Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre backstroke

Men's 100 metre backstroke
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
VenueWhite City Stadium
DatesJuly 16
July 17
Competitors21 from 11 nations
Medalists
 Arno Bieberstein  Germany
 Ludvig Dam  Denmark
 Herbert Haresnape  Great Britain
Swimming at the
1908 Summer Olympics
Freestyle
100 m   men    
400 m men
1500 m men
Backstroke
100 m men
Breaststroke
200 m men
Freestyle relay
4×200 m men

The men's 100 metre backstroke was one of six swimming events on the swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only backstroke event on the schedule. It was the first appearance of the event, after a 100-yard event was held in 1904. The competition was held on Thursday July 16, 1908 and on Friday July 17, 1908.

Twenty-one swimmers from eleven nations competed.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.

World Record ? ?
Olympic Record 1:16.8(*) Germany Walter Brack St. Louis (USA) September 6, 1904

(*) 100 yards (= 91.44 m)

In the first heat Arno Bieberstein set the first Olympic record with 1:25.6 minutes. In the first semi-final he equalized his time and in the final he bettered his own record with 1:24.6 minutes. The time set in the final was the first official world record for this distance.

Results

First round

Thursday July 16, 1908: The fastest swimmer in each heat and the fastest loser advanced, qualifying 8 swimmers for the semifinals.

Heat 1

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Arno Bieberstein (GER) 1:25.6 QQ OR
2  Frederick Unwin (GBR) 1:30.0
3  Hugo Jonsson (FIN) Unknown

Heat 2

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Max Ritter (GER) 1:33.4 QQ
2  Sidney Willis (GBR) 1:34.4
3  John Henriksson (FIN) Unknown

Heat 3

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Colin Lewis (GBR) 1:30.2 QQ
2  Bartholomeus Roodenburch (NED) 1:36.2
3  Robert Zimmerman (CAN) Unknown

Heat 4

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Herbert Haresnape (GBR) 1:26.2 QQ
2  Ludvig Dam (DEN) 1:26.4 qq
3  Amilcare Beretta (ITA) Unknown

Heat 5

Parvin had no competition in the fifth heat.

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Stanley Parvin (GBR) 1:35.2 QQ

Heat 6

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  John Taylor (GBR) 1:25.8 QQ
2  Augustus Goessling (USA) 1:29.0
3  Gustaf Wretman (SWE) Unknown
—  Oscar Grégoire (BEL) Did not finish

Heat 7

Kugler started before the signal, causing him to be disqualified and his first-place finish nullified.

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Gustav Aurisch (GER) 1:27.4 QQ
2  Johan Cortlever (NED) Unknown
3  Eric Seaward (GBR) Unknown
—  Sándor Kugler (HUN) (1:27.0) DSQ

Semifinals

Thursday July 16, 1908: The fastest two swimmers from each semifinal advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Arno Bieberstein (GER) 1:25.6 QF =OR
2  Ludvig Dam (DEN) Unknown QF
3  Max Ritter (GER) Unknown
4  Stanley Parvin (GBR) Unknown

Semifinal 2

Place Swimmer Time Qual.
1  Gustav Aurisch (GER) 1:28.2 QF
2  Herbert Haresnape (GBR) 1:28.8 QF
3  John Taylor (GBR) Unknown
4  Colin Lewis (GBR) Unknown

Final

Friday July 17, 1908.

Place Swimmer Time
1  Arno Bieberstein (GER) 1:24.6 WR
2  Ludvig Dam (DEN) 1:26.6
3  Herbert Haresnape (GBR) 1:27.0
4  Gustav Aurisch (GER) Unknown

Sources

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