The men's 110 metres hurdles was the shorter of two hurdling events at the 1908 Summer Olympics

1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. It was dominated by the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 runners. The competition was held from Thursday, July 23, 1908 to Saturday, July 25, 1908.

25 hurdlers from ten nations competed.

Ten sets of hurdles were set on the course. The hurdles were 3 feet, 6 inches (1.07m) tall and were placed ten yards (9.144m) apart beginning fifteen yards (13.716m) from the starting line.

Records

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

World Record	15.0(*)	Thaddeus Shideler Thaddeus Shideler Thaddeus "Tad" Rutter Shideler was an American hurdler who competed in the early twentieth century. He competed in athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the 110 meters hurdles...	St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	June 11, 1904
Olympic Record	15.4	Alvin Kraenzlein Alvin Kraenzlein Alvin Christian Kraenzlein was an American athlete. He was the first sportsman to win four Olympic titles in a single Olympic Games...	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...  (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... )	July 14, 1900

(*) unofficial 120 yards (= 109.73 m)

At first Forrest Smithson

Forrest Smithson

Forrest Custer Smithson was an American athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics....

 equalized the standing Olympic record when he ran 15.4 seconds in the semifinal. In the final he set the first official world record in this event with 15.0 seconds.

Heats

The first round heats were held on July 23, 1908, making the short hurdles one of the last events to begin. The Americans won every race in which they competed. The British team also had a strong showing, winning any time that there was no American in the race.

Heat 1

Healey won by four yards after leading from the start.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Alfred Healey Alfred Healey Alfred Hearn Healey was a British athlete in the 1906 and 1908 Summer Olympics.He competed for Great Britain in the 1906 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece in the 110 metre hurdles where he won the silver medal...		15.8 seconds
2	Henry Murray		(16.3 seconds)
3	Doug Stupart Doug Stupart Douglas Annesley David Stupart was a South African track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics....		Unknown

Heat 2

Garrels won by seven yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	John Garrels John Garrels John Garrels was an American athlete who excelled in the 110 metres hurdles, discus throw, shot put, and as a fullback and end in American football....		16.2 seconds
2	Arthur Halligan		(17.1 seconds)

Heat 3

Groenings led by five yards at the finish.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Oswald Groenings Oswald Groenings Oswald Jacob Groenings was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Middlesbrough and died in London....		16.4 seconds
2	Georgios Skoutarides Georgios Skoutarides Georgios Skoutarides was a Greek athlete. He competed at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens and at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In 1906 he was eliminated in the first round of the 110 metre hurdles competition....		(17.0 seconds)

Heat 4

Kiely had no competition in the first round.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Laurence Kiely		Walkover

Heat 5

Rand and Powell were even for most of the race. Powell hit the ninth hurdle, slowing him just enough for Rand to take the lead and win.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	William Rand		15.8 seconds
2	Kenneth Powell		(16.2 seconds)
3	Frank Savage		Unknown

Heat 6

Lemming fell during the race, allowing Walters to win while easing up.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	David Walters		17.8 seconds
—	Oscar Lemming		DNF

Heat 7

The seventh heat was another in which there was no competition.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	William Knyvett William Knyvett (athlete) William Alexander Knyvett was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Jessore, British Raj, modern-day Bangladesh. He was the son of A. V...		Walkover

Heat 8

Halbart won without competition.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Fernand Halbart		Walkover

Heat 9

Ahearne was the fourth runner to win without a contest.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Tim Ahearne Tim Ahearne Tim Ahearne was an Irish athlete who competed for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the 1908 Summer Olympics....		Walkover

Heat 10

Smithson won by ten yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Forrest Smithson Forrest Smithson Forrest Custer Smithson was an American athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics....		15.8 seconds
2	Nándor Kovács Nándor Kovács Nándor Kováts was a Hungarian track and field athlete and gymnast who competed in the 1906 Summer Olympics and in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Budapest....		(17.2 seconds)

Heat 11

Blijstad fell, allowing Hussey to win with a jog.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Eric Hussey Eric Hussey Eric Robert James Hussey was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Blandford Forum and died in Cuckfield....		16.8 seconds
—	Wilhelm Blijstad		DNF

Heat 12

Kinahan had an easy win by ten yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Cecil Kinahan Cecil Kinahan Cecil Edward Kinahan was an Irish track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.He was born in Ireland and died in Sudan....		16.8 seconds
2	Oscar Guttormsen Oscar Guttormsen Oscar Guttormsen was a Norwegian athlete who specialized in the sprints, jumps and hurdles. He represented the sports club Ørnulf IF in Oslo....		(18.2 seconds)

Heat 13

Howe and Leader were even over the hurdles, but Howe edged out Leader in the straight.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Leonard Howe Leonard Howe Leonard Vernon Howe was an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He died in Waterbury, Connecticut....		15.8 seconds
2	Edward Leader		(16.1 seconds)

Heat 14

Shaw won without a contest.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Arthur Shaw		Walkover

Semifinals

The semifinal round was held on July 24, 1908. Each of the four heats of the second round were won by American runners.

Semifinal 1

Shaw took the lead at the first set of hurdles, finishing about five metres ahead of Hussey.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Arthur Shaw		15.6 seconds
2	Eric Hussey Eric Hussey Eric Robert James Hussey was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Blandford Forum and died in Cuckfield....		(16.5 seconds)
3	David Walters		(16.9 seconds)
4	Oswald Groenings Oswald Groenings Oswald Jacob Groenings was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Middlesbrough and died in London....		Unknown

Semifinal 2

Smithson had no trouble winning this heat, tying the Olympic record as he did so.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Forrest Smithson Forrest Smithson Forrest Custer Smithson was an American athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics....		15.4 seconds =OR
2	William Knyvett William Knyvett (athlete) William Alexander Knyvett was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Jessore, British Raj, modern-day Bangladesh. He was the son of A. V...		(15.6 seconds)
3	Leonard Howe Leonard Howe Leonard Vernon Howe was an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He died in Waterbury, Connecticut....		(15.8 seconds)

Semifinal 3

Healey led for most of the race, with Rand close behind, but Healey was unable to clear the ninth hurdle cleanly, allowing Rand to pass him and win by a foot.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	William Rand		15.8 seconds
2	Alfred Healey Alfred Healey Alfred Hearn Healey was a British athlete in the 1906 and 1908 Summer Olympics.He competed for Great Britain in the 1906 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece in the 110 metre hurdles where he won the silver medal...		(15.9 seconds)
3	Laurence Kiely		Unknown
4	Tim Ahearne Tim Ahearne Tim Ahearne was an Irish athlete who competed for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the 1908 Summer Olympics....		Unknown

Semifinal 4

Halbert pulled up lame, and Garrels won by 15 yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	John Garrels John Garrels John Garrels was an American athlete who excelled in the 110 metres hurdles, discus throw, shot put, and as a fullback and end in American football....		15.8 seconds
2	Cecil Kinahan Cecil Kinahan Cecil Edward Kinahan was an Irish track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.He was born in Ireland and died in Sudan....		(17.5 seconds)
—	Fernand Halbert Fernand Halbert Fernand Halbart was a Belgian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 200 metres, Halbart finished fifth and last in his preliminary heat and did not advance to the semifinals. He also participated in the 110 metre hurdles event where he was eliminated in the semi-finals...		DNF

Final

Smithson pulled away from his countrymen at every set of hurdles to win by five meters and set a new world record.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Forrest Smithson Forrest Smithson Forrest Custer Smithson was an American athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics....		15.0 seconds WR
2	John Garrels John Garrels John Garrels was an American athlete who excelled in the 110 metres hurdles, discus throw, shot put, and as a fullback and end in American football....		(15.7 seconds)
3	Arthur Shaw		(15.8 seconds)
4	William Rand		(16.0 seconds)