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1928 Summer Olympics
Athletics
4 × 400 metres Relay, Men

4 × 400 metres Relay, Men

Date	4 – 5 August 1928
Status	Olympic
Location	Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam
Participants	56 from 14 countries

Great Britain had the fastest time in the heats, with 3:20.6, but would finish only fifth in the final. The USA took the lead on the first leg of the final, with George Baird running 48.2, and they were never headed. Their anchor was run by Ray Barbuti, who had won the open 400 metres, but he was probably slightly outrun by the German anchor, Hermann Engelhard. Still, Barbuti held off the German charge and the US won in world record time.

Pos	Number	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	–	United States	👁 Image USA	3:21.4 (1 h1)	3:14.2 (1)	Gold
George Baird • Bud Spencer • Fred Alderman • Ray Barbuti • Euil Snider (DNS) • John Lewis (DNS) • Hermon Phillips (DNS) • Joe Tierney (DNS)
2	–	Germany	👁 Image GER	3:20.8 (1 h2)	3:14.8 (2)	Silver
Otto Neumann • Richard Krebs • Harry Storz • Hermann Engelhard • Jochen Büchner (DNS) • Reinhold Schmidt (DNS) • Otto Peltzer (DNS)
3	–	Canada	👁 Image CAN	3:22.0 (2 h1)	3:15.4 (3)	Bronze
Alex Wilson • Phil Edwards • Stan Glover • Jimmy Ball • Harry Warren (DNS) • Fred Macbeth (DNS) • Brant Little (DNS)
4	–	Sweden	👁 Image SWE	3:21.2 (2 h2)	3:15.8 (4)
Björn Kugelberg • Bertil von Wachenfeldt • Erik Byléhn • Sten Pettersson • Artur Svensson (DNS) • Erik Kjellström (DNS)
5	–	Great Britain	👁 Image GBR	3:20.6 (1 h3)	3:16.4 (5)
Roger Leigh-Wood • William Craner • John Rinkel • Douglas Lowe • Donald Chapman (DNS) • Billy Green (DNS) • John Hanlon (DNS) • Guy Butler (DNS)
6	–	France	👁 Image FRA	3:23.0 (2 h3)	3:19.4 (6)
Georges Krotoff • Joseph Jackson • Georges Dupont • René Féger • Willy Wolljung (DNS) • Séra Martin (DNS)
3 h1 r1/2	–	Hungary	👁 Image HUN	3:23.2 (3 h1)	–
Mór Gerő • László Magdics • László Barsi • Antal Odri • Jenő Szalay (DNS) • István Sugár (DNS) • Ödön Ferenczy (DNS) • Lajos Remetz (DNS)
3 h2 r1/2	–	Italy	👁 Image ITA	3:22.6 (3 h2)	–
Giacomo Carlini • Luigi Facelli • Guido Cominotto • Ettore Tavernari • Ugo Vianello (DNS)
3 h3 r1/2	–	Mexico	👁 Image MEX	3:23.4 (3 h3)	–
Alfonso García • José Lucilo Iturbe • Jesús Moraila • Víctor Villaseñor • Mario Gómez (DNS) • Ciro Chapa (DNS) • Francisco Costas (DNS)
4 h1 r1/2	–	Poland	👁 Image POL	3:24.2 (4 h1)	–
Feliks Malanowski • Zygmunt Weiss • Stefan Kostrzewski • Klemens Biniakowski • Feliks Żuber (DNS)
4 h2 r1/2	–	Netherlands	👁 Image NED	– (4 h2)	–
Andries Hoogerwerf • Adje Paulen • Harry Broos • Rinus van den Berge • Jan Prins (DNS) • Gerard van Raad (DNS)
5 h1 r1/2	–	Belgium	👁 Image BEL	– (5 h1)	–
Philippe Coenjaerts • Emile Vercken • Frans Prinsen • Eugène Langenraedt • Émile Binet (DNS) • Gérard Bertheloot (DNS)
5 h2 r1/2	–	Czechoslovakia	👁 Image TCH	– (5 h2)	–
Johann Bartl • Karel Kněnický • Vilém Šindler • Jaroslav Vykoupil • Adolf Kittel (DNS) • Ladislav Dostál (DNS) • Karel Nedobitý (DNS) • Ewald Herdani (DNS)
6 h2 r1/2	–	Greece	👁 Image GRE	– (6 h2)	–
Stelios Benardis • Renos Fragkoudis • Vangelis Moiropoulos • Vasilios Stavrinos • Antonios Mangos (DNS) • Konstantinos Petridis (DNS) • Emmanuel Gneftos (DNS) • Nikolaos Papanikolaou (DNS)
–	Switzerland	👁 Image SUI	– (DNS h3)	–
Josef Imbach • Gottfried Lüscher • Eugène Bec • Paul Martin • Dolfi Meier
–	British India	👁 Image IND	– (DNS h3)	–
Ronald Burns • James Hall • S. Abdul Hamid • Joseph Murphy
–	Finland	👁 Image FIN	– (DNS h1)	–
Erkka Wilén • Erik Åström • Arvo Lindroos • Jukka Matilainen • Lauri Härö

Round One

Date	4 August 1928 — 16:00
Format	Top two in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)
1	–	United States	👁 Image USA	3:21.4
Lead-Off	509	George Baird	–
2nd Leg	563	Bud Spencer	–
3rd Leg	496	Fred Alderman	–
Anchor	499	Ray Barbuti	–
2	–	Canada	👁 Image CAN	3:22.0
Lead-Off	669	Alex Wilson	–
2nd Leg	650	Phil Edwards	–
3rd Leg	652	Stan Glover	–
Anchor	646	Jimmy Ball	–
3	–	Hungary	👁 Image HUN	3:23.2
Lead-Off	17	Mór Gerő	–
2nd Leg	29	László Magdics	–
3rd Leg	4	László Barsi	–
Anchor	33	Antal Odri	–
4	–	Poland	👁 Image POL	3:24.2
Lead-Off	422	Feliks Malanowski	–
2nd Leg	425	Zygmunt Weiss	–
3rd Leg	421	Stefan Kostrzewski	–
Anchor	417	Klemens Biniakowski	–
5	–	Belgium	👁 Image BEL	–
Lead-Off	609	Philippe Coenjaerts	–
2nd Leg	628	Emile Vercken	–
3rd Leg	624	Frans Prinsen	–
Anchor	618	Eugène Langenraedt	–
–	Finland	👁 Image FIN	–
810	Erkka Wilén DNS	–
767	Erik Åström DNS	–
787	Arvo Lindroos DNS	–
795	Jukka Matilainen DNS	–
–	Lauri Härö DNS	–

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)
1	–	Germany	👁 Image GER	3:20.8
Lead-Off	732	Otto Neumann	–
2nd Leg	725	Richard Krebs	–
3rd Leg	742	Harry Storz	–
Anchor	709	Hermann Engelhard	–
2	–	Sweden	👁 Image SWE	3:21.2
Lead-Off	848	Björn Kugelberg	–
2nd Leg	865	Bertil von Wachenfeldt	–
3rd Leg	842	Erik Byléhn	–
Anchor	860	Sten Pettersson	–
3	–	Italy	👁 Image ITA	3:22.6
Lead-Off	225	Giacomo Carlini	–
2nd Leg	229	Luigi Facelli	–
3rd Leg	226	Guido Cominotto	–
Anchor	876	Ettore Tavernari	–
4	–	Netherlands	👁 Image NED	–
Lead-Off	307	Andries Hoogerwerf	–
2nd Leg	322	Adje Paulen	–
3rd Leg	298	Harry Broos	–
Anchor	293	Rinus van den Berge	–
5	–	Czechoslovakia	👁 Image TCH	–
Lead-Off	379	Johann Bartl	–
2nd Leg	385	Karel Kněnický	–
3rd Leg	390	Vilém Šindler	–
Anchor	393	Jaroslav Vykoupil	–
6	–	Greece	👁 Image GRE	–
Lead-Off	128	Stelios Benardis	–
2nd Leg	133	Renos Fragkoudis	–
3rd Leg	137	Vangelis Moiropoulos	–
Anchor	143	Vasilios Stavrinos	–

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)
1	–	Great Britain	👁 Image GBR	3:20.6
Lead-Off	466	Roger Leigh-Wood	–
2nd Leg	450	William Craner	–
3rd Leg	483	John Rinkel	–
Anchor	470	Douglas Lowe	–
2	–	France	👁 Image FRA	3:23.0
Lead-Off	77	Georges Krotoff	–
2nd Leg	76	Joseph Jackson	–
3rd Leg	65	Georges Dupont	–
Anchor	72	René Féger	–
3	–	Mexico	👁 Image MEX	3:23.4
Lead-Off	170	Alfonso García	–
2nd Leg	173	José Lucilo Iturbe	–
3rd Leg	174	Jesús Moraila	–
Anchor	177	Víctor Villaseñor	–
–	Switzerland	👁 Image SUI	–
270	Josef Imbach DNS	–
271	Gottfried Lüscher DNS	–
266	Eugène Bec DNS	–
272	Paul Martin DNS	–
273	Dolfi Meier DNS	–
–	British India	👁 Image IND	–
204	Ronald Burns DNS	–
206	James Hall DNS	–
207	S. Abdul Hamid DNS	–
208	Joseph Murphy DNS	–

Final Round

Date	5 August 1928 — 15:00

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Split	Exchange
1	–	United States	👁 Image USA	3:14.2	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	509	George Baird	–	48.2 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	563	Bud Spencer	–	47.8 (1)	1:36.0 (1)
3rd Leg	496	Fred Alderman	–	49.4 (4)	2:25.4 (1)
Anchor	499	Ray Barbuti	–	48.8 (5)	– (–)
2	–	Germany	👁 Image GER	3:14.8	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	732	Otto Neumann	–	48.8 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	725	Richard Krebs	–	49.2 (3)	1:38.0 (3)
3rd Leg	742	Harry Storz	–	48.2 (2)	2:26.2 (2)
Anchor	709	Hermann Engelhard	–	48.6 (4)	– (–)
3	–	Canada	👁 Image CAN	3:15.4	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	669	Alex Wilson	–	49.2 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	650	Phil Edwards	–	48.6 (2)	1:37.8 (2)
3rd Leg	652	Stan Glover	–	50.0 (5)	2:27.8 (=3)
Anchor	646	Jimmy Ball	–	47.6 (=1)	– (–)
4	–	Sweden	👁 Image SWE	3:15.8	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	848	Björn Kugelberg	–	51.0 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	865	Bertil von Wachenfeldt	–	49.4 (4)	1:40.4 (5)
3rd Leg	842	Erik Byléhn	–	47.4 (1)	2:27.8 (=3)
Anchor	860	Sten Pettersson	–	48.0 (3)	– (–)
5	–	Great Britain	👁 Image GBR	3:16.4	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	466	Roger Leigh-Wood	–	48.9 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	450	William Craner	–	51.4 (6)	1:40.3 (4)
3rd Leg	483	John Rinkel	–	48.5 (3)	2:28.8 (5)
Anchor	470	Douglas Lowe	–	47.6 (=1)	– (–)
6	–	France	👁 Image FRA	3:19.4	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	77	Georges Krotoff	–	– (–)	– (–)
2nd Leg	76	Joseph Jackson	–	– (–)	– (–)
3rd Leg	65	Georges Dupont	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	72	René Féger	–	– (–)	– (–)