# Swimming at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre freestyle

The men's 400 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1936 Summer Olympics programme. It was the seventh appearance of the event, which was established in 1908. The competition was held from Monday to Wednesday, 10 to 12 August 1936.
Thirty-four swimmers from 16 nations competed.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Jack Medica United States | Shunpei Uto Japan | Shozo Makino Japan |

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1936 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 4:38.7 | Jack Medica | Honolulu (USA) | 30 August 1934 |
| Olympic Record | 4:48.4 | Buster Crabbe | Los Angeles (USA) | 10 August 1932 |
In the fifth heat Shunpei Uto set a new Olympic record with 4:45.5 minutes. In the final Jack Medica bettered the Olympic record with 4:44.5 minutes.

## Results
### Heats

Monday 10 August 1936: The fastest two in each heat and the next two fastest from across the heats advanced to the semi-finals.

#### Heat 1

| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Hiroshi Negami (JPN) | 4:52.6 | QQ |
| 2 | John Macionis (USA) | 4:57.1 | QQ |
| 3 | Heinz Arendt (GER) | 4:57.2 | qq |
| 4 | Árpád Lengyel (HUN) | 4:57.7 | |
| 5 | Edmund Pader (AUT) | 5:16.9 | |
| 6 | Robert Hooper (CAN) | 5:17.2 | |

#### Heat 2

| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Bob Leivers (GBR) | 4:57.2 | QQ |
| 2 | Otto Przywara (GER) | 5:11.7 | QQ |
| 3 | Aage Hellstrøm (DEN) | 5:18.2 | |
| 4 | João Havelange (BRA) | 5:31.5 | |

#### Heat 3

| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Shozo Makino (JPN) | 4:51.3 | QQ |
| 2 | Ralph Flanagan (USA) | 4:54.7 | QQ |
| 3 | Norman Wainwright (GBR) | 5:03.6 | |
| 4 | Bob Hamerton (CAN) | 5:13.3 | |
| 5 | Jørgen Jørgensen (DEN) | 5:17.8 | |
| 6 | István Angyal (HUN) | 5:20.9 | |
| 7 | Werner Lehmann (SUI) | 5:36.8 | |

#### Heat 4

| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Ödön Gróf (HUN) | 4:59.4 | QQ |
| 2 | Hans Freese (GER) | 5:03.1 | QQ |
| 3 | Heikki Hietanen (FIN) | 5:08.9 | |
| 4 | William Pearson (GBR) | 5:12.7 | |
| 5 | Aluizio Lage (BRA) | 5:18.3 | |
| 6 | Washington Guzmán (CHI) | 5:19.1 | |
| 7 | Franz Seltenheim (AUT) | 5:38.3 | |

#### Heat 5

| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Shunpei Uto (JPN) | 4:45.5 | QQ OR |
| 2 | Jean Taris (FRA) | 4:53.9 | QQ |
| 3 | Bob Pirie (CAN) | 4:56.0 | qq |
| 4 | Poul Petersen (DEN) | 5:20.3 | |
| 5 | Edmund Cooper (BER) | 5:53.8 | |

#### Heat 6

| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Jack Medica (USA) | 4:55.9 | QQ |
| 2 | Walter Ledgard (PER) | 5:05.5 | QQ |
| 3 | Piet Stam (NED) | 5:07.8 | |
| 4 | Manoel Villar (BRA) | 5:18.2 | |
| 5 | Hans Brenner (SUI) | 5:33.8 | |

### Semifinals

Tuesday 11 August 1936: The fastest three in each semi-final and the fastest fourth-placed advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Shunpei Uto (JPN) | 4:48.4 | QQ |
| 2 | Ralph Flanagan (USA) | 4:49.9 | QQ |
| 3 | Hiroshi Negami (JPN) | 4:55.4 | QQ |
| 4 | John Macionis (USA) | 4:56.4 | |
| 5 | Hans Freese (GER) | 4:58.5 | |
| 6 | Bob Pirie (CAN) | 4:58.7 | |
| 7 | Ödön Gróf (HUN) | 5:01.9 | |
Semifinal 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Shozo Makino (JPN) | 4:48.2 | QQ |
| 1 | Jack Medica (USA) | 4:48.2 | QQ |
| 3 | Jean Taris (FRA) | 4:53.6 | QQ |
| 4 | Bob Leivers (GBR) | 4:55.7 | qq |
| 5 | Heinz Arendt (GER) | 5:13.4 | |
| 6 | Otto Przywara (GER) | 5:14.9 | |

### Final

Wednesday 12 August 1936:
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
| 1 | Jack Medica (USA) | 4:44.5 OR |
| 2 | Shunpei Uto (JPN) | 4:45.6 |
| 3 | Shozo Makino (JPN) | 4:48.1 |
| 4 | Ralph Flanagan (USA) | 4:52.7 |
| 5 | Hiroshi Negami (JPN) | 4:53.6 |
| 6 | Jean Taris (FRA) | 4:53.8 |
| 7 | Bob Leivers (GBR) | 5:00.9 |