Originally, the US squad was to be composed of the men who placed
third to sixth in the US Trials (Wykoff, Draper, Sam Stoller and Marty
Glickman). When Owens and Metcalfe replaced Stoller and Glickman,
a furor was caused as this was thought to be a move to appease the
German’s anti-semitic qualities. However, as the xenophobic Nazis
hated blacks as much as Jews, this seems a tenuous argument at best.
More likely, the US wanted the fastest squad possible. Their heat time
seemed to bear out the team selection, equalling the world record of
40.0, more than a second ahead of Italy – the next quickest team.
In the final, Owens got the US off to a storming start, gaining 5m on
the field, and each US member extended the lead, the reward being the
first ever sub-40 second clocking. Italy won the battle for second place
ahead of Germany, though Osendarp carried Holland across the line in
third place, only to lose the bronze medal for dropping the baton 25m
from the finish.
