The men's 400 metre freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1936 Summer Olympics programme.[1] It was the seventh appearance of the event, which was established in 1908. The competition was held from Monday to Wednesday, 10 to 12 August 1936.
Thirty-four swimmers from 16 nations competed.
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1936 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 4:38.7 |  Jack Medica | Honolulu (USA) | 30 August 1934 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 4:48.4 | Buster Crabbe | Los Angeles (USA) | 10 August 1932 |
In the fifth heat Shunpei Uto set a new Olympic record with 4:45.5 minutes. In the final Jack Medica bettered the Olympic record with 4:44.5 minutes.
Monday 10 August 1936: The fastest two in each heat and the next two fastest from across the heats advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat 1
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:52.6 | |||||
| 2 | 4:57.1 | |||||
| 3 | 4:57.2 | |||||
| 4 | 4:57.7 | |||||
| 5 | 5:16.9 | |||||
| 6 | 5:17.2 |
Heat 2
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:57.2 | |||||
| 2 | 5:11.7 | |||||
| 3 | 5:18.2 | |||||
| 4 | 5:31.5 |
Heat 3
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:51.3 | |||||
| 2 | 4:54.7 | |||||
| 3 | 5:03.6 | |||||
| 4 | 5:13.3 | |||||
| 5 | 5:17.8 | |||||
| 6 | 5:20.9 | |||||
| 7 | 5:36.8 |
Heat 4
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:59.4 | |||||
| 2 | 5:03.1 | |||||
| 3 | 5:08.9 | |||||
| 4 | 5:12.7 | |||||
| 5 | 5:18.3 | |||||
| 6 | 5:19.1 | |||||
| 7 | 5:38.3 |
Heat 5
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:45.5 | QQ OR | ||||
| 2 | 4:53.9 | |||||
| 3 | 4:56.0 | |||||
| 4 | 5:20.3 | |||||
| 5 | 5:53.8 |
Heat 6
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:55.9 | |||||
| 2 | 5:05.5 | |||||
| 3 | 5:07.8 | |||||
| 4 | 5:18.2 | |||||
| 5 | 5:33.8 |
Tuesday 11 August 1936: The fastest three in each semi-final and the fastest fourth-placed advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:48.4 | |||||
| 2 | 4:49.9 | |||||
| 3 | 4:55.4 | |||||
| 4 | 4:56.4 | |||||
| 5 | 4:58.5 | |||||
| 6 | 4:58.7 | |||||
| 7 | 5:01.9 |
Semifinal 2
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time | width=90 | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:48.2 | |||||
| 4:48.2 | ||||||
| 3 | 4:53.6 | |||||
| 4 | 4:55.7 | |||||
| 5 | 5:13.4 | |||||
| 6 | 5:14.9 |
Wednesday 12 August 1936:
| Place | width=230 | Swimmer | width=90 | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:44.5 OR | |||
| 2 | 4:45.6 | |||
| 3 | 4:48.1 | |||
| 4 | 4:52.7 | |||
| 5 | 4:53.6 | |||
| 6 | 4:53.8 | |||
| 7 | 5:00.9 |