Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's medley relay
The men's medley relay was run for the first time at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The event consisted of 1600 metres being run by four athletes per team. Unlike the later 4 × 400 metres relay, however, the athletes had different distances to run. In the medley, the first two runners each ran 200 metres. The third runner ran 400 and the fourth ran 800. The competition was held on July 24, 1908 and July 25, 1908. 28 runners from 7 nations competed. NOCs could enter one team of four, with four reserves.
The event was run in two rounds.
Results
First round
All first round heats were held on July 24, 1908.First round, heat 1
Simon had a ten-yard lead over Laaftman at the end of the first 200 metres; after Lindberg gained on Racz, Stenborg passed Nagy during the 400, giving Björn a three-yard advantage over Bodor to begin the second half of the race. Bodor was up to the task and ran the split in 1:56.6 to pass Björn and win by three yards.
| Place | Name | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Pál Simon Frigyes Wiesner József Nagy Ödön Bodor | 3:32.6 | |
| 2 | Sven Låftman Knut Lindberg Knut Stenborg Evert Björn |
First round, heat 2
The German team dominated this heat, with each runner increasing the lead; Braun crossed the finish line 90 yards ahead of Evers.
| Place | Name | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Arthur Hoffmann Hans Eicke Otto Trieloff Hanns Braun | 3:43.2 | |
| 2 | Evert Koops Jacobus Hoogveld Victor Henny Bram Evers |
First round, heat 3
Hamilton gave the Americans a slight lead at the end of the first 200 metres, with the Canadians in second and the British team third. Cartmell increased the lead while Pankhurst caught up to Buddo near the end of the second 200. In the 400, Taylor held the American lead while Montague ensured second place for the Britons, but Just had little chance of catching Sheppard, who had won the individual 800 metres, in the second half of the race. Sheppard finished 25 yards in front of the British team.
| Place | Name | Nation | Time |
| 1 | William Hamilton Nate Cartmell John Taylor Mel Sheppard | 3:27.2 | |
| 2 | George Hawkins Henry Pankhurst Edwin Montague Theodore Just | 3:32.0 | |
| 3 | Frank Lukeman Donald Buddo Louis Sebert R. Irving Parkes | unknown |
Final
The final was held on July 25, 1908.At the end of the first 200 metres, Hamilton had a six-yard lead over Simon, with Hoffmann about a yard behind the Hungarian. Cartmell and Taylor increased the American lead, and Sheppard began the second half of the race with a fifteen-yard lead over Bodor; he pulled away and won by twenty-five yards. Braun and Bodor fought mightily for second place, with the German, who had a five-yard deficit at the beginning of the 800 metres, winning by five inches.
| Place | Name | Nation | Split | Time |
| 1 | William Hamilton Nate Cartmell John Taylor Mel Sheppard | 0:22.0 0:22.2 0:49.8 1:55.4 | 3:29.4 | |
| 2 | Arthur Hoffmann Hans Eicke Otto Trieloff Hanns Braun | 3:32.4 | ||
| 3 | Pál Simon Frigyes Wiesner József Nagy Ödön Bodor | 3:32.5 |