 Details | 2021 | Ahmed HAFNAOUI | | 3:43.36 | Jack MCLOUGHLIN | | 3:43.52 | Kieran SMITH | | 3:43.94 | 24–25 Jul | |
| Details | 2016 | Mack HORTON | | 3:41.55 | SUN Yang | | 3:41.68 | Gabriele DETTI | | 3:43.49 | 6 Aug | |
| Details | 2012 | SUN Yang | | 3:40.14 | PARK Tae-Hwan | | 3:42.06 | Peter VANDERKAAY | | 3:44.69 | 28 Jul | |
| Details | 2008 | TAE Hwan-Park | | 3:41.86 | ZHANG Lin | | 3:42.44 | Larsen JENSEN | | 3:42.78 | | |
| Details | 2004 | Ian THORPE | | 3:43.10 | Grant HACKETT | | 3:43.36 | Klete KELLER | | 3:44.11 | | |
| Details | 2000 | Ian THORPE | | 3:40.59 | Massimiliano ROSOLINO | | 3:43.40 | Klete KELLER | | 3:47.00 | 16 Sep | |
| Details | 1996 | Danyon LOADER | | 3:47.97 | Paul PALMER | | 3:49.00 | Daniel KOWALSKI | | 3:49.39 | 23 Jul | |
| Details | 1992 | Yevgeni SADOVYI | | 3:45.00 | Kieren PERKINS | | 3:45.16 | Anders HOLMERTZ | | 3:46.77 | 29 Jul | |
| Details | 1988 | Uwe DASSLER | | 3:46.95 | Duncan ARMSTRONG | | 3:47.15 | Artur WOJDAT | | 3:47.34 | 23 Sep | |
| Details | 1984 | George DI CARLO | | 3:51.23 | John MYKKANEN | | 3:51.49 | Justin LEMBERG | | 3:51.79 | 2 Aug | |
| Details | 1980 | Vladimir SALNIKOV | | 3:51.31 | Andrey KRYLOV | | 3:53.24 | Ivar STUKOLKIN | | 3:53.95 | 24 Jul | |
| Details | 1976 | Brian GOODELL | | 3:51.83 | Tim SHAW | | 3:52.54 | Vladimir RASKATOV | | 3:55.76 | 22 Jul | |
| Details | 1972 | Bradford COOPER | | 4:00.30 | Steve GENTER | | 4:01.94 | Tom MCBREEN | | 4:02.64 | 1 Sep | |
| Details | 1968 | Mike BURTON | | 4:09.00 | Ralph HUTTON | | 4:11.7 | Alain MOSCONI | | 4:13.3 | 23 Oct | |
| Details | 1964 | Don SCHOLLANDER | | 4:12.20 | Frank WIEGAND | | 4:14.9 | Allan WOOD | | 4:15.1 | 15 Oct | |
| Details | 1960 | Murray ROSE | | 4:18.30 | Tsuyoshi YAMANAKA | | 4:21.4 | John KONRADS | | 4:21.8 | 31 Aug | |
| Details | 1956 | Murray ROSE | | 4:27.30 | Tsuyoshi YAMANAKA | | 4:30.4 | George BREEN | | 4:32.5 | 4 Dec | |
| Details | 1952 | Jean BOITEUX | | 4:30.70 | Ford KONNO | | 4:31.3 | Per-Olof ÖSTRAND | | 4:35.2 | 30 Jul | |
| Details | 1948 | William SMITH | | 4:41.00 | Jimmy MCLANE | | 4:43.4 | John MARSHALL | | 4:47.4 | 4 Aug | |
| Details | 1936 | Jack MEDICA | | 4:44.50 | Shunpei UTO | | 4:45.6 | Shozo MAKINO | | 4:48.1 | 12 Aug | |
| Details | 1932 | Clarence CRABBE | | 4:48.40 | Jean TARIS | | 4:48.5 | Tsutomu ŌYOKOTA | | 4:52.3 | 10 Aug | |
| Details | 1928 | Alberto ZORILLA | | 5:01.60 | Boy CHARLTON | | 5:03.6 | Arne BORG | | 5:04.6 | 9 Aug | |
| Details | 1924 | Johnny P. WEISSMULLER | | 5:04.20 | Arne BORG | | 5:05.6 | Boy CHARLTON | | 5:06.6 | 18 Jul | |
| Details | 1920 | Norman ROSS | | 5:26.80 | Ludy LANGER | | 5:29.0 | George VERNOT | | 5:29.6 | 28 Aug | |
| Details | 1912 | George HODGSON | | 5:24.40 | John HATFIELD | | 5:25.8 | Harold HARDWICK | | 5:31.2 | 14 Jul | |
| Details | 1908 | Henry TAYLOR | | 5:36.80 | Frank BEAUREPAIRE | | 5:44.2 | Otto SCHEFF | | 5:46.0 | 16 Jul | |
