Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres
| Men's 800 metres at the Games of the XIV Olympiad | |
|---|---|
| File:Mal Whitfield USA Athlete, Olympic Games, London, 1948.jpg | |
| Venue | Wembley Stadium |
| Dates | July 30 (heats) July 31 (semifinals) August 2 (final) |
| Competitors | 41 from 24 nations |
| Winning time | 1:49.2 OR |
| Medalists | |
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| Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:Olympic Athletics.png | ||
| Track events | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | |
| 800 m | men | |
| 1500 m | men | |
| 5000 m | men | |
| 10,000 m | men | |
| 80 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 | |
| Road events | ||
| Marathon | men | |
| 10 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 | ||
| Decathlon | men | |
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 record | File:Flag of Germany.svg Rudolf Harbig (GER) | 1:46.6 | Milan, Italy | 15 July 1939 |
| Olympic record | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Tommy Hampson (GBR) | 1:49.7 | Los Angeles, United States | 2 August 1932 |
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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).
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, 30 July 1948 | 16:00 | Round 1 |
| Saturday, 31 July 1948 | 15:15 | Semifinals |
| Monday, 2 August 1948 | 16:00 | Final |
Results
Round 1
The first four in each heat qualified for the semifinals.[4]
Heat 1
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcel Hansenne | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1:54.6 | Q |
| 2 | John Parlett | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 1:55.0 | Q |
| 3 | Bill Ramsay | File:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 1:55.0 | Q |
| 4 | Karl Volkmer | File:Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | 1:55.3 | Q |
| 5 | Adán Torres | File:Flag of Argentina (1861–2010).svg Argentina | 1:56.7 | |
| 6 | Lee Yun-seok | File:Flag of South Korea (1945-1948).svg South Korea | 2:01.4 | |
| 7 | Rashid Khadr | File:Flag of Egypt (1922–1953).svg Egypt | Unknown |
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Heat 2
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herb Barten | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | 1:55.6 | Q |
| 2 | Doug Harris | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand | 1:56.6 | Q |
| 2 | Tom White | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 1:56.6 | Q |
| 4 | Raymond Rosier | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 1:56.7 | Q |
| 5 | Vasilios Mavroidis | File:Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg Greece | 1:57.4 | |
| 6 | Antero Mongrut | File:Flag of Peru (1825-1950).svg Peru | 1:58.7 | |
| 7 | Cahit Önel | File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey | Unknown | |
| — | Herluf Christensen | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | DNF |
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Heat 3
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niels Holst-Sørensen | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | 1:54.2 | Q |
| 2 | Bjørn Vade | File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway | 1:54.2 | Q |
| 3 | Bob Chambers | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | 1:54.3 | Q |
| 4 | Joseph Brys | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 1:55.4 | Q |
| 5 | Óskar Jónsson | File:Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland | 1:55.4 | |
| 6 | Bill Parnell | File:Flag of Canada (1921–1957).svg Canada | 1:55.7 | |
| 7 | Juan Adarraga | File:Flag of Spain (1945–1977).svg Spain | Unknown | |
| — | Joe Kelly | File:Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg Ireland | DNS |
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Heat 4
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Wint | File:Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg Jamaica | 1:53.9 | Q |
| 2 | Frits de Ruijter | File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | 1:54.4 | Q |
| 3 | Josy Barthel | File:Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg | 1:54.8 | Q |
| 4 | Václav Winter | File:Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg Czechoslovakia | 1:55.1 | Q |
| 5 | Ezra Henniger | File:Flag of Canada (1921–1957).svg Canada | 1:55.4 | |
| 6 | Wilfred Tull | File:Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1889–1958).svg Trinidad and Tobago | 1:55.7 | |
| 7 | Seydi Dinçtürk | File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey | Unknown |
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Heat 5
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olle Ljunggren | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 1:56.1 | Q |
| 2 | Robert Chef d'Hôtel | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1:56.2 | Q |
| 3 | Hans Streuli | File:Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | 1:56.5 | Q |
| 4 | Harry Tarraway | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 1:56.6 | Q |
| 5 | Guillermo Avalos | File:Flag of Argentina (1861–2010).svg Argentina | 1:56.6 | |
| 6 | Riza Maksut İşman | File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey | 2:01.1 | |
| 7 | Georgios Karageorgos | File:Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg Greece | Unknown |
Heat 6
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mal Whitfield | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | 1:52.8 | Q |
| 2 | Ingvar Bengtsson | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 1:52.9 | Q |
| 3 | Jack Hutchins | File:Flag of Canada (1921–1957).svg Canada | 1:55.5 | Q |
| 4 | Gaston Mayordomo | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1:55.7 | Q |
| 5 | Stylianos Stratakos | File:Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg Greece | 2:02.2 | |
| — | Bruno Schneider | File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria | DNS | |
| Dermot McDermott | File:Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg Ireland | DNS |
Semifinals
Semifinal 1
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcel Hansenne | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1:50.5 | Q |
| 2 | Mal Whitfield | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | 1:50.7 | Q |
| 3 | John Parlett | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 1:50.9 | Q |
| 4 | Jack Hutchins | File:Flag of Canada (1921–1957).svg Canada | 1:52.6 | |
| 5 | Joseph Brys | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 1:53.2 | |
| 6 | Josy Barthel | File:Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg | 1:54.6 | |
| 7 | Bjørn Vade | File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway | 1:55.39 | [5] |
| — | Karl Volkmer | File:Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | DNF |
Semifinal 2
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ingvar Bengtsson | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 1:51.2 | Q |
| 2 | Arthur Wint | File:Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg Jamaica | 1:52.7 | Q |
| 3 | Bob Chambers | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | 1:52.9 | Q |
| 4 | Gaston Mayordomo | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1:54.3 | |
| 5 | Bill Ramsay | File:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 1:54.9 | |
| 6 | Václav Winter | File:Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg Czechoslovakia | 1:57.7 | |
| — | Harry Tarraway | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | DNF | |
| Doug Harris | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand | DNF |
Semifinal 3
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herb Barten | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | 1:51.7 | Q |
| 2 | Robert Chef d'Hôtel | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1:52.0 | Q |
| 3 | Niels Holst-Sørensen | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | 1:52.4 | Q |
| 4 | Olle Ljunggren | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 1:52.5 | |
| 5 | Tom White | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 1:53.0 | |
| 6 | Frits de Ruijter | File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | 1:54.6 | |
| 7 | Raymond Rosier | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | Unknown | |
| — | Hans Streuli | File:Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | DNF |
Final
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "800 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Official Report, p. 248.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Unofficial auto-timed result, per Olympedia. No official hand time is available.
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