# Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres hurdles

The men's 400 metres hurdles event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1924 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on Sunday, July 6, 1924, and on Monday, July 7, 1924. Twenty-three hurdlers from 13 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation was 4. The event was won by Morgan Taylor of the United States, the fifth consecutive victory by an American in the event. Erik Wilén received silver (following the disqualification of Charles Brookins), Finland's first medal in the men's 400 metres hurdles. Another American, Ivan Riley, took bronze.

## Background

This was the fifth time the event was held. It had been introduced along with the men's 200 metres hurdles in 1900, with the 200 being dropped after 1904 and the 400 being held through 1908 before being left off the 1912 programme. However, when the Olympics returned in 1920 after World War I, the men's 400 metres hurdles was back and would continue to be contested at every Games thereafter.
One of the six finalists from the 1920 Games returned: fourth-place finisher Géo André of France. The event, a very unusual one before 1920, was becoming more common; the AAU had added it to its programme. Morgan Taylor was the AAU champion and U.S. trials winner.
Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Greece, and Italy each made their debut in the event. The United States made its fifth appearance, the only nation to have competed at every edition of the event to that point.

## Competition format

The competition featured the three-round format introduced in 1908: quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. Ten sets of hurdles were set on the course. The hurdles were 3 feet (91.5 centimetres) tall and were placed 35 metres apart beginning 45 metres from the starting line, resulting in a 40 metres home stretch after the last hurdle.
There were 6 quarterfinal heats, with between 3 and 5 athletes each. The top 2 men in each quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals. The 12 semifinalists were divided into 2 semifinals of 6 athletes each, with the top 3 in each semifinal advancing to the 6-man final.
As with all other races the track was 500 metres in circumference.

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1924 Summer Olympics.
| World record | Frank Loomis (USA) | 54.0 | Antwerp, Belgium | 16 August 1920 |
| Olympic record | Frank Loomis (USA) | 54.0 | Antwerp, Belgium | 16 August 1920 |
Morgan Taylor won the U.S. trials in a time of 52.6 but he also knocked over a hurdle, which was against the rules in force at that time. He did the same in the final of this competition so the time he set, again 52.6, was also not ratified as world record. As the second placed Erik Wilén used a similar style his 53.8 were also not accepted as world record but tolerated as Olympic record.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Round |
| Sunday, 6 July 1924 | 14:00 16:30 | Quarterfinals Semifinals |
| Monday, 7 July 1924 | 15:00 | Final |

## Results
### Quarterfinals

All heats were held on Sunday, July 6, 1924.
The best two finishers of every heat qualified for the semifinals.

#### Quarterfinal 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Charles Brookins | United States | 54.8 | Q |
| 2 | Humberto Lara | Chile | 56.5 | Q |
| 3 | Philip MacDonald | Canada | 56.8 | |

#### Quarterfinal 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Chan Coulter | United States | 55.0 | Q |
| 2 | Erik Wilén | Finland | 55.3 | Q |
| 3 | Louis Lundgren | Denmark | 56.0 | |
| — | Pierre Arnaudin | France | DNF | |

#### Quarterfinal 3

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Géo André | France | 56.0 | Q |
| 2 | Henri Thorsen | Denmark | 57.2 | Q |
| 3 | Ioannis Talianos | Greece | 58.0 | |

#### Quarterfinal 4

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Roger Viel | France | 57.2 | Q |
| 2 | Martti Jukola | Finland | 57.7 | Q |
| 3 | Wilfrid Tatham | Great Britain | 58.5 | |

#### Quarterfinal 5

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Morgan Taylor | United States | 55.8 | Q |
| 2 | Frederick Blackett | Great Britain | 56.9 | Q |
| 3 | Enrique Thompson | Argentina | 57.0 | |
| 4 | Richard Honner | Australia | 58.5 | |
| 5 | André Fouache | France | 60.0 | |

#### Quarterfinal 6

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Ivan Riley | United States | 55.4 | Q |
| 2 | Luigi Facelli | Italy | 56.4 | Q |
| 3 | Jules Migeot | Belgium | 56.7 | |
| 4 | Warren Montabone | Canada | Unknown | |
| 5 | Oscar van Rappard | Netherlands | Unknown | |

### Semifinals

All semifinals were held on Sunday, July 6, 1924.
The best three finishers of each heat qualified for the final.

#### Semifinal 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Charles Brookins | United States | 54.6 | Q |
| 2 | Morgan Taylor | United States | 54.9 | Q |
| 3 | Erik Wilén | Finland | 55.4 | Q |
| 4 | Luigi Facelli | Italy | 55.6 | |
| 5 | Roger Viel | France | 56.7 | |
| 6 | Henri Thorsen | Denmark | 57.3 | |

#### Semifinal 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Ivan Riley | United States | 56.6 | Q |
| 2 | Géo André | France | 56.7 | Q |
| 3 | Frederick Blackett | Great Britain | 58.4 | Q |
| 4 | Chan Coulter | United States | 58.6 | |
| 5 | Martti Jukola | Finland | 58.6 | |
| 6 | Humberto Lara | Chile | 59.0 | |

### Final

The final was held on Monday, July 7, 1924.
Frederick Blackett was disqualified for two false starts. After the race, Morgan Taylor's time was rejected as a world record because he knocked over a hurdle, which was against the rules in force at that time, while Charles Brookins, who had crossed the finish line in second, was disqualified for running out of his lane. As such, Erik Wilén was credited with an Olympic record, but his time was not ratified as world record.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| | Morgan Taylor | United States | 52.6 | OR |
| | Erik Wilén | Finland | 53.8 | |
| | Ivan Riley | United States | 54.2 | |
| 4 | Géo André | France | 56.2 | |
| — | Charles Brookins | United States | DSQ | |
| — | Frederick Blackett | Great Britain | DSQ | |

## Results summary

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | Notes |
| | Morgan Taylor | United States | 55.8 | 54.9 | 52.6 | OR |
| | Erik Wilén | Finland | 55.3 | 55.4 | 53.8 | |
| | Ivan Riley | United States | 55.4 | 56.6 | 54.2 | |
| 4 | Géo André | France | 56.0 | 56.7 | 56.2 | |
| 5 | Charles Brookins | United States | 54.8 | 54.6 | DSQ | |
| 5 | Frederick Blackett | Great Britain | 56.9 | 58.4 | DSQ | |
| 7 | Luigi Facelli | Italy | 56.4 | 55.6 | Did not advance | |
| 8 | Roger Viel | France | 57.2 | 56.7 | Did not advance | |
| 9 | Henri Thorsen | Denmark | 57.2 | 57.3 | Did not advance | |
| 10 | Chan Coulter | United States | 55.0 | 58.6 | Did not advance | |
| 11 | Martti Jukola | Finland | 57.7 | 58.6 | Did not advance | |
| 12 | Humberto Lara | Chile | 56.5 | 59.0 | Did not advance | |
| 13 | Louis Lundgren | Denmark | 56.0 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 14 | Jules Migeot | Belgium | 56.7 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 15 | Philip MacDonald | Canada | 56.8 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 16 | Enrique Thompson | Argentina | 57.0 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 17 | Ioannis Talianos | Greece | 58.0 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 18 | Richard Honner | Australia | 58.5 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 18 | Wilfrid Tatham | Great Britain | 58.5 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 20 | André Fouache | France | 1:00.0 | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 21 | Warren Montabone | Canada | Unknown | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 22 | Oscar van Rappard | Netherlands | Unknown | Did not advance | Did not advance | |
| 23 | Pierre Arnaudin | France | DNF | Did not advance | Did not advance | |