Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres
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.
| Men's 400 metres at the Games of the I Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Panathinaiko Stadium | |||||||||
| Dates | April 6 (heats) April 7 (final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 7 from 4 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 |
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 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
56.8 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Fritz Hofmann | .svg.png){kind=small} |
58.6 | Q |
| 3-4 | Kurt Doerry | |
Unknown | |
| Adolphe 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.