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1,500 metres Freestyle, Men

Date4 – 6 August 1928
StatusOlympic
LocationZwemstadion, Amsterdam
Participants19 from 13 countries

Arne Borg would eventually set over thirty world records at a variety of distances but this victory in Amsterdam was his only Olympic gold medal though he competed in three Olympic Games. The “Swedish Sturgeon”, as he was dubbed by the press, dominated the competition from the heats and was never headed in the final as he swam away from the moment the gun sounded to finish ten seconds ahead of the “Manly Flying Fish”, Australia’s defending champion, Andrew “Boy” Charlton. Clarence “Buster” Crabbe secured the bronze though his nickname seemed tame by comparison.

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Arne BorgSWE20:14.2 (1 h5)20:42.0 (1 h1)19:51.8 (1)Gold
2Boy CharltonAUS20:17.4 (2 h5)20:57.0 (2 h2)20:02.6 (2)Silver
3Buster CrabbeUSA20:17.8 (3 h5)20:55.4 (1 h2)20:28.8 (3)Bronze
4Ray RuddyUSA22:12.0 (2 h3)21:31.2 (3 h2)21:05.0 (4)
5Alberto ZorrillaARG22:21.2 (1 h4)21:17.0 (2 h1)21:23.8 (5)
6Garnet AultCAN22:55.8 (2 h4)21:33.4 (3 h1)21:46.0 (6)
4 h1 r2/3Nobuo AraiJPN21:35.4 (1 h2)– (4 h1)
4 h2 r2/3Giuseppe PerentinITA21:42.4 (2 h2)– (4 h2)
AC h1 r2/3Takaji TakebayashiJPN22:30.4 (2 h1)– (DNF h1)DNF
1 h1 r1/3Austin ClappUSA21:31.0 (1 h1)– (DNS h1)
1 h3 r1/3Katsuo TakaishiJPN21:20.8 (1 h3)– (DNS h2)
3 h1 r1/3Jimmy ThompsonCAN22:56.6 (3 h1)
3 h2 r1/3Dick de ManNED23:03.2 (3 h2)
3 h3 r1/3Václav AntošTCH22:43.0 (3 h3)
4 h1 r1/3Giovanni GambiITA– (4 h1)
4 h2 r1/3Dave LindsayNZL– (4 h2)
4 h5 r1/3Walter HandschuhmacherGER22:18.6 (4 h5)
5 h1 r1/3Jean TarisFRA– (5 h1)
5 h5 r1/3Tuburan TamsePHI– (5 h5)
DNSD. D. MuljiIND– (DNS h4)
DNSJack HatfieldGBR– (DNS h1)
DNSPercy PeterGBR– (DNS h2)
DNSPaul RadmilovicGBR– (DNS h3)
DNSPaolo CostoliITA– (DNS h3)
DNSOlivér HalassyHUN– (DNS h4)
DNSAlbert VandeplanckeFRA– (DNS h4)

Round One (4 August 1928 — 10:00)

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

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Austin ClappUSA21:31.0Q
26Takaji TakebayashiJPN22:30.4Q
34Jimmy ThompsonCAN22:56.6
41Giovanni GambiITA
55Jean TarisFRA
DNS2Jack HatfieldGBR

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Nobuo AraiJPN21:35.4Q
21Giuseppe PerentinITA21:42.4Q
34Dick de ManNED23:03.2
45Dave LindsayNZL
DNS2Percy PeterGBR

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15Katsuo TakaishiJPN21:20.8Q
23Ray RuddyUSA22:12.0Q
31Václav AntošTCH22:43.0
DNS2Paul RadmilovicGBR
DNS4Paolo CostoliITA

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
11Alberto ZorrillaARG22:21.2Q
24Garnet AultCAN22:55.8Q
DNS2D. D. MuljiIND
DNS3Olivér HalassyHUN
DNS5Albert VandeplanckeFRA

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
11Arne BorgSWE20:14.2Q
23Boy CharltonAUS20:17.4Q
32Buster CrabbeUSA20:17.8q
44Walter HandschuhmacherGER22:18.6
55Tuburan TamsePHI

Semi-Finals (5 August 1928 — 14:00)

Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One (14:00)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
16Arne BorgSWE20:42.0Q
25Alberto ZorrillaARG21:17.0Q
34Garnet AultCAN21:33.4Q
43Nobuo AraiJPN
DNF2Takaji TakebayashiJPN
DNS1Austin ClappUSA

Heat Two (14:35)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
11Buster CrabbeUSA20:55.4Q
23Boy CharltonAUS20:57.0Q
35Ray RuddyUSA21:31.2Q
44Giuseppe PerentinITA
DNS4Katsuo TakaishiJPN

Final (6 August 1928 — 15:15)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
12Arne BorgSWE19:51.8OR
26Boy CharltonAUS20:02.6
33Buster CrabbeUSA20:28.8
44Ray RuddyUSA21:05.0
55Alberto ZorrillaARG21:23.8
61Garnet AultCAN21:46.0