The men's 200 metre race was held for the third time 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...

. The competition was held from July 21, 1908 to July 23, 1908.

43 sprinters from 15 nations competed.

Records

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

World Record	21.4(*)	Jim Maybury	Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	June 5, 1897
Olympic Record	21.6(**)	Archie Hahn Archie Hahn Charles Archibald "Archie" Hahn was a German-American athlete, and one of the best sprinters in the early 20th century....	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... )	August 31, 1904

(*) unofficial 220 yards (= 201.17 m)

(**) straight course

Heats

The winner of each heat advanced, with all others eliminated. Heats were held on July 21, 1908.

Heat 1

George led by ten yards when he crossed the finish line.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	John George		23.4 seconds
2	Victor Henny Victor Henny Victor Henny was a Dutch athlete, who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		(24.6 seconds)

Heat 2

In a tight race, Huff barely beat Duffy, crossing the line with a lead of less than two yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Harold Huff Harold Huff Harry "Doc" J. Huff was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He died in Kansas City, Missouri....		22.8 seconds
2	Edward Duffy Edward Duffy Edward John Duffy was a South African athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Ryno, North West and died in Johannesburg....		(23.2 seconds)
3	Henk van der Wal		Unknown
4	Knut Stenborg Knut Stenborg Knut Stenborg was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		Unknown

Heat 3

Roche won by a mere yard.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Patrick Roche		22.8 seconds
2	Lawson Robertson Lawson Robertson Lawson N. Robertson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....		(23.0 seconds)
3	Frank Lukeman Frank Lukeman Francis Lawrence Lukeman , was a Canadian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		Unknown
4	Evert Koops Evert Koops Evert "Eddy" Koops was a Dutch athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born and died in Arnhem....		Unknown

Heat 4

Cartmell won by about two yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Nate Cartmell Nathaniel Cartmell Nathaniel John Cartmell , also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games...		23.0 seconds
2	Vilmos Rácz Vilmos Rácz Vilmos Rácz was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(23.3 seconds)
3	Ragnar Stenberg Ragnar Stenberg Ragnar Olaf Jakob Stenberg was a Finnish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Stenberg placed fifth in his first round heat to be eliminated from competition...		Unknown

Heat 5

Malfait had about a four-yard lead when he finished.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Georges Malfait Georges Malfait Georges W. Malfait was an French athlete who competed at the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens, at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, and the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		22.6 seconds
2	Robert Duncan		(23.1 seconds)

Heat 6

Laaftman won by two yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Sven Låftman Sven Låftman Sven Låftman was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.Låftman won his preliminary heat in the 200 metres with a time of 23.8 seconds, the slowest winning time in the round...		23.8 seconds
2	Frigyes Wiesner Frigyes Wiesner Frigyes Mezei was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(24.0 seconds)
3	Ernst Greven		Unknown

Heat 7

There was no competition for Radóczy in the seventh heat.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Károly Radóczy Károly Radóczy Károly Radóczy was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		walkover

Heat 8

Cloughen had a comfortable six-yard lead when he crossed the finish line.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Cloughen Robert Cloughen Robert "Bobbie" Cloughen was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and a member of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team...		23.4 seconds
2	Umberto Barrozzi Umberto Barrozzi Umberto Barrozzi was an Italian athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Ivrea....		(24.1 seconds)

Heat 9

Hurdsfield led by a yard and a half at the finish.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Samuel Hurdsfield Samuel Hurdsfield Samuel Hurdsfield was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 200 metres, Hurdsfield won his preliminary heat with a time of 23.6 seconds to advance to the semifinals. There, he finished fourth and last in his heat to be eliminated without advancing to the...		23.6 seconds
2	Mikhail Paskalides Mikhail Paskalides Mikhail Paskalides was a Greek athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Paskalides took fourth place in his first round heat and was eliminated from further competition...		(24.0 seconds)

Heat 10

Hamilton's margin of victory was three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	William Hamilton		22.4 seconds
2	Louis Sebert Louis Sebert Louis Joseph Sebert was a Canadian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Sebert took second place in his first round heat with a time of 11.7 seconds. He did not advance to the semifinals.His result in the 200 metres was similar...		(22.8 seconds)
3	Henry Pankhurst Henry Pankhurst Henry J. Pankhurst was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Pankhurst took second place in his first round heat with a time of 11.5 seconds, just behind Harold Huff who won with 11.4 seconds...		Unknown
4	Pál Simon Pál Simon Pál Simon was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born and died in Budapest....		Unknown
5	Fernand Halbart		Unknown

Heat 11

Kerr's victory was by about three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Kerr		22.2 seconds
2	William W. May William W. May William Wyman "Willie" May was an American athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Knoxville, Alabama and died in Utica, New York....		(22.7 seconds)
3	James P. Stark James P. Stark James Primrose Stark was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.-Awards and Records:In the 100 metres, Stark won his first round heat with a time of 11.8 seconds to advance to the semifinals...		Unknown
4	Knut Lindberg Knut Lindberg Knut Lindberg was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		Unknown
5	Emilio Brambilla Emilio Brambilla Emilio Brambilla was an Italian athlete who competed in the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens and in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Milan....		Unknown

Heat 12

Sherman led by two yards when he finished.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel "Nate" Alden Sherman was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts....		22.8 seconds
2	John W. Morton John W. Morton John "Jack" William Morton was a British athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Handsworth, West Midlands and died in Brighton....		(23.1 seconds)
3	Eduard Schönecker Eduard Schönecker Erich Eduard "Edi" Schönecker was an Austrian athlete, football player, and architect. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		Unknown
4	Cornelis den Held		Unknown

Heat 13

Reed won by two and a half yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Lionel Reed Lionel Reed Lionel James de Burgh Reed was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 200 metres, Reed won his preliminary heat with a time of 23.2 seconds...		23.2 seconds
2	Arthur Hoffmann Arthur Hoffmann (athlete) Arthur Hoffmann was a German athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Danzig and died in Hamburg....		(23.5 seconds)

Heat 14

Guttormsen was the second runner to win without competition.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	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....		walkover

Heat 15

The race was extremely tight until the final straightaway, where Hawkins pulled away to win.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	George Hawkins		22.8 seconds
2	Henri Meslot Henri Meslot Henri Meslot was a French athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Paris and died in Toulon....		(23.2 seconds)
3	Jacobus Hoogveld Jacobus Hoogveld Jacobus Johannes Hoogveld was a Dutch athlete, who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		Unknown

Semifinals

The semifinal round was held on July 22, 1908, a day after the heats. The winners of each semifinal advanced to the final, with the other runners being knocked out of competition.

Semifinal 1

The first semifinal featured both of the runners who had won via walkover in the heats. There was very little room separating the lead three runners, with Kerr about nine inches in front of Hamilton and twelve ahead of Radoczy.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Kerr		22.6 seconds
2	William Hamilton		(22.7 seconds)
3	Károly Radóczy Károly Radóczy Károly Radóczy was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(22.8 seconds)
4	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....		Unknown

Semifinal 2

This all-American heat was also close, but not as close as the first. Cartmell won by about five feet.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Nate Cartmell Nathaniel Cartmell Nathaniel John Cartmell , also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games...		22.6 seconds
2	Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel "Nate" Alden Sherman was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts....		(22.9 seconds)
3	Harold Huff Harold Huff Harry "Doc" J. Huff was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He died in Kansas City, Missouri....		(23.0 seconds)

Semifinal 3

Cloughen finally pulled ahead of Reed three-quarters of the way into the race, holding onto the lead until the finish.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Cloughen Robert Cloughen Robert "Bobbie" Cloughen was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and a member of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team...		22.6 seconds
2	Lionel Reed Lionel Reed Lionel James de Burgh Reed was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 200 metres, Reed won his preliminary heat with a time of 23.2 seconds...		(22.8 seconds)
3	John George		Unknown
4	Samuel Hurdsfield Samuel Hurdsfield Samuel Hurdsfield was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 200 metres, Hurdsfield won his preliminary heat with a time of 23.6 seconds to advance to the semifinals. There, he finished fourth and last in his heat to be eliminated without advancing to the...		Unknown

Semifinal 4

Låftman was forced to scratch due to an injury. The three runners broke apart in the last ten metres, with Hawkins winning by a foot.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	George Hawkins		22.6 seconds
2	Patrick Roche		(22.6 seconds)
3	Georges Malfait Georges Malfait Georges W. Malfait was an French athlete who competed at the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens, at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, and the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		Unknown
—	Sven Låftman Sven Låftman Sven Låftman was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.Låftman won his preliminary heat in the 200 metres with a time of 23.8 seconds, the slowest winning time in the round...		Did not start

Final

The final was held on July 23, 1908.

The top three were within two feet of each other, as Kerr's early lead evaporated in the straight. He was able to hang onto nine inches, however, and defeated Cloughen by that small margin.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Kerr		22.6 seconds
2	Robert Cloughen Robert Cloughen Robert "Bobbie" Cloughen was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and a member of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team...		(22.6 seconds)
3	Nate Cartmell Nathaniel Cartmell Nathaniel John Cartmell , also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games...		(22.7 seconds)
4	George Hawkins		(22.9 seconds)