| Men's 400 metre freestyle at the Games of the IV Olympiad |
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| Venue | White City Stadium | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | July 13–16 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 25 from 10 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
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| «1904 (440 yd) |
1912» | |||||||||
| Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | ||||
| 100 m | men | |||
| 400 m | men | |||
| 1500 m | men | |||
| Backstroke | ||||
| 100 m | men | |||
| Breaststroke | ||||
| 200 m | men | |||
| Freestyle relay | ||||
| 4×200 m | men | |||
The men's 400 metre freestyle was one of six swimming events on the swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. Its distance was the median of the 3 individual freestyle event distances. It was the first time an event over 400 metres was held at the Olympics (after a 440 yard contest was held in 1904). The competition was held from Monday July 13, 1908 to Thursday July 16, 1908.
Twenty-five swimmers from ten nations competed.
Contents |
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | ? | ? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 6:16.2(*) | Charles Daniels | St. Louis (USA) | September 7, 1904 |
(*) 440 yards (= 402.34 m)
In the final Henry Taylor set the first official world record for this distance in 5:36.8 minutes.
The fastest swimmer in each heat and the fastest loser advanced, qualifying 10 swimmers for the semifinals.
Heat 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Battersby (GBR) | 5:48.8 | QS |
| 2 | Béla Las-Torres (HUN) | 5:52.2 | qs |
| 3 | Leo Goodwin (USA) | Unknown | |
| 4 | Vilhelm Andersson (SWE) | Unknown | |
| — | Henri Decoin (FRA) | Did not finish |
Heat 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Foster (GBR) | 5:54.8 | QS |
| 2 | Robert Andersson (SWE) | 6:28.0 |
Heat 3
Tartakover had no competition in the third heat.
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theodore Tartakover (ANZ) | 6:35.0 | QS |
Heat 4
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Beaurepaire (ANZ) | 5:49.2 | QS |
| 2 | Sam Blatherwick (GBR) | 6:16.8 | |
| 3 | Conrad Trubenbach (USA) | Unknown | |
| — | Davide Baiardo (ITA) | Did not finish |
Heat 5
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Radmilovic (GBR) | 6:10.0 | QS |
| 2 | Aage Holm (DEN) | 8:08.8 |
Heat 6
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Taylor (GBR) | 5:42.2 | QS |
| 2 | Frank Springfield (ANZ) | 5:57.4 | |
| 3 | Mario Massa (ITA) | Unknown |
Heat 7
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otto Scheff (AUT) | 5:51.0 | QS |
| 2 | William Haynes (GBR) | 6:21.2 | |
| 3 | József Ónody (HUN) | Unknown | |
| 4-5 | Frits Meuring (NED) | Unknown | |
| Hjalmar Saxtorph (DEN) | Unknown |
Heat 8
Zachár had no competition in the eighth heat.
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imre Zachár (HUN) | 6:09.8 | QS |
Heat 9
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henrik Hajós (HUN) | 6:19.8 | QS |
| 2 | Arthur Sharp (GBR) | 7:00.4 |
The fastest two swimmers from each semifinal advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otto Scheff (AUT) | 5:40.6 | QF |
| 2 | Henry Taylor (GBR) | 5:41.0 | QF |
| 3 | Thomas Battersby (GBR) | Unknown | |
| 4 | Béla Las-Torres (HUN) | Unknown | |
| 5 | Henrik Hajós (HUN) | Unknown |
Semifinal 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Beaurepaire (ANZ) | 5:44.0 | QF |
| 2 | William Foster (GBR) | 5:52.2 | QF |
| 3 | Paul Radmilovic (GBR) | Unknown | |
| — | Imre Zachár (HUN) | Did not finish | |
| — | Theodore Tartakover (ANZ) | Did not start |
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Taylor (GBR) | 5:36.8 |
| 2 | Frank Beaurepaire (ANZ) | 5:44.2 |
| 3 | Otto Scheff (AUT) | 5:46.0 |
| 4 | William Foster (GBR) | Unknown |