| Final | time | L | | 1. Charles Bacon |  United States | 55.0s WR | 4 | | 2. Harry Hillman | United States | 55.3s e | 3 | | 3. Jimmy Tremeer |  Great Britain | 57.0s e | 2 | | 4. Leslie Burton | Great Britain | 58.0s e | 1 |
|
| | | Venue: White City Stadium - track of 536.45 metres=1⁄3 mile. | | 15 competitors from 6 nations. |
|
|
^_ | | Winner of each of 4 Semis advanced to Final. |
| Semi 1 | time | | 1. Harry Hillman | United States | 56.4s OR | | 2. Harry Coe | United States | (57.0s) | | -. Evert Koops |  Netherlands | DNF |
|
|
| Semi 2 | time | | 1. Charles Bacon | United States | 58.8s | | -. Oswald Groenings | Great Britain | DNF | | -. Nándor Kovács |  Hungary | DNF |
|
| Semi 3 | time | | 1. Leslie Burton | Great Britain | 59.8s | | 2. Frederick Harmer | Great Britain | 1:00.3 | | 3. Wyatt Gould | Great Britain | Unknown |
|
|
| Semi 4 | time | | 1. Jimmy Tremeer | Great Britain | 1:00.6 | | -. G. Burton | Great Britain | DNF |
|
There were 12 heats, seven contained a single runner, and one heat list-
ed had no competitors. Olympic records were set in the heats by Bacon
with 57.0, then Hillman in the second round with 56.4. Hillman needed
that time, as Harry Coe ran 57.0 behind him. Coe had the galling expe-
rience of running the second fastest time of the semi-finals and yet not
making the final, as only the winners qualified. The two Americans
were well clear of the Britons by halfway, and at the last hurdle,
Hillman led by half a metre, but Bacon was swifter on the run-in, win-
ning by two yards. Bacon’s time became the first ratified world record.
| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Evert Koops | Netherlands | walkover |
|
|
| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Harry Coe | United States | 58.8s | | 2. John Densham | Great Britain | (59.0s) |
|
| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Charles Bacon | United States | 57.0s OR | | 2. Henry St Aubyn Murray |  Australasia | (59.8s) |
|
|
| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Frederick Harmer | Great Britain | walkover |
|
| Heat 5 | time | | 1. Geoffrey Burton | Great Britain | walkover |
|
|
| Heat 6 | time | | 1. Harry Hillman | United States | 59.2s | | -. Georges Dubois |  France | DNF |
|
| Heat 7 | time | | 1. Oswald Groenings | Great Britain | walkover |
|
|
| Heat 8 | time | | 1. Wyatt Gould | Great Britain | walkover |
|
| Heat 9 | time | | 1. Nándor Kovács | Hungary | walkover |
|
|
| Heat 10 | time | | 1. Jimmy Tremeer | Great Britain | walkover |
|
| Heat 11 | time | | cancelled as there were no starters. |
|
|
| Heat 12 | time | | 1. Leslie Burton | Great Britain | 1:00.4 | | 2. Henri Meslot | France |  1:01.0 |
|
| 
