Swimming at the 1908 Summer Games: Previous Summer Games ▪ Next Summer Games
Host City: London, Great Britain
Venue(s): White City Stadium, London
Date Started: July 17, 1908
Date Finished: July 20, 1908
Gold: | Charlie Daniels |
Silver: | Zoltán von Halmay |
Bronze: | Harald Julin |
The final brought together the two top sprinters in the world and the last two Olympic champions. [Charlie Daniels] had won in 1906 at Athens and in 1904 at St. Louis, he had finished 3rd behind Hungary's [Zoltán von Halmay]. Halmay was the recognized holder of the world record, having posted 1:06.8 in Vienna on 3 December 1905.
In the final, Halmay started quickly and led through 30 metres, when Daniels caught him. At 50 metres, Daniels had a very slight lead. At the finish he was ahead by ½ yard, while Halmay led [Harald Julin] by 2 yards. Both Daniels and Halmay broke the old world record.