1908 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 3500 m walking (men)

sport	athletics
discipline	3500 meter walking
gender	Men
place	White City Stadium
Attendees	23 athletes from 7 countries
Competition phase	July 14, 1908
Medalist
gold	George Larner ( GBR )
silver	Ernest Webb ( GBR )
bronze	Harry Kerr ( ANZ )

The men's 3,500 meter walk at the 1908 London Olympics was decided on July 14, 1908 at the White City Stadium .

The competition was held on the circular track in the stadium, so it was a matter of a track. After a preview two years earlier at the Athens Intermediate Games , it was the first ever walking competition at the Olympic Games.

The first Olympic champion in walking was the Briton George Larner . He won ahead of his compatriot Ernest Webb and Harry Kerr , who started for Australasia .

Records

The existing unofficial world record was set in a race over 2 miles , which corresponds to 3218.69 meters. There was still no Olympic record , because this discipline was Olympic for the first time.

World record	13: 11.4 min	Great Britain	George Larner	1904

The following records were set or set in the 3500 m walking at these Olympic Games:

OR	15: 32.0 min	Great Britain	George Larner	1. Preliminary round
	15: 17.2 min	Great Britain	Ernest Webb	2. Preliminary round
	14: 55.0 min	Great Britain	George Larner	final

Results

Preliminary rounds (July 14th)

From three preliminary rounds, the first three qualified for the final, which was held on the same day.

1. Preliminary round

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	George Larner	Great Britain	15: 32.0 OR
2	Harry Kerr	Australasia	16: 02.2
3	William Palmer	Great Britain	16: 33.0
4th	Paul Gunia	Germany	16: 38.0
5	Sydney Sarel	Great Britain	17: 06.0
6th	Arne Højme	Denmark	17: 23.4
7th	Jo Goetzee	Netherlands	17: 37.8
	Bill Brown	Great Britain	DSQ
	Alfred Yeoumans	Great Britain
	Piet Soudyn	Netherlands	k. A.

The last three walkers mentioned in this list can only be found at Sports-Reference ,

2. Preliminary round

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Ernest Webb	Great Britain	15: 17.2 OR
2	Charles Vestergaard	Denmark	17: 07.0
3	Einar Rothman	Sweden	17: 40.2
4th	Willem Winkelman	Netherlands	17: 57.6
5	Istvan Drubina	Hungary	18: 44.6
6th	Piet Ruimers	Netherlands	18: 44.8
	Richard Quinn	Great Britain	DSQ
	John J. Reid	Great Britain

The two walkers listed here as disqualified are listed in the literature mentioned below by zur Megede as participants who gave up.

3. Preliminary round

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	George Goulding	Canada	15: 54.0
2	Ralph Harrison	Great Britain	16: 04.4
3	Albert Rowland	Australasia	16: 08.6
4th	Ernest Larner	Great Britain	16: 10.0
5	John Butler	Great Britain	16: 17.0
6th	Richard Wilhelm	Germany	17: 33.8
7th	Jan Huijgen	Netherlands	17: 43.0

Final (July 14th)

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	George Larner	Great Britain	14: 55.0 OR
2	Ernest Webb	Great Britain	15: 07.4
3	Harry Kerr	Australasia	15: 43.4
4th	George Goulding	Canada	15: 49.8
5	Albert Rowland	Australasia	16: 07.0
6th	Charles Vestergaard	Denmark	17: 21.8
7th	Einar Rothman	Sweden	17: 50.0
	William Palmer	Great Britain	DNF
	Ralph Harrison	Great Britain	DSQ

Ernest Webb led during the first round and was overtaken by George Larner on round two. Both moved away from the field. After about a mile, Larner slowly pulled away and won by about 45 yards . Harry Kerr, who started for Australasia, came in third. Fourth-placed Canadian George Goulding took part in the 10-mile walk, where he gave up, and the marathon , in which he finished 22nd.

Three days later, George Larner won his second walking gold medal over the ten mile distance.

Ralph Harrison listed above as disqualified is listed in the literature below by zur Megede as a participant who gave up.

• 

  Start of the finals

• 

  Olympic champion George Larner from Great Britain, three days later also winner of the 10-mile walk

• 

  The Canadian George Goulding - here in 1912, also 22nd in the marathon , was fourth and four years later Olympic champion in 10,000 meter track walking

literature

• Volker Kluge , Olympic Summer Games - The Chronicle I, Berlin 1997 ( ISBN 3-328-00715-6 )
• Ekkehard zur Megede , The history of Olympic athletics, Volume 1: 1896–1936, Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG, Berlin, 2nd edition 1970

Web links

• Sports-Reference, Athletics at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's 3,500 meters Walk , English, accessed August 29, 2018
• Olympic Games London 1908, Athletics , IOC page on athletics at the 1908 Olympic Games at olympic.org, English, accessed 29 August 2018