Men's 400 metres hurdles at the Games of the XX Olympiad | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Venue | Olympiastadion | |||||||||
Dates | 31 August 1972 & 2 September 1972 | |||||||||
Competitors | 37 from 25 nations | |||||||||
Winning time | 47.82 WR | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics | ||
---|---|---|
Track events | ||
100 m | men | women |
200 m | men | women |
400 m | men | women |
800 m | men | women |
1500 m | men | women |
5000 m | men | |
10,000 m | men | |
100 m hurdles | women | |
110 m hurdles | men | |
400 m hurdles | men | |
3000 m steeplechase | men | |
4×100 m relay | men | women |
4×400 m relay | men | women |
Road events | ||
Marathon | men | |
20 km walk | men | |
50 km walk | men | |
Field events | ||
Long jump | men | women |
Triple jump | men | |
High jump | men | women |
Pole vault | men | |
Shot put | men | women |
Discus throw | men | women |
Javelin throw | men | women |
Hammer throw | men | |
Combined events | ||
Pentathlon | women | |
Decathlon | men | |
The men's 400 metres hurdles was an event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on 31 August - 2 September. [1] There were 37 competitors from 25 nations. [2] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by John Akii-Bua of Uganda, the nation's first medal in the event and first gold medal in any Olympic event. Ralph Mann returned the United States to the podium after a one-Games absence with his silver medal, while David Hemery added a bronze to his 1968 gold to become the fifth man (and first non-American) to earn multiple medals in the event while extending Great Britain's podium streak in the 400 metres hurdles to three Games.
This was the 15th time the event was held. It had been introduced along with the men's 200 metres hurdles in 1900, with the 200 being dropped after 1904 and the 400 being held through 1908 before being left off the 1912 programme. However, when the Olympics returned in 1920 after World War I, the men's 400 metres hurdles was back and would continue to be contested at every Games thereafter.
Four of the eight finalists from the 1968 Games returned: gold medalist David Hemery and bronze medalist John Sherwood of Great Britain, seventh-place finisher Rainer Schubert of West Germany, and eighth-place finisher Roberto Frinolli of Italy. Hemery was one of the favorites, along with Ralph Mann of the United States, who had won the American championship from 1969 to 1971 as well as the U.S. trials. Uganda's John Akii-Bua had run the fastest time in 1971, but had little competitive experience. [2]
Madagascar, Nigeria, and Spain each made their debut in the event; East Germany competed separately for the first time. The United States made its 15th appearance, the only nation to have competed at every edition of the event to that point.
The competition used the three-round format used every Games since 1908 (except the four-round competition in 1952): quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. Ten sets of hurdles were set on the course. The hurdles were 3 feet (91.5 centimetres) tall and were placed 35 metres apart beginning 45 metres from the starting line, resulting in a 40 metres home stretch after the last hurdle. The 400 metres track was standard.
There were 5 quarterfinal heats with 7 or 8 athletes each. The top 3 men in each quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals, along with the next fastest hurdler overall. The 16 semifinalists were divided into 2 semifinals of 8 athletes each, with the top 4 in each semifinal advancing to the 8-man final. [2]
Prior to the competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
World record | David Hemery (GBR) | 48.1 | Mexico City, Mexico | 15 October 1968 |
Olympic record | David Hemery (GBR) | 48.1 | Mexico City, Mexico | 15 October 1968 |
John Akii-Bua was the first to run the event in under 48 seconds, setting a new world record in the final with a time of 47.82 seconds.
All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)
Date | Time | Round |
---|---|---|
Thursday, 31 August 1972 | 10:00 | Quarterfinals |
Friday, 1 September 1972 | 14:30 | Semifinals |
Saturday, 2 September 1972 | 16:15 | Final |
The top three runners in each of the five heats (blue) and the next fastest (green), advanced to the semifinal round.
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dieter Büttner | West Germany | 49.78 | Q |
2 | Viktor Savchenko | Soviet Union | 49.90 | Q |
3 | Jean-Pierre Corval | France | 50.15 | Q |
4 | Tadeusz Kulczycki | Poland | 50.19 | q |
5 | Manuel Soriano | Spain | 50.88 | |
6 | Fatwell Kimaiyo | Kenya | 51.23 | |
7 | Roberto Frinolli | Italy | 51.69 | |
8 | Jean-Aimé Randrianalijaona | Madagascar | 52.75 |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | David Hemery | Great Britain | 49.72 | Q |
2 | Gary Knoke | Australia | 50.10 | Q |
3 | Yuriy Zorin | Soviet Union | 50.35 | Q |
4 | Bill Koskei | Kenya | 50.58 | |
5 | Giorgio Ballati | Italy | 50.90 | |
6 | José Jacinto Hidalgo | Venezuela | 54.00 | |
7 | Norman Brinkworth | Pakistan | 54.67 |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Christian Rudolph | East Germany | 50.00 | Q |
2 | Ralph Mann | United States | 50.18 | Q |
3 | Rainer Schubert | West Germany | 50.23 | Q |
4 | Ari Salin | Finland | 50.45 | |
5 | Jean-Pierre Perrinelle | France | 51.81 | |
6 | José Carvalho | Portugal | 52.64 | |
7 | Hassan Bergaoui | Tunisia | 53.70 |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Akii-Bua | Uganda | 50.35 | Q |
2 | Stavros Tziortzis | Greece | 50.54 | Q |
3 | Ivan Daniš | Czechoslovakia | 50.62 | Q |
4 | Bruce Field | Australia | 51.46 | |
5 | Hansjörg Wirz | Switzerland | 52.34 | |
6 | Dick Bruggeman | United States | 54.36 | |
7 | Julio Ferrer | Puerto Rico | 54.83 | |
— | Francisco Rojas Soto | Paraguay | DNS |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Yevgeny Gavrilenko | Soviet Union | 49.73 | Q |
2 | Jim Seymour | United States | 49.81 | Q |
3 | Rolf Ziegler | West Germany | 50.17 | Q |
4 | Roger Johnson | New Zealand | 50.48 | |
5 | Mike Murei | Kenya | 51.63 | |
6 | Lee Chung-Ping | Republic of China | 52.61 | |
7 | Gladstone Agbamu | Nigeria | 53.68 | |
— | John Sherwood | Great Britain | DNF |
The top four in each of the two heats advanced to the final round.
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Akii-Bua | Uganda | 49.25 | Q |
2 | Ralph Mann | United States | 49.53 | Q |
3 | David Hemery | Great Britain | 49.66 | Q |
4 | Rainer Schubert | West Germany | 49.80 | Q |
5 | Rolf Ziegler | West Germany | 49.88 | |
6 | Ivan Daniš | Czechoslovakia | 50.01 | |
7 | Viktor Savchenko | Soviet Union | 50.28 | |
8 | Jean-Pierre Corval | France | 50.75 |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jim Seymour | United States | 49.33 | Q |
2 | Yevgeny Gavrilenko | Soviet Union | 49.34 | Q |
3 | Yuriy Zorin | Soviet Union | 49.60 | Q |
4 | Stavros Tziortzis | Greece | 50.06 | Q |
5 | Tadeusz Kulczycki | Poland | 50.80 | |
6 | Gary Knoke | Australia | 52.79 | |
— | Christian Rudolph | East Germany | DNF | |
Dieter Büttner | West Germany | DNF |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Akii-Bua | Uganda | 47.82 | WR | |
6 | Ralph Mann | United States | 48.51 | ||
5 | David Hemery | Great Britain | 48.52 | ||
4 | 4 | Jim Seymour | United States | 48.64 | |
5 | 7 | Rainer Schubert | West Germany | 49.65 | |
6 | 2 | Yevgeny Gavrilenko | Soviet Union | 49.66 | |
8 | Stavros Tziortzis | Greece | 49.66 | ||
8 | 3 | Yuriy Zorin | Soviet Union | 50.25 |
The men's 400 metres hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 23 to 26. There were 35 competitors from 24 nations. The event was won by Félix Sánchez of the Dominican Republic, the nation's first medal in the men's 400 metres hurdles. Silver went to Danny McFarlane of Jamaica, returning to the podium in the event for the first time since 1992. Naman Keïta's bronze was France's first medal in the event in over 100 years; the last Frenchman to medal in the long hurdles was Henri Tauzin in 1900. The United States' five-Games gold medal streak ended; for only the second time in the history of the event, Americans competed but won no medals.
The men's 110 metres hurdles was the shorter of the men's hurdle races in the Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics program in Tokyo. It was held on 17 October and 18 October 1964. 38 athletes from 24 nations entered, with 1 not starting in the first round. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The first round was held on 17 October, with the semifinals and the final on 18 October. The event was won by Hayes Jones of the United States, the nation's seventh of nine consecutive victories and the 13th overall gold medal in the event for the Americans. Jones was the fifth man to win two medals in the event. For the first time since 1936, an athlete from outside the United States made the podium, as Anatoly Mikhailov of the Soviet Union took bronze to break the American streak of four consecutive podium sweeps and earn the first Soviet medal in the event.
The men's 400 metres hurdles was the longer of the men's hurdle races in the Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics program in Tokyo. It was held on 14 October, 15 October, and 16 October 1964. 39 athletes from 26 nations competed, with 1 more not starting in the first round. 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 Rex Cawley of the United States, the nation's sixth consecutive and 11th overall victory in the men's 400 metres hurdles. For the first time since 1952, the Americans did not sweep the event. John Cooper earned Great Britain's first medal in the event since 1928 with his silver; Salvatore Morale took Italy's first-ever medal in the 400 metres hurdles with his bronze.
The men's 200 metres sprint event at the 1932 Summer Olympics took place on August 2 and August 3 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. There were 25 athletes from 13 nations. The 1930 Olympic Congress in Berlin had reduced the limit from 4 athletes per NOC to 3 athletes. After missing the podium entirely in 1928, the United States swept the medals in the event in 1932. It was the second medal sweep in the event by the United States (1904) as well as the nation's sixth victory in eight Games. Eddie Tolan was the winner, with George Simpson second and Ralph Metcalfe third.
The men's 200 metres was an event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. It was held on 31 July and 1 August 1928 at the Olympic Stadium. There were 59 competitors from 29 nations. Nations had been limited to 4 athletes each since 1920. The event was won by Percy Williams of Canada, the nation's second victory in the event. The win broke a streak of three victories by the United States; with no Americans on the podium, the nation's six-Games medal streak was broken as well. Walter Rangeley of Great Britain took silver, giving Great Britain a four-Games medal streak in the event. Germany earned its first men's 200 metres medal with Helmut Körnig's bronze.
The men's 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 16–18 August at the Beijing National Stadium. There were 26 competitors from 19 nations. The event was won by Angelo Taylor of the United States, the nation's 18th victory in the men's 400 metres hurdles. Taylor was the seventh man to win multiple medals in the event, and third to win two golds. The United States completed its fifth podium sweep in the men's long hurdles, as Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson took silver and bronze.
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. It was held from August 4 to August 8. Eighty athletes from 56 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Alonzo Babers, returning the United States to the top of the podium for the first time since 1972. Gabriel Tiacoh won the Ivory Coast's first Olympic medal in any event, with a silver.
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The competition was held from July 27 to July 30, 1980. Fifty athletes from 32 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Viktor Markin of the Soviet Union, the nation's first title in the men's 400 metres and first medal in the event since 1956. With the United States boycotting the Games, the country was not represented on the podium for the first time since 1920. Australia earned its first medal in the event with Rick Mitchell's silver, while East Germany won its first medal with Frank Schaeffer's bronze, which was the first medal by any German since the United Team took silvers in 1956 and 1960.
The men's 400 metres hurdles at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union had a start list of 22 competitors from 19 nations, with three quarterfinals, two semifinals (16), and a final (8) that took place on Saturday July 26, 1980. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Volker Beck of East Germany, the nation's first medal in the event. Vasyl Arkhypenko earned silver, the second consecutive Games that the Soviet Union reached the podium in the event. Gary Oakes put Great Britain back on the podium after a one-Games absence with his bronze.
The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games took place on August 3 and August 4. There were 32 competitors from 20 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Glenn Hardin. After two Games of silver and bronze medals, it was the United States' first victory since 1920 and sixth overall. However, it was the first time since 1900 that the Americans had only one medalist in the event. John Loaring took Canada's first 400 metres hurdles medal since 1900 with his silver. Miguel White gave the Philippines a bronze in its 400 metres hurdles debut.
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 men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1932 Olympic Games took place on July 31 and August 1 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. There were 18 competitors from 13 nations. The 1930 Olympic Congress in Berlin had reduced the limit from 4 athletes per NOC to 3 athletes. The event was won by Bob Tisdall of Ireland, the nation's first medal in the event in its 400 metres hurdles debut. The United States took silver and bronze, extending its streak of taking at least silver in all 7 appearances of the event to that point. Taylor became the first man to earn three medals in the event, adding to his 1924 gold and 1928 bronze. Defending champion David Burghley of Great Britain finished fourth.
The men's 110 metres hurdling event at the 1960 Olympic Games took place between September 3 and September 5. Thirty-six athletes from 21 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Lee Calhoun of the United States, the first man to successfully defend Olympic gold in the 110 metres hurdles. It was the sixth of nine consecutive American victories, and the 12th overall gold medal for the United States in the 110 metres hurdles. It was also the fourth of four consecutive American podium sweeps, and the eighth overall sweep by the United States in the event.
The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1960 Olympic Games took place between August 31 and September 2. There were 34 competitors from 23 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Glenn Davis of the United States, the first man to successfully defend an Olympic title in the 400 metres hurdles. As of the 2016 Games, he remains the only man to do so; three others have won two gold medals in the event, but all three did so in nonconsecutive Games. It was the United States' fifth consecutive and 10th overall victory in the event. The Americans also completed their second consecutive medal sweep in the event, as Cliff Cushman took silver and Dick Howard took bronze.
The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1952 Summer Olympics took place July 20 and July 21 at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. There were 40 competitors from 24 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Charles Moore. It was the nation's third consecutive and eighth overall victory in the event. The Soviet Union, in its debut, and New Zealand each earned their first medal in the men's 400 metres hurdles, with Yuriy Lituyev's silver and John Holland's bronze, respectively.
The men's 400 metres hurdles was an event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. The competition was held from July 23, 1976, to July 25, 1976. There were 22 competitors from 16 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. American Edwin Moses won the final in a world record and Olympic record time of 47.64 seconds. His time was initially noted as one hundredth slower, but this was rounded up after an analysis of the photo finish. It was the United States' first victory in the event since 1964 and 12th overall. Fellow American Michael Shine took silver. Yevgeniy Gavrilenko earned the Soviet Union's first medal in the event since 1952 with his bronze. Great Britain's three-Games podium streak in the event ended.
The men's 400 metres hurdles at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California had an entry list of 45 competitors from 30 nations, with six qualifying heats and two semifinals (16) before the final (8) took place on Sunday August 5, 1984. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. American Edwin Moses won his second Olympic gold medal after 1976, while his 18-year-old teammate Danny Harris took the silver medal. Moses' gold was the United States' 13th victory in the event. Moses was the sixth man to win multiple medals in the event, and the second to win multiple golds. Harald Schmid of West Germany took bronze, giving that nation its first medal in the 400 metres hurdles since 1968.
The men's 200 metres was an event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on 3–4 September. There were 57 competitors from 42 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Valeriy Borzov of the Soviet Union, the nation's first medal in the event. Larry Black took silver, extending the United States' podium streak in the men's 200 metres to nine Games. Italy earned its first medal in the event since 1960 with Pietro Mennea's bronze.
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on the 3rd, 4th, & 7th of September. Sixty-four athletes from 49 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Vince Matthews of the United States, the nation's fifth consecutive and 12th overall victory in the event. The Americans' hopes to repeat their podium sweep of four years earlier were dashed by injury in the final. Bronze medalist Julius Sang became the first black African to win a sprint Olympic medal, earning Kenya's first medal in the event.
The men's 400 metres hurdles competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico took place on October 13–15 at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario. There were 30 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 David Hemery of Great Britain, the nation's first victory in the men's 400 metres hurdles since 1928 and second overall—second-most after the United States' 11. The win broke a streak of 6 consecutive American victories. Further, the United States failed to medal in the event for the first time ever; in all 13 previous times the event was held, the American team had at least a silver medalist. Great Britain was the first nation other than the United States to have two medalists in the event in the same Games, as John Sherwood took bronze. Gerhard Hennige of West Germany was the first German hurdler to earn a medal in the event, finishing between the two Britons with silver.