Men's 100 metres
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
VenueWhite City Stadium
DatesJuly 20 (quarterfinals)
July 21 (semifinals)
July 22 (final)
Competitors60 from 16 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Reggie Walker  South Africa
2nd place, silver medalist(s) James Rector  United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Robert Kerr  Canada

The men's 100 metres was the shortest of the sprint races at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The competition was held over the course of three days. The first round was held on 20 July, the semifinals on 21 July, and the final on 22 July. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes,[1] The event was won by Reggie Walker of South Africa, the first time the gold medal went to a nation other than the United States. The Americans did stay on the podium with James Rector's silver medal. Canada won its first medal in the event, a bronze by Robert Kerr.

Background

This was the fourth time the event was held. Nathaniel Cartmell, the 1904 silver medalist, competed again in 1908, but gold medalist Archie Hahn did not. Other notable entrants included John W. Morton of Great Britain, the four-time AAA Championships winner; Reggie Walker, the 1907 South African champion; and Knut Lindberg of Sweden, the unofficial world record holder.[2]

Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and South Africa were represented in the event for the first time. The United States and Hungary were the only two nations to have appeared at each of the first four Olympic men's 100 metres events.

Competition format

With a larger field than in 1904, the event expanded from two rounds to three: heats, semifinals, and a final. Only the top runner in each heat, of which there were 17, advanced to the semifinals. These 17 semifinalists were divided into 4 semifinal heats; again, only the top runner advanced to the final.

Records

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

World Record 10.6(*) Sweden Knut Lindberg Gothenburg (SWE) August 26, 1906
Olympic Record 10.8 United States Frank Jarvis Paris (FRA) July 14, 1900
10.8 United States Walter Tewksbury Paris (FRA) July 14, 1900

(*) unofficial

James Rector (in the 15th heat and the third semi-final) and Reggie Walker (in the first semi-final and final) both equalized the standing Olympic record. Reggie Walker's actual time in the first semi-final was 10.7, but was rounded up to the nearest fifth in accordance with rules in force at the time, so his time was given as 104⁄5.

Results

Heats

Times were kept for the winning runner in each heat only. They were measured to the closest 1⁄5 second. The fastest runner advanced to the second round. The competition began at 3 p.m. on 20 July, the seventh day of the Games. A break was taken after the first nine heats to allow for four heats of the 800 metres to be run at 3:30 p.m., with the final eight heats of the 100 metres commencing at 4 p.m.

Heat 1

Duffy won this heat by three yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Edward Duffy South Africa11.6Q
2Georgios Skoutarides Greece(11.9)
3Victor Henny NetherlandsUnknown

Heat 2

George was ahead of Guttormsen by three yards when he finished.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1John George Great Britain11.6Q
2Oscar Guttormsen Norway(12.0)

Heat 3

Cartmell crossed the finish line two yards ahead of Malfait.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Nate Cartmell United States11.0Q
2Georges Malfait France(11.2)
3Arthur Hoffmann Germany(11.4)
4Evert Koops NetherlandsUnknown

Heat 4

Walker was four yards ahead of the field when he finished. Records do not indicate which of the final two runners took which place.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Reggie Walker South Africa11.0Q
2Jean Konings Belgium(11.6)
3Denis Murray Great BritainUnknown
4–5Edgar Kiralfy United StatesUnknown
Ernestus Greven NetherlandsUnknown

Heat 5

Harmer pulled up lame. Cloughen won by five yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Robert Cloughen United States11.0Q
2John Johansen Norway(11.7)
3David Beland CanadaUnknown
—Henry Harmer Great BritainDNF

Heat 6

May won by about three yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1William W. May United States11.2Q
2Victor Jacquemin Belgium(11.5)
3Louis Lesca (or Lescat) FranceUnknown
4Mikhail Paskalides GreeceUnknown

Heat 7

Duncan won by a yard.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Robert Duncan Great Britain11.4Q
2Knut Stenborg Sweden(11.5)
3Hans Eicke Germany(11.6)
4Umberto Barrozzi ItalyUnknown
5Ragnar Stenberg FinlandUnknown

Heat 8

Stevens beat world record holder Lindberg by inches.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Lester Stevens United States11.2Q
2Knut Lindberg Sweden(11.2)
3Heinrich Rehder Germany(11.8)
4William Murray Great BritainUnknown

Heat 9

Morton won by about three yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1John W. Morton Great Britain11.2Q
2Axel Petersen Denmark(11.5)
3Jacobus Hoogveld NetherlandsUnknown

Heat 10

Fischer pulled up lame, leaving Kerr to defeat Chapman by three yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Robert Kerr Canada11.0Q
2Meyrick Chapman Great Britain(11.3)
—Paul Fischer GermanyDNF

Heat 11

Phillips pulled up lame, allowing Hamilton to win by about three yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1William Hamilton United States11.2Q
2Pál Simon Hungary(11.5)
3G. Lamotte FranceUnknown
—Herbert Phillips South AfricaDNF

Heat 12

Huff was only about a yard ahead of Pankhurst when he finished.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Harold Huff United States11.4Q
2Henry Pankhurst Great Britain(11.5)
3Karl Fryksdal SwedenUnknown

Heat 13

Robertson won by about three yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Lawson Robertson United States11.4Q
2Frank Lukeman Canada(11.7)
3Henri Meslot FranceUnknown
4Eduard Schönecker AustriaUnknown

Heat 14

Sherman's lead of four yards at the finish was one of the larger leads in the first round.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Nathaniel Sherman United States11.2Q
2Louis Sebert Canada(11.7)
3Harold Watson Great BritainUnknown
4Frigyes Wiesner HungaryUnknown
5Hermann von Bönninghausen Germany(12.0)

Heat 15

Rector's Olympic record-tying time gave him a relatively easy victory in the first round.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1James Rector United States10.8Q, =OR
2Vilmos Rácz Hungary(11.4)
3Willy Kohlmey Germany(12.0)

Heat 16

In one of the slowest of the first round heads, Stark won by about two yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1James P. Stark Great Britain11.8Q
2Gaspare Torretta Italy(12.0)

Heat 17

Roche won by about two yards.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Patrick Roche Great Britain11.4Q
2Carl Bechler Germany(11.4)

Semifinals

The fastest runner in each semifinal advanced to the final. The semifinals were begun at 3:35 p.m. on 21 July.

Semifinal 1

Cloughen withdrew to prepare for the 200m heats. Walker took the lead after about 50 metres and crossed the line about a yard in front of May to become the second sprinter to tie the Olympic record at the London Games. His actual time was 10.7, rounded up to the nearest fifth, in accordance with rules in force at the time; therefore, his time was given as 104⁄5.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Reggie Walker South Africa10.8Q, =OR
2William W. May United States(11.0)
3Patrick Roche Great BritainUnknown
4Lester Stevens United StatesUnknown
—Robert Cloughen United StatesDNS

Semifinal 2

Hamilton withdrew to prepare for the 200m heats. Kerr had little difficulty winning this heat, leading by three yards at the finish.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Robert Kerr Canada11.0Q
2Nathaniel Sherman United States(11.3)
3John W. Morton Great BritainUnknown
—William Hamilton United StatesDNS

Semifinal 3

Rector again won easily, tying the Olympic record for the second time.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1James Rector United States10.8Q, =OR
2Harold Huff United States(11.1)
3Edward Duffy South AfricaUnknown
4Robert Duncan Great BritainUnknown

Semifinal 4

Cartmell and Robertson ran a tight race, with Cartmell winning by about a foot.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Nate Cartmell United States11.2Q
2Lawson Robertson United States(11.2)
3James P. Stark Great BritainUnknown
4John George Great BritainUnknown

Final

The Final of the 100 metres began at 4:15 p.m. on 22 July.

With Walker and Rector having already equalled the Olympic record before the final, it was widely expected that the final race of the 100 metres would be an exciting match between those two runners.

Walker got off to a quick lead, but Rector caught him about midway through the race and passed him. Walker responded with a great effort, pulling level with Rector, and the two ran side-by-side before Walker finally pulled ahead to win by half a yard.

Rector finished six inches ahead of Kerr, who finished two yards ahead of Cartmell for third place.

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1st place, gold medalist(s)Reggie Walker South Africa10.8=OR
2nd place, silver medalist(s)James Rector United States(10.9)
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Robert Kerr Canada(11.0)
4Nate Cartmell United States(11.2)

References

  1. ↑ Official report, p. 32.
  2. ↑ "100 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
  • De Wael, Herman (2001). "Athletics 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2006.
  • Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2006.
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