The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games took place on August 3 and August 4. There were 32 competitors from 20 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Glenn Hardin. After two Games of silver and bronze medals, it was the United States' first victory since 1920 and sixth overall. However, it was the first time since 1900 that the Americans had only one medalist in the event. John Loaring took Canada's first 400 metres hurdles medal since 1900 with his silver. Miguel White gave the Philippines a bronze in its 400 metres hurdles debut.

Background

This was the eighth time the event was held. It had been introduced along with the men's 200 metres hurdles in 1900, with the 200 being dropped after 1904 and the 400 being held through 1908 before being left off the 1912 programme. However, when the Olympics returned in 1920 after World War I, the men's 400 metres hurdles was back and would continue to be contested at every Games thereafter.

Three of the six finalists from the 1932 Games returned: silver medalist Glenn Hardin of the United States, fifth-place finisher Luigi Facelli of Italy, and sixth-place finisher Kell Areskoug of Sweden. Hardin held the Olympic record, as the 1932 winner (Bob Tisdall) had knocked over a hurdle, as well as the world record which he had dropped from 52.0 seconds to 51.8 and then to 50.6 seconds in 1934. Hardin had not lost a 400 metres hurdles race since being beaten by Tisdall in that Los Angeles 1932 final.

Austria, the Philippines, and Yugoslavia each made their debut in the event. The United States made its eighth appearance, the only nation to have competed at every edition of the event to that point.

Competition format

The competition featured the three-round format introduced in 1908: quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. Ten sets of hurdles were set on the course. The hurdles were 3 feet (91.5 centimetres) tall and were placed 35 metres apart beginning 45 metres from the starting line, resulting in a 40 metres home stretch after the last hurdle. The 400 metres track was standard.

There were 6 quarterfinal heats, with between 4 and 6 athletes each. The top 2 men in each quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals. The 12 semifinalists were divided into 2 semifinals of 6 athletes each, with the top 3 in each semifinal advancing to the 6-man final.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1936 Summer Olympics.

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

Schedule

The semifinals were held on the day of the final instead of the day of the quarterfinals.

Date Time Round Monday, 3 August 1936 15:00 Round 1 Tuesday, 4 August 1936 15:0017:30 SemifinalsFinal

Results

The fastest two runners in each of the six heats advanced to the semifinal round.

Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal 1

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 József Kovács 53.7 2 Juul Bosmans 53.8 3 Prudent Joye 54.1 4 Tokio Fukuda 56.8

Quarterfinal 2

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 Fritz Nottbrock 54.7 2 Dale Schofield 54.8 3 Luigi Facelli 55.1 4 Jim Worrall 55.5 5 Louis Gailliard 56.4 6 August Banščak 1:01.5

Quarterfinal 3

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 Miguel White 53.4 2 Johnny Loaring 54.3 3 Alf Watson 54.5 4 Masao Ichihara 54.7 5 Ioannis Skiadas 55.3 6 Emilio Mori 55.6

Quarterfinal 4

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 Joe Patterson 54.4 2 Juan Lavenás 54.5 3 Hans Scheele 54.6 4 Umberto Ridi 55.5 5 Teodoro Malasig 56.1

Quarterfinal 5

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 Khristos Mantikas 53.8 2 Sylvio Padilha 54.2 3 Vane Ivanović 54.7 4 Frank Rushton 55.2 5 Kell Areskoug 55.7 6 Walter Fritsch 58.3

Quarterfinal 6

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 Glenn Hardin 53.9 2 Willi Kürten 54.6 3 Ernst Leitner 54.9 4 Ernst Berndt 57.6 5 John Sheffield 58.1

Semifinals

The fastest three runners in each of the two heats advanced to the final round.

Semifinal 1

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 Glenn Hardin 53.2 2 Miguel White 53.4 3 Khristos Mantikas 53.5 4 Dale Schofield 53.5 5 Juan Lavenás 54.5 6 Willi Kürten 54.5

Semifinal 2

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes 1 Joe Patterson 52.8 2 Johnny Loaring 53.1 3 Sylvio de Magalhães Padilha 53.3 4 Juul Bosmans 53.4 5 József Kovács 54.0 6 Fritz Nottbrock 54.8

Final

Rank Athlete Nation Time Glenn Hardin 52.4 John Loaring 52.7 Miguel White 52.8 4 Joe Patterson 53.0 5 Sylvio de Magalhães Padilha 54.0 6 Khristos Mantikas 54.2

Results summary

Rank Athlete Nation Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Glenn Hardin 53.9 53.2 52.4 John Loaring 54.3 53.1 52.7 Miguel White 53.4 53.4 52.8 4 Joe Patterson 54.4 52.8 53.0 5 Sylvio de Magalhães Padilha 54.2 53.3 54.0 6 Khristos Mantikas 53.8 53.5 54.2 7 Juul Bosmans 53.8 53.4 Did not advance 8 Dale Schofield 54.8 53.5 9 József Kovács 53.7 54.0 10 Juan Lavenás 54.5 54.5 11 Willi Kürten 54.6 54.5 12 Fritz Nottbrock 54.7 54.8 13 Prudent Joye 54.1 Did not advance 14 Alf Watson 54.5 15 Hans Scheele 54.6 16 Masao Ichihara 54.7Vane Ivanović 54.7 18 Ernst Leitner 54.9 19 Luigi Facelli 55.1 20 Frank Rushton 55.2 21 Ioannis Skiadas 55.3 22 Umberto Ridi 55.5Jim Worrall 55.5 24 Emilio Mori 55.6 25 Kell Areskoug 55.7 26 Teodoro Malasig 56.1 27 Louis Gailliard 56.4 28 Tokio Fukuda 56.8 29 Ernst Berndt 57.6 30 John Sheffield 58.1 31 Walter Fritsch 58.3 32 August Banščak 1:01.5

References