400 metres Hurdles

Discipline: Track

The 400 metres hurdles was introduced to the Olympic programme at Paris 1900. It combines sprint speed, endurance, rhythm, and hurdle technique over one lap of the track. In its early Olympic form, the hurdles were described as 30-foot telephone poles laid across the track, while the final obstacle was a water jump. The 1900 competition began with two heats on 14 July, followed by a four-man final the next day, won by Walter Tewksbury in 57.6 seconds.