Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, nine swimming events were contested. The 1904 swimming competition was the only time in Olympic history that racing distances were measured in yards. The competition was held September 4–6, 1904. There was a total of 32 participants from 5 countries competing.[1]
| Swimming at the Games of the III Olympiad | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Forest Park |
| Dates | 4–6 September |
| No. of events | 9 |
| Competitors | 32 from 5 nations |
| Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Freestyle | |
| 50 yard | men |
| 100 yard | men |
| 220 yard | men |
| 440 yard | men |
| 880 yard | men |
| 1 mile | men |
| Backstroke | |
| 100 yard | men |
| Breaststroke | |
| 440 yard | men |
| Freestyle relay | |
| 4×50 yard | men |
The short sprint, at 50 yards (46 m), made its first Olympic appearance in 1904. The 100 returned after not being contested in 1900. The 1000 metres and 4000 metres were replaced with the much shorter 440 yards (400 m) and 1-mile (1,600 m) events, making the 200 the only freestyle event to be held for the second time in a row.
The 200 metre backstroke was shortened to 100 yards (91 m) and the team swimming event was replaced with a 4×50 yard freestyle relay. The obstacle course and underwater swimming events were eliminated, while breaststroke made its Olympic debut.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Germany (GER) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 2 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} United States (USA) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Hungary (HUN) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia (AUS) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 |  Austria (AUT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 nations) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | |
Medal summary
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 yard freestyle |
Zoltán Halmay (HUN) |
Scott Leary (USA) |
Charles Daniels (USA) |
| 100 yard freestyle |
Zoltán Halmay (HUN) |
Charles Daniels (USA) |
Scott Leary (USA) |
| 220 yard freestyle |
Charles Daniels (USA) |
Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1] |
Emil Rausch (GER) |
| 440 yard freestyle |
Charles Daniels (USA) |
Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1] |
Otto Wahle (AUT) |
| 880 yard freestyle |
Emil Rausch (GER) |
Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1] |
Géza Kiss (HUN) |
| 1 mile freestyle |
Emil Rausch (GER) |
Géza Kiss (HUN) |
Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1] |
| 100 yard backstroke |
Walter Brack (GER) |
Georg Hoffmann (GER) |
Georg Zacharias (GER) |
| 440 yard breaststroke |
Georg Zacharias (GER) |
Walter Brack (GER) |
Jam Handy (USA) |
| 4×50 yard freestyle relay |
United States (USA) New York Athletic Club Joe Ruddy Leo Goodwin Louis Handley Charles Daniels |
United States (USA) Chicago Athletic Association David Hammond Bill Tuttle Hugo Goetz Raymond Thorne |
United States (USA) Missouri Athletic Club Amedee Reyburn Gwynne Evans Marquard Schwarz Bill Orthwein |
Participating nations
32 swimmers from 5 nations competed.
- Austria (1)
- Australia (1)
- Germany (4)
- Hungary (2)
- United States (24)
Notes
- Gailey was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, but later emigrated to the United States and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1906. For the 1904 Olympics, he was sponsored by the Olympic Club of San Francisco. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially counts Gailey's four medals for the United States.
References
- "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- Mallon, Bill (February 1999). The 1904 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0550-3.
- (ed.) James E. Sullivan. Spalding's Athletic Almanac for 1905 (PDF). New York: American Sports Publishing. pp. 229–231. Retrieved 2008-03-19.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- De Wael, Herman (2002-01-11). "Swimming 1904". Herman's Full Olympians. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
