Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 yard freestyle

The men's 100 yard freestyle was a swimming event at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was special because it was the second time this race was held, but the only time it was raced using yards instead of meters. Nine swimmers from two countries competed. The winner was Zoltán Halmay from Hungary. This was Hungary’s second win in a row for the 100 yard/metre freestyle race.

Background

This was the second time the men's 100 freestyle swimming event was held at the Olympics. In 1904, the race was special because it was done in yards instead of metres. Two countries, Hungary and the United States, took part, and this was not their first time in this event. None of the swimmers from 1896 came back for this race.

Competition format

The men's 100 yard freestyle at the 1904 Summer Olympics had two rounds: heats and a final. Swimmers were split into two groups. The top three from each group went to the final.

The races were held in an artificial lake in the park, between a pier and some floating rafts. There was a small current in the water, but it didn’t bother the swimmers much.

Records

Before this race, there were no official world records. The Olympic record was kept in meters, not yards.

Zoltán Halmay set a new Olympic record in the first semifinal. He swam even faster in the final to break his own record.

Schedule

Results

Semifinals

In the semifinals, the top three swimmers from each heat went to the final. Some swimmers who did not move on might have been Raymond Thorne, Edwin Swatek, and Bill Orthwein.

Semifinal 1

Semifinal 2

Final