# Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres

The men's 100 metres sprint event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands, were held at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, 29 July and Monday, 30 July. Eighty-one runners entered, though ultimately seventy-six runners from 32 nations competed. NOCs were limited to 4 competitors each. The event was won by Percy Williams of Canada, taking the nation's first men's 100 metres gold medal. Jack London of Great Britain took silver, marking the third consecutive Games that Great Britain had a medalist in the event. Georg Lammers won bronze, Germany's first medal in the event since 1896. For the first time in modern Olympic history, the United States won no medals in the event.

## Background

This was the eighth time the event was held, having appeared at every Olympics since the first in 1896. None of the 1924 finalists competed (bronze medalist Arthur Porritt entered, but did not start). Notable entrants included Frank Wykoff, winner of the U.S. Olympic trials and one of the favourites in a field that was considered to be wide-open; Great Britain's Jack London, and Germany's Georg Lammers.
Cuba, Lithuania, and Romania were represented in the event for the first time. The United States was the only nation to have appeared at each of the first eight Olympic men's 100 metres events.

## Competition format

The event retained the four round format from 1920 and 1924: heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. There were 16 heats, of 3–6 athletes each, with the top 2 in each heat advancing to the quarterfinals. The 32 quarterfinalists were placed into 6 heats of 5 or 6 athletes. Again, the top 2 advanced. There were 2 heats of 6 semifinalists, this time with the top 3 advancing to the 6-man final.

## Records

These are the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1928 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 10.4 | Charlie Paddock | Redlands, California (USA) | April 23, 1921 |
| Olympic Record | 10.6 | Donald Lippincott | Stockholm (SWE) | July 6, 1912 |
| Olympic Record | 10.6 | Harold Abrahams | Paris (FRA) | July 6/7 1924 |
Percy Williams equalized the standing Olympic record with 10.6 seconds in the fourth heat of the second round. In the first semifinal, Williams, Robert McAllister, and Wilfred Legg all equalized the record.

## Results
### First round

Sixteen heats were held, the two fastest of each qualified for the second round.

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | John Fitzpatrick | Canada | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Richard Corts | Germany | 11.0 | Q |
| 3 | Willy Dujardin | Belgium | 11.2 | |
| 4 | Wilhelm Hennings | Netherlands | 11.4 | |
| 5 | Angelos Lambrou | Greece | 11.4 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Sydney Atkinson | South Africa | 11.2 | Q |
| 2 | André Mourlon | France | 11.3 | Q |
| 3 | Jesús Moraila | Mexico | Unknown | |
| 4 | Franco Reyser | Italy | Unknown | |
| — | Friedrich-Wilhelm Wichmann | Germany | DNS | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Frank Wykoff | United States | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Paul Brochart | Belgium | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Jaap Boot | Netherlands | Unknown(*) | |
| 4 | Mario Gómez Daza | Mexico | Unknown | |
| 5 | Konstantinos Petridis | Greece | Unknown | |
| 6 | Fernando Muñagorri | Spain | Unknown | |
(*) Some sources credit the third place to Gómez Daza and list Boot in fourth. (The official report did not show the ranking.)

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Ferenc Gerő | Hungary | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | Aubrey Burton-Durham | South Africa | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Willy Weibel | Switzerland | 11.4 | |
| 4 | Diego Ordóñez | Spain | 11.4 | |
| 5 | John Heap | Great Britain | Unknown | |
| 6 | Eduardo Albe | Argentina | Unknown | |

#### Heat 5

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Jack London | Great Britain | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | George Hester | Canada | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Ladislau Peter | Romania | Unknown | |
| 4 | Francisco Costas | Mexico | Unknown | |
| 5 | Mehmet Ali Aybar | Turkey | Unknown | |

#### Heat 6

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Juan Bautista Pina | Argentina | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Ralph Adams | Canada | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Edgardo Toetti | Italy | Unknown | |
| 4 | Iwao Aizawa | Japan | Unknown | |
| 5 | Semih Türkdoğan | Turkey | Unknown | |

#### Heat 7

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Wilfred Legg | South Africa | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Cyril Gill | Great Britain | 11.0 | Q |
| 3 | Rodolfo Wagner | Chile | Unknown | |
| — | Sándor Hajdú | Hungary | DNS | |
| — | Giuseppe Castelli | Italy | DNS | |

#### Heat 8

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Hubert Houben | Germany | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Johannes Viljoen | South Africa | 11.0 | Q |
| 3 | Karel Kněnický | Czechoslovakia | 11.3 | |
| 4 | Dolf Benz | Netherlands | 11.4 | |

#### Heat 9

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Georg Lammers | Germany | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | André Théard | Haiti | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | János Paizs | Hungary | Unknown | |
| 4 | Leo Jørgensen | Denmark | Unknown | |
| 5 | Jean Moulin | Luxembourg | Unknown | |
| 6 | Renos Frangoudis | Greece | Unknown | |

#### Heat 10

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Walter Rangeley | Great Britain | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Rinus van den Berge | Netherlands | 11.1 | Q |
| 3 | Johann Bartl | Czechoslovakia | Unknown | |
| 4 | Şinasi Şahingiray | Turkey | Unknown | |

#### Heat 11

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | István Raggambi | Hungary | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Jimmy Carlton | Australia | 11.1 | Q |
| 3 | Alberto Barucco | Argentina | Unknown | |
| 4 | Óscar Alvarado | Chile | Unknown | |
| 5 | Juan Serrahima | Spain | Unknown | |
| 6 | Ronald Burns | India | Unknown | |

#### Heat 12

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Percy Williams | Canada | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Jaroslav Vykoupil | Czechoslovakia | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | André Dufau | France | Unknown | |
| 4 | José de Lima | Portugal | Unknown | |
| 5 | Haris Šveminas | Lithuania | Unknown | |

#### Heat 13

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | José Barrientos | Cuba | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | André Cerbonney | France | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Fred Zinner | Belgium | Unknown | |
| - | Arthur Porritt | New Zealand | DNS | |

#### Heat 14

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Claude Bracey | United States | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Gilbert Auvergne | France | 11.1 | Q |
| 3 | Hermann Geißler | Austria | 11.2 | |
| 4 | Risto Mattila | Finland | 11.3 | |
| 5 | Emmanuel Goldsmith | Switzerland | 11.5 | |
| 6 | George Schmit | Luxembourg | 12.2 | |

#### Heat 15

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Henry Russell | United States | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Denis Cussen | Ireland | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Willy Tschopp | Switzerland | Unknown | |
| 4 | Adolphe Groscol | Belgium | Unknown | |

#### Heat 16

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Bob McAllister | United States | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | Anselmo Gonzaga | Philippines | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Enrique de Chávarri | Spain | Unknown | |
| 4 | Frédéric Eyschen | Luxembourg | Unknown | |
| 5 | H. Enis | Turkey | DNS | |

### Quarterfinals

Six heats were held, the two fastest of each qualified for the semifinals.

#### Quarterfinal 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Wilfred Legg | South Africa | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | John Fitzpatrick | Canada | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Ferenc Gerő | Hungary | Unknown | |
| 4 | Rinus van den Berge | Netherlands | Unknown | |
| 5 | Denis Cussen | Ireland | Unknown | |
| 6 | Jaroslav Vykoupil | Czechoslovakia | Unknown | |

#### Quarterfinal 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Robert McAllister | United States | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | Richard Corts | Germany | 11.0 | Q |
| 3 | Cyril Gill | Great Britain | Unknown | |
| 4 | István Raggambi | Hungary | Unknown | |
| 5 | Aubrey Burton-Durham | South Africa | Unknown | |
| 6 | André Cerbonney | France | Unknown | |

#### Quarterfinal 3

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Henry Russell | United States | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | Hubert Houben | Germany | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Gilbert Auvergne | France | Unknown | |
| 4 | George Hester | Canada | Unknown | |
| 5 | Sydney Atkinson | South Africa | Unknown | |

#### Quarterfinal 4

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Percy Williams | Canada | 10.6 | Q, =OR |
| 2 | Jack London | Great Britain | 10.8 | Q |
| 3 | André Théard | Haiti | Unknown | |
| 4 | André Mourlon | France | Unknown | |
| 5 | José Barrientos | Cuba | Unknown | |

#### Quarterfinal 5

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Frank Wykoff | United States | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | Juan Bautista Pina | Argentina | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Johannes Viljoen | South Africa | Unknown | |
| 4 | Anselmo Gonzaga | Philippines | Unknown | |
| 5 | Jimmy Carlton | Australia | 11.0 | |

#### Quarterfinal 6

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Claude Bracey | United States | 10.8 | Q |
| 2 | Georg Lammers | Germany | Unknown | Q |
| 3 | Walter Rangeley | Great Britain | Unknown | |
| 4 | Ralph Adams | Canada | Unknown | |
| 5 | Paul Brochart | Belgium | Unknown | |

### Semifinals

Two semifinals were held, the three fastest of each qualified for the final.

#### Semifinal 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Robert McAllister | United States | 10.6 | Q, =OR |
| 2 | Percy Williams | Canada | 10.6 | Q, =OR |
| 3 | Wilfred Legg | South Africa | 10.6 | Q. =OR |
| 4 | Hubert Houben | Germany | 10.7 | |
| 5 | Claude Bracey | United States | 10.8 | |
| 6 | Juan Bautista Pina | Argentina | 11.0 | |

#### Semifinal 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Jack London | Great Britain | 10.6 | Q, =OR |
| 2 | Georg Lammers | Germany | 10.7 | Q |
| 3 | Frank Wykoff | United States | 10.7 | Q |
| 4 | Henry Russell | United States | 10.8 | |
| 5 | Richard Corts | Germany | 10.8 | |
| 6 | John Fitzpatrick | Canada | 10.9 | |

### Final

There were two false starts, by Legg and Wykoff. Once the final successfully started, Williams took the early lead and never relinquished it.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| | Percy Williams | Canada | 10.8 |
| | Jack London | Great Britain | 10.9 |
| | Georg Lammers | Germany | 10.9 |
| 4 | Frank Wykoff | United States | 11.0 |
| 5 | Wilfred Legg | South Africa | 11.0 |
| 6 | Robert McAllister | United States | 11.0 |