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
W. L. Long (New York A. C.) winning in 49 s. 2/5
VenueBois de Boulogne
DatesJuly 14 (semifinals)
July 15 (final)
Competitors15 from 6 nations
Winning time54.2 OR
Medalists
Maxie Long
 United States
William Holland
 United States
Ernst Schultz
 Denmark

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 Kingdom22 June 1895
Olympic record Thomas Burke (USA)54.2Athens, Greece7 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 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
1Maxie Long United States50.4Q, OR
2Harry Lee United StatesUnknownQ
3Harvey Lord United StatesUnknown
4Georges Clément FranceUnknown
5Walter Drumheller United StatesUnknown

Semifinal 2

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

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1William Moloney United States51.0Q
2Ernst Schultz DenmarkUnknownQ
3Charles-Robert Faidide FranceUnknown
4Pál Koppán HungaryUnknown
5Yngvar Bryn NorwayUnknown

Semifinal 3

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

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Dixon Boardman United States51.2Q
2William Holland United StatesUnknownQ
3Henry Slack United StatesUnknown
4–5Zoltán Speidl HungaryUnknown
Umberto Colombo ItalyUnknown

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
Maxie Long United States49.4OR
William Holland United States49.6
Ernst Schultz Denmark51.5
Dixon Boardman United StatesDNS
Harry Lee United StatesDNS
William Moloney United StatesDNS

Results summary

RankAthleteNationSemifinalsFinalNotes
Maxie Long United States50.449.4OR
William Holland United StatesUnknown49.6
Ernst Schultz DenmarkUnknown51.5
4Dixon Boardman United States51.2DNS
Harry Lee United StatesUnknownDNS
William Moloney United States51.0DNS
7Charles-Robert Faidide FranceUnknownDid not advance3rd in semifinal
Harvey Lord United StatesUnknown3rd in semifinal
Henry Slack United StatesUnknown3rd in semifinal
10Georges Clément FranceUnknown4th in semifinal
Pál Koppán HungaryUnknown4th in semifinal
12Zoltán Speidl HungaryUnknown4th–5th in semifinal
Umberto Colombo ItalyUnknown4th–5th in semifinal
14Yngvar Bryn NorwayUnknown5th in semifinal
Walter Drumheller United StatesUnknown5th in semifinal

Sources

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