Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres

Last updated

Contents

Men's 400 metres
at the Games of the X Olympiad
Venue Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
DatesAugust 4, 1932 (heats and quarterfinals)
August 5, 1932 (semifinals and final)
Competitors27 from 15 nations
Winning time46.2 WR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Bill Carr
US flag 48 stars.svg  United States
Silver medal icon.svg Ben Eastman
US flag 48 stars.svg  United States
Bronze medal icon.svg Alex Wilson
Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada
  1928
1936  

The men's 400 metres sprint event at the 1932 Olympic Games took place on August 4 and August 5 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. [1] Twenty-seven athletes from 15 nations competed. [2] The 1930 Olympic Congress in Berlin had reduced the limit from 4 athletes per NOC to 3 athletes. [3] The event was won by Bill Carr of the United States, that nation's second consecutive title and sixth overall in the event (all by different men). Ben Eastman's silver marked the first time countrymen had gone one-two in the event since the United States did it at the first three Olympics (1896, 1900, and 1904, including a podium sweep in 1904).

Background

This was the ninth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The defending gold medalist, Ray Barbuti of the United States, did not return, but 1928 silver medalist Jimmy Ball of Canada and bronze medalist Joachim Büchner of Germany did. The United States had a strong team, led by Ben Eastman (who had just set the world record at 46.4 seconds) and Bill Carr (who had beaten Eastman at the U.S. Olympic trials and the IC4A championships). [2]

New Zealand appeared in the event for the first time. The United States made its ninth appearance in the event, the only nation to compete in it at every Olympic Games to that point.

Competition format

The competition retained the basic four-round format from 1920. With fewer athletes than previous editions, the first round was reduced to 6 heats (vs. 15 in 1928). Each heat had between 4 and 6 athletes. The top three runners in each heat advanced to the quarterfinals. There were 3 quarterfinals of 6 runners each; the top four athletes in each quarterfinal heat advanced to the semifinals. The semifinals featured 2 heats of 6 runners each. The top two runners in each semifinal heat advanced, making a six-man final. [2] [4]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1924 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of the United States.svg  Ben Eastman  (USA)46.4y Palo Alto, United States 26 March 1932
Olympic recordFlag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Eric Liddell  (GBR)47.6 Paris, France 11 July 1924

Bill Carr broke the Olympic record in the semifinals (with a 47.2 second mark) and the world record in the final (officially at 46.2 seconds, auto-timed at 46.28 seconds).

Schedule

DateTimeRound
Thursday, 4 August 193214:30
16:00
Heats
Quarterfinals
Friday, 5 August 193214:30
16:30
Semifinals
Final

Results

Heats

Six heats were held; the fastest three runners advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Heat 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Adolf Metzner Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Germany 50.4Q
2 Seikan Oki Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan 50.5Q
3 Alex Wilson Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 50.5Q
4 Kell Areskoug Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 50.7

Heat 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Ben Eastman US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 49.0Q
2 Joachim Büchner Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Germany 49.3Q
3 Hjalmar Johannessen Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 49.5Q
4 Carlos de Anda Flag of Mexico (1916-1934).svg  Mexico 49.8

Heat 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Börje Strandvall Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 49.8Q
2 Jimmy Ball Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 50.0Q
3 Iwao Masuda Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan 50.1Q
4 Sten Pettersson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 50.2

Heat 4

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Bill Carr US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 48.8Q
2 George Golding Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 49.0Q
3 Crew Stoneley Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 49.1Q
4 Walter Nehb Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Germany 49.4
5 Khristos Mantikas Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece 49.6
6 Manuel Álvarez Flag of Mexico (1916-1934).svg  Mexico 49.9

Heat 5

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Felix Rinner Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 49.2Q
2 Godfrey Rampling Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 49.5Q
3 Willie Walters Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa 49.8Q
4 Stuart Black Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 49.9
5Seiken ChoFlag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan 50.0

Heat 6

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 James Gordon US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 50.6Q
2 Ray Lewis Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 50.7Q
3 Domingos Puglisi Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg  Brazil 50.8Q
4 Richard Arguello Flag of Mexico (1916-1934).svg  Mexico 50.9

Quarterfinals

Three heats were held; the four fastest runners in each heat advanced to the semifinal round.

Quarterfinal 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Bill Carr US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 48.4Q
2 Willie Walters Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa 48.5Q
3 George Golding Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 48.6Q
4 Alex Wilson Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 49.6Q
5 Domingos Puglisi Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg  Brazil 50.1
6 Iwao Masuda Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan Unknown

Quarterfinal 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 James Gordon US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 48.6Q
2 Godfrey Rampling Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 48.8Q
3 Joachim Büchner Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Germany 48.9Q
4 Jimmy Ball Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 49.3Q
5 Hjalle Johannesen Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 49.4
6 Seikan Oki Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan Unknown

Quarterfinal 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Ben Eastman US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 48.8Q
2 Felix Rinner Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 48.9Q
3 Börje Strandvall Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 49.0Q
4 Crew Stoneley Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 49.1Q
5 Ray Lewis Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 49.1
6 Adolf Metzner Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Germany 49.2

Semifinals

Two heats were held; the fastest three runners advanced to the final round.

Semifinal 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Bill Carr US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 47.2Q, OR
2 Alex Wilson Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 47.8Q
3 George Golding Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 48.0Q
4 Godfrey Rampling Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 48.0
5 Felix Rinner Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 48.8
6 Joachim Büchner Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Germany 49.2

Semifinal 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Ben Eastman US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 47.6Q
2 Willie Walters Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa 48.2Q
3 James Gordon US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 48.2Q
4 Börje Strandvall Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 48.4
5 Crew Stoneley Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 48.6
6 Jimmy Ball Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 49.0

Final

RankLaneAthleteNationTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg4 Bill Carr US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 46.28 WR
Silver medal icon.svg2 Ben Eastman US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 46.50
Bronze medal icon.svg3 Alex Wilson Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 47.4
41 Willie Walters Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa 48.2
55 James Gordon US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 48.2
66 George Golding Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 48.8

References

  1. "Athletics at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 400 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  3. Official Report, p. 377.
  4. Official Report, pp. 410–13.