| | Event type
½ mile, Men
| Date | 2 August 1904 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Francis Field, Washington University, St. Louis |
| Participants | 12 from 1 countries |
The half-mile competition was the first Olympic event held in 1904. Marcus Hurley won it in convincing style, with the big surprise being Teddy Billington defeating Burton Downing for second. Four heats were contested, won by Hurley, Aimé Fritz, Downing and Billington. The semi-finals went to Hurley and Billington. In the final, Billington was on the pole with Hurley next to him, Downing in third position, and George Wiley on the outer lane. Wiley set the pace for the first quarter of a mile, at which time all three cyclists passed him easily. Hurley stayed on the pole in the stretch and won by a length and a half over Billington, who defeated Downing by almost two lengths.
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Hurley |  USA | 1:08.6 (1 h1) | 1:12.8 (1 h1) | 1:09.0 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | Teddy Billington | USA | 1:18.6 (1 h3) | 1:09.0 (1 h2) | – (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Burton Downing | USA | 1:13.6 (1 h4) | – (2 h2) | – (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | George Wiley | USA | – (2 h1) | – (2 h1) | – (4) | |||
| AC h1 r2/3 | Aimé Fritz | USA | 1:07.0 (1 h2) | – (AC h1) | – | |||
| AC h1 r2/3 | Charles Schlee | USA | – (2 h2) | – (AC h1) | – | |||
| AC h2 r2/3 | Fred Grinham | USA | – (2 h4) | – (AC h2) | – | |||
| AC h2 r2/3 | Harry Wittmann | USA | – (2 h3) | – (AC h2) | – | |||
| 3 h1 r1/3 | Arthur Andrews | USA | – (3 h1) | – | – | |||
| 3 h2 r1/3 | Oscar Goerke | USA | – (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 3 h3 r1/3 | Anthony Williamsen | USA | – (3 h3) | – | – | |||
| 3 h4 r1/3 | Leo Larson | USA | – (3 h4) | – | – |
Round One
| Date | 2 August 1904 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top two finishers in each heat advanced to the semi-finals. |
Heat #1
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Time | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Hurley | USA | 1:08.6 | – | ||
| 2 | George Wiley | USA | – | – | ||
| 3 | Arthur Andrews | USA | – | – |
Heat #2
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Time | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aimé Fritz | USA | 1:07.0 | – | ||
| 2 | Charles Schlee | USA | – | – | ||
| 3 | Oscar Goerke | USA | – | – |
Heat #3
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Time | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teddy Billington | USA | 1:18.6 | – | ||
| 2 | Harry Wittmann | USA | – | at 3 lengths | ||
| 3 | Anthony Williamsen | USA | – | – |
Heat #4
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Time | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burton Downing | USA | 1:13.6 | – | ||
| 2 | Fred Grinham | USA | – | – | ||
| 3 | Leo Larson | USA | – | – |
Semi-Finals
| Date | 2 August 1904 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top two finishers in each heat advanced to the final. |
Heat #1
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Time | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Hurley | USA | 1:12.8 | – | ||
| 2 | George Wiley | USA | – | – | ||
| Aimé Fritz | USA | – | – | |||
| Charles Schlee | USA | – | – |
Heat #2
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Time | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teddy Billington | USA | 1:09.0 | – | ||
| 2 | Burton Downing | USA | – | at ½ lengths | ||
| Fred Grinham | USA | – | – | |||
| Harry Wittmann | USA | – | – |
Final Round
| Date | 2 August 1904 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Time | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Hurley | USA | 1:09.0 | – | ||
| 2 | Teddy Billington | USA | – | at 1½ lengths | ||
| 3 | Burton Downing | USA | – | at 2 lengths | ||
| 4 | George Wiley | USA | – | – |