Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics

In this article we are going to address the topic of Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics, which has generated great interest today. Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics is a topic that impacts people of all ages and backgrounds, since its relevance transcends cultural and geographical barriers. It is important to understand the importance of Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics in our current society and how it can influence various aspects of our lives. Throughout this article, we will explore the different aspects and perspectives related to Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics, with the aim of offering a complete and objective analysis of this very relevant topic.

Swimming
at the Games of the III Olympiad
VenueForest Park
Dates4–6 September 1904
No. of events9
Competitors32 from 5 nations
← 1900
1908 →

At the 1904 Summer Olympics, nine swimming events were contested. The 1904 swimming competition was the only time in Olympic history that racing distances were measured in yards. The competition was held September 4–6, 1904. There was a total of 32 participants from 5 countries competing. The 10 events at the swimming competitions were held at a man-made lake that was used for life-saving exhibitions by the coast guard.

The short sprint, at 50 yards (46 m), made its first Olympic appearance in 1904. The 100 returned after not being contested in 1900. The 1000 metres and 4000 metres were replaced with the much shorter 440 yards (400 m) and 1-mile (1,600 m) events, making the 200 the only freestyle event to be held for the second time in a row.

The 200 metre backstroke was shortened to 100 yards (91 m) and the team swimming event was replaced with a 4 × 50 yard freestyle relay. The obstacle course and underwater swimming events were eliminated, while breaststroke made its Olympic debut.

Medal table

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Germany (GER)4228
2 United States (USA)33410
3 Hungary (HUN)2114
4 Australia (AUS)0314
5 Austria (AUT)0011
Totals (5 entries)99927

Medal summary

Games Gold Silver Bronze
50 yard freestyle
 Zoltán Halmay (HUN)  Scott Leary (USA)  Charles Daniels (USA)
100 yard freestyle
 Zoltán Halmay (HUN)  Charles Daniels (USA)  Scott Leary (USA)
220 yard freestyle
 Charles Daniels (USA)  Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1]  Emil Rausch (GER)
440 yard freestyle
 Charles Daniels (USA)  Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1]  Otto Wahle (AUT)
880 yard freestyle
 Emil Rausch (GER)  Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1]  Géza Kiss (HUN)
1 mile freestyle
 Emil Rausch (GER)  Géza Kiss (HUN)  Francis Gailey (AUS)[note 1]
100 yard backstroke
 Walter Brack (GER)  Georg Hoffmann (GER)  Georg Zacharias (GER)
440 yard breaststroke
 Georg Zacharias (GER)  Walter Brack (GER)  Jam Handy (USA)
4 × 50 yard freestyle relay
 United States (USA)
New York Athletic Club
Joe Ruddy
Leo Goodwin
Louis Handley
Charles Daniels
 United States (USA)
Chicago Athletic Association
David Hammond
Bill Tuttle
Hugo Goetz
Raymond Thorne
 United States (USA)
Missouri Athletic Club
Amedee Reyburn
Gwynne Evans
Marquard Schwarz
Bill Orthwein
  1. ^ a b c d Gailey was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, but later emigrated to the United States and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1906: at the 1904 Olympics, he was sponsored by the Olympic Club of San Francisco. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had previously counted Gailey's four medals for the United States, but these are now counted as medals for Australia.

Participating nations

32 swimmers from 5 nations competed.

References

  1. ^ "Swimming at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Games | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". 2020-04-17. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  2. ^ "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  3. ^ "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 2024-03-09.