Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre freestyle

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

(*) 440 yards (= 402.34 m)

In the final Henry Taylor set the first official world record for this distance in 5:36.8 minutes.

With a much larger field than in 1904, the 1908 competition expanded to three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The 1908 Games also restored the wild-card system from 1900, allowing the fastest swimmers who did not win their heat to advance. The nine heats consisted of between 1 and 5 swimmers, with the winner of the heat advancing along with the fastest loser from across the heats (all tied swimmers advanced in the case of equal times). There were two semifinals, intended to be of 5 swimmers each but one of which actually had 4 due to a withdrawal; the top 2 finishers in each semifinal (regardless of overall time) advanced to the 4-person final.Official Report, p. 571.

Each race involved four lengths of the 100 metre pool. Any stroke could be used.

The fastest swimmer in each heat and the fastest loser advanced, qualifying 10 swimmers for the semifinals.

Tartakover had no competition in the third heat.

Zachár had no competition in the eighth heat.

The fastest two swimmers from each semifinal advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

Semifinal 2

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book | last = Cook | first = Theodore Andrea | year = 1908 | title = The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report | publisher = British Olympic Association | location = London}}
• {{cite web | last = De Wael | first = Herman | year = 2001 | url = http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/swi1908.html | title = Swimming 1908 | work = Herman's Full Olympians | accessdate = 13 May 2006}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Freestyle Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swimming At The 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 Metre Freestyle}}

Men's freestyle 0400 metres