|
| Event type

1,500 metres Freestyle, Men

Date21 – 25 July 1908
StatusOlympic
LocationWhite City Stadium, London
Participants19 from 8 countries

The favorites were again Henry Taylor and Frank Beaurepaire. Taylor had won the ASA title over one mile in 1906-1907 but Beaurepaire claimed the 1908 championship. However, in the final, the second Briton, Sydney Battersby, led the race almost throughout. He went to the front immediately and led each lap through 1,300 metres. Taylor passed him shortly before the end of the 14th lap, and Beaurepaire was only a few yards behind, still in the race. But Taylor hung on, and held off Battersby to win by 2 yards over his countryman. Taylor then stopped, but Battersby continued to swim, as planned, and set a new world’s record for one mile of 24:33.0, beating David Billington’s (GBR) 1905 mark of 24:42.6.

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Henry TaylorGBR23:24.4 (1 h6)22:54.0 (1 h1)22:48.4 (1)Gold
2Sydney BattersbyGBR23:42.8 (1 h4)23:23.0 (1 h2)22:51.2 (2)Silver
3Frank BeaurepaireANZ23:45.8 (1 h2)23:25.4 (2 h1)22:56.2 (3)Bronze
AC r3/3Otto ScheffAUT24:15.8 (2 h6)24:25.4 (2 h2)– (DNF)DNF
3 h1 r2/3Willie FosterGBR24:33.4 (1 h7)– (3 h1)
4 h1 r2/3Lewis MoistGBR26:52.0 (1 h3)– (4 h1)
AC h2 r2/3John JarvisGBR25:51.6 (1 h5)– (DNF h2)DNF
1 h1 r1/3Paul RadmilovicGBR25:02.4 (1 h1)– (DNS h2)
2 h1 r1/3Gunnar WennerströmSWE27:15.4 (2 h1)
2 h2 r1/3Sam BlatherwickGBR25:15.4 (2 h2)
2 h4 r1/3Frank SpringfieldANZ24:52.4 (2 h4)
2 h5 r1/3James GreeneUSA28:09.0 (2 h5)
3 h1 r1/3Oreste MuzziITA28:52.8 (3 h1)
3 h2 r1/3Piet OomsNED27:24.4 (3 h2)
3 h4 r1/3André TheurietFRA32:37.0 (3 h4)
3 h5 r1/3Robert HassellGBR28:14.8 (3 h5)
3 h6 r1/3Gustaf WretmanSWE28:40.8 (3 h6)
4 h2 r1/3Wille AnderssonSWE27:34.4 (4 h2)
AC h6 r1/3Eduard MeijerNED– (DNF h6)DNF
DNSSnowy BakerANZ– (DNS h7)
DNSTheo TartakoverANZ– (DNS h1)
DNSFernand FeyaertsBEL– (DNS h1)
DNSAuguste MaasBEL– (DNS h5)
DNSHerman CederbergFIN– (DNS h3)
DNSÉmile-Georges DrignyFRA– (DNS h2)
DNSPaul VasseurFRA– (DNS h1)
DNS BaubiatFRA– (DNS h7)
DNSH. JenaultFRA– (DNS h5)
DNSE. RenouFRA– (DNS h3)
DNS TaubeFRA– (DNS h6)
DNSHenrik HajósHUN– (DNS h3)
DNSBéla Las-TorresHUN– (DNS h7)
DNSMario MassaITA– (DNS h3)
DNSVincenzo BronnerITA– (DNS h2)
DNSFrancesco De PasqualeITA– (DNS h7)
DNSFrancesco NegriITA– (DNS h4)
DNSFriedrich MeuringNED– (DNS h4)

Round One (21 July 1908 — 14:30)

Winners of heats and fastest loser advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Paul RadmilovicGBR25:02.4QOR
2Gunnar WennerströmSWE27:15.4
3Oreste MuzziITA28:52.8
DNSTheo TartakoverANZ
DNSFernand FeyaertsBEL
DNSPaul VasseurFRA

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Frank BeaurepaireANZ23:45.8QOR
2Sam BlatherwickGBR25:15.4
3Piet OomsNED27:24.4
4Wille AnderssonSWE27:34.4
DNSÉmile-Georges DrignyFRA
DNSVincenzo BronnerITA

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Lewis MoistGBR26:52.0Q
DNSHerman CederbergFIN
DNSE. RenouFRA
DNSHenrik HajósHUN
DNSMario MassaITA

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Sydney BattersbyGBR23:42.8QOR
2Frank SpringfieldANZ24:52.4
3André TheurietFRA32:37.0
DNSFrancesco NegriITA
DNSFriedrich MeuringNED

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1John JarvisGBR25:51.6Q
2James GreeneUSA28:09.0
3Robert HassellGBR28:14.8
DNSAuguste MaasBEL
DNSH. JenaultFRA

Heat Six

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Henry TaylorGBR23:24.4QOR
2Otto ScheffAUT24:15.8q
3Gustaf WretmanSWE28:40.8
DNFEduard MeijerNED
DNS TaubeFRA

Heat Seven

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Willie FosterGBR24:33.4Q
DNSSnowy BakerANZ
DNS BaubiatFRA
DNSBéla Las-TorresHUN
DNSFrancesco De PasqualeITA

Semi-Finals (23 July 1908 — 15:45)

Top two in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Henry TaylorGBR22:54.0Q
2Frank BeaurepaireANZ23:25.4Q
3Willie FosterGBR
4Lewis MoistGBR

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Sydney BattersbyGBR23:23.0Q
2Otto ScheffAUT24:25.4Q
DNFJohn JarvisGBR
DNSPaul RadmilovicGBR

Final (25 July 1908 — 15:30)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Henry TaylorGBR22:48.4WR
2Sydney BattersbyGBR22:51.2
3Frank BeaurepaireANZ22:56.2
DNFOtto ScheffAUT