Swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay

Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay
at the Games of the V Olympiad
Venue Djurgårdsbrunnsviken
Dates July 12 (semifinals)
July 15 (final)
Competitors 20 from 5 nations
Medalists
 
 
 
«1908 1920»
Swimming at the
1912 Summer Olympics
Freestyle
100 m   men   women
400 m men
1500 m men
Backstroke
100 m men
Breaststroke
200 m men
400 m men
Freestyle relay
4×100 m women
4×200 m men

The men's 4x200 metre freestyle relay was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1908. The competition was held on Friday July 12, 1912 and Monday July 15, 1912.

Twenty swimmers from five nations competed.

Contents

Records

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

World Record 10:53.4 William Foster
Paul Radmilovic
John Derbyshire
Henry Taylor
London (GBR) July 24, 1908
Olympic Record 10:53.4 William Foster
Paul Radmilovic
John Derbyshire
Henry Taylor
London (GBR) July 24, 1908

All five teams swam in times under the standing world record in the semifinals. The Americans, by virtue of winning the first semifinal, held the new record only until the Australasian team won the second in a better time. The Australasians bettered their own record in the final, making the 4x200 free relay an event in which the Olympic record (and world record) was broken each heat.

Results

Semifinals

The top two from each heat and the fastest of third place teams advanced. Since there were only five teams that started, this resulted in all five advancing to the finals with no team eliminated by the semifinals.

Semifinal 1

Place Swimmers Time Qual.
1  Kenneth Huszagh, Duke Kahanamoku, Perry McGillivray, Harry Hebner (USA) 10:26.4 QF WR
2  László Beleznai, Imre Zachár, Alajos Kenyery, Béla Las-Torres (HUN) 10:34.6 QF
3  William Foster, Thomas Battersby, Jack Hatfield, Henry Taylor (GBR) 10:39.4 qf

Semifinal 2

Place Swimmers Time Qual.
1  Harold Hardwick, Malcolm Champion, Leslie Boardman, Cecil Healy (ANZ) 10:14.0 QF WR
2  Oscar Schiele, Georg Kunisch, Kurt Bretting, Max Ritter (GER) 10:42.2 QF

Final

Place Swimmers Time
1  Cecil Healy, Malcolm Champion, Leslie Boardman, Harold Hardwick (ANZ) 10:11.2 WR
2  Kenneth Huszagh, Perry McGillivray, Harry Hebner, Duke Kahanamoku (USA) 10:20.2
3  William Foster, Thomas Battersby, Jack Hatfield, Henry Taylor (GBR) 10:28.6
4  Oscar Schiele, Georg Kunisch, Kurt Bretting, Max Ritter (GER) 10:37.0
5   (HUN) DNS

References