Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres


The men's 400 metres was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 14, and July 15, 1900. The races were held on a track of 500 metres in circumference. 15 athletes from six nations competed.

Background

This was the second time the event was held. None of the runners from 1896 returned. Maxie Long of the United States was favored, as 1898 and 1899 AAU champion and 1900 AAA champion. His countryman Dixon Boardman was a strong challenger, having beaten Long at the 1900 IC4A.
The United States and France made their second appearances in the event; Denmark, Hungary, Italy, and Norway made their debuts.

Competition format

There were two rounds: heats and a final. The top 2 runners in each heat advanced to the final.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.
unofficial 440 yards
Maxie Long set a new Olympic record in the first round with 50.4 seconds. In the final he improved his own record when he ran 49.4 seconds.

Schedule

All times are Central European Time
DateTimeRound
Saturday, 14 July 190011:25Heats
Sunday, 15 July 190015:00Final

Results

First round

In the first round, there were three heats. They were held on July 14. The top two runners in each advanced to the final.

Heat 1

This heat, featuring four American runners, resulted in an easy win for Long and the top three spots for the United States team.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Maxie Long50.4,
2Harry LeeUnknown
3Harvey LordUnknown
4Georges ClémentUnknown
5Walter DrumhellerUnknown

Heat 2

Again, an American won the heat easily. Schulz took second place to qualify for the final.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1William Moloney51.0
2Ernst SchultzUnknown
3Charles-Robert FaidideUnknown
4Pál KoppánUnknown
5Yngvar BrynUnknown

Heat 3

The United States runners again took all three of the top spots in this heat.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Dixon Boardman51.2
2William HollandUnknown
3Henry SlackUnknown
4–5Zoltán SpeidlUnknown
4–5Umberto ColomboUnknown

Final

Boardman, Lee, and Moloney withdrew because the final was held on a Sunday. Long and Holland did start, however, and Long led the entire way to win by five yards, with Schultz 20 yards behind the Americans.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
Maxie Long49.4
William Holland49.6
Ernst Schultz51.5
—Dixon Boardman
—Harry Lee
—William Moloney