The men's 1500 metres was an Olympic event for the fourth times 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...

. The competition was held on July 13, 1908 and on July 14, 1908. The races were held on a track of 536.45 metres= mile in circumference. There were eight heats of the first round, with the winners of those heats competing in the final.

44 runners from 15 nations competed.

Records

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

World Record	3:59.8(*)	Harold Wilson Harold A. Wilson Harold Allan Wilson was an English athlete. Born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, he won the silver medal in the men's 1500 metres race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, competing on the Great Britain and Ireland team...	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...  (GBR United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it.... )	May 30, 1908
Olympic Record	4:05.4(**)	James Lightbody	St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	September 3, 1904

(*) unofficial

(**) This track was 536.45 metres= mile in circumference.

In the second semifinal Mel Sheppard

Mel Sheppard

Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club and winner of four gold medals at the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics...

 set a new Olympic record with 4:05.0 minutes only to be improved in the next run by Norman Hallows

Norman Hallows

Norman Frederic Hallows was an English athlete. Educated at Felsted School, he won the bronze medal and set an Olympic record in the men's 1500 metres race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, competing on the Great Britain and Ireland team.His time in the first round was 4:03.4, beating the...

 who ran 4:03.4 minutes. In the final Mel Sheppard

Mel Sheppard

Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club and winner of four gold medals at the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics...

equalized this time when he also ran 4:03.4 minutes.

Semifinals

The semifinals of the 1500 metres were the first competitions of the athletics programme held, on Monday, July 13, 1908. The fastest runner in each semifinal heat advanced to the final the next day while all other runners were eliminated.

Semifinal 1

Meadows, de Fleurac, Smith, and Lightbody all had the lead during the race. Sullivan won by six yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:07.6	Q
2		4:08.6
3		4:12.2
4		Unknown
5		Unknown
6		Unknown
7		Unknown
8		Unknown
9		Unknown

Semifinal 2

Butterfield and Lee were ahead of Sheppard and Halstead at the bell, but the American pair proved the better runners on the straight and passed the English duo. Sheppard's time set a new Olympic record, with Halstead just behind him clocking in at the old record time.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:05.0 OR	Q
2		4:05.6
3		4:11.8
4		(4:12.4)
5		Unknown
6		Unknown
7		Unknown

Semifinal 3

Lunghi was passed by Hallows on the last lap, who won by two yards. Both Hallows and Lunghi beat the Olympic record set by Sheppard in the previous heat; the pace caused the remaining four competitors to drop out.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:03.4 OR	Q
2		4:03.8
—		Did not finish
		Did not finish
		Did not finish
		Did not finish

Semifinal 4

McGough led for the greater part of the race, with Loney and Coe passing him late and battling to the finish. Loney won by two yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:08.4	Q
2		4:09.2
3		4:16.4
4		Unknown
5		Unknown

Semifinal 5

Raugeneau dropped out on the second lap. Tait won by fifty yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:12.2	Q
2		4:19.6
3		4:25.2
—		Did not finish

Semifinal 6

Deakin won by seventy-five yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:13.6	Q
2		4:30.0
3		4:38.6

Semifinal 7

Galbraith led most of the race, but was passed by Wilson, who won by 30 yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:11.4	Q
2		4:17.0
3		4:20.2

Semifinal 8

Braun, Dahl, and Crawford were the clear frontrunners for the entire race. Crawford pulled in front late, and won by four yards.

Place	Athlete	Time	Qual.
1		4:09.2	Q
2		4:10.4
3		4:18.2
4		Unknown
5		Unknown
6		Unknown
7		Unknown

Final

The final was held on Tuesday, July 14, 1908.

Crawford went out fast, leading for the first 500 metres before tiring badly. Wilson, Hallows, and Sheppard led out going into the final straight, but Sheppard's late burst powered him to the front. He won by about 2 yards and equalled the Olympic record that Hallows had set in the first round.

Place	Athlete	Time
1		4:03.4 EOR
2		4:03.6
3		4:04.0
4		4:06.8
5		4:07.6
6		4:07.9
—		Did not finish
		Did not finish