Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres

Last updated

Contents

Men's 800 metres
at the Games of the XIV Olympiad
Mal Whitfield USA Athlete, Olympic Games, London, 1948.jpg
VenueWembley Stadium
DatesJuly 30 (heats)
July 31 (semifinals)
August 2 (final)
Competitors41 from 24 nations
Winning time1:49.2 OR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Mal Whitfield
US flag 48 stars.svg  United States
Silver medal icon.svg Arthur Wint
Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica
Bronze medal icon.svg Marcel Hansenne
Flag of France.svg  France
  1936
1952  

The men's 800 metres event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place July 30, July 31 and August 2. Forty-one athletes from 24 nations competed. [1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by the American Mal Whitfield. [2] It was the first of Whitfield's two wins in the event, the second of four consecutive American victories, and the fifth overall United States win in the 800 metres. Arthur Wint earned Jamaica's first Olympic medal in their debut games with silver; he would take gold in the 400 metres a few days later. Marcel Hansenne took France's first 800 metres medal with bronze.

Summary

The competitors all started from a crouch start. In the final, Marcel Hansenne bolted from the blocks to take the lead. The tall Arthur Wint worked his way through the crowd and moved into the marking position by the end of the turn. Mal Whitfield smoothly ran around the crowd, past Wint and Hansenne into the lead. Whitfield kept going, extending his lead to five metres uncontested. Ingvar Bengtsson moved forward to challenge Hansenne, holding the edge through the final turn. Coming off the final turn, Wint ran around both of them and set off in chase of Whitfield. He was able to close down a couple of meters but the gap was too much, Whitfield winning easily. Behind them, Herb Barten ran around the outside of Bengtsson and challenged Hansenne to the line, but Hansenne took the bronze.

Background

This was the 11th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. None of the finalists from the pre-war 1936 Games returned. Noted contenders included Mal Whitfield of the United States, Arthur Wint of Jamaica, Doug Harris of New Zealand, and Marcel Hansenne of France. [1]

Egypt, Iceland, Jamaica, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago appeared in the event for the first time. Great Britain and the United States each made their 10th appearance, tied for the most among all nations.

Competition format

The event used the three-round format introduced in 1912. There were six first-round heats, each with 7 and 8 athletes (before withdrawals); the top four runners in each heat advanced to the semifinals. There were three semifinals with 8 athletes each; the top three runners in each semifinal advanced to the nine-man final. [1] [3]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1948 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of Germany.svg  Rudolf Harbig  (GER)1:46.6 Milan, Italy 15 July 1939
Olympic recordFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Tommy Hampson  (GBR)1:49.7 Los Angeles, United States 2 August 1932

Mal Whitfield broke the Olympic record with a time of 1:49.2 in the final.

Schedule

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1).

DateTimeRound
Friday, 30 July 194816:00Round 1
Saturday, 31 July 194815:15Semifinals
Monday, 2 August 194816:00Final

Results

Round 1

The first four in each heat qualified for the semifinals. [4]

Heat 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Marcel Hansenne Flag of France.svg  France 1:54.6Q
2 John Parlett Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1:55.0Q
3 Bill Ramsay Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 1:55.0Q
4 Karl Volkmer Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 1:55.3Q
5 Adán Torres Flag of Argentina (1861-2010).svg  Argentina 1:56.7
6 Lee Yun-seok Flag of South Korea (1945-1948).svg  South Korea 2:01.4
7 Rashid Khadr Flag of Egypt (1922-1953).svg  Egypt Unknown

Heat 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Herb Barten US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:55.6Q
2 Doug Harris Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 1:56.6Q
2 Tom White Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1:56.6Q
4 Raymond Rosier Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1:56.7Q
5 Vasilios Mavroidis Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece 1:57.4
6 Antero Mongrut Flag of Peru (1825-1950).svg  Peru 1:58.7
7 Cahit Önel Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Unknown
Herluf Christensen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark DNF

Heat 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Niels Holst-Sørensen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 1:54.2Q
2 Bjørn Vade Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1:54.2Q
3 Bob Chambers US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:54.3Q
4 Joseph Brys Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1:55.4Q
5 Óskar Jónsson Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 1:55.4
6 Bill Parnell Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 1:55.7
7 Juan Adarraga Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg  Spain Unknown
Joe KellyFlag of Ireland.svg  Ireland DNS

Heat 4

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Arthur Wint Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica 1:53.9Q
2 Frits de Ruijter Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 1:54.4Q
3 Josy Barthel Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 1:54.8Q
4 Václav Winter Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg  Czechoslovakia 1:55.1Q
5 Ezra Henniger Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 1:55.4
6 Wilfred Tull Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1889-1958).svg  Trinidad and Tobago 1:55.7
7 Seydi Dinçtürk Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Unknown

Heat 5

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Olle Ljunggren Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1:56.1Q
2 Robert Chef d'Hôtel Flag of France.svg  France 1:56.2Q
3 Hans Streuli Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 1:56.5Q
4 Harry Tarraway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1:56.6Q
5 Guillermo Avalos Flag of Argentina (1861-2010).svg  Argentina 1:56.6
6 Riza Maksut İşman Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 2:01.1
7 Georgios Karageorgos Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece Unknown

Heat 6

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Mal Whitfield US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:52.8Q
2 Ingvar Bengtsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1:52.9Q
3 Jack Hutchins Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 1:55.5Q
4 Gaston Mayordomo Flag of France.svg  France 1:55.7Q
5 Stylianos Stratakos Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece 2:02.2
Bruno SchneiderFlag of Austria.svg  Austria DNS
Dermot McDermottFlag of Ireland.svg  Ireland DNS

Semifinals

Semifinal 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Marcel Hansenne Flag of France.svg  France 1:50.5Q
2 Mal Whitfield US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:50.7Q
3 John Parlett Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1:50.9Q
4 Jack Hutchins Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 1:52.6
5 Joseph Brys Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1:53.2
6 Josy Barthel Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 1:54.6
7 Bjørn Vade Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1:55.39 [5]
Karl Volkmer Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland DNF

Semifinal 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Ingvar Bengtsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1:51.2Q
2 Arthur Wint Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica 1:52.7Q
3 Bob Chambers US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:52.9Q
4 Gaston Mayordomo Flag of France.svg  France 1:54.3
5 Bill Ramsay Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 1:54.9
6 Václav Winter Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg  Czechoslovakia 1:57.7
Harry Tarraway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain DNF
Doug Harris Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand DNF

Semifinal 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Herb Barten US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:51.7Q
2 Robert Chef d'Hôtel Flag of France.svg  France 1:52.0Q
3 Niels Holst-Sørensen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 1:52.4Q
4 Olle Ljunggren Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1:52.5
5 Tom White Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1:53.0
6 Frits de Ruijter Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 1:54.6
7 Raymond Rosier Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Unknown
Hans Streuli Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland DNF

Final

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Mal Whitfield US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:49.2 OR
Silver medal icon.svg Arthur Wint Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica 1:49.5
Bronze medal icon.svg Marcel Hansenne Flag of France.svg  France 1:49.8
4 Herb Barten US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:50.1
5 Ingvar Bengtsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1:50.5
6 Bob Chambers US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 1:52.1
7 Robert Chef d'Hôtel Flag of France.svg  France 1:53.0
8 John Parlett Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1:53.4
9 Niels Holst-Sørensen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 1:54.0

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Wint</span> Jamaican sprinter (1920–1992)

Arthur Stanley Wint OD MBE was a Jamaican Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot during the Second World War, sprinter, physician, and later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Competing at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, whilst a medical student at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, he won two gold and two silver medals, becoming the first Jamaican Olympic gold medalist.

The men's 800 metres was the middle of the seven men's track races in the Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics program in Tokyo. 47 athletes from 32 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The first round was held on 14 October, with the semifinals on 15 October and the final on 16 October. The event was won by Peter Snell of New Zealand, successfully defending his 1960 gold medal, and completing the first half of his 800 metres/1500 metres double. Bill Crothers of Canada took silver, the first 800 metres medal for that nation since 1936 and matching Canada's best-ever result in the event. Wilson Kiprugut's bronze was the first medal by Kenya in any event; Kenya would become a frequent fixture on the men's 800 metres podium.

The men's 800 metres event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne was held on 23, 24, and 26 November 1956. There were a total number of 38 competitors from 24 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Tom Courtney, the last of a streak of four American victories in the event and the seventh overall United States victory. Derek Johnson's silver put Great Britain back on the podium for the first time since that nation's own four-Games gold streak ended in 1932. Norway received its first men's 800 metres medal with Audun Boysen's bronze.

The men's 100 metres sprint event at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, England, we held at Wembley Stadium on 30 and 31 July. Sixty-three athletes from 33 nations competed; each nation was limited to 3 runners by rules set at the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Harrison Dillard, in a photo finish. Lloyd LaBeach of Panama won his nation's first medal in the men's 100 metres, a bronze. This was the first time a photo finish camera was used at an Olympic Games. The photo finish equipment consisted of a photoelectric cell, called the Magic Eye, produced by Swiss watchmaker Omega and a slit photography camera produced by the British Race Finish Recording Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres</span> Olympic athletics event

The men's 200 metres sprint event at the 1948 Summer Olympics took place between 2 August and 3 August. There were 51 competitors from 28 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Mel Patton. His countryman Barney Ewell earned silver, making this the third consecutive Games the United States took the top two spots in the event. Lloyd La Beach's bronze gave Panama a medal in its debut in the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres</span>

The men's 400 metres sprint event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place between August 4 and August 5. Fifty-three athletes from 28 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by 0.2 seconds by Jamaican Arthur Wint coming from almost 10 meters back to catch teammate and world record holder Herb McKenley. This was Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal in their debut participation at the Games, and broke a string of 3 straight American victories in the men's 400 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles</span>

The men's 110 metres hurdles event at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games took place on 3 and 4 August. Twenty-eight athletes from 18 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American William Porter. Porter's compatriots, Clyde Scott and Craig Dixon took 2nd and 3rd place. It was the third of nine consecutive American victories, and the ninth overall gold medal for the United States in the 110 metres hurdles. It was also the first of four consecutive American podium sweeps, and the fifth overall sweep by the United States in the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres hurdles</span> Olympic athletics event

The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games took place July 30 and July 31. There were 25 competitors from 17 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Roy Cochran. It was the nation's second consecutive and seventh overall victory in the event. Duncan White won Ceylon's first Olympic medal in any event with his silver. As of the 2016 Games, it remains the only medal won by a male competitor from Ceylon/Sri Lanka; the nation has won one other medal, Susanthika Jayasinghe's silver in the 2000 women's 200 metres. Sweden's first medal in the men's 400 metres hurdles was won by Rune Larsson, taking bronze.

The women's 200 metres sprint event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place on August 5 and August 6. The final was won by Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen. It was the first time this event was included in the Summer Olympics.

The men's 400 metres sprint event at the 1952 Olympic Games took place between July 24 and July 25. Seventy-one athletes from 35 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by 0.11 seconds by George Rhoden of Jamaica, the second consecutive title in the event by a Jamaican. Herb McKenley repeated his silver medal performance from 1948, becoming the second man to win two medals in the event.

The men's 800 metres middle distance event at the 1960 Olympic Games took place between August 31 and September 2. Fifty-one athletes from 35 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

The men's 800 metres event at the 1952 Olympics took place between July 20 and July 22. Fifty athletes from 32 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by the American Mal Whitfield.

The women's 80 metres hurdles event at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games took place on 3 and 4 August. The final was won by Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen.

The men's 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 1952 Olympic Games took place on July 26 & July 27.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres</span>

The men's 100 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom was held at the Olympic Stadium on 4–5 August 2012. Seventy-four athletes from 61 nations competed. Each nation was limited to 3 athletes per rules in force since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The competition comprised four rounds: a preliminary round for entrants without the minimum qualifying standard, a heats round, followed by three semi-finals of eight athletes each, which then reduced to eight athletes for the final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles</span>

The men's 110 metres hurdles competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom was held at the Olympic Stadium on 7–8 August. Fifty-three athletes from 33 nations competed. The event was won by Aries Merritt of the United States, the nation's first championship in the event since 1996 and 19th overall. Hansle Parchment's bronze was Jamaica's first medal in the men's high hurdles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres</span> Olympic athletics event

The men's 200 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom was held at the Olympic Stadium on 7–9 August. There were 54 competitors from 40 nations. The event was won by Usain Bolt of Jamaica, the first man to repeat as champion in the 200 metres. His teammates Yohan Blake (silver) and Warren Weir (bronze) completed the medal sweep; it was the seventh sweep in the men's 200 metres and the first by a nation other than the United States. Bolt's gold medal was Jamaica's third in the event, moving out of a tie with Canada and Italy for second-most overall.

The men's 800 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, was held at the Olympic Stadium on 6–9 August. Fifty-five athletes from 43 nations competed. The event was won by 0.82 seconds by David Rudisha of Kenya, the second consecutive and fourth overall title for Kenya in the event. Rudisha would later become the fourth man to successfully defend his Olympic 800 metres title, and the 11th to win two medals of any kind in the event. Nijel Amos' silver medal was the first Olympic medal ever for Botswana. Timothy Kitum of Kenya won the bronze medal.

The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. The competition was held on 28 & 29 of November. Times are listed as both hand timing and automatic timing. Hand timing was the official time used in the 1956 Olympics. Forty-two athletes from 23 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres</span>

The men's 800 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 12–15 August at the Olympic Stadium. Fifty-eight athletes from 39 nations competed. The event was won by 0.46 seconds by David Rudisha of Kenya, the fourth man to successfully defend Olympic gold in the 800 metres. Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria took silver, the first medal for the nation in the 800 metres since 2000. The United States had an even longer medal-less streak broken, as Clayton Murphy's bronze was their first since 1992.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "800 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  2. "Athletics at the 1948 London Summer Games: Men's 800 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  3. Official Report, p. 248.
  4. THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE FOR THE XIV OLYMPIAD. LONDON: THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE FOR THE XIV OLYMPIAD. 1948. p. 248. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  5. Unofficial auto-timed result, per Olympedia. No official hand time is available.