| | Event type
1,500 metres, Men
| Date | 18 – 19 August 1920 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Olympisch Stadion, Antwerpen |
| Participants | 28 from 12 countries |
Albert Hill completed his 800/1,500 double with a comfortable win in which he ran together with countryman, Philip Baker, throughout. Joie Ray set the early pace, followed by Václav Vohralík, who had run the fastest time in the heats with 4:02.2. Hill and Baker held back until the bell lap when they took the lead together. America’s Larry Shields tried to pass on the backstretch, as Ray faded. Baker fought off Shields, allowing Hill to pull away on the final stretch. Philip Baker, a Quaker pacifist, later known as Philip Noel-Baker, became a well-known peace activist and proponent of nuclear disarmament in the 1950’s. Noel-Baker was instrumental in the formation of the League of Nations, helping to draft its Covenant, and was briefly the assistant to the secretary-general of the League, Eric Drummond. He served in the British Parliament for 36 years and for his efforts, in 1959 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 398 | Albert Hill |  GBR | 4:03.2est / at 6 metres (2 h1) | 4:01.8 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 377 | Philip Baker | GBR | 4:14.0est / at 5 metres (2 h4) | 4:02.4est / at 3 metres (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 238 | Larry Shields |  USA | 4:07.4est / at 1 metre (3 h2) | 4:04.3est / at 8 metres (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 674 | Václav Vohralík |  TCH | 4:02.2 (1 h1) | 4:08.0est / at 25 metres (4) | |||
| 5 | 607 | Sven Emil Lundgren |  SWE | 4:07.0 (1 h2) | 4:12.0est / at 25 metres (5) | |||
| 6 | 297 | André Audinet |  FRA | 4:03.7est / at 3 metres (3 h1) | 4:12.2est / at 1 metre (6) | |||
| 7 | 491 | Arturo Porro |  ITA | 4:09.0est / at 5 metres (2 h3) | 4:12.4est / at 1 metre (7) | |||
| 8 | 225 | Joie Ray | USA | 4:13.4 (1 h4) | 4:13.0est / at 20 metres (8) | |||
| 9 | 21 | Léon Fourneau |  BEL | 4:15.0est / at 3 metres (3 h4) | 4:16.0est / at 20 metres (9) | |||
| 10 | 339 | René Leray | FRA | 4:16.5est / at 10 metres (5 h4) | 4:25.0 (10) | |||
| 415 | Duncan McPhee | GBR | 4:07.2est / at 1 metre (2 h2) | – ( | ||||
| 631 | John Zander | SWE | 4:08.1 (1 h3) | – ( | ||||
| 145 | James Connolly | USA | 4:10.0est / at 6 metres (3 h3) | – ( | ||||
| 4 h1 r1/2 | 629 | Edvin Wide | SWE | 4:03.8est / at 50 centimetres (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/2 | 301 | Armand Burtin | FRA | 4:07.7est / at 2 metres (4 h2) | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/2 | 314 | Maurice de Coninck | FRA | 4:11.0est / at 5 metres (4 h3) | – | |||
| 4 h4 r1/2 | 596 | Fritz Kiölling | SWE | 4:15.0est / chest behind (4 h4) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/2 | 149 | Edward Curtis | USA | 4:02.4est (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/2 | 85 | Tommy Town |  CAN | – (5 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/2 | 14 | Jean Delarge | BEL | 4:11.5est / at 10 metres (5 h3) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/2 | 77 | Eddie Lawrence | CAN | 4:04.4est / at 3 metres (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/2 | 468 | Mario Giuseppe Bonini | ITA | – (6 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h4 r1/2 | 511 | Saburo Hasumi |  JPN | – (7 h4) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/2 | 49 | Theofiel Roekaert | BEL | – (7 h2) | – | |||
| 8 h2 r1/2 | 543 | Eivind Rasmussen |  NOR | – (8 h2) | – | |||
| AC h1 r1/2 | 6 | Lucien Bangels | BEL | – (DNF h1) | – | |||
| AC h4 r1/2 | 123 | Juan Muguerza |  ESP | 4:17.2 (6 h4) | – | |||
| AC h4 r1/2 | 679 | Johannes Villemson |  EST | – (DQ h4) | – | |||
| 486 | Carlo Martinenghi | ITA | – (DNS h1) | – | ||||
| 357 | Henri Protais | FRA | – | – | ||||
| 328 | Georges Guillon | FRA | – | – | ||||
| 518 | Tomeichi Ohura | JPN | – (DNS h1) | – | ||||
| 275 | Paavo Nurmi |  FIN | – (DNS h2) | – | ||||
| 561 | Bevil Rudd |  RSA | – (DNS h2) | – | ||||
| 118 | José Luis Grasset | ESP | – (DNS h2) | – | ||||
| 439 | Panagiotis Retelas |  GRE | – (DNS h3) | – | ||||
| – | Søren Nielsen |  DEN | – (DNS h3) | – | ||||
| 664 | Jaroslav Procházka | TCH | – (DNS h3) | – | ||||
| – | Arnold Jackson | GBR | – (DNS h3) | – | ||||
| 636 | Alfred Gaschen |  SUI | – (DNS h4) | – | ||||
| 461 | Ernesto Ambrosini | ITA | – (DNS h4) | – |
Round One (18 August 1920 — 15:15)
Top three in each heat advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 674 | Václav Vohralík | TCH | 4:02.2 | |||
| 2 | 398 | Albert Hill | GBR | 4:03.2est / at 6 metres | |||
| 3 | 297 | André Audinet | FRA | 4:03.7est / at 3 metres | |||
| 4 | 629 | Edvin Wide | SWE | 4:03.8est / at 50 centimetres | |||
| 5 | 149 | Edward Curtis | USA | 4:02.4est | |||
| 6 | 77 | Eddie Lawrence | CAN | 4:04.4est / at 3 metres | |||
| 6 | Lucien Bangels | BEL | – | ||||
| 486 | Carlo Martinenghi | ITA | – | ||||
| 518 | Tomeichi Ohura | JPN | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 607 | Sven Emil Lundgren | SWE | 4:07.0 | |||
| 2 | 415 | Duncan McPhee | GBR | 4:07.2est / at 1 metre | |||
| 3 | 238 | Larry Shields | USA | 4:07.4est / at 1 metre | |||
| 4 | 301 | Armand Burtin | FRA | 4:07.7est / at 2 metres | |||
| 5 | 85 | Tommy Town | CAN | – | |||
| 6 | 468 | Mario Giuseppe Bonini | ITA | – | |||
| 7 | 49 | Theofiel Roekaert | BEL | – | |||
| 8 | 543 | Eivind Rasmussen | NOR | – | |||
| 275 | Paavo Nurmi | FIN | – | ||||
| 561 | Bevil Rudd | RSA | – | ||||
| 118 | José Luis Grasset | ESP | – |
Heat Three
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 631 | John Zander | SWE | 4:08.1 | |||
| 2 | 491 | Arturo Porro | ITA | 4:09.0est / at 5 metres | |||
| 3 | 145 | James Connolly | USA | 4:10.0est / at 6 metres | |||
| 4 | 314 | Maurice de Coninck | FRA | 4:11.0est / at 5 metres | |||
| 5 | 14 | Jean Delarge | BEL | 4:11.5est / at 10 metres | |||
| 439 | Panagiotis Retelas | GRE | – | ||||
| – | Søren Nielsen | DEN | – | ||||
| 664 | Jaroslav Procházka | TCH | – | ||||
| – | Arnold Jackson | GBR | – |
Heat Four
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 225 | Joie Ray | USA | 4:13.4 | |||
| 2 | 377 | Philip Baker | GBR | 4:14.0est / at 5 metres | |||
| 3 | 21 | Léon Fourneau | BEL | 4:15.0est / at 3 metres | |||
| 4 | 596 | Fritz Kiölling | SWE | 4:15.0est / chest behind | |||
| 5 | 339 | René Leray | FRA | 4:16.5est / at 10 metres | 1 | ||
| 6 | 123 | Juan Muguerza | ESP | 4:17.2 | |||
| 7 | 511 | Saburo Hasumi | JPN | – | |||
| 679 | Johannes Villemson | EST | – | ||||
| 636 | Alfred Gaschen | SUI | – | ||||
| 461 | Ernesto Ambrosini | ITA | – |
Final (19 August 1920 — 17:15)
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 398 | Albert Hill | GBR | 4:01.8 | |||
| 2 | 377 | Philip Baker | GBR | 4:02.4est / at 3 metres | |||
| 3 | 238 | Larry Shields | USA | 4:04.3est / at 8 metres | |||
| 4 | 674 | Václav Vohralík | TCH | 4:08.0est / at 25 metres | |||
| 5 | 607 | Sven Emil Lundgren | SWE | 4:12.0est / at 25 metres | |||
| 6 | 297 | André Audinet | FRA | 4:12.2est / at 1 metre | |||
| 7 | 491 | Arturo Porro | ITA | 4:12.4est / at 1 metre | |||
| 8 | 225 | Joie Ray | USA | 4:13.0est / at 20 metres | |||
| 9 | 21 | Léon Fourneau | BEL | 4:16.0est / at 20 metres | |||
| 10 | 339 | René Leray | FRA | 4:25.0 | |||
| 415 | Duncan McPhee | GBR | – | ||||
| 145 | James Connolly | USA | – | ||||
| 631 | John Zander | SWE | – |
Splits
| 400 m | Joie Ray | | |
| 1100 m | Albert Hill | |