The men’s 500 metres freestyle at the 1896 Olympic Games was contested in open water, with swimmers transported by boat to the starting point and racing back toward the shore. The race was held shortly after the 100 metres event, and the cold conditions affected participation. Paul Neumann of Austria won the event by a large margin.
Incomplete dataset mode: event rankings may include manual aggregate data and partial official results.
| Rank | Participant | Status | Time | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Neumann | FINISHED | 8:12.6 | PARTIAL |
| 2 | Antonios Pepanos | FINISHED | 9:57.6 | PARTIAL |
| 3 | Efstathios Chorafas | FINISHED | - | PARTIAL |