| Men's 100 metre backstroke at the Games of the IV Olympiad |
||||||||||
| Venue | White City Stadium | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | July 16 July 17 |
|||||||||
| Competitors | 21 from 11 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| «1904 (100 yd) |
1912» | |||||||||
| Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 100 metre backstroke was one of six swimming events on the swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only backstroke event on the schedule. It was the first appearance of the event, after a 100 yard event was held in 1904. The competition was held on Thursday July 16, 1908 and on Friday July 17, 1908.
Twenty-one swimmers from eleven nations competed.
Contents |
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | ? | ? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 1:16.8(*) | Walter Brack | St. Louis (USA) | September 6, 1904 |
(*) 100 yards (= 91.44 m)
In the first heat Arno Bieberstein set the first Olympic record with 1:25.6 minutes. In the first semi-final he equalized his time and in the final he bettered his own record with 1:24.6 minutes. The time set in the final was the first official world record for this distance.
Thursday July 16, 1908: The fastest swimmer in each heat and the fastest loser advanced, qualifying 8 swimmers for the semifinals.
Heat 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arno Bieberstein (GER) | 1:25.6 | QQ OR |
| 2 | Frederick Unwin (GBR) | 1:30.0 | |
| 3 | Hugo Jonsson (FIN) | Unknown |
Heat 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Ritter (GER) | 1:33.4 | |
| 2 | Sidney Willis (GBR) | 1:34.4 | |
| 3 | John Henriksson (FIN) | Unknown |
Heat 3
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colin Lewis (GBR) | 1:30.2 | |
| 2 | Bartholomeus Roodenburch (NED) | 1:36.0 | |
| 3 | Robert Zimmerman (CAN) | Unknown |
Heat 4
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herbert Haresnape (GBR) | 1:26.2 | |
| 2 | Ludvig Dam (DEN) | 1:26.4 | |
| 3 | Amilcare Beretta (ITA) | Unknown |
Heat 5
Parvin had no competition in the fifth heat.
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanley Parvin (GBR) | 1:35.2 |
Heat 6
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Taylor (GBR) | 1:25.8 | |
| 2 | Augustus Goessling (USA) | 1:29.0 | |
| 3 | Gustaf Wretman (SWE) | Unknown | |
| — | Oscar Grégoire (BEL) | Did not finish |
Heat 7
Kugler started before the signal, causing him to be disqualified and his first-place finish nullified.
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gustav Aurisch (GER) | 1:27.4 | |
| 2 | Johan Cortlever (NED) | Unknown | |
| 3 | Eric Seaward (GBR) | Unknown | |
| — | Sándor Kugler (HUN) | (1:27.0) | DSQ |
Thursday July 16, 1908: The fastest two swimmers from each semifinal advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arno Bieberstein (GER) | 1:25.6 | QF =OR |
| 2 | Ludvig Dam (DEN) | Unknown | QF |
| 3 | Max Ritter (GER) | Unknown | |
| 4 | Stanley Parvin (GBR) | Unknown |
Semifinal 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gustav Aurisch (GER) | 1:28.2 | QF |
| 2 | Herbert Haresnape (GBR) | 1:28.8 | QF |
| 3 | John Taylor (GBR) | Unknown | |
| 4 | Colin Lewis (GBR) | Unknown |
Friday July 17, 1908.
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arno Bieberstein (GER) | 1:24.6 WR |
| 2 | Ludvig Dam (DEN) | 1:26.6 |
| 3 | Herbert Haresnape (GBR) | 1:27.0 |
| 4 | Gustav Aurisch (GER) | Unknown |