Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres race was the second-shortest of the flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The competition's preliminary round was the last held on the first day, 6 April. The competitors were split into two groups. The top two runners in each heat advanced to the final, which was held on the second day, 7 April.

7 athletes from 4 nations competed. 5 of those athletes were also in the 100 metres.

Medallists

Another American, Tom Burke, won the second heat with a time of 58.4 seconds despite being tired from already having run the 100 metres. Charles Gmelin placed second.

Final

The final resulted in the American pair taking the gold and silver medals. Gmelin placed third, with Hoffman finishing fourth.

References

* (Digitally available at [http://www.aafla.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1896/1896.pdf AAFLA.org] )
* (Excerpt available at [http://www.aafla.org/6oic/OfficialReports/Mallon/1896.pdf AAFLA.org] )
*