Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 x 400 metres relay

Men's 4×400 metres relay
at the Games of the V Olympiad

The winning American relay team.
Venue Stockholm Olympic Stadium
Dates July 14 (semifinals)
July 15 (final)
Competitors 28 from 7 nations
Medalists
 
 
 
  1920»
Athletics at the
1912 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 m   men
200 m men
400 m men
800 m men
1500 m men
5000 m men
10,000 m men
110 m hurdles men
4×100 m relay men
4×400 m relay men
3000 m team race men
10 km walk men
Road events
Marathon men
Field events
Long jump men
Triple jump men
High jump men
Pole vault men
Standing long jump men
Standing high jump men
Shot put men
Discus throw men
Hammer throw men
Javelin throw men
2-hand shot put men
2-hand discus men
2-hand javelin men
Combined events
Pentathlon men
Decathlon men
Cross-country events
Individual men
Team men

The men's 4 x 400 metres relay was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the debut of the event, which along with the 4x100 metre relay marked the first relays of equal legs in the athletics programme (a medley relay had been held in 1908). The competition was held on Sunday, July 14, 1912 and on Monday, July 15, 1912.

Twenty-eight runners from seven nations competed.

Contents

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics.

World Record 3:18.2 Harry Schaaf
Harry Gissing
James Rosenberger
Mel Sheppard
New York (USA) September 4, 1911
Olympic Record - none - -

The British squad, running in the first semifinal, set the best time of the semifinal round with 3:19.0 minutes. It was bettered by the Americans in the final, as they took the gold medal and set a new world record in 3:16.6 minutes.

Results

Semifinals

All semifinals were held on Sunday, July 14, 1912.

Semifinal 1

Place Athletes Time Qual.
1  George Nicol, Ernest Henley, James Soutter, Cyril Seedhouse (GBR) 3:19.0 OR QF
2  Mel Brock, John Howard, Thomas Gallon, John Tait (CAN) 3:22.2

Semifinal 2

Place Athletes Time Qual.
1  Mel Sheppard, Edward Lindberg, Ted Meredith, Charles Reidpath (USA) 3:23.3 QF
2  Hanns Braun, Max Herrmann, Hermann Burkowitz, Erich Lehmann (GER) 3:28.5

Semifinal 3

Place Athletes Time Qual.
1  Charles Lelong, Robert Schurrer, Pierre Failliot, Charles Poulenard (FRA) 3:22.5 QF
2  Paul Zerling, John Dahlin, Eric Lindholm, Knut Stenborg (SWE) 3:25.0
3.  Ervin Szerelemhegyi, Ödön Bodor, István Déván, Frigyes Wiesner (HUN) 3:29.4

Final

The final was held on Monday, July 15, 1912.

Place Athletes Time
1  Mel Sheppard, Edward Lindberg, Ted Meredith, Charles Reidpath (USA) 3:16.6 WR
2  Charles Lelong, Robert Schurrer, Pierre Failliot, Charles Poulenard (FRA) 3:20.7
3  George Nicol, Ernest Henley, James Soutter, Cyril Seedhouse (GBR) 3:23.2

References