# Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 14, and July 15, 1900. The races were held on a track of 500 metres in circumference. 15 athletes from six nations competed.

## Background

This was the second time the event was held. None of the runners from 1896 returned. Maxie Long of the United States was favored, as 1898 and 1899 AAU champion and 1900 AAA champion. His countryman Dixon Boardman was a strong challenger, having beaten Long at the 1900 IC4A.
The United States and France made their second appearances in the event; Denmark, Hungary, Italy, and Norway made their debuts.

## Competition format

There were two rounds: heats and a final. The top 2 runners in each heat advanced to the final.

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.
| World record | Edgar Bredin (GBR) | 48.5(*) | London, United Kingdom | 22 June 1895 |
| Olympic record | Thomas Burke (USA) | 54.2 | Athens, Greece | 7 April 1896 |
(*) unofficial 440 yards (= 402.34 m)
Maxie Long set a new Olympic record in the first round with 50.4 seconds. In the final he improved his own record when he ran 49.4 seconds.

## Schedule

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Saturday, 14 July 1900 | 11:25 | Semifinals |
| Sunday, 15 July 1900 | 15:00 | Final |

## Results
### Semifinals

In the first round, there were three heats. They were held on July 14. The top two runners in each advanced to the final.

#### Semifinal 1

This heat, featuring four American runners, resulted in an easy win for Long and the top three spots for the United States team.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Maxie Long | United States | 50.4 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Harry Lee | United States | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Harvey Lord | United States | Unknown | |
| 4 | Georges Clément | France | Unknown | |
| 5 | Walter Drumheller | United States | Unknown | |

#### Semifinal 2

Again, an American won the heat easily. Schulz took second place to qualify for the final.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | William Moloney | United States | 51.0 | Q |
| 2 | Ernst Schultz | Denmark | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Charles-Robert Faidide | France | Unknown | |
| 4 | Pál Koppán | Hungary | Unknown | |
| 5 | Yngvar Bryn | Norway | Unknown | |

#### Semifinal 3

The United States runners again took all three of the top spots in this heat.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Dixon Boardman | United States | 51.2 | Q |
| 2 | William Holland | United States | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Henry Slack | United States | Unknown | |
| 4–5 | Zoltán Speidl | Hungary | Unknown | |
| 4–5 | Umberto Colombo | Italy | Unknown | |

### Final

Boardman, Lee, and Moloney all withdrew because the final was held on a Sunday, but Long and Holland elected to start.
Long led the entire way to beat Holland by five yards, with Schultz finishing 20 yards behind the Americans.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| | Maxie Long | United States | 49.4 | OR |
| | William Holland | United States | 49.6 | |
| | Ernst Schultz | Denmark | 51.5 | |
| — | Dixon Boardman | United States | DNS | |
| — | Harry Lee | United States | DNS | |
| — | William Moloney | United States | DNS | |

## Results summary

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Semifinals | Final | Notes |
| | Maxie Long | United States | 50.4 | 49.4 | OR |
| | William Holland | United States | Unknown | 49.6 | |
| | Ernst Schultz | Denmark | Unknown | 51.5 | |
| 4 | Dixon Boardman | United States | 51.2 | DNS | |
| 4 | Harry Lee | United States | Unknown | DNS | |
| 4 | William Moloney | United States | 51.0 | DNS | |
| 7 | Charles-Robert Faidide | France | Unknown | Did not advance | 3rd in semifinal |
| 7 | Harvey Lord | United States | Unknown | Did not advance | 3rd in semifinal |
| 7 | Henry Slack | United States | Unknown | Did not advance | 3rd in semifinal |
| 10 | Georges Clément | France | Unknown | Did not advance | 4th in semifinal |
| 10 | Pál Koppán | Hungary | Unknown | Did not advance | 4th in semifinal |
| 12 | Zoltán Speidl | Hungary | Unknown | Did not advance | 4th–5th in semifinal |
| 12 | Umberto Colombo | Italy | Unknown | Did not advance | 4th–5th in semifinal |
| 14 | Yngvar Bryn | Norway | Unknown | Did not advance | 5th in semifinal |
| 14 | Walter Drumheller | United States | Unknown | Did not advance | 5th in semifinal |

## Sources

* ↑ "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
* International Olympic Committee.
* De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically at Archived 2006-02-11 at the Wayback Machine.
* Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.