Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics

Dates 5 – 7 September 1904
Medal Events 10
Non-medal Events 5

The 1904 swimming events were held on 5-7 September 1904. After track & field athletics, it was perhaps the most international sport of any contested at the 1904 Olympics as there were competitors from Hungary, Germany and Austria in addition to the United States. Unlike track & field, however, the swimming competition was not totally dominated by the American athletes, and the international competition was the best of the 1904 Olympics. The 1904 Olympic events doubled as the United States National Championships, or the AAU Championships. Still, there was no prohibition against foreign entrants or competitors.

There were 10 events held at the 1904 swimming competitions. The events were held in a man-made lake that was used each day by the Coast Guard for life-saving exhibitions at the World’s Fair. The races were held on the opposite side of the lake between a pier and rafts floating on the lake. The lake was fed from a river creating a slight current, although the swimmers agreed that the current had not been a major consideration.

Events

Event Status Date Participants NOCs
50 yards Freestyle, Men Olympic 6 September 1904 6 2
100 yards Freestyle, Men Olympic 5 September 1904 6 2
220 yards Freestyle, Men Olympic 6 September 1904 4 2
440 yards Freestyle, Men Olympic 7 September 1904 4 1
880 yards Freestyle, Men Olympic 7 September 1904 6 3
1 mile Freestyle, Men Olympic 5 September 1904 7 3
4 x 50 yards Freestyle Relay, Men Olympic 7 September 1904 16 1
100 yards Backstroke, Men Olympic 6 September 1904 6 2
440 yards Breaststroke, Men Olympic 7 September 1904 4 2
Plunge For Distance, Men Olympic 5 September 1904 5 1
32 (32/0) 3 (3/0)

Non-medal events

Event Status Date Participants NOCs
100 yards, Handicap, Men Olympic (non-medal) 6 September 1904 3 1
220 yards, Handicap, Men Olympic (non-medal) 7 September 1904 3 1
440 yards, Handicap, Men Olympic (non-medal) 6 September 1904 5 3
880 yards, Handicap, Men Olympic (non-medal) 7 September 1904 4 2
1 mile, Handicap, Men Olympic (non-medal) 6 September 1904 3 1
1 (1/0) 1 (1/0)

Medals

Event Gold Silver Bronze
50 yards Freestyle, Men Zoltán HalmayHUN Scott LearyUSA Charlie DanielsUSA
100 yards Freestyle, Men Zoltán HalmayHUN Charlie DanielsUSA Scott LearyUSA
220 yards Freestyle, Men Charlie DanielsUSA Frank GaileyUSA Emil RauschGER
440 yards Freestyle, Men Charlie DanielsUSA Frank GaileyUSA Otto WahleUSA
880 yards Freestyle, Men Emil RauschGER Frank GaileyUSA Géza KissHUN
1 mile Freestyle, Men Emil RauschGER Géza KissHUN Frank GaileyUSA
4 × 50 yards Freestyle Relay, Men New York Athletic Club #1USA Chicago Athletic AssociationUSA Missouri Athletic ClubUSA
100 yards Backstroke, Men Walter BrackGER Georg HoffmannGER Georg ZachariasGER
440 yards Breaststroke, Men Georg ZachariasGER Walter BrackGER Jam HandyUSA
Plunge For Distance, Men Billy DickeyUSA Edgar AdamsUSA Budd GoodwinUSA

Medal table

NOC Gold Silver Bronze Total
United States USA 4 7 7 18
Germany GER 4 2 2 8
Hungary HUN 2 1 1 4