Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres explained

Event:Men's 400 metres
Games:1924 Summer
Venue:Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
Dates:July 10 (heats and quarterfinals)
July 11 (semifinals and final)
Competitors:60
Nations:27
Win Value:47.6
Longnames:yes
Gold:Eric Liddell
Goldnoc:GBR
Silver:Horatio Fitch
Silvernoc:USA
Bronze:Guy Butler
Bronzenoc:GBR
Prev:1920
Next:1928

The men's 400 metres event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1924 Summer Olympics. This race was depicted in the film Chariots of Fire. The competition was held on Thursday, July 10, 1924, and on Friday, July 11, 1924.[1]

As for all other races the track was 500 metres in circumference.

Sixty runners from 27 nations competed. No nation had more than 4 athletes.

Background

This was the seventh appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The defending gold medalist from 1920, Bevil Rudd of South Africa, did not return; the other two medalists, silver-winning Guy Butler of Great Britain and bronze-winning Nils Engdahl of Sweden, did. Eric Liddell of Great Britain was the 1924 Scottish and AAA champion.[2]

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Haiti, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, and Switzerland appeared in the event for the first time. The United States made its seventh appearance in the event, the only nation to compete in it at every Olympic Games to that point.

Competition format

The competition retained the basic four-round format from 1920. The first round had 17 heats, ranging from 1 to 5 athletes. The top two runners in each heat advanced to the quarterfinals. There were 6 quarterfinals, intended to have 5 or 6 runners in each but sometimes having 4 due to withdrawals; the top two athletes in each quarterfinal heat advanced to the semifinals. The semifinals featured 2 heats of 6 runners each. The top three runners in each semifinal heat advanced, making a six-man final.[2] [3]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1924 Summer Olympics.

(*) 440 yards (= 402.34 m)

In the quarterfinals, Josef Imbach set a new Olympic record with 48.0 seconds. In the semifinals Horatio Fitch improved the Olympic record with 47.8 seconds. In the final, Eric Liddell set a new world record with 47.6 seconds; this time was ratified as a 400 metres world record as Ted Meredith ran his record over 440 yards. World Athletics rescinded Liddell's time as a world record in 1928.

Schedule

DateTimeRound
Thursday, 10 July 1924 14:00
16:00
Heats
Quarterfinals
style=background:lemonchiffonFriday, 11 July 1924 style=background:lemonchiffon14:45
17:30
style=background:lemonchiffonSemifinals
Final

Results

Round 1

All heats were held on Thursday, July 10, 1924, and started at 2 p.m.

The best two finishers of every heat qualified for the quarter-finals.

Heat 1

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 54.0
2 54.8

Heat 2

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 50.2
2 50.9
3 51.6
4 53.2
5 Unknown

Heat 3

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 50.2
2 52.6
3 53.1
4 Unknown

Heat 4

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.6
2 50.6
3 51.5
4 Unknown

Heat 5

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 51.8

Heat 6

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 51.8
2 53.0

Heat 7

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 50.8
2 51.7
3 53.0

Heat 8

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.8
2 51.2
3 51.8
4 52.0

Heat 9

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 50.0
2 51.0
3 51.4
4 Unknown
5 Unknown

Heat 10

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.6
2 49.9
3 51.0
4 Unknown

Heat 11

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.2
2 50.3
3 51.0
4 Unknown

Heat 12

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.8
2 50.5
3 51.4
4 Unknown
5 52.8

Heat 13

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 51.0
2 51.8
3 55.0

Heat 14

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 50.2
2 50.4
3 50.6
4 55.4

Heat 15

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 52.0
2 52.1

Heat 16

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 50.2
2 51.1
3 Unknown
4 Unknown
5 Unknown

Heat 17

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 51.2
2 52.0
3 53.1

Quarterfinals

All quarter-finals were held on Thursday, July 10, 1924, and started at 4 p.m.

The best two finishers of every heat qualified for the semifinals.

Lajos Kurunczy and Erik Åström had qualified for the quarterfinals but withdrew.

Quarterfinal 1

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.0
2 50.0
3 50.8
4 Unknown

Quarterfinal 2

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.0
2 49.2
3 50.2
4 50.7

Quarterfinal 3

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.8
2 50.4
3 50.9
4 51.6
5 Unknown
6 Unknown

Quarterfinal 4

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.0
2 49.3
3 49.5
4 50.5
5 50.5

Quarterfinal 5

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 49.0
2 49.3
3 49.6
4 50.2
5 Unknown
6 Unknown

Quarterfinal 6

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 48.0 ,
2 48.4
3 48.8
4 49.8
5 50.7
6 Unknown

Semifinals

All semi-finals were held on Friday, July 11, 1924, and started at 2:45 p.m.

The best three finishers of each heat qualified for the final.

Semifinal 1

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 47.8 ,
2 47.9
3 48.0
4 48.2
5 48.4
6 48.6

Semifinal 2

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 48.2
2 48.3
3 48.7
4 48.8
5 49.0
6 49.1

Final

The final was held on Friday, July 11, 1924, and started at 5:30 p.m. Taylor's ankle gave out just before the finish line in a career-ending injury; he crawled across the line.[4] [5] [6] Imbach tripped over the lane-dividing ropes, fell, and was unable to finish.[7] [8]

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
47.6
48.4
48.6
4 48.8
5 1:07.0
data-sort-value=6

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Athletics at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's 400 metres . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171559/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ATH/mens-400-metres.html . dead . 17 April 2020 . 22 July 2017 . sports-reference.com.
  2. Web site: 400 metres, Men . Olympedia . 30 July 2020.
  3. Official Report, pp. 108–09.
  4. Web site: The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field . Hymans, Richard . . 2008 . May 22, 2017 .
  5. News: U.S. Jinxed In 400 Meter Race At Olympic Meet . Associated Press . April 25, 1928 . May 22, 2017 . Ellensburg Daily Record.
  6. News: 120 Olympic Stars Retire From Track . . January 11, 1925 . May 22, 2017.
  7. Book: Huippu-urheilun historia . 1935 . . Jukola, Martti . fi.
  8. Book: IAAF Athletics Statistics Book: Games of the XXX Olympiad London 2012 . Butler, Mark . IAAF Communications Department . 69.