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100 metres Freestyle, Men

Date24 – 25 April 1906
StatusIntercalated
LocationOrmos Falirou, Peiraias
Participants17 from 10 countries

The top swim sprinters in the world were present for this race. Charlie Daniels would won the 1906-07 Amateur Swimming Association (ASA/Britain) titles, and was U.S. champion over 100 yards in 1905-08, and 220 yards in 1904-08 and 1910. Zoltán von Halmay was ASA champion over 100 yards in 1905 and 220 yards in 1907, and held the world record in the event at the time, with a mark of 1:05 4/5. Cecil Healy would win the ASA 220 yard title in 1906.

Heats of the 100-meter freestyle were held on 24 April [11 April]. There were two heats, and strangely, they are not reported in the official results. But they were definitely held as they were reported in all the newspapers of the time. However, their omission from the official results makes the heat make-ups the only events for the 1906 Olympics for which I am not 100% positive of the precise competitors. These have been pieced together from various newspapers and consultations with various experts.

The two heats were won by Charlie Daniels, who won the first heat narrowly over Australia’s Healy; and Britain’s Paul Radmilovic, who won the second heat narrowly over Hungary’s Zoltán von Halmay.

The final was scheduled for 25 April [12 April] but was postponed to the next day, because of the weather conditions. It appears that nine swimmers advanced to the final, although the original rules noted that only the first four finishers in each heat would go on to the finals, making a final of eight competitors. However, the Hungarian József Onódy is listed as having competed in the final in several 1906 sources. The final turned into a battle early on between Daniels and Halmay. Daniels won by a few meters over Halmay with Australia’s Cecil Healy far back in third place.

PosSwimmerNOCR1Final
1Charlie DanielsUSA1:17.6 (1 h1)1:13.0 (1)Gold
2Zoltán HalmayHUN1:43.0 (2 h2)at 1 yard (2)Silver
3Cecil HealyAUS1:17.8 (2 h1)at 20 yards (3)Bronze
4Paul RadmilovicGBR1:41.0 (1 h2)– (4)
5Rob DerbyshireGBR– (3 h1)– (5)
6József ÓnodyHUN– (5 h2)– (6)
7Marquard SchwarzUSAclose behind (3 h2)– (7)
8Hjalmar JohanssonSWE– (4 h2)– (8)
9Robert AnderssonSWE– (4 h1)– (9)
5 h1 r1/2Albert BougouinFRA– (5 h1)
6 h1 r1/2Ludvig DamDEN– (6 h1)
6 h2 r1/2Harald JulinSWE– (6 h2)
AC h1 r1/2P. ParaskevopoulosGRE– (DNF h1)DNF
AC h2 r1/2Georg HoffmannGER– (AC h2)
AC h2 r1/2Vasilios LeontopoulosGRE– (AC h2)
AC h2 r1/2Spyridon TzetzosGRE– (AC h2)
AC h2 r1/2Mario AlbertiniITA– (AC h2)
DNSEdmund BernhardtAUT
DNSOtto ScheffAUT
DNSLeopold MayerAUT
DNSSimon OrlikAUT
DNSOtto SatzingerAUT
DNS HochermannAUT
DNSPaul VasseurFRA
DNSRobert CooperGBR
DNSEric ForsythGBR
DNSD. ArgaliasGRE
DNSA. DanoucharasGRE
DNS SadouchasGRE
DNSGéza KissHUN
DNSAlajos BrucknerHUN
DNSGunnar WennerströmSWE
DNSJoseph SpencerUSA

Round One (24 April 1906)

Top four in heat one and first five in heat two advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1137Charlie DanielsUSA1:17.6Q
2Cecil HealyAUS1:17.8Q
3Rob DerbyshireGBRQ
4Robert AnderssonSWEQ
556Albert BougouinFRA
6165Ludvig DamDEN
DNF568P. ParaskevopoulosGRE

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Paul RadmilovicGBR1:41.0Q
2807Zoltán HalmayHUN1:43.0Q
3614Marquard SchwarzUSAclose behindQ
4Hjalmar JohanssonSWEQ
5844József ÓnodyHUNq
6Harald JulinSWE
AC259Georg HoffmannGER
AC765Mario AlbertiniITA
AC390Vasilios LeontopoulosGRE
AC710Spyridon TzetzosGRE

Final (25 April 1906 — 11:30)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1137Charlie DanielsUSA1:13.0OR
2807Zoltán HalmayHUNat 1 yard
3Cecil HealyAUSat 20 yards
4Paul RadmilovicGBR
5Rob DerbyshireGBR
6844József ÓnodyHUN
7614Marquard SchwarzUSA
8Hjalmar JohanssonSWE
9Robert AnderssonSWE