Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's 50 yard freestyle

The men's 50 yard freestyle was a swimming event held as part of the Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first time the short-distance event was held at the Olympics, and the only time the distance of 50 yards was used. Subsequent editions of the programme would use a distance of 50 metres, though the short sprint would not reappear until the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Nine swimmers from two nations competed.

Competition format
The competition consisted of two rounds: semifinals and a final. There were two semifinals, with the top 3 swimmers in each semifinal advancing to the final round.

Semifinals
The top three finishers in each heat advanced to the final. The results of the non-advancing swimmers are unclear, but David Hammond, Edwin Swatek and Bill Orthwein are named by de Wael as possible competitors.

Final
The final had to be run twice because the first race was too close to determine a winner.