The 400 metres is a one-lap sprint that combines speed, rhythm, and endurance, requiring athletes to maintain a fast pace over the full circuit of the track. It is longer and more demanding than the shorter sprints, often rewarding both raw speed and the ability to finish strongly. At Athens 1896, the event was contested in two heats followed by a final, with the top two runners from each heat advancing. The heats were held on 6 April and the final on 7 April, making it one of the earliest track events of the Games.
Incomplete dataset mode: event rankings may include manual aggregate data and partial official results.
Shows per-phase results (heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, finals), when this data exists.
| Heat | Lane | Position | Participant | Status | Metric | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 1 | Herbert Jamison | FINISHED | 56.8 s | PARTIAL |
| 1 | - | 2 | Fritz Hofmann | FINISHED | 58.6 mm | PARTIAL |
| 1 | - | 3 | Alphonse Grisel | FINISHED | - | PARTIAL |
| 1 | - | 3 | Kurt Doerry | FINISHED | - | PARTIAL |
| Heat | Lane | Position | Participant | Status | Metric | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | - | 1 | Tom Burke | FINISHED | 58.4 s | PARTIAL |
| 2 | - | 2 | Charles Gmelin | FINISHED | - | PARTIAL |
| 2 | - | 3 | Frantz Reichel | FINISHED | - | FULL |
| Heat | Lane | Position | Participant | Status | Metric | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 1 | Tom Burke | FINISHED | 54.2 s | PARTIAL |
| - | - | 2 | Herbert Jamison | FINISHED | 55.2 s | PARTIAL |
| - | - | 3 | Charles Gmelin | FINISHED | - | PARTIAL |
| - | - | 4 | Fritz Hofmann | FINISHED | - | PARTIAL |