| | Event type

1,500 metres Freestyle, Men

Date	13 – 15 August 1936
Status	Olympic
Location	Schwimmstadion, Reichssportfeld, Berlin
Participants	21 from 10 countries

For the second Olympics in succession, this event was dominated by the two powerhouses of men’s swimming, the United States and Japan. The main adversaries from the 400 metres Jack Medica and Shumpei Uto again had a dramatic personal duel but this time it was for second place and the silver medal. The winner was a nineteen year old university student from Japan, Noboru Terada. Terada went out hard from the start and never came under pressure from the other finalists. He was a half a length ahead at the finish. Medica, after having been out of the medals early on in the race, edged ahead of Uto with just over 100m to go.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	Noboru Terada	JPN	19:55.5 (=1 h2)	19:48.6 (1 h1)	19:13.7 (1)	Gold
2	Jack Medica	USA	19:55.5 (=1 h2)	19:42.8 (1 h2)	19:34.0 (2)	Silver
3	Shunpei Uto	JPN	19:48.3 (1 h3)	19:55.6 (3 h2)	19:34.5 (3)	Bronze
4	Sunao Ishiharada	JPN	19:55.8 (1 h1)	19:53.9 (2 h2)	19:48.5 (4)
5	Ralph Flanagan	USA	19:49.9 (2 h3)	19:59.4 (2 h1)	19:54.8 (5)
6	Bobby Leivers	GBR	20:04.4 (2 h1)	20:10.0 (3 h1)	19:57.4 (6)
7	Heinz Arendt	GER	20:10.7 (3 h1)	19:56.1 (4 h2)	19:59.0 (7)
4 h1 r2/3	Jim Cristy	USA	20:26.5 (1 h4)	20:25.8 (4 h1)	–
5 h1 r2/3	Hans Freese	GER	20:13.7 (3 h3)	20:27.6 (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r2/3	Norman Wainwright	GBR	20:47.6 (2 h4)	20:14.4 (5 h2)	–
6 h1 r2/3	Otto Przywara	GER	20:59.0 (3 h4)	20:55.0 (6 h1)	–
6 h2 r2/3	Bob Pirie	CAN	20:16.4 (4 h1)	20:17.3 (6 h2)	–
7 h1 r2/3	Jørgen Jørgensen	DEN	21:42.0 (3 h2)	21:46.3 (7 h1)	–
7 h2 r2/3	Christian Talli	FRA	21:03.0 (4 h3)	21:09.8 (7 h2)	–
4 h2 r1/3	Robert Hooper	CAN	21:47.4 (4 h2)	–	–
4 h4 r1/3	Edmund Pader	AUT	21:13.9 (4 h4)	–	–
5 h1 r1/3	Manoel Villar	BRA	21:49.9 (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r1/3	João Havelange	BRA	22:54.1 (5 h2)	–	–
5 h3 r1/3	Bob Hamerton	CAN	21:05.5 (5 h3)	–	–
6 h1 r1/3	István Angyal	HUN	– (6 h1)	–	–
6 h3 r1/3	Aage Hellstrøm	DEN	21:16.9 (6 h3)	–	–
DNS	Kurt Patuzzi	AUT	– (DNS h1)	–	–
DNS	Jorge Berroeta	CHI	– (DNS h4)	–	–
DNS	Washington Guzmán	CHI	– (DNS h2)	–	–
DNS	Qadri Mahmud	EGY	– (DNS h1)	–	–
DNS	Ödön Gróf	HUN	– (DNS h2)	–	–
DNS	Árpád Lengyel	HUN	– (DNS h4)	–	–
DNS	Maximino García	URU	– (DNS h3)	–	–

Round One (13 August 1936 — 11:15)

Top three in each heat and the next two fastest advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	700 m	800 m	900 m	1,000 m	1,100 m	1,200 m	1,300 m	1400 m	Time
1	2	Sunao Ishiharada	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:55.8	Q
2	4	Bobby Leivers	GBR	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:04.4	Q
3	5	Heinz Arendt	GER	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:10.7	Q
4	7	Bob Pirie	CAN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:16.4	q
5	1	Manoel Villar	BRA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:49.9
6	8	István Angyal	HUN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–
DNS	3	Qadri Mahmud	EGY	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–
DNS	6	Kurt Patuzzi	AUT	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	700 m	800 m	900 m	1,000 m	1,100 m	1,200 m	1,300 m	1400 m	Time
=1	2	Jack Medica	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:55.5	Q
=1	3	Noboru Terada	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:55.5	Q
3	4	Jørgen Jørgensen	DEN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:42.0	Q
4	6	Robert Hooper	CAN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:47.4
5	1	João Havelange	BRA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	22:54.1
DNS	7	Washington Guzmán	CHI	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–
DNS	5	Ödön Gróf	HUN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–

Heat Three

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	700 m	800 m	900 m	1,000 m	1,100 m	1,200 m	1,300 m	1400 m	Time
1	6	Shunpei Uto	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:48.3	Q
2	1	Ralph Flanagan	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:49.9	Q
3	4	Hans Freese	GER	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:13.7	Q
4	7	Christian Talli	FRA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:03.0	q
5	2	Bob Hamerton	CAN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:05.5
6	5	Aage Hellstrøm	DEN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:16.9
DNS	3	Maximino García	URU	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–

Heat Four

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	700 m	800 m	900 m	1,000 m	1,100 m	1,200 m	1,300 m	1400 m	Time
1	6	Jim Cristy	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:26.5	Q
2	1	Norman Wainwright	GBR	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:47.6	Q	1
3	7	Otto Przywara	GER	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:59.0	Q
4	4	Edmund Pader	AUT	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:13.9
DNS	3	Jorge Berroeta	CHI	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–
DNS	2	Árpád Lengyel	HUN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	–

Semi-Finals (14 August 1936 — 15:30)

Top three in each heat and the fastest fourth-place advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	700 m	800 m	900 m	1,000 m	1,100 m	1,200 m	1,300 m	1400 m	Time
1	2	Noboru Terada	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:48.6	Q
2	1	Ralph Flanagan	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:59.4	Q
3	3	Bobby Leivers	GBR	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:10.0	Q
4	5	Jim Cristy	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:25.8
5	7	Hans Freese	GER	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:27.6
6	6	Otto Przywara	GER	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:55.0
7	4	Jørgen Jørgensen	DEN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:46.3

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	700 m	800 m	900 m	1,000 m	1,100 m	1,200 m	1,300 m	1400 m	Time
1	7	Jack Medica	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:42.8	Q
2	4	Sunao Ishiharada	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:53.9	Q
3	3	Shunpei Uto	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:55.6	Q
4	2	Heinz Arendt	GER	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:56.1	q
5	6	Norman Wainwright	GBR	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:14.4
6	5	Bob Pirie	CAN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	20:17.3
7	1	Christian Talli	FRA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	21:09.8

Final (15 August 1936 — 16:10)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	100 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	500 m	600 m	700 m	800 m	900 m	1,000 m	1,100 m	1,200 m	1,300 m	1400 m	Time
1	4	Noboru Terada	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:13.7
2	2	Jack Medica	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:34.0
3	3	Shunpei Uto	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:34.5
4	1	Sunao Ishiharada	JPN	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:48.5
5	6	Ralph Flanagan	USA	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:54.8
6	7	Bobby Leivers	GBR	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:57.4
7	5	Heinz Arendt	GER	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	– –	19:59.0