Men's marathon at the Games of the XXI Olympiad | ||||||||||
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Venue | Olympic Stadium, Montreal | |||||||||
Date | July 31 | |||||||||
Competitors | 67 from 36 nations | |||||||||
Winning time | 2:09:55 OR | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
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Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics | ||
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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 | |
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 marathon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, was held on Saturday July 31, 1976. The race started at 17:30 local time. There were 67 competitors from 36 countries. Seven 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 Waldemar Cierpinski of East Germany, the first Olympic marathon medal by any German runner. Frank Shorter of the United States and Karel Lismont of Belgium became the third and fourth men to win a second medal in the event, each one place behind their 1972 results. Ethiopia's four-Games marathon medal streak ended, as the nation boycotted the Games.
This was the 18th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning runners from the 1972 marathon included defending champion Frank Shorter of the United States, silver medalist Karel Lismont of Belgium, and eighth-place finisher Jack Foster of New Zealand. Shorter had also won four consecutive Fukuoka Marathons from 1971 through 1974 and was favored in this race. Significant contenders included his countryman Bill Rodgers (1975 Boston Marathon winner), Jerome Drayton of Canada (1975 Fukuoka winner), and Akio Usami (9th in 1968 and 12th in 1972) and Shigeru So of Japan. Lasse Virén had just finished defending the double in the 5000 metres and 10000 metres; having never run a marathon before, he entered this event hoping to match Emil Zátopek's 1952 triple. [2]
Bermuda, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay each made their first appearance in Olympic marathons. The United States made its 18th appearance, the only nation to have competed in each Olympic marathon to that point.
As all Olympic marathons, the competition was a single race. The marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards was run over an out-and-back route. [2]
These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1976 Summer Olympics.
World record | Derek Clayton (AUS) | 2:08:33.6 | Antwerp, Belgium | 30 May 1969 |
Olympic record | Abebe Bikila (ETH) | 2:12:11.2 | Tokyo, Japan | 21 October 1964 |
Waldemar Cierpinski set a new Olympic best with 2:09:55.0.
Contrary to previous report, it did not rain throughout the race (in-person account from attendant at miles 10, 24, and 25.9). Light rain was sporadic & occasional. Temperature was about 70F (20C) at 10 mile mark near famed hockey player Maurice Richard’s house.
All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
Date | Time | Round |
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Sunday, 31 July 1976 | 17:30 | Final |
Degaga "Mamo" Wolde was an Ethiopian long distance runner who competed in track, cross-country, and road running events. He was the winner of the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Frank Charles Shorter is an American former long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. His Olympic success, along with the achievements of other American runners, is credited with igniting the running boom in the United States during the 1970s.
Waldemar Cierpinski is a former East German athlete and two-time Olympic champion in the marathon.
Belgium competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 88 competitors, 82 men and 6 women, took part in 51 events in 14 sports.
Belgium competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 101 competitors, 75 men and 26 women, took part in 80 events in 16 sports.
Karel Lismont is a former Belgian long-distance runner. He competed at the 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics in the marathon and 10,000 m events. He won two marathon medals: a silver in 1972 and a bronze in 1976, finishing ninth and twenty-fourth in 1980 and 1984, respectively; he was less successful in the 10,000 m, finishing eleventh in 1976 and failing to reach the final in 1972. His personal best for the marathon was 2:11:12.6 at the 1976 Olympic Games.
Nepal sent a delegation to compete at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 17 July to 1 August 1976. This was the nation's third time competing at a Summer Olympic Games. Nepal's delegation consisted of a single Marathon runner, Baikuntha Manandhar. He finished the race in 50th place.
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The men's marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany was held on Sunday September 10, 1972. The race started at 15:00h local time. There were 74 competitors from 39 countries. Twelve of them did not finish. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Frank Shorter of the United States, the nation's first Olympic marathon victory since 1908 and third overall. Karel Lismont won Belgium's second medal in the marathon with his silver. Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia became only the second man, after his countryman Abebe Bikila, to win two medals in the marathon. Ethiopia's four-Games medal streak was matched only by Finland (1920–1932).
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Donald Franklin Kardong is a noted runner and author from the United States. He finished fourth in the 1976 Olympic marathon in Montreal.
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