Lesson plan

walkover

won the 1908 Olympic gold medal for men's 400 metres running in a walkover. American John Carpenter was disqualified, prompting his teammates John Baxter Taylor and William Robbins to refuse to race in protest. A walkover, also W.O. or w/o (originally two words: "walk over"), is a victory awarded to the opposing team/player, etc., if there are no other players available, or they have been disqualified, because the other contestants have forfeited or the other contestants have withdrawn from the contest. The term can apply in sport, elections or other contexts where a victory can be achieved by default. The narrow and extended meanings of "walkover" as a single word are both found from 1829. Other sports-specific variations of the term exist, especially where walking is not involved: competitive rowing, for example, uses the term row over.

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Article summary

won the 1908 Olympic gold medal for men's 400 metres running in a walkover. American John Carpenter was disqualified, prompting his teammates John Baxter Taylor and William Robbins to refuse to race in protest. A walkover, also W.O. or w/o (originally two words: "walk over"), is a victory awarded to the opposing team/player, etc., if there are no other players available, or they have been disqualified, because the other contestants have forfeited or the other contestants have withdrawn from the contest. The term can apply in sport, elections or other contexts where a victory can be achieved by default. The narrow and extended meanings of "walkover" as a single word are both found from 1829. Other sports-specific variations of the term exist, especially where walking is not involved: competitive rowing, for example, uses the term row over.

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