| | Event type
100 metres Backstroke, Men
| Date | 22 – 23 August 1920 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Zwemstadion van Antwerpen, Antwerpen |
| Participants | 12 from 6 countries |
Watten Paoa Kealoha set a world record of 1:14.8 in the second semi-final, breaking the mark of 1:15.6 that had been set by Otto Fahr (GER) in 1912. Kealoha then won the final easily, defeating three other Americans and Belgium’s Gérard Blitz.
| Pos | Swimmer | NOC | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Kealoha |  USA | 1:14.8 (1 h2) | 1:15.2 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | Ray Kegeris | USA | 1:17.8 (1 h1) | 1:16.8 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Gérard Blitz |  BEL | 1:18.6 (2 h2) | 1:19.0 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | Perry McGillivray | USA | 1:20.4 (3 h2) | 1:19.4 (4) | |||
| 5 | Stubby Kruger | USA | 1:19.0 (2 h1) | – (5) | |||
| 3 h1 r1/2 | Gaspard Lemaire | BEL | 1:28.0 (3 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/2 | Asbjørn Wang |  NOR | 1:28.2 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/2 | George Webster |  GBR | 1:26.0 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/2 | Henri Matter |  FRA | – (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/2 | Daniel Lehu | FRA | – (5 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/2 | George Robertson | GBR | – (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/2 | Per Holmström |  SWE | – (6 h2) | – |
Semi-Finals (22 August 1920 — 16:45)
Top two in each heat and the fastest third-place advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Ray Kegeris | USA | 1:17.8 | |||
| 2 | – | Stubby Kruger | USA | 1:19.0 | |||
| 3 | – | Gaspard Lemaire | BEL | 1:28.0 | |||
| 4 | – | Asbjørn Wang | NOR | 1:28.2 | |||
| 5 | – | Henri Matter | FRA | – | |||
| 6 | – | George Robertson | GBR | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Warren Kealoha | USA | 1:14.8 | |||
| 2 | – | Gérard Blitz | BEL | 1:18.6 | |||
| 3 | – | Perry McGillivray | USA | 1:20.4 | |||
| 4 | – | George Webster | GBR | 1:26.0 | |||
| 5 | – | Daniel Lehu | FRA | – | |||
| 6 | – | Per Holmström | SWE | – |
Final (23 August 1920 — 16:15)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Warren Kealoha | USA | 1:15.2 | |||
| 2 | – | Ray Kegeris | USA | 1:16.8 | |||
| 3 | – | Gérard Blitz | BEL | 1:19.0 | |||
| 4 | – | Perry McGillivray | USA | 1:19.4 | |||
| 5 | – | Stubby Kruger | USA | – |