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400 metres Freestyle, Men

Date22 July 1976
StatusOlympic
LocationPiscine olympique, Montréal, Québec
Participants47 from 29 countries

Tim Shaw had been the world’s top swimmer in 1975, winning the 200, 400, and 1,500 freestyles at the 1975 World Championships, but 1976 had been difficult for him. He had problems with his shoulders and a case of anemia and never again reached the form of 1975. He had set four world records in the event in 1974-75, but his mark was bettered at the US Trials in June 1976 by Brian Goodell, where he had out-dueled Shaw. The final in Montréal was more of the same, as the two matched stroke-for-stroke for 300 metres, going out at world record pace. On the penultimate lap, Goodell finally opened some water, leading Shaw by a stroke at the final turn. Shaw hung on for the next 25 metres, but then Goodell opened up further to win by half-a-bodylength in a world record 3:51.93, over a second ahead of the time he had set at the Trials. This was Goodell’s second gold medal in Montréal, having won the 1,500 metres two days before.

Soviet Volodymyr Raskatov placed third, well back in 3:55.76. Raskatov was the European record holder coming into the 1976 Games, but as David Wallechinsky has noted in his book The Complete Book of the Olympic Games, his European record would not have even qualified him for the final of the US Olympic Trials in 1976.

PosSwimmerNOCR1Final
1Brian GoodellUSA3:55.24 (1 h7)3:51.93 (1)Gold
2Tim ShawUSA3:56.40 (1 h6)3:52.54 (2)Silver
3Vladimir RaskatovURS3:57.56 (1 h3)3:55.76 (3)Bronze
4Djan MadrugaBRA3:59.62 (1 h2)3:57.18 (4)
5Steve HollandAUS3:58.39 (1 h4)3:57.59 (5)
6Sándor NagyHUN4:00.02 (2 h7)3:57.81 (6)
7Vladimir MikheyevURS4:00.20 (1 h5)4:00.79 (7)
8Steve BadgerCAN4:00.14 (2 h4)4:20.83 (8)
9Pierre AndracaFRA4:00.34 (1 h1)
10Brett NaylorNZL4:00.38 (2 h1)
11Zoltán WladárHUN4:00.55 (2 h6)
12Casey ConverseUSA4:00.65 (2 h5)
13Max MetzkerAUS4:00.82 (3 h7)
14Gordon DownieGBR4:01.00 (3 h6)
15Alan McClatcheyGBR4:02.09 (3 h5)
16Henk ElzermanNED4:02.16 (3 h4)
17Bill SawchukCAN4:02.18 (2 h3)
18Rainer StrohbachGDR4:02.24 (3 h1)
19Vladimir SalnikovURS4:02.79 (4 h4)
20Werner LampeFRG4:03.04 (4 h5)
21René van der KuilNED4:03.14 (4 h7)
22Arne BorgstrømNOR4:03.49 (5 h5)
23David López-ZuberoESP4:03.73 (5 h7)
24István KoczkaHUN4:03.75 (3 h3)
25Peter PetterssonSWE4:04.15 (4 h3)
26Graham WindeattAUS4:04.31 (5 h3)
27Frank PfützeGDR4:04.66 (2 h2)
28Bengt GingsjöSWE4:04.68 (4 h6)
29Tom AlexanderCAN4:05.63 (3 h2)
30Stefan WenzFRG4:06.25 (4 h1)
31Bengt JönssonSWE4:07.28 (4 h2)
32Borut PetričYUG4:07.54 (5 h2)
33Johan Van SteenbergeBEL4:08.28 (5 h6)
34Gerhard WaldmannSUI4:09.54 (6 h5)
35Kevin WilliamsonIRL4:09.60 (5 h1)
36Andy KnowlesBAH4:10.78 (6 h7)
37Georgios KarpouzisGRE4:12.41 (5 h4)
38Lutz LöscherGDR4:12.88 (6 h2)
39Andreas SchmidtFRG4:14.36 (6 h4)
40Tomás BecerraCOL4:14.73 (7 h7)
41Francisco CanalesPUR4:15.78 (6 h6)
42Kris SumonoINA4:17.48 (7 h2)
43Sigurður ÓlafssonISL4:18.11 (6 h1)
44Edwin BorjaPHI4:18.97 (7 h5)
45Patrick NovarettiMON4:20.62 (8 h7)
46Rui de AbreuPOR4:28.43 (7 h4)
47Frank RichardsonNCA4:40.76 (6 h3)
DNSGuillermo GarcíaMEX– (DNS h1)
DNSBrian BrinkleyGBR– (DNS h6)
DNSAli GharbiTUN– (DNS h6)

Round One (22 July 1976 — 9:45)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Pierre AndracaFRA4:00.34
25Brett NaylorNZL4:00.38
34Rainer StrohbachGDR4:02.24
46Stefan WenzFRG4:06.25
52Kevin WilliamsonIRL4:09.60
61Sigurður ÓlafssonISL4:18.11
DNS7Guillermo GarcíaMEX

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15Djan MadrugaBRA3:59.62QOR
24Frank PfützeGDR4:04.66
36Tom AlexanderCAN4:05.63
42Bengt JönssonSWE4:07.28
57Borut PetričYUG4:07.54
63Lutz LöscherGDR4:12.88
71Kris SumonoINA4:17.48

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Vladimir RaskatovURS3:57.56QOR
23Bill SawchukCAN4:02.18
32István KoczkaHUN4:03.75
46Peter PetterssonSWE4:04.15
55Graham WindeattAUS4:04.31
61Frank RichardsonNCA4:40.76

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Steve HollandAUS3:58.39Q
25Steve BadgerCAN4:00.14Q
33Henk ElzermanNED4:02.16
46Vladimir SalnikovURS4:02.79
57Georgios KarpouzisGRE4:12.41
62Andreas SchmidtFRG4:14.36
71Rui de AbreuPOR4:28.43

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15Vladimir MikheyevURS4:00.20Q
24Casey ConverseUSA4:00.65
33Alan McClatcheyGBR4:02.09
42Werner LampeFRG4:03.04
56Arne BorgstrømNOR4:03.49
67Gerhard WaldmannSUI4:09.54
71Edwin BorjaPHI4:18.97

Heat Six

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Tim ShawUSA3:56.40QOR
25Zoltán WladárHUN4:00.55
32Gordon DownieGBR4:01.00
46Bengt GingsjöSWE4:04.68
57Johan Van SteenbergeBEL4:08.28
61Francisco CanalesPUR4:15.78
DNS3Brian BrinkleyGBR
DNS8Ali GharbiTUN

Heat Seven

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Brian GoodellUSA3:55.24QOR
25Sándor NagyHUN4:00.02Q
33Max MetzkerAUS4:00.82
46René van der KuilNED4:03.14
52David López-ZuberoESP4:03.73
67Andy KnowlesBAH4:10.78
71Tomás BecerraCOL4:14.73
88Patrick NovarettiMON4:20.62

Final (22 July 1976 — 19:15)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Brian GoodellUSA3:51.93WR
25Tim ShawUSA3:52.54
33Vladimir RaskatovURS3:55.76
42Djan MadrugaBRA3:57.18
56Steve HollandAUS3:57.59
67Sándor NagyHUN3:57.81
78Vladimir MikheyevURS4:00.79
81Steve BadgerCAN4:20.83