The men's 200 metres was an event at the
1928 Summer Olympics in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
.
It was held on 31 July and 1 August 1928 at the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
. There were 59 competitors from 29 nations.
[ Nations had been limited to 4 athletes each since 1920.][Official Report, p. 374.] The event was won by Percy Williams of Canada, the nation's second victory in the event (after 1908). The win broke a streak of three victories by the United States; with no Americans on the podium, the nation's six-Games medal streak was broken as well. Walter Rangeley of Great Britain took silver, giving Great Britain a four-Games medal streak in the event. Germany earned its first men's 200 metres medal with Helmut Körnig
Helmut Körnig (12 September 1905 – 5 March 1972) was a German sprinter who competed at the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics. He won an individual bronze medal in the 200 m in 1928 and two team medals in the 4 × 100 m relay at both Olympics.
KÃ ...
's bronze.
Background
This was the seventh appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Olympics in 1896 but has been on the program ever since. Two of the six finalists from the 1924 Games returned: gold medalist Jackson Scholz
Jackson Volney Scholz (March 15, 1897 – October 26, 1986) was an American sprint runner. In the 1920s, he became the first person to appear in an Olympic sprint final in three different Olympic Games. After his athletic career, he also gained ...
and two-time silver medalist Charley Paddock, both of the United States. Scholz was a slight favorite, but the Americans had not won any medals in the 100 metres earlier in Amsterdam and the winner of that event, Canada's Percy Williams, was a strong contender for a double in this event.
Competition format
The competition used the four round format introduced in 1920: heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. There were 15 heats of between 2 and 6 runners each, with the top 2 men in each advancing to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals consisted of 6 heats of 5 athletes each; the two fastest men in each heat advanced to the semifinals. There were 2 semifinals, each with 6 runners. In that round, the top three athletes advanced. The final had 6 runners. The races were run on a now-standard 400 metre track.[
]
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:
No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition. Helmut Körnig
Helmut Körnig (12 September 1905 – 5 March 1972) was a German sprinter who competed at the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics. He won an individual bronze medal in the 200 m in 1928 and two team medals in the 4 × 100 m relay at both Olympics.
KÃ ...
tied the Olympic record in the last quarterfinal.
Schedule
Results
Heats
15 heats were held; the fastest two in each heat advanced to Round Two.
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Heat 5
Heat 6
Heat 7
Heat 8
Heat 9
Heat 10
Heat 11
Heat 12
Heat 13
Heat 14
Heat 15
Quarterfinals
Six heats were held; the fastest two finishers in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.
Quarterfinal 1
Quarterfinal 2
Quarterfinal 3
Quarterfinal 4
Quarterfinal 5
Quarterfinal 6
Semifinals
The fastest three runners from each of the two heats advanced to the Final Round.
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Final
Williams beat Rangley by a yard to complete his 100/200 double, while Rangley finished six inches ahead of Körnig and Scholz.
Körnig and Scholz finished so close that the judges declared the men had dead-heated, and ordered a run-off. As Scholz declined to participate, Körnig was awarded the bronze medal: in the event, the film of the race confirms that Körnig finished third.[
]
References
External links
Official Report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres
2
200 metres at the Olympics
Men's events at the 1928 Summer Olympics