third Day of the Olympic Games.
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Shooting
The now permanent rifle range specially built for the Games at Kallithea,
is due to be inaugurated in the morning of this day.
The distance and the cold weather prevent a big concourse.
The building is attractive and constructed according to all technical dictates.
At 10:30 Her Majesty the Queen arrives with Princess Maria, and her fianc´e the Grand Duke George.
In the Hall the inaugural religious rites are performed and after this the Queen pulls
the trigger of a rifle placed in a small opening.
The inauguration has been completed and the Royal Family departs,
after which the competitors are placed in front of the openings and a
bugle gives the order "Start fire!"
The first event is for rifles at a distance of 200 metres. Each is allowed two trial shots and then four groups of ten shots. There were 160 competitors who registered, of whom only ten were foreigners, and they are divided into many heats. The fire continues, and the successes are marked by small flags which continually rise and are pulled down. But until all heats have participated time passes and the end of the contest is postponed for the following day, when the results will be known.
Lawn Tennis
This most charming athletic game takes place on the morning of the same day on the
specially prepared ground near the Columns of the Temple of the Olympeion.
The game was divided into singles and doubles and the competitors divided into three categories.
In the singles contests there take part groups of sixteen players and of these 6 are Greeks, while there are a fair number of amateur spectators. The games are trials and no final results were issued, being postponed for a subsequent day.
Cycle Races
The cycle races take place on the specially built Cycle Track at New Phaliron at 1 p.m.
The committee of judges, under the presidency of the Crown Prince is constituted of Messrs.
Mavros, Ipitis, Waldstein and Fabeus.
The competitors align themselves, ten in all, of whom three are Greeks, Colettis, Constantinidis and Aspiotis. The signal is given and they set off. The race is of 100 kilometres, that is to say they are to go round the circle of the track 300 times. The spectators follow the contest with interest at the beginning. The sight, however, becomes monotonous and tires them. Besides the cold becomes more intense in this exposed space.
At about 3 p.m. the King with the Royal Family, and with King Alexander of Servia who had arrived on the previous day and is a guest at the Palace, enters the cycle track. The contest continues but most of the competitors become exhausted and retire, and there are but two disputing the prize, the Frenchman Flameng and the Greek Colettis. For a moment Flameng falls from his cycle and is bruised, but picking himself up he continues the contest with zeal and becomes the winner. Each of the 300 times round is marked on a blackboard by the judges, and he has cycled these in 3 hrs 8 min 19 1/2 secs. Colettis was behind him by 11 times round.
The French flag is hoisted on the mast and greeted with enthusiasm by the spectators. The fatigued winner is cheered by the spectators with warmth, while he as well as the second placed Colettis receive the congratulations of the Royal Family.
In the evening the crowds in the streets and squares which were brilliantly lit up for the whole of the festivities, were not large, owing to the bad wenther. Indubitably the weather was inclement for the Games.
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