The Men's 400 metre freestyle event was one of sixteen events for male swimmers at the 2004 Olympics.

Records

World Record	Ian Thorpe (AUS)	Manchester, England	3:40.08	30 July 2002
Olympic Record	Ian Thorpe (AUS)	Sydney, Australia	3:40.59	16 September 2000

Pre Olympic buildup

In late March 2004

2004 in sports

2004 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* College football Bowl Championship Series :**January 1 – Rose Bowl – USC 28, Michigan 14...

 at the Australian Championships in Sydney, the defending champion Ian Thorpe

Ian Thorpe

Ian James Thorpe OAM , nicknamed the Thorpedo and Thorpey, is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and with three gold and two silver medals, was the most...

 overbalanced whilst on the blocks in the heats of the 400 m freestyle and fell into the water, resulting in his disqualification and ending the defense of his Olympic 400 m title. This resulted in a large debate among the swimming and public community as to whether Thorpe should be given an exception to Australia's policy of selecting the first and second place getters, with Prime Minister of Australia

Prime Minister of Australia

The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...

 John Howard

John Howard

John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....

 describing the situation as a "tragedy". Despite the intense media spotlight, Thorpe managed to win the 100 m and 200 m freestyle events in times of 48.83s and 1 min 45.07s respectively to ensure his selection for Athens. Craig Stevens

Craig Stevens (swimmer)

Craig Stevens is an Australian freestyle swimmer specialising in the 400 m. 800 m and 1500 m freestyle events....

, who had claimed the second qualifying position in the 400 m event, subsequently faced immense public pressure to relinquish his position to Thorpe, and later did so in a television interview for which he was paid. This generated ethical debate as to whether Stevens' decision had been bought, and criticism against Thorpe.

Thorpe's increasing focus on the 100 m event, coupled with the media pressure, resulted in speculation that he was vulnerable to Hackett in the 400 m event. Thorpe safely qualified for the 400 m final behind Hackett in the heats.

Final

There was a slow start in the final, with Thorpe reaching the 100 m mark one second outside world record pace with a narrow lead. In a topsy-turvy performance at irregular pace, Thorpe was passed by Klete Keller

Klete Keller

Klete Keller is an American freestyle swimmer who won medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics in the 400 m freestyle and the 4x200 m freestyle relay. In the 4x200 m freestyle relay, Keller held off a charging Ian Thorpe in the anchor leg to win the race by 0.13 seconds...

 by the 150 m mark before accelerating again to reclaim the lead by the 200 m mark. Thorpe kept Hackett and Keller at around half a body length up to the 300 m mark, before breaking to a body-length lead by 350 m. However, he could not produce his trademark finishing kick and was closed down by Hackett, holding on by only 0.26  in a time three seconds outside his own world record. Thorpe appeared to shed tears in an uncharacteristic sign of emotion, admitting afterwards that the controversy surrounding the event had taken a toll on him, but denying that any liquid had left his eyes.

Heat 1

1. Miguel Mendoza, — 4:01.99
2. Te Tung Chen, — 4:03.71
3. Emanuele Nicolini, — 4:08.28
4. Anas Sameer N H Abuyousuf, — 4:11.99
5. Vasilii Danilov
   Vasilii Danilov
   Vasilii Danilov is an Olympic swimmer from Kyrgyzstan. He swam for the country at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.He also swam at the 2007 World Championships.-References:...
   
   , — 4:15.32
6. Sergey Tsoy
   Sergey Tsoy
   Sergey Petrovich Tsoy is a well-known Russian politician and journalist of Korean descent. He is a former Moscow City Hall official and is currently working as a deputy chairman of the world's second largest hydrogenerating company, "RusHydro"-Biography:Sergey Tsoy was born in the Karablak city,...
   
   , — 4:16.91
7. Neil Agius, — 4:22.14

Heat 2

1. Giancarlo Zolezzi, -- 3:56.52 NR
2. Moss Burmester
   Moss Burmester
   Moss James Burmester is a New Zealand swimmer. His specialist event is the 200m butterfly in which he holds the Commonwealth record of 1:54.35 set at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
   
   , -- 3:57.29
3. Petar Stoychev
   Petar Stoychev
   Petar Stoychev is a Bulgarian swimmer who is the most successful long distance marathon swimmer of the last decade. He is one of the greatest marathon swimmers of all time and an honor swimmer in the...
   
   , -- 3:59.86
4. Charnvudth Saengsri, -- 3:59.89
5. Victor Rogut, -- 4:01.68
6. Nenad Buljan
   Nenad Buljan
   Nenad Buljan is a freestyle swimmer from Croatia, who made his Olympic debut for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. There he competed in the 400 m and 1500 m Freestyle, but was eliminated in the heats of both events.-External links:*...
   
   , -- 4:02.76
7. Martin Kutscher
   Martín Kutscher
   Martín Kutscher is a national-record holding freestyle swimmer from Uruguay who swam for Uruguay at 2004 and 2008 Olympics...
   
   , -- 4:03.21
8. Aytekin Mindan, -- 4:06.85

Heat 3

1. Zhang Lin
   Zhang Lin (swimmer)
   Zhang Lin is a Chinese swimmer specializing in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events. He is China's most successful male swimmer.Zhang, who began swimming at six, is China's fastest freestyle swimmer. He was selected for the national team in 2002...
   
   , -- 3:56.65
2. Juan Martin Pereyra, -- 3:57.26
3. Leonardo Salinas Saldana, -- 3:58.36
4. Mahrez Mebarek, -- 3:59.10
5. Bojan Zdešar
   Bojan Zdešar
   Bojan Zdešar is a retired male freestyle swimmer from Slovenia, who competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He swam in the long-distance swimming events.-References:*...
   
   , -- 3:59.38
6. Bruno Bonfim
   Bruno Bonfim
   Bruno Bonfim is a middle-distance freestyle swimmer from Brazil, who competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. A year earlier, he won the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.-References:**...
   
   , -- 3:59.96
7. Boldizsar Kiss, -- 4:02.87
8. Park Tae-Hwan
   Park Tae-hwan
   Park Tae-hwan is a South Korean swimmer. He is a member of the South Korean national swimming team, based in Taereung, Seoul. He won a gold medal in the 400 meter freestyle and a silver in the 200 meter freestyle events at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
   
   , -- Disqualified

Heat 4

1. Massimiliano Rosolino
   Massimiliano Rosolino
   -Biography:Born in Naples of an Italian father, Salvatore, and Australian mother, Carolyn, he moved to Australia at the age of three, coming back to Italy at six. Rosolino declared about his beginnings as a swimmer:...
   
   , -- 3:47.72 -Q
2. Klete Keller
   Klete Keller
   Klete Keller is an American freestyle swimmer who won medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics in the 400 m freestyle and the 4x200 m freestyle relay. In the 4x200 m freestyle relay, Keller held off a charging Ian Thorpe in the anchor leg to win the race by 0.13 seconds...
   
   , -- 3:47.77 -Q
3. Nicolas Rostoucher
   Nicolas Rostoucher
   Nicolas Rostoucher is a freestyle and medley swimmer from France, who is on the French National Swimming Team since 2000. He has competed for his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 2000...
   
   , -- 3:50.73
4. Andrew Hurd
   Andrew Hurd
   Andrew Hurd is a Canadian freestyle swimmer. He began swimming at age eight and was a student at the University of Michigan. He won a gold medal on the world cup circuit in 2000 in Edmonton, Alberta in the 1500 m freestyle event...
   
   , -- 3:50.81
5. Heiko Hell, -- 3:52.06
6. Serhii Phyesenko, -- 3:53.41
7. Ricardo Monasterio
   Ricardo Monasterio
   Ricardo Andrés Monasterio Guimaraes is a Venezuelan international swimmer who represented his native country in the 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.Monasterio was born in Caracas, Venezuela...
   
   , -- 3:54.41
8. Dimitrios Manganas, -- 3:54.78

Heat 5

1. Grant Hackett
   Grant Hackett
   Grant Hackett OAM is an Australian former swimmer most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This achievement has led him to be regarded as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history...
   
   , -- 3:46.36 -Q
2. Yuri Prilukov, -- 3:48.71 -Q
3. Takeshi Matsuda
   Takeshi Matsuda
   is a Japanese Olympic and Asian and National Record holding swimmer. He swam for Japan at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. At the latter event, he won a bronze medal in the men's 200m long course butterfly in an Asian Record of 1:52.97; in doing so, he also set the Japanese Record in the event...
   
   , -- 3:49.05 -Q
4. Łukasz Drzewiński, -- 3:50.97
5. Jacob Carstensen
   Jacob Carstensen
   Jacob Carstensen is a former freestyle swimmer from Denmark, who competed in three consequentive Summer Olympics for his native country, starting in 1996. He won the world title in the 400m Freestyle at the 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships in Gothenburg.-References:*...
   
   , -- 3:51.09
6. Dragoş Coman
   Dragos Coman
   Dragoş Coman is an international freestyle swimmer from Romania, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 2000 in Sydney, Australia....
   
   , -- 3:51.73
7. Adam Faulkner, -- 3:51.97
8. Mark Johnston
   Mark Johnston (swimmer)
   Mark Johnston is a freestyle swimmer from Canada, who competed for his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 2000. His best Olympic result was the fifth place in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay in Athens, Greece .- References :* *...
   
   , -- 3:54.27

Heat 6

1. Ian Thorpe
   Ian Thorpe
   Ian James Thorpe OAM , nicknamed the Thorpedo and Thorpey, is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and with three gold and two silver medals, was the most...
   
   , -- 3:46.55 -Q
2. Larsen Jensen
   Larsen Jensen
   Larsen Alan Jensen is a former American freestyle swimmer. He is a two-time Olympic medalist.-Career:...
   
   , -- 3:46.90 -Q
3. Spyridon Gianniotis
   Spyridon Gianniotis
   Spyridon "Spyros" Gianniotis is a freestyle swimmer from Greece, who was born in England. He won three individual medals at the 2005 Mediterranean Games, and represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 2000. In 2011 he became world champion in the 10 km open...
   
   , -- 3:48.77 -Q
4. Przemysław Stańczyk, -- 3:49.22
5. Christian Hein, -- 3:49.66
6. Emiliano Brembilla
   Emiliano Brembilla
   Emiliano Brembilla is a freestyle swimmer from Italy, who won the bronze medal with the men's 4×200 m freestyle relay team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece...
   
   , -- 3:50.55
7. Marcos Rivera, -- 3:52.39
8. Graeme Smith
   Graeme Smith (swimmer)
   Graeme Smith is a former British freestyle swimmer.He won the bronze medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. Three years later, at the European Short Course Swimming Championships 1999 in Lisbon, he captured the golden medal in the same event...
   
   , -- 3:52.41

Heat rankings

1. Grant Hackett, Australia 3:46.36 -Q
2. Ian Thorpe, Australia 3:46.55 -Q
3. Larsen Jensen, United States 3:46.90 -Q
4. Massimiliano Rosolino, Italy 3:47.72 -Q
5. Klete Keller, United States 3:47.77 -Q
6. Yuri Prilukov, Russia 3:48.71 -Q
7. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece 3:48.77 -Q
8. Takeshi Matsuda, Japan 3:49.05 -Q Asian Record
9. Przemysław Stańczyk, Poland 3:49.22
10. Christian Hein, Germany 3:49.66
11. Emiliano Brembilla, Italy 3:50.55
12. Nicolas Rostoucher, France 3:50.73
13. Andrew Hurd, Canada 3:50.81
14. Łukasz Drzewiński, Poland 3:50.97
15. Jacob Carstensen, Denmark 3:51.09
16. Dragoş Coman, Romania 3:51.73
17. Adam Faulkner, Great Britain 3:51.97
18. Heiko Hell, Germany 3:52.06
19. Marcos Rivera, Spain 3:52.39
20. Graeme Smith, Great Britain 3:52.41
21. Serhii Phyesenko, Ukraine 3:53.41
22. Mark Johnston, Canada 3:54.27
23. Ricardo Monasterio, Venezuela 3:54.41
24. Dimitrios Manganas, Greece 3:54.78
25. Giancarlo Zolezzi, Chile 3:56.52
26. Lin Zhang, China 3:56.65
27. Juan Martin Pereyra, Argentina 3:57.26
28. Moss Burmester, New Zealand 3:57.29
29. Leonardo Salinas Saldana, Mexico 3:58.36
30. Mahrez Mebarek, Algeria 3:59.10
31. Bojan Zdesar, Slovenia 3:59.38
32. Petar Stoychev
    Petar Stoychev
    Petar Stoychev is a Bulgarian swimmer who is the most successful long distance marathon swimmer of the last decade. He is one of the greatest marathon swimmers of all time and an honor swimmer in the...
    
    , Bulgaria 3:59.86
33. Charnvudth Saengsri, Thailand 3:59.89
34. Bruno Bonfim, Brazil 3:59.96
35. Victor Rogut, Republic of Moldova 4:01.68
36. Miguel Mendoza, Philippines 4:01.99
37. Nenad Buljan, Croatia 4:02.76
38. Boldizsar Kiss, Hungary 4:02.87
39. Martin Kutscher, Uruguay 4:03.21
40. Te Tung Chen, Chinese Taipei 4:03.71
41. Aytekin Mindan, Turkey 4:06.85
42. Emanuele Nicolini, San Marino 4:08.28
43. Anas Sameer N H Abuyousuf, Qatar 4:11.99
44. Vasily Danilov, Kyrgyzstan 4:15.32
45. Sergey Tsoy, Uzbekistan 4:16.91
46. Neil Agius, Malta 4:22.14
47. Park Tae-Hwan, Korea Disqualified

Final

1. Ian Thorpe, Australia 3:43.10
2. Grant Hackett, Australia 3:43.36
3. Klete Keller, United States 3:44.11 American Record
4. Larsen Jensen, United States 3:46.08
5. Massimiliano Rosolino, Italy 3:46.25
6. Yuri Prilukov, Russia 3:46.69
7. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece 3:48.77
8. Takeshi Matsuda, Japan 3:48.96 Asian Record