| | Event type

100 metres Freestyle, Men

Date	22 – 29 August 1920
Status	Olympic
Location	Zwemstadion van Antwerpen, Antwerpen
Participants	31 from 15 countries

The race was expected to be between Norman Ross, who had won the event at the 1919 Inter-Allied Games, and Duke Kahanamoku, the defending Olympic champion, but The Duke was far the better sprinter. The Olympic record was 1:02.4, set by Kahanamoku in the 1912 semi-finals. He also held the world record, having recorded 1:01.4 in 1918. In the finals, Kahanamoku won easily, with Ross fourth. William Herald of Australia filed a protest, claiming that Ross had fouled him. Ross was disqualified and the final re-swum. The finish was exactly the same, except for the absence of Ross. Kahanamoku broke his world record in the first final and equalled the existing mark in the re-swim.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	SF	First Final	Final
1	Duke Kahanamoku	USA	1:01.8 (1 h1)	1:01.4 (1 h1)	1:00.4 (1)	1:01.4 (1)	Gold
2	Pua Kele Kealoha	USA	1:02.0 (1 h3)	1:02.4 (1 h2)	1:02.2 (2)	1:02.6 (2)	Silver
3	Bill Harris	USA	1:04.4 (1 h6)	1:04.2 (2 h1)	1:03.2 (3)	1:03.0 (3)	Bronze
4	Billy Herald	AUS	1:08.8 (2 h5)	1:05.8 (3 h2)	– (4)	1:03.8 (4)
AC r3/3	Norman Ross	USA	1:04.4 (1 h5)	1:04.8 (2 h2)	[1:03.8] (DQ)	–		DQ
3 h1 r3/4	George Vernot	CAN	1:05.2 (1 h4)	1:05.8 (3 h1)	–	–
4 h1 r3/4	Agostino Frassinetti	ITA	1:11.8 (1 h2)	– (4 h1)	–	–
4 h2 r3/4	Ivan Stedman	AUS	1:04.2 (2 h3)	– (4 h2)	–	–
5 h1 r3/4	Václav Bucháček	TCH	1:19.2 (2 h2)	– (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r3/4	Orvar Trolle	SWE	1:07.8 (3 h4)	– (5 h2)	–	–
6 h1 r3/4	Harry Hay	AUS	1:06.8 (2 h4)	– (6 h1)	–	–
6 h2 r3/4	Keith Kirkland	AUS	1:08.0 (2 h1)	– (6 h2)	–	–
7 h2 r3/4	Ko Korsten	NED	1:05.6 (2 h6)	– (7 h2)	–	–
3 h1 r1/4	Jean van Silfhout	NED	1:09.0 (3 h1)	–	–	–
3 h2 r1/4	Ângelo Gammaro	BRA	1:22.0 (3 h2)	–	–	–
3 h3 r1/4	Henri Padou, Sr.	FRA	1:08.4 (3 h3)	–	–	–
3 h5 r1/4	Mario Massa	ITA	1:10.4 (3 h5)	–	–	–
3 h6 r1/4	Jack Dickin	GBR	1:10.0 (3 h6)	–	–	–
4 h1 r1/4	Georges Pouilley	FRA	– (4 h1)	–	–	–
4 h2 r1/4	Harold Annison	GBR	– (4 h2)	–	–	–
4 h3 r1/4	Martial Van Schelle	BEL	– (4 h3)	–	–	–
4 h4 r1/4	Léon Pesch	LUX	– (4 h4)	–	–	–
4 h5 r1/4	Rémi Weil	FRA	– (4 h5)	–	–	–
4 h6 r1/4	Alfred Steen	NOR	– (4 h6)	–	–	–
5 h1 r1/4	Albert Dickin	GBR	– (5 h1)	–	–	–
5 h3 r1/4	Jean Jenny	SUI	– (5 h3)	–	–	–
5 h4 r1/4	Leslie Savage	GBR	– (5 h4)	–	–	–
5 h5 r1/4	Masayoshi Uchida	JPN	– (5 h5)	–	–	–
6 h3 r1/4	Kenkichi Saito	JPN	– (6 h3)	–	–	–
6 h4 r1/4	Orlando Amêndola	BRA	– (6 h4)	–	–	–
7 h4 r1/4	Gérard Blitz	BEL	– (7 h4)	–	–	–

Round One (22 August 1920 — 18:30)

Top two in each heat and the fastest third-place advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Duke Kahanamoku	USA	– (–) –	1:01.8	QOR
2	–	Keith Kirkland	AUS	– (–) –	1:08.0	Q
3	–	Jean van Silfhout	NED	– (–) –	1:09.0
4	–	Georges Pouilley	FRA	– (–) –	–
5	–	Albert Dickin	GBR	– (–) –	–

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Agostino Frassinetti	ITA	– (–) –	1:11.8	Q
2	–	Václav Bucháček	TCH	– (–) –	1:19.2	Q
3	–	Ângelo Gammaro	BRA	– (–) –	1:22.0
4	–	Harold Annison	GBR	– (–) –	–

Heat Three

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Pua Kele Kealoha	USA	– (–) –	1:02.0	Q
2	–	Ivan Stedman	AUS	– (–) –	1:04.2	Q
3	–	Henri Padou, Sr.	FRA	– (–) –	1:08.4
4	–	Martial Van Schelle	BEL	– (–) –	–
5	–	Jean Jenny	SUI	– (–) –	–
6	–	Kenkichi Saito	JPN	– (–) –	–

Heat Four

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	George Vernot	CAN	– (–) –	1:05.2	Q
2	–	Harry Hay	AUS	– (–) –	1:06.8	Q
3	–	Orvar Trolle	SWE	– (–) –	1:07.8	q
4	–	Léon Pesch	LUX	– (–) –	–
5	–	Leslie Savage	GBR	– (–) –	–
6	–	Orlando Amêndola	BRA	– (–) –	–
7	–	Gérard Blitz	BEL	– (–) –	–

Heat Five

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Norman Ross	USA	– (–) –	1:04.4	Q
2	–	Billy Herald	AUS	– (–) –	1:08.8	Q
3	–	Mario Massa	ITA	– (–) –	1:10.4
4	–	Rémi Weil	FRA	– (–) –	–
5	–	Masayoshi Uchida	JPN	– (–) –	–

Heat Six

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Bill Harris	USA	– (–) –	1:04.4	Q
2	–	Ko Korsten	NED	– (–) –	1:05.6	Q
3	–	Jack Dickin	GBR	– (–) –	1:10.0
4	–	Alfred Steen	NOR	– (–) –	–

Semi-Finals (23 August 1920 — 15:15)

Top two in each heat and the fastest third-place advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Duke Kahanamoku	USA	– (–) –	1:01.4	QOR
2	–	Bill Harris	USA	– (–) –	1:04.2	Q
3	–	George Vernot	CAN	– (–) –	1:05.8
4	–	Agostino Frassinetti	ITA	– (–) –	–
5	–	Václav Bucháček	TCH	– (–) –	–
6	–	Harry Hay	AUS	– (–) –	–

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Pua Kele Kealoha	USA	– (–) –	1:02.4	Q
2	–	Norman Ross	USA	– (–) –	1:04.8	Q
3	–	Billy Herald	AUS	– (–) –	1:05.8	q
4	–	Ivan Stedman	AUS	– (–) –	–
5	–	Orvar Trolle	SWE	– (–) –	–
6	–	Keith Kirkland	AUS	– (–) –	–
7	–	Ko Korsten	NED	– (–) –	–

First Final (24 August 1920 — 17:10)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Duke Kahanamoku	USA	– (–) –	1:00.4	=WR
2	–	Pua Kele Kealoha	USA	– (–) –	1:02.2
3	–	Bill Harris	USA	– (–) –	1:03.2
4	–	Billy Herald	AUS	– (–) –	–
DQ	–	Norman Ross	USA	– (–) –	[1:03.8]		1

Final (29 August 1920 — 16:45)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	–	Duke Kahanamoku	USA	– (–) –	1:01.4
2	–	Pua Kele Kealoha	USA	– (–) –	1:02.6
3	–	Bill Harris	USA	– (–) –	1:03.0
4	–	Billy Herald	AUS	– (–) –	1:03.8