Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay

Last updated

Contents

Men's 4 × 400 metres relay
at the Games of the XV Olympiad
DatesJuly 26 (heats)
July 27 (final)
Competitors from 18 nations
Teams18
Winning time3:03.9 (hand)
3:04.04 (automatic)
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Arthur Wint
Leslie Laing
Herb McKenley
George Rhoden
Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica
Silver medal icon.svg Ollie Matson
Gerrard Cole
Charles Moore
Mal Whitfield
US flag 48 stars.svg  United States
Bronze medal icon.svg Günter Steines
Hans Geister
Heinz Ulzheimer
Karl-Friedrich Haas
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
  1948
1956  

The men's 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 1952 Olympic Games took place on July 26 & July 27. [1]

The Jamaican team won the final, with the medalists breaking the 20-year-old world record.

Herb McKenley's third leg of 44.6, credited with pulling Jamaica into contention from 10 metres back, is considered one of the greatest relay legs in history, [2] and on the last leg, George Rhoden, the 400 metres champion and Mal Whitfield the 800 metres champion, ran virtually shoulder to shoulder, but Rhoden was able to keep the lead, and beat Whitfield by a yard.

Results

Heats

Round One Heat One

Video on YouTube Heat 1 amateur film TV-icon-2.svg
Video on YouTube Heat 1 amateur film
RankCountryAthletesTime (hand)Time (automatic)Notes
1Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica Arthur Wint, Les Laing, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden 3:12.13:12.13Q
2Flag of France.svg  France Jean-Pierre Goudeau, Robert Bart, Jacques Degats, Jean-Paul Martin du Gard 3:12.63:12.72Q
3Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Gösta Brännström, Tage Ekfeldt, Rune Larsson, Lars-Erik Wolfbrandt 3:13.43:13.55
4Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Albert Lowagie, Antoine Uyterhoeven, Roger Moens, Fernand Linssen 3:15.83:16.05
5Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Roby Schaeffer, Jean Hamilius, Fred Hammer, Gérard Rasquin 3:16.23:16.38
6Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Pauli Tavisalo, Ossi Mildh, Ragnar Graeffe, Rolf Back 3:16.43:16.67
7Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan Junkichi Matoba, Eitaro Okano, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Yoshitaka Muroya 3:20.33:20.55

Round One Heat Two

RankCountryAthletesTime (hand)Time (automatic)Notes [3]
1US flag 48 stars.svg  United States Ollie Matson, Gene Cole, Charlie Moore, Mal Whitfield 3:11.53:11.67Q
2Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain Les Lewis, Alan Dick, Terry Higgins, Nick Stacey 3:12.53:12.67Q
3Flag of Hungary (1949-1956).svg  Hungary Ferenc Bánhalmi, Lajos Szentgáli, Egon Solymossy, Zoltán Adamik 3:13.83:13.96
4Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Baldassare Porto, Gianni Rocca, Luigi Grossi, Armando Filiput 3:15.23:15.23
5Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland Hans Ernst Schneider, Josef Steger, Paul Stalder, Ernst von Gunten 3:15.43:15.36
6Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Shafi, Mirza Khan, Aurang Zeb 3:23.2

Round One Heat Three

RankCountryAthletesTime (hand)Time (automatic)Notes
1Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Hans Geister, Günther Steines, Heinz Ulzheimer, Karl-Friedrich Haas 3:10.53:10.57Q
2Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada Doug Clement, Jack Hutchins, Jack Carroll, James Lavery 3:11.23:11.49Q
3Flag of the Soviet Union (1936-1955).svg  Soviet Union Ardalion Ignatyev, Gennady Slepnyov, Edmunds Pīlāgs, Yury Lituyev 3:12.53:12.65
4Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa Louis van Biljon, Ron Wilke, John Anderton, Bill Chivell 3:14.83:15.09
5Flag of Australia.svg  Australia Ray Weinberg, Morris Curotta, Ken Doubleday, Edwin Carr Jr. 3:15.83:16.00

Final

Video on YouTube Official film of the final TV-icon-2.svg
Video on YouTube Official film of the final
RankCountryTime (hand)Time (automatic)Notes
Gold medal icon.svgFlag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica 3:03.93:04.04 WR
Silver medal icon.svgUS flag 48 stars.svg  United States 3:04.03:04.21
Bronze medal icon.svgFlag of Germany.svg  Germany 3:06.63:06.78
4Flag of Canada (1921-1957).svg  Canada 3:09.33:09.37
5Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:10.03:10.23
6Flag of France.svg  France 3:10.13:10.33

Key: WR = World record

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1948 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in London, England

The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus caused by the outbreak of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics held since the 1936 Games in Berlin. The 1940 Olympic Games had been scheduled for Tokyo and then for Helsinki, while the 1944 Olympic Games had been provisionally planned for London. This was the second time London hosted the Olympic Games, having previously hosted them in 1908, forty years earlier. The Olympics would return again to London 64 years later in 2012, making London the first city to host the games thrice, and the only such city until Paris and Los Angeles host their third games in 2024 and 2028, respectively. The 1948 Olympic Games were also the first of two summer Games held under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Athletics Championships</span> Biennial international athletics competition

The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics till 2019, are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations. Alongside Olympic Games, they represent the highest level championships of senior international outdoor athletics competition for track and field athletics globally, including marathon running and race walking. Separate World Championships are held by World Athletics for certain other outdoor events, including cross-country running and half-marathon, as well as indoor and age-group championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">400 metres</span> Sprint running event

The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440-yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the "quarter-mile"—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.

George Vincent Rhoden is a Jamaican retired athlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Moore (hurdler)</span> American athlete (1929–2020)

Charles Hewes Moore Jr. was an American track and field athlete, as well as a philanthropist, businessman, and champion of societal reform. Moore won a gold medal in the 400 metre hurdles in the 1952 Summer Olympics with a time of 50.8 seconds, narrowly missing the world record of 50.6 seconds. He had set the American record during Olympic qualifying. He also ran the third leg of the second-place 4×400 metres relay at the Olympics. Moore finished second for the James E. Sullivan Award for top U.S. athlete in 1952, and was selected as one of "100 Golden Olympians" in 1996. In 1999, he was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame. Charles Moore, an Olympics athlete of track and field died on October 8, 2020, in Laporte, Pennsylvania. He was 91 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herb McKenley</span> Jamaican sprinter

The Hon. Herbert Henry McKenley OM was a Jamaican track and field sprinter. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, and won one gold and three silver medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4 × 400 metres relay</span> Track and field relay event covering 1600 metres

The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first leg and the first bend of the second leg are run in lanes. Start lines are thus staggered over a greater distance than in an individual 400 metres race; the runners then typically move to the inside of the track. The slightly longer 4 × 440 yards relay, on an Imperial distance, was a formerly run British Commonwealth and American event, until metrication was completed in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuela at the 1952 Summer Olympics</span> Venezuela at the Olympics

Venezuela competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland. The Venezuelan Olympic Committee selected 38 competitors, 36 men and two women, to take part in 37 events across eight sports. This was a much greater turnout than 1948, Venezuela's only previous entry, which had only one athlete. For the first time, women represented Venezuela at the Summer Olympics. Women have been absent in the Venezuelan team on four occasions, including the next Summer Games held in Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica at the 1952 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Jamaica competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's 10 metre platform</span>

The men's 10 metre platform, also reported as high diving, was one of four diving events on the Diving at the 1952 Summer Olympics programme.

Since the early 20th century, Jamaica has won 42 Commonwealth Golds, 14 World Championship Golds and 17 Olympic gold medals in athletics alone. Jamaica has a population of 2.85 million people, making it the 138th most populous country in the world.

Wu Chuanyu was an Indonesian-born Chinese swimmer who competed in the Summer Olympic Games in 1948 and 1952. In his second Games, he became the first competitor for the People's Republic of China in Olympic history.

The women's 200 metre breaststroke event, included in the swimming competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics, took place on 26–29 July, at the Helsinki Swimming Stadium. In this event, swimmers covered four lengths of the 50-metre (160 ft) Olympic-sized pool employing the breaststroke. It was the sixth appearance of the event, which first appeared at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. A total of 33 competitors from 19 nations participated in the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon</span>

The marathon at the 1952 Summer Olympics was held on 27 July on a course running from the Helsinki Olympic Stadium to Korso, Helsinki Rural Municipality and back. Sixty-six athletes from 32 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at three since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The winning margin was 2 minutes 31.8 seconds.

<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 800 metres</span>

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. 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. 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.

The men's 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place on 6 and 7 August. The United States team won the final with a time of 3:10.4.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad and Tobago at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Trinidad and Tobago competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was Trinidad and Tobago's most successful Summer Olympics. It was the nation's largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics, with a total of 30 athletes, 21 men and 9 women, in 6 sports. Trinidad and Tobago's participation in these games marked its sixteenth Olympic appearance as an independent nation, although it had previously competed in four other games as a British colony, and as part of the West Indies Federation. The nation was awarded four Olympic medals based on the efforts by the athletes who competed in the track and field. Javelin thrower Keshorn Walcott became the first Trinidadian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal since the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where Hasely Crawford won for the sprint event. Marc Burns, a four-time Olympic athlete and a relay sprinter who led his team by winning the silver medal in Beijing, was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

The women's 4 × 400 metres relay competition of the athletics events at the 2019 Pan American Games took place on the 10th of August at the 2019 Pan American Games Athletics Stadium. The defending Pan American Games champion is United States.

References

  1. "Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games: Men's 4 × 400 metres Relay". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  2. "Greatest 4x400m hits and splits – IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015 | NEWS | World Athletics".
  3. THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE FOR THE GAMES OF THE XV OLYMPIAD HELSINKI 1952. Helsinki, Finland: THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE FOR THE XV OLYMPIAD HELSINKI 1952. 1955. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.