The men's 400 metres was an Olympic event for the fourth 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 originally scheduled from July 21, 1908 to July 23, 1908. The rerun of the final was held on July 25, 1908. The races were held on a track of 536.45 metres= mile in circumference.

37 runners from ten nations competed.

It was the most controversial event of the London Games. The final resulted in the disqualification of American

United States

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

 runner John Carpenter, who had blocked British

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

 athlete Wyndham Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle was a British athlete, winner of the controversial 400m race at the 1908 Summer Olympics, becoming the only athlete to win an Olympic title by a walkover....

 in a maneuver that was legal under American rules but prohibited by the British rules under which the race was run.

As part of the disqualification of Carpenter, a second final race was ordered. Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle was a British athlete, winner of the controversial 400m race at the 1908 Summer Olympics, becoming the only athlete to win an Olympic title by a walkover....

 was to face the other two finalists again. These men, William Robbins

William Robbins (athlete)

William Robbins was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club.He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts....

 and John Taylor

John Taylor (athlete)

John Baxter Taylor Jr. was an American track and field athlete, notable as the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal...

, were both Americans and decided not to contest the repeat of the final to protest the judges' decision. Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle was a British athlete, winner of the controversial 400m race at the 1908 Summer Olympics, becoming the only athlete to win an Olympic title by a walkover....

 was thus the only medallist in the 400 metres.

Records

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

World Record	47.8(*)	Maxie Long	New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	September 29, 1900
Olympic Record	49.2(**)	Harry Hillman Harry Hillman Harry Livingston Hillman Jr. was an American athlete and winner of three gold medals at the 1904 Summer Olympics....	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 29, 1904

(*) 440 yards (= 402.34 m)

(**) This track was 536.45 metres= mile in circumference.

In the semi-finals Wyndham Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle

Wyndham Halswelle was a British athlete, winner of the controversial 400m race at the 1908 Summer Olympics, becoming the only athlete to win an Olympic title by a walkover....

set a new Olympic record with 48.4 seconds.

Heats

The heats were run on July 21, 1908. The winner of each advanced to the semifinals, with all other runners eliminated.

Heat 1

Montague led by twelve yards when he finished.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.2 seconds	Q
2		51.4 seconds

Heat 2

The second heat was cancelled as there were no starters.

Heat 3

Ryle had no competition in the third heat.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		walkover	Q

Heat 4

Taylor won handily, with a twelve yard margin.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.8 seconds	Q
2		52.4 seconds
3		Unknown

Heat 5

Nicol won with a twelve yard lead.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.8 seconds	Q
2		52.4 seconds

Heat 6

Eight yards separated the two runners when Malfait crossed the line.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.0 seconds	Q
2		51.2 seconds

Heat 7

Robbins had no difficulty in this race, winning with a 12 yard lead.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.4 seconds	Q
2		(51.1 seconds)
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

Heat 8

Prout's lead was only two yards when he finished.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.4 seconds	Q
2		50.7 seconds

Heat 9

Ramey's victory was one of the closest of the first round, with only a yard and a half separating him from Astley.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		51.0 seconds	Q
2		Unknown

Heat 10

Jacquemin pulled up lame, allowing Sebert to win by 20 yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.2 seconds	Q
2		52.7 seconds
—		Did not finish

Heat 11

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.4 seconds	Q
2		50.6 seconds
3		Unknown

Heat 12

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		50.4 seconds	Q
2		51.0 seconds

Heat 13

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		52.2 seconds	Q
2		52.5 seconds

Heat 14

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		49.8 seconds	Q
2		50.9 seconds
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

Heat 15

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		49.4 seconds	Q
2		50.8 seconds
3		Unknown

Heat 16

Young won by 30 yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		52.4 seconds	Q
2		(54.3 seconds)

Semifinals

The semifinals were held on July 22, 1908. Winners advanced, all others were eliminated.

Semifinal 1

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		49.4 seconds	Q
2		49.8 seconds
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

Semifinal 2

Halswelle broke the Olympic record in the semifinal.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		48.4 seconds OR	Q
2		49.8 seconds
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

Semifinal 3

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		49.8 seconds	Q
2		50.5 seconds
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

Semifinal 4

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		49.0 seconds	Q
2		49.5 seconds
3		Unknown

Final

The final was initially held on July 23, 1908. After the disqualification of Carpenter, the second running of the final was scheduled for July 25.

First running

The first final ended with Carpenter finishing first, Halswelle following him, Robbins in third, and Taylor at the back. Roscoe Badger, one of the British umpires of the event, noticed Carpenter maneuvering so as to prevent Halswelle from passing him, which was legal at the time under the American rules under which Carpenter normally competed, but prohibited by the British rules that were in effect for the Olympics; Badger therefore signalled to the judges to declare the race void, leading to a thirty minute argument between British and American officials. At the official inquiry later that day, the judges disqualified Carpenter and ordered the final to be rerun with Carpenter excluded.

Place	Athlete	Time
1		47.8 seconds
2		Unknown
3		Unknown
4		Unknown

Second running

Carpenter was not permitted to start in the rerun, and Robbins and Taylor refused to participate in protest of the decision by the judges. Halswelle won with a jog, for the one and only walkover win in Olympic track and field history.

Place	Athlete	Time
1		50.0 seconds
—		Did not start
		Did not start
		Disqualified