Swimming at the 1936 Berlin Summer Games:

The world record for this event had passed between only three swimmers since 1912 Olympics, Duke Kahanamoku, Johnny Weissmuller and, since 1934, Peter Fick of the USA. Fick travelled to Germany as the marginal favourite although the strength in depth of the Japanese team made sure that predicting the competition would be difficult. Fick disappointed in the final but the Japanese victory did not materialize either. Although Ferenc Csik was the reigning European champion, he was not expected to defeat the American or Japanese favourites but as they battled each other, Csik came through on the outside to surprise them all. Ferenc Csik would not live to see the next Olympic Games. By then a qualified doctor, he died during an air raid in 1945.

Masanori Yusa and Shigeao Arai of Japan were awarded the other medals although the actual finishing positions are a matter of debate. Photographic evidence suggests that 4th placed Masahuru Taguchi may in fact have been the true silver medallist with only the first and last places in the final certain to be correct.