Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 1200 metre freestyle

The men's 1200 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.

The final swimming race was the longest. Despite having already won the 100 metre race, Hajós competed again in the 1200 metres along with five other swimmers: he won this race, finishing nearly 100 metres clear of the rest of the field. Neumann, who had won the 500 metres, was unable to finish the 1200 metres.

The finishing places of Williams and the two Greeks are unknown, as is the first name of one of the Greeks.

Background
This was the only appearance of a 1200-metre event. The 1900 Games had a 1000-metre freestyle, before the 1 mile (1609.344-metre)/1500-metre length became standard in 1904.

Competition format
This freestyle swimming competition involved a single race, with all swimmers competing at the same time. The swimmers were taken out by ship into the bay, where they would swim toward shore.

Schedule
The 1,200 metre freestyle was the fourth and final swimming event.