| | Event type

400 metres, Men

Date	19 – 20 August 1920
Status	Olympic
Location	Olympisch Stadion, Antwerpen
Participants	37 from 16 countries

The world record holder (47.4 in 1916), Ted Meredith of the United States, was entered but failed to survive the semi-finals. The U.S. Olympic Trial had been won by Frank Shea, who defended his 1919 AAU crown in the process. The last two AAA champions were Britain’s Guy Butler (1919) and South Africa’s Bevil Rudd (1920). The 1919 Inter-Allied Champion was Earl Eby of the United States, who competed in Antwerp, but only in the 800 metres. Nils Engdahl of Sweden looked good entering the final, as he had won his semi- and quarter-final easily. Engdahl led early, along with Shea of the U.S., but Rudd took the lead at the head of the straight to win. Rudd had been born in Devonshire in the United Kingdom, but was raised in South Africa. He returned to England to attend Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. He had been a top runner prior to the War, during which he served with the Highland Regiment. At the 1920 Oxbridge meet, he showed the wide range of his abilities by finishing second in the 100 yards (to Harold Abrahams), tying for first in the 440 yards (with Guy Butler), winning the 880, and finishing fourth in the long jump.

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	R1	QF	SF	Final
1	561	Bevil Rudd	RSA	51.6 (1 h5)	51.3est / at 1 metre (2 h4)	49.7est / chest behind (2 h1)	49.6 (1)	Gold
2	382	Guy Butler	GBR	53.2est / at 4 metres (2 h6)	50.7est / at ½ metre (2 h2)	50.2est (2 h2)	50.1est / at 4 metres (2)	Silver
3	576	Nils Engdahl	SWE	50.6est / at 1 metre (2 h7)	50.4 (1 h1)	49.4 (1 h1)	50.2est / close behind (3)	Bronze
4	234	Frank Shea	USA	50.8 (1 h3)	51.0 (1 h4)	50.0 (1 h2)	50.4est (4)
5	376	John Ainsworth-Davis	GBR	51.5est / at 2 metres (2 h2)	50.7est / at 2 metres (2 h1)	49.9est / at 1 metre (3 h1)	50.6est (5)
6	551	Henry Dafel	RSA	51.2est / at 3 metres (2 h3)	50.8 (1 h3)	50.4est (3 h2)	50.6est (6)
4 h1 r3/4	163	Robert Emery	USA	52.6 (1 h6)	50.7est / chest behind (3 h1)	50.2est (4 h1)	–
4 h2 r3/4	203	Ted Meredith	USA	51.6 (1 h4)	50.8est / at 1 metre (3 h2)	50.6est (4 h2)	–
5 h1 r3/4	235	George Schiller	USA	50.4 (1 h7)	51.1est / at 2 metres (2 h3)	– (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r3/4	294	Géo André	FRA	52.3est / at 5 metres (2 h4)	51.6est / at 2+ metres (3 h4)	51.6est (5 h2)	–
6 h1 r3/4	324	Gaston Féry	FRA	51.2 (1 h2)	50.6 (1 h2)	51.0est (6 h1)	–
AC h2 r3/4	622	Eric Sundblad	SWE	52.0 (1 h8)	51.2est / at 1 metre (3 h3)	– (DNF h2)	–
4 h1 r2/4	39	François Morren	BEL	51.6 (1 h10)	50.8est / at 1 metre (4 h1)	–	–
4 h2 r2/4	292	Erkka Wilén	FIN	52.0est / at 4 metres (2 h5)	51.0est / at 2 metres (4 h2)	–	–
4 h3 r2/4	407	Robert Lindsay	GBR	52.0 (1 h1)	51.6est / at 2 metres (4 h3)	–	–
4 h4 r2/4	117	Miguel García	ESP	52.0est / at 3 metres (2 h10)	52.8est / at 1 metre (4 h4)	–	–
5 h1 r2/4	558	Clarence Oldfield	RSA	52.2est / at 1 metre (2 h1)	51.1est / at 2 metres (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r2/4	79	Hec Phillips	CAN	52.3est / at 2 metres (2 h8)	51.4est / at 3 metres (5 h2)	–	–
5 h3 r2/4	11	Omer Corteyn	BEL	52.2 (1 h9)	52.0est / at 3 metres (5 h3)	–	–
5 h4 r2/4	427	Hedges Worthington-Eyre	GBR	52.6est / at 2 metres (2 h9)	53.2est / at 2 metres (5 h4)	–	–
3 h1 r1/4	572	Anatole Bolin	SWE	52.6est / at 3 metres (3 h1)	–	–	–
3 h2 r1/4	649	Karel Frankenstein	TCH	52.5est / at 8 metres (3 h2)	–	–	–
3 h3 r1/4	597	Sven Krokström	SWE	51.6est / at 3 metres (3 h3)	–	–	–
3 h4 r1/4	465	Giuseppe Bernardoni	ITA	52.8est / at 4 metres (3 h4)	–	–	–
3 h5 r1/4	678	Reinhold Saulmann	EST	52.4est / at 4 metres (3 h5)	–	–	–
3 h6 r1/4	663	Karel Přibyl	TCH	54.0est / at 6 metres (3 h6)	–	–	–
3 h7 r1/4	311	Maurice Delvart	FRA	51.0est / at 3 metres (3 h7)	–	–	–
3 h8 r1/4	497	Agide Simonazzi	ITA	53.0est / at 5 metres (3 h8)	–	–	–
3 h9 r1/4	527	Jean Proess	LUX	53.2est / at 4 metres (3 h9)	–	–	–
3 h10 r1/4	299	Eugène Bayon	FRA	52.4est / at 3 metres (3 h10)	–	–	–
4 h2 r1/4	555	Frank Irvine	RSA	52.5est / close behind (4 h2)	–	–	–
4 h5 r1/4	501	Giovanni Tosi	ITA	52.6est / at 1 metre (4 h5)	–	–	–
4 h6 r1/4	38	Jules Migeot	BEL	55.1est / at 8 metres (4 h6)	–	–	–
4 h7 r1/4	542	Einar Mangset	NOR	51.4est / at 3 metres (4 h7)	–	–	–
4 h8 r1/4	507	Purma Bannerjee	IND	53.1est / at 1 metre (4 h8)	–	–	–
4 h9 r1/4	116	José García	ESP	53.4est / at 1 metre (4 h9)	–	–	–
AC h10 r1/4	111	Ahmed Abbas Khairy	EGY	– (DNF h10)	–	–	–
DNS	326	Jean Guichard	FRA	–	–	–	–
DNS	529	Émile Barral	MON	– (DNS h1)	–	–	–
DNS	645	Henri Nozieres	SUI	–	–	–	–
DNS	4	William Hunt	AUS	– (DNS h2)	–	–	–
DNS	89	Fritiof Normann Andersen	DEN	– (DNS h1)	–	–	–
DNS	107	August Sørensen	DEN	– (DNS h5)	–	–	–
DNS	679	Johannes Villemson	EST	– (DNS h9)	–	–	–
DNS	392	Cecil Griffiths	GBR	–	–	–	–
DNS	377	Philip Baker	GBR	–	–	–	–
DNS	431	Dimitrios Karampatis	GRE	– (DNS h4)	–	–	–
DNS	461	Ernesto Ambrosini	ITA	– (DNS h10)	–	–	–
DNS	517	Gensabulo Noguchi	JPN	– (DNS h4)	–	–	–
DNS	521	Shinichi Yamaoka	JPN	– (DNS h6)	–	–	–
DNS	523	Jean Colbach	LUX	– (DNS h1)	–	–	–
DNS	524	Paul Hammer	LUX	– (DNS h8)	–	–	–
DNS	650	Eduard Hašek	TCH	– (DNS h7)	–	–	–
DNS	673	Josef Teplý	TCH	– (DNS h3)	–	–	–
DNS	–	André Désfarges	FRA	–	–	–	–

Round One (19 August 1920 — 9:30)

Top two in each heat advanced to the quarter-finals.

Heat One

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	407	Robert Lindsay	GBR	52.0	Q
2	558	Clarence Oldfield	RSA	52.2est / at 1 metre	Q
3	572	Anatole Bolin	SWE	52.6est / at 3 metres
DNS	529	Émile Barral	MON	–
DNS	89	Fritiof Normann Andersen	DEN	–
DNS	523	Jean Colbach	LUX	–

Heat Two

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	324	Gaston Féry	FRA	51.2	Q
2	376	John Ainsworth-Davis	GBR	51.5est / at 2 metres	Q
3	649	Karel Frankenstein	TCH	52.5est / at 8 metres
4	555	Frank Irvine	RSA	52.5est / close behind
DNS	4	William Hunt	AUS	–

Heat Three

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	234	Frank Shea	USA	50.8	Q
2	551	Henry Dafel	RSA	51.2est / at 3 metres	Q
3	597	Sven Krokström	SWE	51.6est / at 3 metres
DNS	673	Josef Teplý	TCH	–

Heat Four

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	203	Ted Meredith	USA	51.6	Q
2	294	Géo André	FRA	52.3est / at 5 metres	Q
3	465	Giuseppe Bernardoni	ITA	52.8est / at 4 metres
DNS	431	Dimitrios Karampatis	GRE	–
DNS	517	Gensabulo Noguchi	JPN	–

Heat Five

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	561	Bevil Rudd	RSA	51.6	Q
2	292	Erkka Wilén	FIN	52.0est / at 4 metres	Q
3	678	Reinhold Saulmann	EST	52.4est / at 4 metres		1
4	501	Giovanni Tosi	ITA	52.6est / at 1 metre
DNS	107	August Sørensen	DEN	–

Heat Six

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	163	Robert Emery	USA	52.6	Q
2	382	Guy Butler	GBR	53.2est / at 4 metres	Q
3	663	Karel Přibyl	TCH	54.0est / at 6 metres
4	38	Jules Migeot	BEL	55.1est / at 8 metres
DNS	521	Shinichi Yamaoka	JPN	–

Heat Seven

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	235	George Schiller	USA	50.4	Q
2	576	Nils Engdahl	SWE	50.6est / at 1 metre	Q
3	311	Maurice Delvart	FRA	51.0est / at 3 metres
4	542	Einar Mangset	NOR	51.4est / at 3 metres
DNS	650	Eduard Hašek	TCH	–

Heat Eight

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	622	Eric Sundblad	SWE	52.0	Q
2	79	Hec Phillips	CAN	52.3est / at 2 metres	Q
3	497	Agide Simonazzi	ITA	53.0est / at 5 metres
4	507	Purma Bannerjee	IND	53.1est / at 1 metre
DNS	524	Paul Hammer	LUX	–

Heat Nine

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	11	Omer Corteyn	BEL	52.2	Q
2	427	Hedges Worthington-Eyre	GBR	52.6est / at 2 metres	Q
3	527	Jean Proess	LUX	53.2est / at 4 metres
4	116	José García	ESP	53.4est / at 1 metre
DNS	679	Johannes Villemson	EST	–

Heat Ten

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	39	François Morren	BEL	51.6	Q
2	117	Miguel García	ESP	52.0est / at 3 metres	Q
3	299	Eugène Bayon	FRA	52.4est / at 3 metres
DNF	111	Ahmed Abbas Khairy	EGY	–
DNS	461	Ernesto Ambrosini	ITA	–

Quarter-Finals (19 August 1920 — 15:15)

Top three in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	576	Nils Engdahl	SWE	50.4	Q
2	376	John Ainsworth-Davis	GBR	50.7est / at 2 metres	Q
3	163	Robert Emery	USA	50.7est / chest behind	Q
4	39	François Morren	BEL	50.8est / at 1 metre
5	558	Clarence Oldfield	RSA	51.1est / at 2 metres

Heat Two

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	324	Gaston Féry	FRA	50.6	Q
2	382	Guy Butler	GBR	50.7est / at ½ metre	Q
3	203	Ted Meredith	USA	50.8est / at 1 metre	Q
4	292	Erkka Wilén	FIN	51.0est / at 2 metres
5	79	Hec Phillips	CAN	51.4est / at 3 metres

Heat Three

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	551	Henry Dafel	RSA	50.8	Q
2	235	George Schiller	USA	51.1est / at 2 metres	Q
3	622	Eric Sundblad	SWE	51.2est / at 1 metre	Q
4	407	Robert Lindsay	GBR	51.6est / at 2 metres
5	11	Omer Corteyn	BEL	52.0est / at 3 metres

Heat Four

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	234	Frank Shea	USA	51.0	Q
2	561	Bevil Rudd	RSA	51.3est / at 1 metre	Q
3	294	Géo André	FRA	51.6est / at 2+ metres	Q
4	117	Miguel García	ESP	52.8est / at 1 metre
5	427	Hedges Worthington-Eyre	GBR	53.2est / at 2 metres

Semi-Finals (20 August 1920 — 14:00)

Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	576	Nils Engdahl	SWE	49.4	Q
2	561	Bevil Rudd	RSA	49.7est / chest behind	Q
3	376	John Ainsworth-Davis	GBR	49.9est / at 1 metre	Q
4	163	Robert Emery	USA	50.2est
5	235	George Schiller	USA	–
6	324	Gaston Féry	FRA	51.0est

Heat Two

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	234	Frank Shea	USA	50.0	Q
2	382	Guy Butler	GBR	50.2est	Q
3	551	Henry Dafel	RSA	50.4est	Q
4	203	Ted Meredith	USA	50.6est
5	294	Géo André	FRA	51.6est
DNF	622	Eric Sundblad	SWE	–

Final (20 August 1920 — 16:15)

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time
1	1	Bevil Rudd	RSA	49.6
2	5	Guy Butler	GBR	50.1est / at 4 metres
3	6	Nils Engdahl	SWE	50.2est / close behind
4	3	Frank Shea	USA	50.4est
5	4	John Ainsworth-Davis	GBR	50.6est
6	2	Henry Dafel	RSA	50.6est