Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon

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Men's marathon
at the Games of the XIX Olympiad
Estadio olimpico universitario unam.jpg
Olympic Stadium (2016)
Venue Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City
DateOctober 20
Competitors75 from 41 nations
Winning time2:20:26
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Mamo Wolde
Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1974).svg  Ethiopia
Silver medal icon.svg Kenji Kimihara
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan
Bronze medal icon.svg Mike Ryan
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
  1964
1972  
Official Video Highlights TV-icon-2.svg
Official Video Highlights

The men's marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico, was held on Sunday October 20, 1968. The race started at 15:00h local time. There were 75 competitors from 41 countries. Eighteen of them did not finish. [1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia, the nation's third consecutive gold medal in the Olympic marathon (matching France for most golds overall in the event).[ citation needed ]

Background

This was the 16th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning runners from the 1964 marathon included two-time defending champion Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia, fifth-place finisher József Sütő of Hungary, and eighth-place finisher Kenji Kimihara of Japan. Abebe would have been favored but was recovering from an appendectomy and stress fracture. His countryman Mamo Wolde (who had run in 1964 but had not finished, while his brother Demissie Wolde finished 10th) was a "formidable contender," particularly with the high altitude of Mexico City seen as being favorable to the Ethiopian team, used to high altitudes. [2]

Costa Rica, Guyana, Kuwait, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Uruguay, and Zambia each made their first appearance in Olympic marathons; East and West Germany competed separately for the first time. The United States made its 16th appearance, the only nation to have competed in each Olympic marathon to that point.

Competition format and course

As all Olympic marathons, the competition was a single race. The marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards was run over a point-to-point course. The course ran from the Zócalo to the Olympic Stadium. [2]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1968 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Derek Clayton  (AUS)2:09:36.4 Fukuoka, Japan 3 December 1967
Olympic recordFlag of Ethiopia.svg  Abebe Bikila  (ETH)2:12:11.2 Tokyo, Japan 21 October 1964

No new world or Olympic bests were set during the competition.

Schedule

All times are Central Standard Time (UTC-6)

DateTimeRound
Sunday, 18 October 196815:00Final

Results

RankAthleteNationTime
Gold medal icon.svg Mamo Wolde Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1974).svg  Ethiopia 2:20:26
Silver medal icon.svg Kenji Kimihara Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan 2:23:31
Bronze medal icon.svg Mike Ryan Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 2:23:45
4 İsmail Akçay Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 2:25:18
5 Bill Adcocks Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 2:25:33
6 Gabrou Merawi Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1974).svg  Ethiopia 2:27:16
7 Derek Clayton Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 2:27:23
8 Tim Johnston Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 2:28:04
9 Akio Usami Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan 2:28:06
10 Andy Boychuk Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 2:28:40
11 Gaston Roelants Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 2:29:04
12 Pat McMahon Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 2:29:21
13 Alfredo Peñaloza Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 2:29:48
14 Kenny Moore Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2:29:49
15 Jürgen Busch Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  East Germany 2:30:42
16 George Young Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2:31:15
17 Manfred Steffny Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  West Germany 2:31:23
18 Thin Sumbwegam Flag of Burma (1948-1974).svg  Burma 2:32:22
19 Naftali Temu Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 2:32:36
20 Maurice Peiren Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 2:32:49
21 Antonio Ambu Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 2:33:19
22 Ron Daws Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2:33:53
23 Karl-Heinz Sievers Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  West Germany 2:34:11
24 Gyula Tóth Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 2:34:49
25 Hüseyin Aktaş Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 2:35:09
26 Pablo Garrido Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 2:35:47
27 Aad Steylen Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 2:37:42
28 Anatoly Sukharkov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 2:38:07
29 Lee Myeong-jeong Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea 2:38:52
30 Ivaylo Sharankov Flag of Bulgaria (1967-1971).svg  Bulgaria 2:39:49
31 Gioacchino De Palma Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 2:39:58
32 Josef Gwerder Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 2:40:16
33 Hubert Riesner Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  West Germany 2:41:29
34 Georg Olsen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 2:42:24
35 Douglas Zinkala Flag of Zambia (1964-1996).svg  Zambia 2:42:51
36. Ezequiel Baeza Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 2:43:15
37 Dave McKenzie Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 2:43:36
38 Kim Bong-nae Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea 2:43:56
39 Carlos Cuque Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 2:45:20
40 Godwin Kalimbwe Flag of Zambia (1964-1996).svg  Zambia 2:45:26
41 Mick Molloy Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 2:48:13
42 Nikola Simeonov Flag of Bulgaria (1967-1971).svg  Bulgaria 2:48:30
43 John Farrington Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 2:50:16
44 Helmut Kunisch Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 2:50:58
45 Alifu Massaquoi Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 2:52:28
46 Lee Sang-Hoon Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea 2:52:46
47 Hla Thein Flag of Burma (1948-1974).svg  Burma 2:54:03
48 Paul Mose Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 2:55:17
49 Benjamin Silva-Netto Flag of the Philippines (1936-1985, 1986-1998).svg  Philippines 2:56:19
50 Harry Prowell Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana 2:57:01
51 Wimalasena Perera Flag of Ceylon (1951-1972).svg  Ceylon 2:59:05
52 Fulgencio Hernández Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 3:00:40
53 Gustavo Gutiérrez Flag of Ecuador (1900-2009).svg  Ecuador 3:03:07
54 Martin Ande Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 3:03:47
55 Mustafa Musa Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 3:04:53
56 Enoch Muemba Flag of Zambia (1964-1996).svg  Zambia 3:06:16
57 John Stephen Akhwari Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 3:25:17
Carlos Pérez Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg  Spain DNF
Rafael Pérez Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica DNF
Abebe Bikila Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1974).svg  Ethiopia DNF
Jerome Drayton Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada DNF
Pentti Rummakko Flag of Finland.svg  Finland DNF
Guy Texereau Flag of France.svg  France DNF
René Combes Flag of France.svg  France DNF
Jim Alder Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain DNF
Lajos Mecser Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary DNF
József Sütő Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary DNF
Seiichiro Sasaki Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan DNF
Mraljeb Ayed Mansoor Flag of Kuwait (3-2).svg  Kuwait DNF
Saoud Obaid Daifallah Flag of Kuwait (3-2).svg  Kuwait DNF
José García Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico DNF
Edgar Friedli Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland DNF
Mukhamed Shakirov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union DNF
Armando González Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay DNF
Nedo Farčić Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg  Yugoslavia DNF
Hernán Barreneche Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia DNS
Ton EykenboomFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands DNS
Mohammed Gammoudi Flag of Tunisia (1959-1999).svg  Tunisia DNS
Jürgen Haase Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  East Germany DNS
Jouko Kuha Flag of Finland.svg  Finland DNS
Ettore MiloneFlag of Italy.svg  Italy DNS
Edward Stawiarz Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg  Poland DNS
Yury VolkovFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union DNS

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References

  1. "Athletics at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games: Men's Marathon". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Marathon, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 28 August 2020.