The men's 100 metres was the shortest of the sprint races at the 1908 Summer Olympics

1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The competition was held over the course of three days. The first round was held on 20 July, the semifinals on 21 July, and the final on 22 July.

Records
Heats
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Semifinals
1				2					3				4
Final
References

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.

World Record	10.6(*)	Knut Lindberg Knut Lindberg Knut Lindberg was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....	Gothenburg Gothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...  (SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... )	August 26, 1906
Olympic Record	10.8	Frank Jarvis Frank Jarvis Frank Washington Jarvis was an American athlete, and the Olympic 100 m champion of 1900.Jarvis, an AAU champion in the 100 y, was among the pre-race favourites for the 100 m at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, but the hot favourite was American Arthur Duffey, who won the British Championships...	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...  (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... )	July 14, 1900
	10.8	Walter Tewksbury	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...  (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... )	July 14, 1900

(*) unofficial

James Rector (in the 15th heat and the third semi-final) and Reggie Walker

Reggie Walker

Reginald Edgar Walker was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.-Biography:...

 (in the first semi-final and final) both equalized the standing Olympic record. Reggie Walker

Reggie Walker

Reginald Edgar Walker was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.-Biography:...

's actual time in the first semi-final was 10.7, but was rounded up to the nearest fifth in accordance with rules in force at the time, so his time was given as 10.

Heats

Times were kept for the winning runner in each heat only. They were measured to the closest second. The fastest runner advanced to the second round. The competition began at 3 p.m. on 20 July, the seventh day of the Games. A break was taken after the first nine heats to allow for four heats of the 800 metres

Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 metres

The men's 800 metres made its fourth Olympic appearance at the 1908 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on July 20, 1908 and on July 21, 1908. The races were held on a track of 536.45 metres= mile in circumference...

 to be run at 3:30 p.m., with the final eight heats of the 100 metres commencing at 4 p.m.

Heat 1

Duffy won this heat by three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Edward Duffy Edward Duffy Edward John Duffy was a South African athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Ryno, North West and died in Johannesburg....		11.6 seconds
2	Georgios Skoutarides Georgios Skoutarides Georgios Skoutarides was a Greek athlete. He competed at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens and at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In 1906 he was eliminated in the first round of the 110 metre hurdles competition....		(11.9 seconds)
3	Victor Henny Victor Henny Victor Henny was a Dutch athlete, who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		Unknown

Heat 2

George was ahead of Guttormsen by three yards when he finished.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	John George		11.6 seconds
2	Oscar Guttormsen Oscar Guttormsen Oscar Guttormsen was a Norwegian athlete who specialized in the sprints, jumps and hurdles. He represented the sports club Ørnulf IF in Oslo....		(12.0 seconds)

Heat 3

Cartmell crossed the finish line two yards ahead of Malfait.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Nate Cartmell Nathaniel Cartmell Nathaniel John Cartmell , also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games...		11.0 seconds
2	Georges Malfait Georges Malfait Georges W. Malfait was an French athlete who competed at the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens, at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, and the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(11.2 seconds)
3	Arthur Hoffmann Arthur Hoffmann (athlete) Arthur Hoffmann was a German athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Danzig and died in Hamburg....		(11.4 seconds)
4	Evert Koops Evert Koops Evert "Eddy" Koops was a Dutch athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born and died in Arnhem....		Unknown

Heat 4

Walker was four yards ahead of the field when he finished.
Records do not indicate which of the final two runners took which place.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Reggie Walker Reggie Walker Reginald Edgar Walker was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.-Biography:...		11.0 seconds
2	Jean Konings Jean Konings Jean Konings was a Belgian athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres event, Konings placed second in his first round heat with a time of 11.6 seconds. His loss to Reggie Walker, who had run the race in 11.0 seconds, resulted in Konings' elimination from the...		(11.6 seconds)
3	Denis Murray Denis Murray (athlete) Denis Murray was an Irish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Murray placed third in his first round heat to be eliminated from competition. In the Men's Long jump, Murray finished 9th.-References:...		Unknown
4	Edgar Kiralfy Edgar Kiralfy Edgar Graham Kiralfy was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in New York City....		Unknown
5	Ernestus Greven Ernestus Greven Ernestus "Ernst" Johannes Christiaan Greven was a Dutch athlete, who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Born in The Hague, he died at age 38 in Zoppot near Danzig in Poland....		Unknown

Heat 5

Harmer pulled up lame. Cloughen won by five yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Cloughen Robert Cloughen Robert "Bobbie" Cloughen was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and a member of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team...		11.0 seconds
2	John Johansen		(11.7 seconds)
3	David Beland David Beland David Beland was a Canadian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Beland placed third of four in his first round heat to be eliminated from competition.-References:...		Unknown
—	Henry Harmer Henry Harmer Henry Sutton Harmer was a British athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in West Ham and died in Sidmouth....		Did not finish

Heat 6

May won by about three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	William W. May William W. May William Wyman "Willie" May was an American athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Knoxville, Alabama and died in Utica, New York....		11.2 seconds
2	Victor Jacquemin Victor Jacquemin Victor Jacquemin was a Belgian athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres event, Jacquemin took second place in his first round heat with a time of 11.5 seconds. His loss to William W...		(11.5 seconds)
3	L. Lescat L. Lescat L. Lescat was a French athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Lescat took third place in his first round heat and was eliminated from further competition.-References:...		Unknown
4	Mikhail Paskalides Mikhail Paskalides Mikhail Paskalides was a Greek athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Paskalides took fourth place in his first round heat and was eliminated from further competition...		Unknown

Heat 7

Duncan won by a yard.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Duncan		11.4 seconds
2	Knut Stenborg Knut Stenborg Knut Stenborg was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(11.5 seconds)
3	Hans Eicke Hans Eicke Hans Eicke was a German athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.-Career:Eicke was born and died in Berlin. Eicke was a member of the silver medal German medley relay team. He was the second runner on the squad, running the second 200 metres...		(11.6 seconds)
4	Umberto Barrozzi Umberto Barrozzi Umberto Barrozzi was an Italian athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Ivrea....		Unknown
5	Ragnar Stenberg Ragnar Stenberg Ragnar Olaf Jakob Stenberg was a Finnish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Stenberg placed fifth in his first round heat to be eliminated from competition...		Unknown

Heat 8

Stevens beat world record holder Lindberg by inches.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Lester Stevens Lester Stevens Lester Barber Stevens was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		11.2 seconds
2	Knut Lindberg Knut Lindberg Knut Lindberg was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(11.2 seconds)
3	Heinrich Rehder Heinrich Rehder Heinrich Rehder was a German athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Rehder took third place in his first round heat with a time of 11.8 seconds to be eliminated without advancing to the semifinals.-References:...		(11.8 seconds)
4	William Murray William Murray (athlete) George William Murray was a British athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Ballincollig, Ireland....		Unknown

Heat 9

Morton won by about three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	John W. Morton John W. Morton John "Jack" William Morton was a British athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Handsworth, West Midlands and died in Brighton....		11.2 seconds
2	Axel Petersen		(11.5 seconds)
3	Jacobus Hoogveld Jacobus Hoogveld Jacobus Johannes Hoogveld was a Dutch athlete, who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		Unknown

Heat 10

Fischer pulled up lame. Kerr won by three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Kerr		11.0 seconds
2	M. Chapman M. Chapman M. Chapman was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. In the 100 metres, Chapman took second place in his first round heat with a time of 11.3 seconds. He did not advance to the semifinals.-References:...		(11.3 seconds)
—	Paul Fischer		Did not finish

Heat 11

Phillips pulled up lame, allowing Hamilton to win by about three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	William Hamilton		11.2 seconds
2	Pál Simon Pál Simon Pál Simon was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born and died in Budapest....		(11.5 seconds)
3	G. Lamotte G. Lamotte G. Lamotte was a French athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Lamotte took third place in his first round heat and did not advance to the semifinals.-References:...		Unknown
—	Herbert Phillips Herbert Phillips Herbert "Bertie" Thorne Phillips was a South African athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born and died in Pretoria.In the 100 metres, Phillips did not finish his first round heat....		Did not finish

Heat 12

Huff was only about a yard ahead of Pankhurst when he finished.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Harold Huff Harold Huff Harry "Doc" J. Huff was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He died in Kansas City, Missouri....		11.4 seconds
2	Henry Pankhurst Henry Pankhurst Henry J. Pankhurst was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Pankhurst took second place in his first round heat with a time of 11.5 seconds, just behind Harold Huff who won with 11.4 seconds...		(11.5 seconds)
3	Karl Fryksdal Karl Fryksdal Karl Fryksdal was a Swedish athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Fryksdal took third place in his first round heat and did not advance to the semifinals.-References:...		Unknown

Heat 13

Robertson won by about three yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Lawson Robertson Lawson Robertson Lawson N. Robertson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....		11.4 seconds
2	Frank Lukeman Frank Lukeman Francis Lawrence Lukeman , was a Canadian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(11.7 seconds)
3	Henri Meslot Henri Meslot Henri Meslot was a French athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Paris and died in Toulon....		Unknown
4	Eduard Schönecker Eduard Schönecker Erich Eduard "Edi" Schönecker was an Austrian athlete, football player, and architect. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		Unknown

Heat 14

Sherman's lead of four yards at the finish was one of the larger leads in the first round.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel "Nate" Alden Sherman was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts....		11.2 seconds
2	Louis Sebert Louis Sebert Louis Joseph Sebert was a Canadian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Sebert took second place in his first round heat with a time of 11.7 seconds. He did not advance to the semifinals.His result in the 200 metres was similar...		(11.7 seconds)
3	Harold Watson Harold Watson Harold "Harry" Watson was a British athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He died in Sutton, London....		Unknown
4	Frigyes Wiesner Frigyes Wiesner Frigyes Mezei was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		Unknown
5	Hermann von Bönninghausen Hermann von Bonninghausen Hermann von Bönninghausen was a German athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He died after World War I due to injury by being shot in the face....		(12.0 seconds)

Heat 15

Rector's Olympic record-tying time gave him a relatively easy victory in the first round.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	James Rector		10.8 seconds EOR
2	Vilmos Rácz Vilmos Rácz Vilmos Rácz was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm....		(11.4 seconds)
3	Willy Kohlmey Willy Kohlmey Wilhelm Kohlmey was a German athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Kohlmey took third place in his first round heat with a time of 12.0 seconds. He did not advance to the semifinals.-References:...		(12.0 seconds)

Heat 16

In one of the slowest of the first round heads, Stark won by about two yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	James P. Stark James P. Stark James Primrose Stark was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.-Awards and Records:In the 100 metres, Stark won his first round heat with a time of 11.8 seconds to advance to the semifinals...		11.8 seconds
2	Gaspare Torretta Gaspare Torretta Gaspare Torretta was an Italian athlete who competed in the 1906 Summer Olympics and in the 1908 Summer Olympics.Torretta died in Milan.In 1906, Torretta finished 17th in the long jump event...		(12.0 seconds)

Heat 17

Roche won by about two yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Patrick Roche		11.4 seconds
2	Carl Bechler Carl Bechler Carl Bechler was a German athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 100 metres, Bechler finished second in his first round heat with a time of 11.4 seconds, just behind winner Patrick Roche...		(11.4 seconds)

Semifinals

The fastest runner in each semifinal advanced to the final. The semifinals were begun at 3:35 p.m. on 21 July.

Semifinal 1

Cloughen withdrew to prepare for the 200m heats. Walker took the lead after about 50 metres and crossed the line about a yard in front of May to become the second sprinter to tie the Olympic record at the London Games. His actual time was 10.7, rounded up to the nearest fifth, in accordance with rules in force at the time; therefore, his time was given as 10.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Reggie Walker Reggie Walker Reginald Edgar Walker was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.-Biography:...		10.8 seconds EOR
2	William W. May William W. May William Wyman "Willie" May was an American athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Knoxville, Alabama and died in Utica, New York....		(11.0 seconds)
3	Patrick Roche		Unknown
4	Lester Stevens Lester Stevens Lester Barber Stevens was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		Unknown
—	Robert Cloughen Robert Cloughen Robert "Bobbie" Cloughen was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and a member of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team...		Did not start

Semifinal 2

Hamilton withdrew to prepare for the 200m heats. Kerr had little difficulty winning this heat, leading by three yards at the finish.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Robert Kerr		11.0 seconds
2	Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel Sherman Nathaniel "Nate" Alden Sherman was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts....		(11.3 seconds)
3	John W. Morton John W. Morton John "Jack" William Morton was a British athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Handsworth, West Midlands and died in Brighton....		Unknown
—	William Hamilton		Did not start

Semifinal 3

Rector again won easily, tying the Olympic record for the second time.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	James Rector		10.8 seconds EOR
2	Harold Huff Harold Huff Harry "Doc" J. Huff was an American athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He died in Kansas City, Missouri....		(11.1 seconds)
3	Edward Duffy Edward Duffy Edward John Duffy was a South African athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Ryno, North West and died in Johannesburg....		Unknown
4	Robert Duncan		Unknown

Semifinal 4

Cartmell and Robertson ran a tight race, with Cartmell winning by about a foot.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Nate Cartmell Nathaniel Cartmell Nathaniel John Cartmell , also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games...		11.2 seconds
2	Lawson Robertson Lawson Robertson Lawson N. Robertson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....		(11.2 seconds)
3	James P. Stark James P. Stark James Primrose Stark was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.-Awards and Records:In the 100 metres, Stark won his first round heat with a time of 11.8 seconds to advance to the semifinals...		Unknown
4	John George		Unknown

Final

The final race of the 100 metres began at 4:15 p.m. on 22 July. With Walker and Rector having already tied the Olympic record before the final, it was widely expected that the final race of the 100 metres would be an exciting match between those two runners. Walker got off to a quick lead, but Rector caught him about midway through the race and passed him. Walker responded with a great effort, pulling level with Rector. The two ran side-by-side for about six yards before Walker finally pulled ahead to win by half a yard. Rector finished six inches ahead of Kerr, who finished two yards ahead of Cartmell for third place.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Reggie Walker Reggie Walker Reginald Edgar Walker was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.-Biography:...		10.8 seconds EOR
2	James Rector		(10.9 seconds)
3	Robert Kerr		(11.0 seconds)
4	Nate Cartmell Nathaniel Cartmell Nathaniel John Cartmell , also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games...		(11.2 seconds)