Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres
Men's 400 metres at the Games of the I Olympiad | ||||||||||
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Venue | Panathinaiko Stadium | |||||||||
Dates |
April 6 (heats) April 7 (final) | |||||||||
Competitors | 7 from 4 nations | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
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Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
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Track events | |
100 m | men |
400 m | men |
800 m | men |
1500 m | men |
110 m hurdles | men |
Road events | |
Marathon | men |
Field events | |
Long jump | men |
Triple jump | men |
High jump | men |
Pole vault | men |
Shot put | men |
Discus throw | men |
The men's 400 metres race was the second-shortest of the flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The competition's preliminary round was the last held on the first day, 6 April. The competitors were split into two groups. The top two runners in each heat advanced to the final, which was held on the second day, 7 April.
7 athletes from 4 nations competed. 5 of those athletes were also in the 100 metres.
Results
Heats
The first round heats were held on 6 April. The top two placers in each of the two groups advanced.
Heat 1
Jamison won by 13½ yards. Hofmann and Grisel both had to run 401.83 metres after being penalized for false starts. The final positions of Grisel and Dörry are unclear.
Rank | Name | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Herbert Jamison | 56.8 | Q, OR | |
2 | Fritz Hofmann | 58.6 | Q | |
3-4 | Kurt Doerry | Unknown | ||
Alphonse Grisel | Unknown |
Heat 2
Burke won by 15 yards, despite being tired from already having run in the heats of the 100 metres. Gmelin beat Reichel by 12 yards for second place.
Rank | Name | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Thomas Burke | 58.4 | Q | |
2 | Charles Gmelin | (1:00.5) | Q | |
3 | Frantz Reichel | (1:02.3) |
Final
Burke beat Jamison by eight yards, with Gmelin beating Hofmann by a foot for third.
Rank | Name | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thomas Burke | 54.2 | OR | ||
Herbert Jamison | 55.2 | |||
Charles Gmelin | (56.7) | |||
4 | Fritz Hofmann | (56.7) |
References
- Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J. & Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at la84foundation.org)
- Mallon, Bill & Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at la84foundation.org)
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.