Dates July 16
July 17 Start date 1908 Venue White City Stadium | Competitors 21 from 11 nations Location White City Stadium | |
The men's 100 metre backstroke was one of six swimming events on the swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only backstroke event on the schedule. It was the first appearance of the event, after a 100-yard event was held in 1904. The competition was held on Thursday July 16, 1908 and on Friday July 17, 1908.
Contents
Twenty-one swimmers from eleven nations competed.
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.
(*) 100 yards (= 91.44 m)
In the first heat Arno Bieberstein set the first Olympic record with 1:25.6 minutes. In the first semi-final he equalized his time and in the final he bettered his own record with 1:24.6 minutes. The time set in the final was the first official world record for this distance.
First round
Thursday July 16, 1908: The fastest swimmer in each heat and the fastest loser advanced, qualifying 8 swimmers for the semifinals.
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Heat 5
Parvin had no competition in the fifth heat.
Heat 6
Heat 7
Kugler started before the signal, causing him to be disqualified and his first-place finish nullified.
Semifinals
Thursday July 16, 1908: The fastest two swimmers from each semifinal advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Final
Friday July 17, 1908.