The men's 400 metre freestyle event at the 1972 Olympic Games

1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

 took place September 1. This swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 event used freestyle swimming

Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

, which means that the method of the stroke is not regulated (unlike backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly events). Nearly all swimmers use the front crawl

Front crawl

The front crawl, forward crawl, or freestyle is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is nearly universally used during a freestyle swimming competition, hence the synonymously used term "freestyle". It is one of two...

 or a variant of that stroke. Because an Olympic size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of eight lengths of the pool.

Rick DeMont

Rick DeMont

Rick DeMont is an American former swimmer who set a record for the 1500m freestyle. A graduate in 1973 of Terra Linda High School, he was a member of the US Olympic team and competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany where he won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle...

 of the originally won the 400 metre freestyle in 4:00.26, but was disqualified after he tested positive for ephedrine

Ephedrine

Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia....

. In 2001, Jacques Rogge

Jacques Rogge

Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...

 gave him his medal, but the IOC couldn't annuel Bradford Cooper's result.

Medalists

Final

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time	Notes
	Brad Cooper Brad Cooper Bradford Paul Cooper was an Australian freestyle and backstroke swimmer of the 1970s, who won a gold medal in the 400 m freestyle at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich...		4:00.27	OR
	Steve Genter Steve Genter Steve Genter is a former freestyle swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist. He won the gold medal in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.-References:* *...		4:01.94
	Tom McBreen Tom McBreen Thomas Sean McBreen is a former freestyle swimmer from the United States, who won the bronze medal in the Men's 400m Freestyle at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.-References:*...		4:02.64
4	Graham Windeatt Graham Windeatt Graham Claude Windeatt was an Australian long-distance freestyle swimmer of the 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the 1972 Munich Olympics....		4:02.93
5	Brian Brinkley		4:06.69
6	Bengt Gingsjö Bengt Gingsjö Bengt Gingsjö is a former freestyle and medley swimmer from Sweden, who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and 1976 Summer Olympics. He finished fourth on the 1500m freestyle in 1972. Gingsjö also has a bronze medal on 400m freestyle from the first FINA World Aquatics Championships in...		4:06.75
7	Werner Lampe Werner Lampe Werner Lampe is a German swimmer and Olympic medalist. He was born in Hannover, and is the brother of Hans Lampe and father of Oliver Lampe. He participated at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay, and a bronze medal in 200 metre freestyle in...		4:06.97
	Rick DeMont Rick DeMont Rick DeMont is an American former swimmer who set a record for the 1500m freestyle. A graduate in 1973 of Terra Linda High School, he was a member of the US Olympic team and competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany where he won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle...		4:00.26	DQ

Key: DQ = Disqualified, OR = Olympic record