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The men's 400 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1932 Summer Olympics programme.[1] It was the sixth appearance of the event, which was established in 1908. The competition was held from Monday August 8, 1932 to Wednesday August 10, 1932.
Nineteen swimmers from ten nations competed. The winning margin was 0.1 seconds which as of 2023 remains the narrowest winning margin in this event at the Olympics.
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|
Buster Crabbe United States |
Jean Taris France |
Tsutomu Ōyokota Japan |
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1932 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 4:47.0 | Jean Taris |
Paris (FRA) | April 16, 1931 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 5:01.6 |  Alberto Zorrilla |
Amsterdam (NED) | August 9, 1928 |
In the first heat Takashi Yokoyama set a new Olympic record with 4:53.2 minutes. He bettered this record in the first semi-final with 4:51.4 minutes. But in the final Buster Crabbe took the Olympic record with 4:48.4 minutes.
Heats
Monday August 8, 1932: The fastest two in each heat and the fastest third-placed from across the heats advanced to the final.
Heat 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Takashi Yokoyama (JPN) | 4:53.2 | QQ OR |
| 2 |  James Gilhula (USA) | 4:53.3 | |
| 3 |  George Burrows (CAN) | 5:28.9 |
Heat 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buster Crabbe (USA) | 4:59.8 | |
| 2 | Noboru Sugimoto (JPN) | 5:00.2 | |
| 3 |  Norman Wainwright (GBR) | 5:12.0 | |
| 4 |  Ignacio Gutiérrez (MEX) | 5:29.1 |
Heat 3
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Boy Charlton (AUS) | 4:59.8 | |
| 2 |  Paolo Costoli (ITA) | 5:06.7 | |
| 3 | Walter Spence (CAN) | 5:10.0 | |
| 4 |  Gyula Kánásy (HUN) | 5:40.8 | |
| 5 | Manuel Villegas (MEX) | 5:54.2 |
Heat 4
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jean Taris (FRA) | 4:53.3 | |
| 2 | Giuseppe Perentin (ITA) | 5:09.1 | |
| 3 | Bob Leivers (GBR) | 5:14.6 | |
| 4 |  Nalin Malik (IND) | 5:59.0 |
Heat 5
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noel Ryan (AUS) | 5:01.9 | |
| 2 | Tsutomu Ōyokota (JPN) | 5:06.3 | |
| 3 | George Larson (CAN) | 5:20.1 |
Semifinals
Wednesday August 10, 1932: The fastest three in each semi-final advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Takashi Yokoyama (JPN) | 4:51.4 | QQ OR |
| 2 | Jean Taris (FRA) | 4:52.3 | |
| 3 | Tsutomu Ōyokota (JPN) | 4:52.8 | |
| 4 | James Gilhula (USA) | 4:55.4 | |
| 5 | Noel Ryan (AUS) | 4:59.7 | |
| 6 | Paolo Costoli (ITA) | 5:06.0 |
Semifinal 2
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buster Crabbe (USA) | 4:52.7 | |
| 2 | Noboru Sugimoto (JPN) | 4:59.0 | |
| 3 | Boy Charlton (AUS) | 5:02.1 | |
| 4 | Giuseppe Perentin (ITA) | 5:10.5 | |
| 5 | Walter Spence (CAN) | 5:15.6 |
Final
Wednesday August 10, 1932:
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buster Crabbe (USA) | 4:48.4 OR |
| 2 | Jean Taris (FRA) | 4:48.5 |
| 3 | Tsutomu Ōyokota (JPN) | 4:52.3 |
| 4 | Takashi Yokoyama (JPN) | 4:52.5 |
| 5 | Noboru Sugimoto (JPN) | 4:56.1 |
| 6 | Boy Charlton (AUS) | 4:58.6 |
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