The men's 3,200 metres steeplechase was held for the only time at the 1908 Summer Olympics

1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The competition was held on July 17, 1908 and July 18, 1908. The races were held on a track of 536.45 metres= mile in circumference. There were six heats of the first round, with the winners of those heats competing in the final.

24 runners from 6 nations competed; eleven from Great Britain, eight from the United States, two from Canada, two from France, one from Hungary, and one from Italy.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.

World Record		none
Olympic Record	7:34.4(*)	George Orton George Orton George Washington Orton was a Canadian middle-distance runner. In 1900, he became the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal.-Biography:...	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...  (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... )	July 15, 1900
	7:39.6(**)	James Lightbody	St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	August 29, 1904

(*) The distance of this race was 2500 metres and the track was 500 metres in circumference.

(**) The distance of this race was 2590 metres and the track was 536.45 metres= mile in circumference.

First round

All first round heats were held on Friday, July 17, 1908.

Heat 1

Russell won easily, with Cartasegna being the only other competitor to finish. Downing was disqualified for incorrectly clearing the first water jump, Ragueneau retired on the second lap, and Carr injured his ankle.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Arthur Russell Arthur Russell (athlete) Arthur Russell was a British athlete and winner of the 3,200 metres steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics....		10:56.2
2	Massimo Cartasegna Massimo Cartasegna Massimo Cartasegna was an Italian athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.He was born in Turin....		11:15.0
—	Gaston Ragueneau Gaston Ragueneau Gaston Ragueneau was a French athlete. He competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		DNF
—	Edward Carr		DNF
—	Thomas Downing		DQ

Heat 2

Eisele was the only one to finish. Fleurac led early, but was caught before the water jump and pulled up lame, while English fell.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	John Eisele John Eisele John Eisele was an American athlete. He won the silver medal in the 3 mile team race and bronze medal in the 3,200 metres steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		11:13.6
—	Antal Lovas		DNF
—	Louis de Fleurac Louis de Fleurac Louis Bonniot de Fleurac was a French athlete. He competed in the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens and in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		DNF
—	Frank Buckley		DNF
—	Joseph English		DNF

Heat 3

Barker pulled up lame, leaving Galbraith with the win.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	William Galbraith		11:12.4
—	Henry Barker		DNF

Heat 4

With Yorke being disqualified for obstruction and Bonhag injured, the race was between Robertson and Dull. Dull led at first, but Robertson passed him and won by two hundred yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Archie Robertson		11:10.0
2	Gale Dull		(11:50.0)
—	George Bonhag George Bonhag George Valentine Bonhag was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the New York City Police Department.He was born in Boston and died in New York City....		DNF
—	Richard Yorke Richard Yorke Richard Francis Charles Yorke was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics....		DQ

Heat 5

The Americans had little chance of catching up with Holdaway and Kinchin; Holdaway was a hundred yards ahead at the finish.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Guy Holdaway Guy Holdaway Charles Guy Holdaway was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the first round of the 3200 metre steeplechase competition, Holdaway defeated countryman Joseph Kinchin and a pair of Americans, winning a chance to compete in the final...		11:18.8
2	Joseph Kinchin		(11:44.0)
3	Roland Spitzer		unknown
4	Charles Hall		unknown

Heat 6

Fitzgerald fell and Grantham pulled up lame. Sewell and Lightbody competed right up to the finish, and Sewell pulled away at the end to win a tight race by less than ten yards.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Harry Sewell		11:30.2
2	James Lightbody		11:41.0
—	John E. Fitzgerald John E. Fitzgerald John Ebenezer Fitzgerald was a Canadian athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the 1500 metres, Fitzgerald placed seventh and last in his initial semifinal heat and did not advance to the final....		DNF
—	W. Grantham		DNF

Final

The final was held on Saturday, July 18, 1908.

Holdaway was the first to lead, but did not do so for long. Galbraith and Russell were the leaders for most of the first half of the race, until Galbraith fell back and Eisele joined Russell at the front. After the bell, Robertson passed Eisele and nearly caught Russell, trailing by only two yards when the two crossed the finish line.

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Arthur Russell Arthur Russell (athlete) Arthur Russell was a British athlete and winner of the 3,200 metres steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics....		10:47.8
2	Archie Robertson		10:48.4
3	John Eisele John Eisele John Eisele was an American athlete. He won the silver medal in the 3 mile team race and bronze medal in the 3,200 metres steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....		11:00.8
4	Guy Holdaway Guy Holdaway Charles Guy Holdaway was a British athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.In the first round of the 3200 metre steeplechase competition, Holdaway defeated countryman Joseph Kinchin and a pair of Americans, winning a chance to compete in the final...		(11:26.0)
5	Harry Sewell		unknown
6	William Galbraith		unknown