The men's 100 metres

100 metres

The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...

sprint event at the 1932 Summer Olympics

1932 Summer Olympics

The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...

took place on July 31 and August 1 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...

. The final was won by American Eddie Tolan

Eddie Tolan

Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...

 in a world record

World record progression 100 metres men

The first record in the 100 metres for men was recognised by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 1912...

 equalling time of 10.38 seconds.

Records

These are the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1932 Summer Olympics.

World Record	10.3	Percy Williams Percy Williams Percy Alfred Williams, OC was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 m and 200 m races at the 1928 Summer Olympics.- Biography :Williams was born in Vancouver and he died in Vancouver....	Toronto (CAN Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... )	August 9 1930
Olympic Record	10.6	Donald Lippincott	Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...  (SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... )	July 6 1912
	10.6	Harold Abrahams Harold Abrahams Harold Maurice Abrahams, CBE, was a British athlete of Jewish origin. He was Olympic champion in 1924 in the 100 metres sprint, a feat depicted in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.-Early life:...	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 6/7 1924
	10.6	Robert McAllister	Amsterdam Amsterdam Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...  (NED Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... )	July 29/30 1928
	10.6	Percy Williams Percy Williams Percy Alfred Williams, OC was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 m and 200 m races at the 1928 Summer Olympics.- Biography :Williams was born in Vancouver and he died in Vancouver....	Amsterdam Amsterdam Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...  (NED Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... )	July 30 1928
	10.6	Willie Legg Willie Legg Wilfred B. Legg is a South African athlete who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.He was born in Robertson, Western Cape.In 1928 he finished fifth the Olympic 100 metres event...	Amsterdam Amsterdam Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...  (NED Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... )	July 30 1928

Arthur Jonath

Arthur Jonath

Arthur Jonath was a German athlete. He won the bronze medal in the 100 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He set a European Record in the 100 metres...

 equalled the standing Olympic record with 10.6 in the third heat of the first round. Eddie Tolan

Eddie Tolan

Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...

 set a new Olympic record with 10.4 in the first heat of the quarterfinals, and equalled the world record of 10.3 in the final along with Ralph Metcalfe

Ralph Metcalfe

Ralph Harold Metcalfe was an African-American athlete and politician who came second to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Metcalfe jointly held the world record for the 100 meter sprint. Metcalfe was known as the world’s fastest human from 1932 through 1934...

.

Heats

Heat one

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Eddie Tolan Eddie Tolan Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...		10.9
2	José de Almeida		11.0
3	Fernando Ortíz Fernando Ortiz Fernando Ortiz Fernández was a Cuban essayist, ethnomusicologist and scholar of Afro-Cuban culture. Ortiz was a prolific polymath dedicated to exploring, recording, and understanding all aspects of indigenous Cuban culture...		11.2
4	André Théard	align=left	|11.4
5	António Rodrigues António Rodrigues António Rodrigues is a Portuguese actor, screenwriter and director. He is also a dramatist, producer and musician.-Biography:...	align=left	|11.5
DNF	Fred Reid	align=left		|

Heat two

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	George Simpson George Simpson (athlete) George Sidney Simpson was an American athlete and silver medalist at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Simpson was the first to run 100 yards in 9.4 seconds, but because he used starting blocks, the record was never ratified. He won the 220 yards in both NCAA and AAU in 1930...	align=left	|10.9
2	Ernie Page Ernie Page Ernest Thomas Page is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1981 to 2003, representing the electorates of Waverley and Coogee ....	align=left	|11.1
3	Andrej Engel	align=left	|11.2
4	Bunoo Sutton	align=left	|11.4
5	Liu Changchun Liu Changchun Liu Changchun born 1909 on Ping Island, Jin County, Fengtian, China,died in Dalian, China) was a Chinese athlete.Liu was the first athlete to represent China in competition at an Olympic Games...	China Republic of China at the 1932 Summer Olympics China, as the Republic of China, competed in the Summer Olympic Games for the first time at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.-Delegation:...	11.5

Heat three

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath was a German athlete. He won the bronze medal in the 100 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He set a European Record in the 100 metres...	align=left	|10.6	EOR
2	Allan Elliot	align=left	|10.8
3	Izuo Anno	align=left	|10.9
4	Ronald Vernieux	align=left	|11.0
5	Samuel Giacosa	align=left	|11.1

Heat four

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Carlos Bianchi Carlos Bianchi Carlos Arcecio Bianchi , popularly known as El Virrey , is a prolific Argentine football forward turned manager...	align=left	|10.8
2	Helmut Körnig Helmut Körnig Helmut Körnig was a German athlete. He was born in Glogau and died in Dortmund.Körnig won the bronze medal in the 200 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and the silver medal in 4 x 100 metres relay Helmut Körnig (12 September 1905...	align=left	|11.0
3	Percy Williams Percy Williams Percy Alfred Williams, OC was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 m and 200 m races at the 1928 Summer Olympics.- Biography :Williams was born in Vancouver and he died in Vancouver....	align=left	|11.1
4	Jesús Moraila	align=left	|11.2

Heat five

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Harold Metcalfe was an African-American athlete and politician who came second to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Metcalfe jointly held the world record for the 100 meter sprint. Metcalfe was known as the world’s fastest human from 1932 through 1934...	align=left	|11.0
2	Bert Pearson Bert Pearson Madison "Bert" Pearson was a professional American football player. Pearson played eight years in the National Football League, mainly for the Chicago Bears. He was an offensive lineman. He was born in Manhattan, Kansas....	align=left	|11.1
3	Angelos Lambrou	align=left	|11.3
4	Fernando Ramírez	align=left	|11.4

Heat six

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Danie Joubert	align=left	|11.0
2	Harold Wright	align=left	|11.2
3	Ernst Geerling	align=left	|11.3
4	Ricardo Guimarães	align=left	|11.4

Heat seven

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Takayoshi Yoshioka	align=left	|10.9
2	Chris Berger Chris Berger Christiaan David "Chris" Berger was a Dutch athlete competing in the sprints.Born in Amsterdam, Berger's career highlight was at the first European Championships in Athletics, held in 1934 in Turin. There he won both the 100 m and 200 m sprints and came in third with the Dutch team at the 4 x 100...	align=left	|11.1
3	Héctor Berra	align=left	|11.2
4	Stanley Fuller	align=left	|11.3
5	Mario Marques	align=left	|11.5

Quarterfinals

Heat one

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Eddie Tolan Eddie Tolan Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...	align=left	|10.53	OR
2	Carlos Bianchi Carlos Bianchi Carlos Arcecio Bianchi , popularly known as El Virrey , is a prolific Argentine football forward turned manager...	align=left	|10.5
3	Percy Williams Percy Williams Percy Alfred Williams, OC was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 m and 200 m races at the 1928 Summer Olympics.- Biography :Williams was born in Vancouver and he died in Vancouver....	align=left	|10.7
4	Chris Berger Chris Berger Christiaan David "Chris" Berger was a Dutch athlete competing in the sprints.Born in Amsterdam, Berger's career highlight was at the first European Championships in Athletics, held in 1934 in Turin. There he won both the 100 m and 200 m sprints and came in third with the Dutch team at the 4 x 100...	align=left	|10.7
5	Fernando Ortíz Fernando Ortiz Fernando Ortiz Fernández was a Cuban essayist, ethnomusicologist and scholar of Afro-Cuban culture. Ortiz was a prolific polymath dedicated to exploring, recording, and understanding all aspects of indigenous Cuban culture...	align=left	|11.0

Heat two

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	George Simpson George Simpson (athlete) George Sidney Simpson was an American athlete and silver medalist at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Simpson was the first to run 100 yards in 9.4 seconds, but because he used starting blocks, the record was never ratified. He won the 220 yards in both NCAA and AAU in 1930...	align=left	|10.74
2	Harold Wright	align=left	|10.9
3	Helmut Körnig Helmut Körnig Helmut Körnig was a German athlete. He was born in Glogau and died in Dortmund.Körnig won the bronze medal in the 200 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and the silver medal in 4 x 100 metres relay Helmut Körnig (12 September 1905...	align=left	|11.0
4	Andrej Engel	align=left	|11.1

Heat three

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Harold Metcalfe was an African-American athlete and politician who came second to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Metcalfe jointly held the world record for the 100 meter sprint. Metcalfe was known as the world’s fastest human from 1932 through 1934...	align=left	|10.77
2	Takayoshi Yoshioka	align=left	|10.8
3	Allan Elliot	align=left	|10.9
4	Ernie Page Ernie Page Ernest Thomas Page is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1981 to 2003, representing the electorates of Waverley and Coogee ....	align=left	|10.9
5	Ernst Geerling	align=left	|11.1

Heat four

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath was a German athlete. He won the bronze medal in the 100 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He set a European Record in the 100 metres...	align=left	|10.68
2	Danie Joubert	align=left	|10.6
3	Bert Pearson Bert Pearson Madison "Bert" Pearson was a professional American football player. Pearson played eight years in the National Football League, mainly for the Chicago Bears. He was an offensive lineman. He was born in Manhattan, Kansas....	align=left	|10.7
4	José de Almeida	align=left	|10.8
5	Izuo Anno	align=left	|10.9

Semifinals

Heat one

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Eddie Tolan Eddie Tolan Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...		10.81
2	Danie Joubert		10.81
3	Takayoshi Yoshioka		10.83
4	Percy Williams Percy Williams Percy Alfred Williams, OC was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 m and 200 m races at the 1928 Summer Olympics.- Biography :Williams was born in Vancouver and he died in Vancouver....	align=left	|10.91
5	Allan Elliot	align=left	|11.0
6	Helmut Körnig Helmut Körnig Helmut Körnig was a German athlete. He was born in Glogau and died in Dortmund.Körnig won the bronze medal in the 200 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and the silver medal in 4 x 100 metres relay Helmut Körnig (12 September 1905...	align=left	|11.2

Heat two

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Harold Metcalfe was an African-American athlete and politician who came second to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Metcalfe jointly held the world record for the 100 meter sprint. Metcalfe was known as the world’s fastest human from 1932 through 1934...		10.65
2	George Simpson George Simpson (athlete) George Sidney Simpson was an American athlete and silver medalist at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Simpson was the first to run 100 yards in 9.4 seconds, but because he used starting blocks, the record was never ratified. He won the 220 yards in both NCAA and AAU in 1930...		10.70
3	Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath was a German athlete. He won the bronze medal in the 100 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He set a European Record in the 100 metres...		10.71
4	Carlos Bianchi Carlos Bianchi Carlos Arcecio Bianchi , popularly known as El Virrey , is a prolific Argentine football forward turned manager...	align=left	|10.73
5	Bert Pearson Bert Pearson Madison "Bert" Pearson was a professional American football player. Pearson played eight years in the National Football League, mainly for the Chicago Bears. He was an offensive lineman. He was born in Manhattan, Kansas....	align=left	|10.95
6	Harold Wright	align=left	|11.1

Final

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	Eddie Tolan Eddie Tolan Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...		10.38	EWR
	Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Harold Metcalfe was an African-American athlete and politician who came second to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Metcalfe jointly held the world record for the 100 meter sprint. Metcalfe was known as the world’s fastest human from 1932 through 1934...		10.38	EWR
	Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath Arthur Jonath was a German athlete. He won the bronze medal in the 100 metres and the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He set a European Record in the 100 metres...		10.50
4	George Simpson George Simpson (athlete) George Sidney Simpson was an American athlete and silver medalist at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Simpson was the first to run 100 yards in 9.4 seconds, but because he used starting blocks, the record was never ratified. He won the 220 yards in both NCAA and AAU in 1930...		10.53
5	Danie Joubert		10.60
6	Takayoshi Yoshioka		10.79

Key: EWR = Equalled world record; names in blue qualified for next round; OR=Olympic record; EOR= Equalled Olympic record; DNF = did not finish