Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres
The men's 200 metres was an event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. It was held on 31 July and 1 August 1928 at the Olympic Stadium. There were 59 competitors from 29 nations. Nations had been limited to 4 athletes each since 1920. The event was won by Percy Williams of Canada, the nation's second victory in the event (after 1908). The win broke a streak of three victories by the United States; with no Americans on the podium, the nation's six-Games medal streak  was broken as well. Walter Rangeley of Great Britain took silver, giving Great Britain a four-Games medal streak in the event. Germany earned its first men's 200 metres medal with Helmut Körnig's bronze. Background. This was the seventh appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Olympics in 1896 but has been on the program ever since. Two of the six finalists from the 1924 Games returned: gold medalist Jackson Scholz and two-time silver medalist Charley Paddock, both of the United States. Scholz was a slight favorite, but the Americans had not won  any medals in the 100 metres earlier in Amsterdam and the winner of that event, Canada's Percy Williams, was a strong contender for a double in this event. Lithuania and Romania each made their debut in the event. The United States made its seventh appearance, the only nation to have competed at each edition of the 200 metres to date. Competition format. The competition used the four round format introduced in 1920: heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. There were 15 heats of between 2 and 6 runners each, with the top 2 men in each advancing to the  quarterfinals. The quarterfinals consisted of 6 heats of 5 athletes each; the two fastest men in each heat advanced to the semifinals. There were 2 semifinals, each with 6 runners. In that round, the top three athletes advanced. The final had 6 runners. The races were run on a now-standard 400 metre track. Records. Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows: No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition. Helmut Körnig tied the Olympic record in the last quarterfinal. Results. Heats. 15 heats were held; the fastest two in each  heat advanced to Round Two. Quarterfinals. Six heats were held; the fastest two finishers in each heat advanced to the semi-finals. Semifinals. The fastest three runners from each of the two heats advanced to the Final Round. Final. Williams beat Rangley by a yard to complete his 100/200 double, while Rangley finished six inches ahead of Körnig and Scholz. Körnig and Scholz finished so close that the judges declared the men had dead-heated, and ordered a run-off. As Scholz declined to participate, Körnig was awarded the bronze medal: in the event, the film of the race confirms  that Körnig finished third.