Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres
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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
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
 Tom Burke United States | Herbert Jamison United States |
Charles Gmelin |
Results
Heats
The first round heats were held on 6 April. The top two placers in each of the two groups advanced.
Heat 1
| Place | Athlete | Nation | Time
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herbert Jamison | United States
| 56.8 seconds
|
| 2 | Fritz Hoffmann |
Germany | 58.6 seconds
|
| 3-4 | Kurt Dörry |
Germany | Unknown
|
| Alphonse Grisel |
France | Unknown |
Herbert Jamison of the United States won the first heat with a time of 56.8 seconds, with Fritz Hoffmann of Germany coming in second.
Alphonse Grisel of France and Kurt Dörry of Germany also competed in this race, though their final positions are unclear.
Hoffmann and Grisel each had to run 402 metres after being penalized for false starts.
Heat 2
| Place | Athlete | Nation | Time
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Burke | United States
| 58.4 seconds
|
| 2 | Charles Gmelin |
Great Britain | Unknown
|
| 3 | Frantz Reichel |
France | Unknown |
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
| Place | Athlete | Nation | Time
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Burke | United States
| 54.2 seconds
|
| 2 | Herbert Jamison | United States
| 55.2 seconds
|
| 3 | Charles Gmelin |
Great Britain | 55.6 seconds
|
| 4 | Fritz Hoffmann |
Germany | 55.6 seconds |
The final resulted in the American pair taking the gold and silver medals. Gmelin placed third, with Hoffman finishing fourth.
References
| The 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens Games of the I Olympiad |
| Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics |
| 100 m | 400 m | 800 m | 1500 m | 110 m hurdles | marathon | long jump | triple jump | high jump | pole vault | shot put | discus |
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