Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres

Last updated
Men's 400 metres
at the Games of the II Olympiad
Coubertin - Une campagne de vingt-et-un ans, 1909 (page 162 crop).jpg
W. L. Long (New York A. C.) winning in 49 s. 2/5
Venue Bois de Boulogne
DatesJuly 14 (semifinals)
July 15 (final)
Competitors15 from 6 nations
Winning time54.2 OR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Maxie Long
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
Silver medal icon.svg William Holland
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
Bronze medal icon.svg Ernst Schultz
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
  1896
1904  

The men's 400 metres was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 14, and July 15, 1900. The races were held on a track of 500 metres in circumference. 15 athletes from six nations competed.

Contents

Background

This was the second time the event was held. None of the runners from 1896 returned. Maxie Long of the United States was favored, as 1898 and 1899 AAU champion and 1900 AAA champion. His countryman Dixon Boardman was a strong challenger, having beaten Long at the 1900 IC4A. [1]

The United States and France made their second appearances in the event; Denmark, Hungary, Italy, and Norway made their debuts.

Competition format

There were two rounds: heats and a final. The top 2 runners in each heat advanced to the final.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of the United Kingdom.svg Edgar Bredin (GBR)48.5(*) London, United Kingdom 22 June 1895
Olympic recordUS flag 44 stars.svg  Thomas Burke  (USA)54.2 Athens, Greece 7 April 1896

(*) unofficial 440 yards (= 402.34 m)

Maxie Long set a new Olympic record in the first round with 50.4 seconds. In the final he improved his own record when he ran 49.4 seconds.

Schedule

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

DateTimeRound
Saturday, 14 July 190011:25Semifinals
Sunday, 15 July 190015:00Final

Results

Semifinals

In the first round, there were three heats. They were held on July 14. The top two runners in each advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

This heat, featuring four American runners, resulted in an easy win for Long and the top three spots for the United States team.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Maxie Long US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 50.4Q, OR
2 Harry Lee US flag 45 stars.svg  United States UnknownQ
3 Harvey Lord US flag 45 stars.svg  United States Unknown
4 Georges Clément Flag of France.svg  France Unknown
5 Walter Drumheller US flag 45 stars.svg  United States Unknown

Semifinal 2

Again, an American won the heat easily. Schulz took second place to qualify for the final.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 William Moloney US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 51.0Q
2 Ernst Schultz Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark UnknownQ
3 Charles-Robert Faidide Flag of France.svg  France Unknown
4 Pál Koppán Flag of Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Hungary Unknown
5 Yngvar Bryn Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Unknown

Semifinal 3

The United States runners again took all three of the top spots in this heat.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Dixon Boardman US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 51.2Q
2 William Holland US flag 45 stars.svg  United States UnknownQ
3 Henry Slack US flag 45 stars.svg  United States Unknown
4–5 Zoltán Speidl Flag of Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Hungary Unknown
Umberto Colombo Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg  Italy Unknown

Final

Boardman, Lee, and Moloney withdrew because the final was held on a Sunday. Long and Holland did start, however, and Long led the entire way to win by five yards, with Schultz 20 yards behind the Americans.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Maxie Long US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 49.4 OR
Silver medal icon.svg William Holland US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 49.6
Bronze medal icon.svg Ernst Schultz Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 51.5
Dixon Boardman US flag 45 stars.svg  United States DNS
Harry Lee US flag 45 stars.svg  United States DNS
William Moloney US flag 45 stars.svg  United States DNS

Results summary

RankAthleteNationSemifinalsFinalNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Maxie Long US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 50.449.4 OR
Silver medal icon.svg William Holland US flag 45 stars.svg  United States Unknown49.6
Bronze medal icon.svg Ernst Schultz Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Unknown51.5
4 Dixon Boardman US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 51.2DNS
Harry Lee US flag 45 stars.svg  United States UnknownDNS
William Moloney US flag 45 stars.svg  United States 51.0DNS
7 Charles-Robert Faidide Flag of France.svg  France UnknownDid not advance3rd in semifinal
Harvey Lord US flag 45 stars.svg  United States Unknown3rd in semifinal
Henry Slack US flag 45 stars.svg  United States Unknown3rd in semifinal
10 Georges Clément Flag of France.svg  France Unknown4th in semifinal
Pál Koppán Flag of Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Hungary Unknown4th in semifinal
12 Zoltán Speidl Flag of Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Hungary Unknown4th–5th in semifinal
Umberto Colombo Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg  Italy Unknown4th–5th in semifinal
14 Yngvar Bryn Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Unknown5th in semifinal
Walter Drumheller US flag 45 stars.svg  United States Unknown5th in semifinal

Sources

  1. "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 July 2020.

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