| Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay at the Games of the IV Olympiad | |
|---|---|
| Venue | White City Stadium |
| Date | July 24 |
| Competitors | 24 from 6 nations |
| Medalists | |
| 1912 → | |
| Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Freestyle | |
| 100 m | men |
| 400 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| Backstroke | |
| 100 m | men |
| Breaststroke | |
| 200 m | men |
| Freestyle relay | |
| 4 × 200 m | men |
The men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, or 800 metre team race, was one of six swimming events on the Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only relay event on the schedule, and the first appearance of the 4x200 in Olympic competition. Each nation could enter 1 team of 4 swimmers.
Results
Semifinals
The fastest team in each semifinal and the fastest losing team from across the semifinals advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | Nation | Swimmers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australasia |
Frank Beaurepaire Frank Springfield Reginald Baker Theodore Tartakover |
11:35.0 |
| 2 |  Denmark |
Poul Holm Harald Klem Ludvig Dam Hjalmar Saxtorph |
12:53.0 |
Semifinal 2
| Place | Nation | Swimmers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Great Britain |
William Foster Paul Radmilovic John Derbyshire Henry Taylor |
10:53.4 WR |
| 2 |  United States |
Harry Hebner Leo Goodwin Charles Daniels Leslie Rich |
11:01.4 |
| 3 |  Sweden |
Gustaf Wretman Gunnar Wennerström Harald Julin Adolf Andersson |
Unknown |
Semifinal 3
Hungary had no competition in the third semifinal.
| Place | Nation | Swimmers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hungary |
József Munk Imre Zachár Béla Las Torres Zoltán Halmay |
Swam over |
Final
Hungary led throughout the race until Halmay veered towards the wall and was caught by Taylor (who had only just before passed Rich) in the final 20 yards. Halmay struggled to the finish line, and was hauled out of the pool before he drowned.
| Place | Nation | Swimmers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain |
John Derbyshire Paul Radmilovic William Foster Henry Taylor |
10:55.6 |
| 2 | Hungary |
József Munk Imre Zachár Béla las Torres Zoltán Halmay |
10:59.0 |
| 3 | United States |
Harry Hebner Leo Goodwin Charles Daniels Leslie Rich |
11:02.8 |
| 4 | Australasia |
Frank Beaurepaire Frank Springfield Reginald Baker Theodore Tartakover |
Unknown |
Sources
- Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
- De Wael, Herman (2001). "Swimming 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Retrieved 13 May 2006.
References
- Official Report, p. 40.
- Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. England: Penguin Books. p. 412. ISBN 0140066322.
