| | Event type

400 metres Freestyle, Men

Date	31 July – 4 August 1948
Status	Olympic
Location	Wembley Arena, Wembley, London
Participants	41 from 21 countries

Frenchman Alex Jany entered the competition as world record holder and a solid favourite for all three freestyle titles but he had disappointed in the sprint event and would withdraw from the 1500m. Jany did reach the final of the 400m but his qualification was overshadowed by a duo of Americans, Bill Smith and Jimmy McLane, and by the 100m bronze medallist, Hungary’s Géza Kádas. It was Smith who set the pace in the final and only his team-mate McLane, who started slowly but then moved through the pack, could challenge him. At the 200m mark the two Americans battled for the lead but Smith had enough in hand to pull away to a comfortable victory breaking the Olympic record in the process. McLane finished in second with the Australian John Marshal holding off the Hungarian challenge for the bronze medal. Jany finished sixth in a time fully fifteen seconds off his best. Bill Smith had contracted Typhoid as a child and took to swimming as a way to rebuild his strength. Hironoshin Furuhashi of Japan set a world record for this event in 1949 and would have been amongst the favourites if Japan had been permitted to compete.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	Bill Smith	USA	4:45.3 (1 h6)	4:48.4 (2 h2)	4:41.0 (1)	Gold
2	Jimmy McLane	USA	4:42.2 (1 h1)	4:49.5 (1 h1)	4:43.4 (2)	Silver
3	John Marshall	AUS	4:51.4 (2 h6)	4:50.0 (2 h1)	4:47.4 (3)	Bronze
4	Géza Kádas	HUN	4:52.8 (1 h5)	4:47.8 (1 h2)	4:49.4 (4)
5	György Mitró	HUN	4:56.0 (1 h4)	4:50.8 (3 h1)	4:49.9 (5)
6	Alex Jany	FRA	4:53.3 (2 h3)	4:51.3 (3 h2)	4:51.4 (6)
7	Jack Hale	GBR	4:53.3 (1 h3)	4:51.4 (4 h1)	4:55.9 (7)
8	Alfredo Yantorno	ARG	4:53.8 (1 h2)	4:57.3 (4 h2)	4:58.7 (8)
5 h1 r2/3	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	5:01.4 (3 h3)	4:58.6 (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r2/3	Bill Heusner	USA	4:58.3 (2 h4)	4:57.4 (5 h2)	–
6 h1 r2/3	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	4:57.9 (3 h2)	4:58.7 (6 h1)	–
6 h2 r2/3	Janko Puhar	YUG	5:00.8 (3 h6)	4:58.7 (6 h2)	–
7 h1 r2/3	Branko Vidović	YUG	4:58.7 (3 h4)	4:59.4 (7 h1)	–
7 h2 r2/3	Don Johnston	RSA	4:57.4 (2 h2)	4:59.5 (7 h2)	–
2 h1 r1/3	Imre Nyéki	HUN	5:01.8 (2 h1)	– (DNS h2)	–
2 h5 r1/3	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	4:53.5 (2 h5)	– (DNS h1)	–
3 h1 r1/3	Roy Botham	GBR	5:03.4 (3 h1)	–	–
3 h5 r1/3	Florbel Pérez	URU	5:04.7 (3 h5)	–	–
4 h1 r1/3	José Durañona	ARG	5:05.8 (4 h1)	–	–
4 h2 r1/3	Jo Bernardo	FRA	5:03.8 (4 h2)	–	–
4 h3 r1/3	Garrick Agnew	AUS	5:06.1 (4 h3)	–	–
4 h4 r1/3	Isidoro Martínez-Vela	ESP	5:10.0 (4 h4)	–	–
4 h5 r1/3	René Cornu	FRA	5:05.2 (4 h5)	–	–
4 h6 r1/3	Luis González	COL	5:02.1 (4 h6)	–	–
5 h1 r1/3	Alejandro Febrero	ESP	5:16.9 (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r1/3	Doug Gibson	CAN	5:13.4 (5 h2)	–	–
5 h3 r1/3	Luis Child	COL	5:08.5 (5 h3)	–	–
5 h4 r1/3	Juan Garay	ARG	5:10.4 (5 h4)	–	–
5 h5 r1/3	Isidoro Pérez	ESP	5:16.1 (5 h5)	–	–
5 h6 r1/3	Ari Guðmundsson	ISL	5:16.2 (5 h6)	–	–
6 h1 r1/3	Robert Cook	BER	5:37.9 (6 h1)	–	–
6 h2 r1/3	Walter Schneider	SUI	5:25.5 (6 h2)	–	–
6 h3 r1/3	Allen Gilchrist	CAN	5:21.5 (6 h3)	–	–
6 h4 r1/3	Derek Oatway	BER	5:20.9 (6 h4)	–	–
6 h5 r1/3	Sambiao Basanung	PHI	5:21.5 (6 h5)	–	–
6 h6 r1/3	Tom Holt	GBR	5:20.7 (6 h6)	–	–
7 h1 r1/3	Jack Hakim	EGY	5:40.3 (7 h1)	–	–
7 h2 r1/3	Walter Bardgett	BER	5:37.2 (7 h2)	–	–
7 h3 r1/3	Anwar Aziz Chaudhry	PAK	6:17.4 (7 h3)	–	–
7 h4 r1/3	Bimal Chandra	IND	5:38.6 (7 h4)	–	–
7 h6 r1/3	Sultan Karim Ali	PAK	7:16.9 (7 h6)	–	–
DNS	Taha El-Gamal	EGY	– (DNS h4)	–	–
DNS	Sachin Nag	IND	– (DNS h5)	–	–
DNS	Liam Jones	IRL	– (DNS h1)	–	–
DNS	Ramón Bravo	MEX	– (DNS h5)	–	–
DNS	Ángel Maldonado	MEX	– (DNS h2)	–	–

Round One (31 July – 2 August 1948)

Top two in each heat and the next four fastest advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One (31 July 1948 — 19:00)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	3	Jimmy McLane	USA	– (–) –	4:42.2	QOR
2	5	Imre Nyéki	HUN	– (–) –	5:01.8	Q
3	6	Roy Botham	GBR	– (–) –	5:03.4
4	4	José Durañona	ARG	– (–) –	5:05.8
5	8	Alejandro Febrero	ESP	– (–) –	5:16.9
6	2	Robert Cook	BER	– (–) –	5:37.9
7	7	Jack Hakim	EGY	– (–) –	5:40.3
DNS	1	Liam Jones	IRL	– (–) –	–

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	6	Alfredo Yantorno	ARG	– (–) –	4:53.8	Q
2	4	Don Johnston	RSA	– (–) –	4:57.4	Q
3	5	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	– (–) –	4:57.9	q
4	1	Jo Bernardo	FRA	– (–) –	5:03.8
5	8	Doug Gibson	CAN	– (–) –	5:13.4
6	3	Walter Schneider	SUI	– (–) –	5:25.5
7	2	Walter Bardgett	BER	– (–) –	5:37.2
DNS	7	Ángel Maldonado	MEX	– (–) –	–

Heat Three

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	1	Jack Hale	GBR	– (–) –	4:53.3	Q
2	3	Alex Jany	FRA	– (–) –	4:53.3	Q
3	5	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	– (–) –	5:01.4	q
4	2	Garrick Agnew	AUS	– (–) –	5:06.1
5	6	Luis Child	COL	– (–) –	5:08.5
6	7	Allen Gilchrist	CAN	– (–) –	5:21.5
7	4	Anwar Aziz Chaudhry	PAK	– (–) –	6:17.4

Heat Four (2 August 1948 — 19:00)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	2	György Mitró	HUN	– (–) –	4:56.0	Q
2	8	Bill Heusner	USA	– (–) –	4:58.3	Q
3	7	Branko Vidović	YUG	– (–) –	4:58.7	q
4	1	Isidoro Martínez-Vela	ESP	– (–) –	5:10.0
5	6	Juan Garay	ARG	– (–) –	5:10.4
6	4	Derek Oatway	BER	– (–) –	5:20.9
7	3	Bimal Chandra	IND	– (–) –	5:38.6
DNS	5	Taha El-Gamal	EGY	– (–) –	–

Heat Five

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	8	Géza Kádas	HUN	– (–) –	4:52.8	Q
2	4	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	– (–) –	4:53.5	Q
3	1	Florbel Pérez	URU	– (–) –	5:04.7
4	6	René Cornu	FRA	– (–) –	5:05.2
5	3	Isidoro Pérez	ESP	– (–) –	5:16.1
6	5	Sambiao Basanung	PHI	– (–) –	5:21.5
DNS	2	Sachin Nag	IND	– (–) –	–
DNS	7	Ramón Bravo	MEX	– (–) –	–

Heat Six

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	3	Bill Smith	USA	– (–) –	4:45.3	Q
2	7	John Marshall	AUS	– (–) –	4:51.4	Q
3	5	Janko Puhar	YUG	– (–) –	5:00.8	q
4	2	Luis González	COL	– (–) –	5:02.1
5	1	Ari Guðmundsson	ISL	– (–) –	5:16.2
6	6	Tom Holt	GBR	– (–) –	5:20.7
7	4	Sultan Karim Ali	PAK	– (–) –	7:16.9

Semi-Finals (2 August 1948 — 21:00)

Top two in each heat and the next four fastest advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	5	Jimmy McLane	USA	– (–) –	4:49.5	Q
2	4	John Marshall	AUS	– (–) –	4:50.0	Q
3	7	György Mitró	HUN	– (–) –	4:50.8	q
4	6	Jack Hale	GBR	– (–) –	4:51.4	q
5	1	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	– (–) –	4:58.6
6	2	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	– (–) –	4:58.7
7	8	Branko Vidović	YUG	– (–) –	4:59.4
DNS	3	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	– (–) –	–

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	4	Géza Kádas	HUN	– (–) –	4:47.8	Q
2	5	Bill Smith	USA	– (–) –	4:48.4	Q
3	6	Alex Jany	FRA	– (–) –	4:51.3	q
4	3	Alfredo Yantorno	ARG	– (–) –	4:57.3	q
5	2	Bill Heusner	USA	– (–) –	4:57.4
6	8	Janko Puhar	YUG	– (–) –	4:58.7
7	7	Don Johnston	RSA	– (–) –	4:59.5
DNS	1	Imre Nyéki	HUN	– (–) –	–

Final (4 August 1948 — 19:00)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	4	Bill Smith	USA	– (–) –	4:41.0	OR
2	6	Jimmy McLane	USA	– (–) –	4:43.4
3	3	John Marshall	AUS	– (–) –	4:47.4
4	5	Géza Kádas	HUN	– (–) –	4:49.4
5	7	György Mitró	HUN	– (–) –	4:49.9
6	2	Alex Jany	FRA	– (–) –	4:51.4
7	8	Jack Hale	GBR	– (–) –	4:55.9
8	1	Alfredo Yantorno	ARG	– (–) –	4:58.7