Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres
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.
| Men's 400 metres at the Games of the II Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg.webp) W. L. Long (New York A. C.) winning in 49 s. 2/5 | ||||||||||
| Venue | Bois de Boulogne | |||||||||
| Dates | July 14 (semifinals) July 15 (final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 15 from 6 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 54.2 OR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Track events | |
| 60 m | men |
| 100 m | men |
| 200 m | men |
| 400 m | men |
| 800 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| 110 m hurdles | men |
| 200 m hurdles | men |
| 400 m hurdles | men |
| 2500 m steeplechase | men |
| 4000 m steeplechase | men |
| 5000 m team race | men |
| Road events | |
| Marathon | men |
| Field events | |
| Long jump | men |
| Triple jump | men |
| High jump | men |
| Pole vault | men |
| Standing long jump | men |
| Standing triple jump | men |
| Standing high jump | men |
| Shot put | men |
| Discus throw | men |
| Hammer throw | men |
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 record |  Edgar Bredin (GBR) | 48.5(*) | London, United Kingdom | 22 June 1895 |
| Olympic record | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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)
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 14 July 1900 | 11:25 | Semifinals |
| Sunday, 15 July 1900 | 15:00 | Final |
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.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxie Long | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} United States | 50.4 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Harry Lee | United States | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Harvey Lord | United States | Unknown | |
| 4 | Georges Clément |  France | Unknown | |
| 5 | Walter Drumheller | United States | Unknown |
Semifinal 2
Again, an American won the heat easily. Schulz took second place to qualify for the final.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Moloney | United States | 51.0 | Q |
| 2 | Ernst Schultz |  Denmark | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Charles-Robert Faidide | France | Unknown | |
| 4 | Pál Koppán | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Hungary | Unknown | |
| 5 | Yngvar Bryn |  Norway | Unknown |
Semifinal 3
The United States runners again took all three of the top spots in this heat.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dixon Boardman | United States | 51.2 | Q |
| 2 | William Holland | United States | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Henry Slack | United States | Unknown | |
| 4–5 | Zoltán Speidl | Hungary | Unknown | |
| Umberto Colombo | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Maxie Long | United States | 49.4 | OR |
 | William Holland | United States | 49.6 | |
 | Ernst Schultz | Denmark | 51.5 | |
| — | Dixon Boardman | United States | DNS | |
| Harry Lee | United States | DNS | ||
| William Moloney | United States | DNS |
Results summary
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Semifinals | Final | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maxie Long | United States | 50.4 | 49.4 | OR |
| William Holland | United States | Unknown | 49.6 | |
| Ernst Schultz | Denmark | Unknown | 51.5 | |
| 4 | Dixon Boardman | United States | 51.2 | DNS | |
| Harry Lee | United States | Unknown | DNS | ||
| William Moloney | United States | 51.0 | DNS | ||
| 7 | Charles-Robert Faidide | France | Unknown | Did not advance | 3rd in semifinal |
| Harvey Lord | United States | Unknown | 3rd in semifinal | ||
| Henry Slack | United States | Unknown | 3rd in semifinal | ||
| 10 | Georges Clément | France | Unknown | 4th in semifinal | |
| Pál Koppán | Hungary | Unknown | 4th in semifinal | ||
| 12 | Zoltán Speidl | Hungary | Unknown | 4th–5th in semifinal | |
| Umberto Colombo | Italy | Unknown | 4th–5th in semifinal | ||
| 14 | Yngvar Bryn | Norway | Unknown | 5th in semifinal | |
| Walter Drumheller | United States | Unknown | 5th in semifinal |
Sources
- "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- International Olympic Committee.
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically at .
- Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.