| | Event type

1,500 metres Freestyle, Men

Date	5 – 7 August 1948
Status	Olympic
Location	Wembley Arena, Wembley, London
Participants	39 from 21 countries

In 1938 Japan’s Tomikatsu Amano had become the first man to break nineteen minutes for the 1500m and his example had been matched by a younger generation of Japanese swimmers but, since Japan was not invited to the 1948 Olympics, the mantle of favourite for this event fell on France’s Alex Jany. The Frenchman performed poorly in his other events and, after the British food had proved too much for his stomach, was too ill to compete in the 1500m. This left the way clear for the seventeen year old American schoolboy, James McLane, and the previously unconsidered Australian John Marshall to battle for the gold. McLane started well and maintained a lead for the first thousand metres. With 500m to go Marshall made his challenge and the two men swam stroke for stroke for the next two lengths of the pool. The Australian’s challenge faded and more technically gifted McLane swam away to become the first American to win the event since Antwerp.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	142	Jimmy McLane	USA	20:17.7 (1 h2)	19:52.2 (1 h2)	19:18.5 (1)	Gold
2	116	John Marshall	AUS	20:01.1 (1 h5)	19:53.8 (1 h1)	19:31.3 (2)	Silver
3	–	György Mitró	HUN	20:15.0 (1 h6)	20:06.5 (2 h1)	19:43.2 (3)	Bronze
4	155	György Csordás	HUN	20:06.8 (1 h4)	20:06.6 (2 h2)	19:54.2 (4)
5	146	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	20:10.1 (1 h3)	20:12.9 (3 h1)	20:10.7 (5)
6	159	Forbes Norris	USA	20:21.0 (2 h5)	20:09.3 (3 h2)	20:18.8 (6)
7	153	Don Bland	GBR	20:13.9 (2 h3)	20:19.8 (4 h2)	20:19.8 (7)
8	–	Bill Heusner	USA	20:29.6 (1 h1)	20:23.9 (4 h1)	20:45.4 (8)
9	126	Jo Bernardo	FRA	20:34.8 (3 h5)	20:25.5 (5 h2)	–
10	156	Ferenc Vörös	HUN	20:31.9 (2 h1)	20:31.4 (6 h2)	–
11	144	Florbel Pérez	URU	20:20.2 (3 h6)	20:32.6 (5 h1)	–
12	123	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	20:19.4 (2 h6)	20:32.9 (6 h1)	–
13	–	Luis González	COL	20:40.6 (3 h4)	20:41.6 (7 h2)	–
14	152	Rolf Kestener	BRA	20:36.3 (3 h2)	20:44.6 (7 h1)	–
15	140	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	20:19.8 (2 h4)	– (DNS h2)	–
16	128	Jack Hale	GBR	20:31.9 (2 h2)	– (DNS h1)	–
17	–	Don Johnston	RSA	20:41.8 (4 h6)	–	–
18	154	Jack Wardrop	GBR	20:43.0 (3 h1)	–	–
19	133	Ramón Bravo	MEX	20:45.5 (5 h6)	–	–
20	122	Luis Child	COL	20:47.0 (4 h5)	–	–
21	134	Ángel Maldonado	MEX	20:47.2 (4 h1)	–	–
22	125	René Cornu	FRA	21:01.6 (6 h6)	–	–
23	136	Sambiao Basanung	PHI	21:05.9 (3 h3)	–	–
24	139	Isidoro Martínez-Vela	ESP	21:13.7 (4 h4)	–	–
25	216	César Borja	MEX	21:15.8 (5 h4)	–	–
26	138	Alejandro Febrero	ESP	21:15.9 (4 h3)	–	–
27	148	Adolfo Mancuso	ARG	21:16.7 (5 h1)	–	–
28	160	Vanja Ilić	YUG	21:17.0 (6 h1)	–	–
29	150	Joseph Reynders	BEL	21:23.1 (4 h2)	–	–
30	120	Doug Gibson	CAN	21:25.6 (5 h3)	–	–
31	112	Juan Garay	ARG	21:33.2 (5 h5)	–	–
32	37	Jesús Domínguez	ESP	21:33.5 (6 h5)	–	–
33	115	Garrick Agnew	AUS	21:40.1 (6 h4)	–	–
34	145	Janko Puhar	YUG	21:45.1 (5 h2)	–	–
35	5	Derek Oatway	BER	21:55.1 (7 h5)	–	–
36	132	Bimal Chandra	IND	22:52.9 (6 h3)	–	–
37	–	Philip Tribley	BER	22:56.6 (7 h3)	–	–
38	119	Allen Gilchrist	CAN	23:00.6 (7 h4)	–	–
39	135	Anwar Aziz Chaudhry	PAK	25:37.4 (7 h1)	–	–
DNS	113	Alfredo Yantorno	ARG	– (DNS h6)	–	–
DNS	20	Alex Jany	FRA	– (DNS h2)	–	–

Round One

Date	5 August 1948
Format	Top two in each heat and the next four fastest advanced to the semi-finals.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	John Marshall	AUS	20:01.1	Q
2	–	György Csordás	HUN	20:06.8	Q
3	–	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	20:10.1	Q
4	–	Don Bland	GBR	20:13.9	Q
5	–	György Mitró	HUN	20:15.0	Q
6	–	Jimmy McLane	USA	20:17.7	Q
7	–	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	20:19.4	Q
8	–	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	20:19.8	Q
9	–	Florbel Pérez	URU	20:20.2	q
10	–	Forbes Norris	USA	20:21.0	Q
11	–	Bill Heusner	USA	20:29.6	Q
=12	–	Ferenc Vörös	HUN	20:31.9	Q
=12	–	Jack Hale	GBR	20:31.9	Q
14	–	Jo Bernardo	FRA	20:34.8	q
15	–	Rolf Kestener	BRA	20:36.3	q
16	–	Luis González	COL	20:40.6	q
17	–	Don Johnston	RSA	20:41.8
18	–	Jack Wardrop	GBR	20:43.0
19	–	Ramón Bravo	MEX	20:45.5
20	–	Luis Child	COL	20:47.0
21	–	Ángel Maldonado	MEX	20:47.2
22	–	René Cornu	FRA	21:01.6
23	–	Sambiao Basanung	PHI	21:05.9
24	–	Isidoro Martínez-Vela	ESP	21:13.7
25	–	César Borja	MEX	21:15.8
26	–	Alejandro Febrero	ESP	21:15.9
27	–	Adolfo Mancuso	ARG	21:16.7
28	–	Vanja Ilić	YUG	21:17.0
29	–	Joseph Reynders	BEL	21:23.1
30	–	Doug Gibson	CAN	21:25.6
31	–	Juan Garay	ARG	21:33.2
32	–	Jesús Domínguez	ESP	21:33.5
33	–	Garrick Agnew	AUS	21:40.1
34	–	Janko Puhar	YUG	21:45.1
35	–	Derek Oatway	BER	21:55.1
36	–	Bimal Chandra	IND	22:52.9
37	–	Philip Tribley	BER	22:56.6
38	–	Allen Gilchrist	CAN	23:00.6
39	–	Anwar Aziz Chaudhry	PAK	25:37.4
DNS	–	Alex Jany	FRA	–
DNS	–	Alfredo Yantorno	ARG	–

Heat #1

Time	10:00

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Bill Heusner	USA	20:29.6	Q
2	–	Ferenc Vörös	HUN	20:31.9	Q
3	–	Jack Wardrop	GBR	20:43.0
4	–	Ángel Maldonado	MEX	20:47.2
5	–	Adolfo Mancuso	ARG	21:16.7
6	–	Vanja Ilić	YUG	21:17.0
7	–	Anwar Aziz Chaudhry	PAK	25:37.4

Heat #2

Time	10:40

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Jimmy McLane	USA	20:17.7	Q
2	–	Jack Hale	GBR	20:31.9	Q
3	–	Rolf Kestener	BRA	20:36.3	q
4	–	Joseph Reynders	BEL	21:23.1
5	–	Janko Puhar	YUG	21:45.1
DNS	–	Alex Jany	FRA	–

Heat #3

Time	11:20

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	20:10.1	Q
2	–	Don Bland	GBR	20:13.9	Q
3	–	Sambiao Basanung	PHI	21:05.9
4	–	Alejandro Febrero	ESP	21:15.9
5	–	Doug Gibson	CAN	21:25.6
6	–	Bimal Chandra	IND	22:52.9
7	–	Philip Tribley	BER	22:56.6

Heat #4

Time	14:00

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	György Csordás	HUN	20:06.8	Q
2	–	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	20:19.8	Q
3	–	Luis González	COL	20:40.6	q
4	–	Isidoro Martínez-Vela	ESP	21:13.7
5	–	César Borja	MEX	21:15.8
6	–	Garrick Agnew	AUS	21:40.1
7	–	Allen Gilchrist	CAN	23:00.6

Heat #5

Time	14:40

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	John Marshall	AUS	20:01.1	Q
2	–	Forbes Norris	USA	20:21.0	Q
3	–	Jo Bernardo	FRA	20:34.8	q
4	–	Luis Child	COL	20:47.0
5	–	Juan Garay	ARG	21:33.2
6	–	Jesús Domínguez	ESP	21:33.5
7	–	Derek Oatway	BER	21:55.1

Heat #6

Time	15:20

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	György Mitró	HUN	20:15.0	Q
2	–	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	20:19.4	Q
3	–	Florbel Pérez	URU	20:20.2	q
4	–	Don Johnston	RSA	20:41.8
5	–	Ramón Bravo	MEX	20:45.5
6	–	René Cornu	FRA	21:01.6
DNS	–	Alfredo Yantorno	ARG	–

Semi-Finals

Date	6 August 1948 — 10:00
Format	Top three in each heat and the next two fastest advanced to the final.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Jimmy McLane	USA	19:52.2	Q
2	–	John Marshall	AUS	19:53.8	Q
3	–	György Mitró	HUN	20:06.5	Q
4	–	György Csordás	HUN	20:06.6	Q
5	–	Forbes Norris	USA	20:09.3	Q
6	–	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	20:12.9	Q
7	–	Don Bland	GBR	20:19.8	q
8	–	Bill Heusner	USA	20:23.9	q
9	–	Jo Bernardo	FRA	20:25.5
10	–	Ferenc Vörös	HUN	20:31.4
11	–	Florbel Pérez	URU	20:32.6
12	–	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	20:32.9
13	–	Luis González	COL	20:41.6
14	–	Rolf Kestener	BRA	20:44.6
DNS	–	Jack Hale	GBR	–
DNS	–	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	John Marshall	AUS	19:53.8	Q
2	–	György Mitró	HUN	20:06.5	Q
3	–	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	20:12.9	Q
4	–	Bill Heusner	USA	20:23.9	q
5	–	Florbel Pérez	URU	20:32.6
6	–	Miroslav Bartůšek	TCH	20:32.9
7	–	Rolf Kestener	BRA	20:44.6
DNS	–	Jack Hale	GBR	–

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Jimmy McLane	USA	19:52.2	Q
2	–	György Csordás	HUN	20:06.6	Q
3	–	Forbes Norris	USA	20:09.3	Q
4	–	Don Bland	GBR	20:19.8	q
5	–	Jo Bernardo	FRA	20:25.5
6	–	Ferenc Vörös	HUN	20:31.4
7	–	Luis González	COL	20:41.6
DNS	–	Per-Olof Östrand	SWE	–

Final Round

Date	7 August 1948 — 16:00

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Jimmy McLane	USA	19:18.5
2	–	John Marshall	AUS	19:31.3
3	–	György Mitró	HUN	19:43.2
4	–	György Csordás	HUN	19:54.2
5	–	Marijan Stipetić	YUG	20:10.7
6	–	Forbes Norris	USA	20:18.8
7	–	Don Bland	GBR	20:19.8
8	–	Bill Heusner	USA	20:45.4