Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle
| Men's 100 metre freestyle at the Games of the IV Olympiad | ||||||||||
| Venue | White City Stadium | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | July 17 July 20 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 34 from 12 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| 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 freestyle was one of six swimming events on the swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. It was the shortest of the three individual freestyle events, as the 50 yard freestyle had been dropped after its one appearance on the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. The 100 metre event was contested for the third time after it had been held at the 1896 and 1906 Olympics. The 1904 Olympics saw a 100-yard event. The competition was held on Friday July 17, 1908 and Monday July 20, 1908.
Thirty-four swimmers from twelve nations competed.
These were the first Olympic Games in which a 100-metre pool had been especially constructed (inside the main stadium's track and field oval). Previous Olympic events were swum in open water (1896: The Mediterranean Sea, 1900: The Seine River, 1904: an artificial lake).
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 1:05.8 | .svg.png){kind=small} Zoltán Halmay |
Vienna (AUT) | December 3, 1905 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 1:22.2 | Alfréd Hajós |
Athens (GRE) | April 11, 1896 (NS) |
| 1:13.0(*) |  Charles Daniels |
Athens (GRE) | April 26, 1906 (NS) | |
| 1:02.8(**) | Zoltán Halmay |
St. Louis (USA) | September 5, 1904 |
(*) Intercalated Games
(**) 100 yards (91.44 m)
In the first heat Zoltán Halmay set a new Olympic record with 1:08.2. In the fifth heat Charles Daniels and in the seventh heat Wilfred Edwards equalized the standing world record of 1:05.8. Finally Charles Daniels set a new world record with 1:05.6 in the final.
Results
First round
The fastest swimmer in each heat and the two fastest losers advanced, qualifying 11 swimmers for the semifinals.
Heat 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoltán Halmay (HUN) | 1:08.2 OR | QS |
| 2 |  Theodore Tartakover (ANZ) | Unknown | |
| 3-6 | .svg.png){kind=small} Davide Baiardo (ITA) | Unknown | |
 Bouke Benenga (NED) | Unknown | ||
 Harald Klem (DEN) | Unknown | ||
.svg.png){kind=small} Herman Meyboom (BEL) | Unknown |
Heat 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Otto Scheff (AUT) | 1:11.8 | QS |
| 2 |  Addin Tyldesley (GBR) | 1:12.0 | qs |
| 3-5 |  Gérard Meister (FRA) | Unknown | |
| József Munk (HUN) | Unknown | ||
 Conrad Trubenbach (USA) | Unknown |
Heat 3
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Beaurepaire (ANZ) | 1:11.6 | QS |
| 2 | Lamme Benenga (NED) | 1:13.2 | |
| 3-5 |  Robert Andersson (SWE) | Unknown | |
| Henrik Hajós (HUN) | Unknown | ||
| Poul Holm (DEN) | Unknown |
Heat 4
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harald Julin (SWE) | 1:12.0 | QS |
| 2 | John Derbyshire (GBR) | 1:12.6 | |
| 3-4 | Victor Boin (BEL) | Unknown | |
| Robert Foster (USA) | Unknown |
Heat 5
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Daniels (USA) | 1:05.8 =WR | QS |
| 2 | József Ónody (HUN) | 1:13.2 | |
| 3 | George Innocent (GBR) | Unknown | |
| 4-5 | René André (FRA) | Unknown | |
| Hjalmar Saxtorph (DEN) | Unknown |
Heat 6
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Hebner (USA) | 1:11.0 | QS |
| 2 | Paul Radmilovic (GBR) | 1:12.0 | qs |
| 3-4 | Edward Cooke (ANZ) | Unknown | |
| Fernand Feyaerts (BEL) | Unknown |
Heat 7
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilfred Edwards (GBR) | 1:05.8 =WR | QS |
| 2 |  Robert Zimmerman (CAN) | 1:35.0 |
Heat 8
Dockrell had no competition in the eighth heat.
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Dockrell (GBR) | 1:13.2 | QS |
Heat 9
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leslie Rich (USA) | 1:14.6 | QS |
| 2 | André Duprez (BEL) | 1:18.0 |
Semifinals
The fastest two swimmers from each semifinal advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoltán Halmay (HUN) | 1:09.4 | QF |
| 2 | Harald Julin (SWE) | 1:10.2 | QF |
| 3 | Harry Hebner (USA) | 1:11.8 | |
| 4 | Frank Beaurepaire (ANZ) | Unknown | |
| 5-6 | Wilfred Edwards (GBR) | Unknown | |
| Paul Radmilovic (GBR) | Unknown |
Semifinal 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Daniels (USA) | 1:10.2 | QF |
| 2 | Leslie Rich (USA) | 1:10.8 | QF |
| 3 | George Dockrell (GBR) | 1:11.4 | |
| 4 | Otto Scheff (AUT) | Unknown | |
| 5 | Addin Tyldesley (GBR) | Unknown |
Final
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Daniels (USA) | 1:05.6 WR |
| 2 | Zoltán Halmay (HUN) | 1:06.2 |
| 3 | Harald Julin (SWE) | 1:08.0 |
| 4 | Leslie Rich (USA) | Unknown |
Sources
- Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
- De Wael, Herman (2001). "Swimming 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Retrieved 12 May 2006.