Cecil Healy took silver, the only medal in the event for Australasia, the short-lived joint team of Australia and New Zealand.

This was the fourth appearance of the men's 100 metre freestyle (including the 100 yard event in 1904 but excluding the Intercalated Games in 1906).

An intriguing entrant was the Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, rumored to have posted phenomenal times which were unverified because of the distance from the American mainland.

After some negotiation, a four-round competition was held, with a special heat in the third round for competitors who had missed races due to the confusion.

Longworth swam in the first heat, despite suffering from what the official report referred to as "suppuration in the head", after swimming in a local bay and receiving a severe ear infection.

Healy met with the organisers and argued for the Americans to be allowed to swim in their own heat, due to a belief that any win without Kahanamoku competing, would be a hollow victory.

In the third heat, Kahanamoku not only beat Longworth's time, thus qualifying himself and Huszagh for the final, but bettered his own Olympic record which he had set in the first round.

Huszagh out-touched McGillivray by a "hand's breadth" to take second place and the final qualification spot, though both finished well behind Kahanamoku and their own previous times.

Kahanamoku was clearly in control by the halfway point, with a tight race between Huszagh, Ramme, and Bretting for the next three spots with Healy close behind them.