Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres
| 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 | |
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
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Herbert Jamison (USA) |
56.8 s |
| 2 |  Fritz Hofmann (GER) |
58.6 s |
| 3-4 | Kurt Doerry (GER) |
Unknown |
 Alphonse Grisel (FRA) |
Unknown |
Jamison won by 13½ yards. Hofmann and Grisel both had to run 401.83 metres after being penalized for false starts.
NOTE: The final positions of Grisel and Dörry are unclear.
Heat 2
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Burke (USA) |
58.4 s |
| 2 |  Charles Gmelin (GBR) |
(1:00.5) |
| 3 | Frantz Reichel (FRA) |
(1:02.3) |
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.
Final
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Burke (USA) |
54.2 s |
| 2 | Herbert Jamison (USA) |
55.2 s |
| 3 | Charles Gmelin (GBR) |
(56.7) |
| 4 | Fritz Hofmann (GER) |
(56.7) |
Burke beat Jamison by eight yards, with Gmelin beating Hofmann by a foot for third.
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.