Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres
| Men's 400 metres at the Games of the XVII Olympiad | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Olympic Stadium |
| Dates | 3–6 September |
| Competitors | 59 from 44 nations |
| Winning time | 44.9 WR |
| Medalists | |
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| Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:Olympic Athletics.png | ||
| Track events | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | |
| 800 m | men | women |
| 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 | |
| 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 | ||
| Decathlon | men | |
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. The competition was held between September 3 and September 6, 1960. 59 competitors from 44 nations entered, but 54 competitors from 41 nations participated.[1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by 0.01 seconds by Otis Davis of the United States, the second consecutive and ninth overall title in the event for an American. Carl Kaufmann's silver was the second straight silver for a German in the event, while Malcolm Spence's bronze was the first medal for South Africa in the 400 metres since 1920.
Summary
This race was settled via photo finish using one of the first experimental attempts at fully automatic timing. Carl Kaufmann made a diving lunge at the finish line, his head crossing the line first. But it is the torso that counts and Otis Davis, running upright had his body ahead of Kaufmann. After a suspenseful pause, Davis was ruled the winner. The photo was made further famous after being published in Life Magazine.[2] In fourth place, Milkha Singh ran the Indian national record that lasted 44 years until the 2004 Olympics.[3] There is potential confusion with two athletes in the competition named Malcolm Spence, both qualifying to the second semifinal. The (one year) younger Malcolm Spence representing South Africa eventually netted the bronze medal, while the senior Malcolm Spence from Jamaica, shortened his name to "Mal" while representing the British West Indies, achieved a bronze as part of their 4x400 metres relay, one second ahead of the 4th place South African team. In the final, South African Malcolm Spence took off hard from the gun, making up the stagger and passing Milkha Singh to his outside before the second turn. Through the second turn, Otis Davis gained ground strongly, passing Spence to his outside halfway through the turn, emerging onto the home straight with the lead, two lanes inside of him Carl Kaufmann also gained on the turn and emerged slightly ahead of Spence. Kaufmann gained steadily on Davis but never caught him, desperately diving at the finish line from a half meter back but unable to get more than his head ahead of Davis. Singh was the best of the rest, holding his own the second half of the race against the initial lead of Spence, but unable to gain much ground. Ultimately Spence held on for bronze.
Background
This was the fourteenth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Of the finalists from 1956, bronze medalist Voitto Hellstén of Finland and sixth-place finisher Malcolm Spence returned in 1960. The field was relatively open, with no clear favorite.[4] Afghanistan, the Bahamas, the British West Indies, Ghana, Guyana, Tunisia, and Uganda appeared in this event for the first time. The United States made its fourteenth appearance in the event, the only nation to compete in it at every Olympic Games to that point.
Competition format
The competition retained the basic four-round format from 1920. There were 9 heats in the first round, each scheduled to have 6 or 7 athletes but with some dropping to as low as 4 after withdrawals. The top three runners in each heat advanced to the quarterfinals. There were 4 quarterfinals of 6 or 7 runners each; the top three athletes in each quarterfinal heat advanced to the semifinals. The semifinals featured 2 heats of 6 runners each. The top three runners in each semifinal heat advanced, making a six-man final.[4][5]
Records
Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | File:Flag of the United States.svg Lou Jones (USA) | 45.2 | Los Angeles, United States | 30 June 1956 |
| Olympic record | File:Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg George Rhoden (JAM) | 45.9 | Helsinki, Finland | 25 July 1952 |
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Otis Davis matched the Olympic record of 45.9 seconds in the quarterfinals. In the first semifinal, he set a new Olympic record at 45.5 seconds; by the end of the semifinals, four men had matched (Milkha Singh) or beaten (Malcolm Spence at 45.8 seconds, Carl Kaufmann at 45.7 seconds, and Otis at 45.5 seconds) the old record. In the final, the fifth- and sixth-place finishers (Manfred Kinder and Earl Young matched the old record—but still finished a full second behind the leaders, as Otis and Kaufmann broke the world record with 44.9 second finishes to take gold and silver. Singh's 45.6 seconds in the final set a national record that stood for 44 years.
Schedule
The semifinals and final were on different days for the first time since 1912. All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 3 September 1960 | 09:50 16:10 |
Round 1 Quarterfinals |
| Monday, 5 September 1960 | 16:15 | Semifinals |
| Tuesday, 6 September 1960 | 15:45 | Finals |
Results
First round
The top three runners in each of the 9 heats advanced.
Heat 1
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manfred Kinder | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 46.7 | Q |
| 2 | Edgar Davis | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 47.2 | Q |
| 3 | Malcolm Yardley | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 47.3 | Q |
| 4 | Josef Trousil | File:Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg Czechoslovakia | 47.4 | |
| 5 | John Asare-Antwi | File:Flag of the Union of African States (1958-1961).svg Ghana | 47.7 | |
| 6 | Kimitada Hayase | File:Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan | 49.1 | |
| 7 | Habib Sayed | File:Flag of Afghanistan (1931–1973).svg Afghanistan | 53.8 |
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Heat 2
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alf Pettersson | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 48.3 | Q |
| 2 | Robbie Brightwell | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 48.4 | Q |
| 3 | Konstantin Grachev | File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union | 49.3 | Q |
| 4 | Felix Heuertz | File:Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg | 50.2 | |
| — | George Kerr | File:Flag of the West Indies Federation.svg British West Indies | DNS | |
| N. Romero | File:Flag of Venezuela (1954–2006).png Venezuela | DNS |
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Heat 3
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Kaufmann | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 47.3 | Q |
| 2 | Barry Robinson | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand | 47.6 | Q |
| 3 | Lodewijk De Clerck | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 47.9 | Q |
| 4 | Anubes da Silva | File:Flag of Brazil (1960-1968).svg Brazil | 48.0 | |
| 5 | Csaba Csutorás | File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary | 48.2 | |
| 6 | Hugh Bullard | File:Flag of the Bahamas (1953–1964).svg Bahamas | 51.1 |
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Heat 4
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malcolm Spence | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 46.7 | Q |
| 2 | Kevan Gosper | File:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 47.1 | Q |
| 3 | Terry Tobacco | File:Flag of Canada (1957–1965).svg Canada | 47.4 | Q |
| 4 | Gadi Ado | File:Flag of the Uganda Protectorate.svg Uganda | 49.0 | |
| 5 | Marcel Lambrechts | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 49.5 | |
| 6 | Jorge Terán | File:Flag of Mexico (1934-1968).svg Mexico | 49.6 | |
| 7 | Brahim Karabi | File:Flag of Tunisia (1959–1999).svg Tunisia | 52.0 |
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Heat 5
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German Guenard | File:Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg Puerto Rico | 47.3 | Q |
| 2 | Jerzy Kowalski | File:Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg Poland | 48.3 | Q |
| 3 | Giuseppe Bommarito | File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | 48.6 | Q |
| 4 | Li Po-ting | File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Formosa | 49.5 | |
| 5 | Clayton Glasgow | File:Flag of British Guiana (1955–1966).svg Guyana | 50.7 | |
| 6 | George Johnson | File:Flag of Liberia.svg Liberia | 51.4 |
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Heat 6
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Yerman | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 47.2 | Q |
| 2 | Milkha Singh | File:Flag of India.svg India | 47.6 | Q |
| 3 | Stanisław Swatowski | File:Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg Poland | 48.1 | Q |
| 4 | Manikavasagam Jegathesan | File:Flag of Malaya.svg Malaya | 48.4 | |
| 5 | Iván Rodríguez | File:Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg Puerto Rico | 49.6 | |
| 6 | Claro Pellosis | File:Flag of the Philippines (1936–1985, 1986–1998).svg Philippines | 51.4 |
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Heat 7
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mal Spence | File:Flag of the West Indies Federation.svg British West Indies | 47.6 | Q |
| 2 | Earl Young | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 47.6 | Q |
| 3 | Bartonjo Rotich | File:Flag of British East Africa.svg Kenya | 47.7 | Q |
| 4 | Zdeněk Váňa | File:Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg Czechoslovakia | 48.3 | |
| 5 | Vasilios Sillis | File:Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg Greece | 48.4 | |
| 6 | Manum Bumroongpruck | File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand | 49.6 |
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Heat 8
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abdul Karim Amu | File:Flag of Nigeria (1952–1960).svg Nigeria | 46.8 | Q |
| 2 | Gordon Day | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 47.1 | Q |
| 3 | Hans-Joachim Reske | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 47.2 | Q |
| 4 | Voitto Hellstén | File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland | 48.4 | |
| 5 | Jassim Karim Kuraishi | File:Flag of Iraq (1959-1963).svg Iraq | 49.2 | |
| 6 | Fahir Özgüden | File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey | 50.7 |
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Heat 9
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otis Davis | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 46.8 | Q |
| 2 | Jim Wedderburn | File:Flag of the West Indies Federation.svg British West Indies | 47.4 | Q |
| 3 | John Wrighton | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 47.4 | Q |
| 4 | René Weber | File:Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | 47.6 | |
| 5 | Moussa Said | File:Flag of Ethiopia (1897–1974).svg Ethiopia | 48.2 | |
| 6 | Amos Grodzinowsky | File:Flag of Israel.svg Israel | 48.9 |
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Quarterfinal round
The top three in each of the 4 heats advanced.
Quarterfinal 1
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Kaufmann | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 46.5 | Q |
| 2 | Milkha Singh | File:Flag of India.svg India | 46.5 | Q |
| 3 | Malcolm Spence | File:Flag of the West Indies Federation.svg British West Indies | 46.9 | Q |
| 4 | Terry Tobacco | File:Flag of Canada (1957–1965).svg Canada | 47.5 | |
| 5 | Edgar Davis | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 48.0 | |
| 6 | Malcolm Yardley | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 48.8 | |
| — | Alf Pettersson | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | DNS |
Quarterfinal 2
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Yerman | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 46.4 | Q |
| 2 | Kevan Gosper | File:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 46.5 | Q |
| 3 | Manfred Kinder | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 46.7 | Q |
| 4 | Jim Wedderburn | File:Flag of the West Indies Federation.svg British West Indies | 47.0 | |
| 5 | German Guenard | File:Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg Puerto Rico | 47.2 | |
| 6 | John Wrighton | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 48.4 |
Quarterfinal 3
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Earl Young | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 46.1 | Q |
| 2 | Robbie Brightwell | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 46.2 | Q |
| 3 | Gordon Day | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 46.3 | Q |
| 4 | Hans-Joachim Reske | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 47.3 | |
| 5 | Stanisław Swatowski | File:Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg Poland | 47.4 | |
| 6 | Konstantin Grachov | File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union | 47.6 | |
| 7 | Bartonjo Rotich | File:Flag of British East Africa.svg Kenya | 47.8 |
Quarterfinal 4
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otis Davis | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 45.9 | Q, =OR |
| 2 | Malcolm Spence | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 46.1 | Q |
| 3 | Abdel Karim Amu | File:Flag of Nigeria (1952–1960).svg Nigeria | 46.6 | Q |
| 4 | Jerzy Kowalski | File:Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg Poland | 46.7 | |
| 5 | Giuseppe Bommarito | File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | 47.5 | |
| 6 | Barry Robinson | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand | 48.3 | |
| 7 | Lodewijk De Clerck | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 48.4 |
Semifinal round
The top three in each of the 4 heats advanced.
Semifinal 1
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time (hand) | Time (auto) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otis Davis | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 45.5 | 45.62 | Q |
| 2 | Milkha Singh | File:Flag of India.svg India | 45.9 | 46.08 | Q |
| 3 | Manfred Kinder | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 46.0 | 46.13 | Q |
| 4 | Robbie Brightwell | File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain | 46.1 | 46.25 | |
| 5 | Gordon Day | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 46.7 | 46.84 | |
| 6 | Kevan Gosper | File:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 47.1 | 47.28 |
Semifinal 2
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time (hand) | Time (auto) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Kaufmann | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 45.7 | 45.88 | Q |
| 2 | Malcolm Spence | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 45.8 | 46.01 | Q |
| 3 | Earl Young | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 46.1 | 46.29 | Q |
| 4 | Abdul Karim Amu | File:Flag of Nigeria (1952–1960).svg Nigeria | 46.6 | 46.74 | |
| 5 | Mal Spence | File:Flag of the West Indies Federation.svg British West Indies | 46.8 | 46.99 | |
| 6 | Jack Yerman | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 48.9 | 48.96 |
Final
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time (hand) | Time (auto) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place, gold medalist(s) | 3 | Otis Davis | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 44.9 | 45.07 | WR |
| 2nd place, silver medalist(s) | 1 | Carl Kaufmann | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 44.9 | 45.08 | WR |
| 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) | 4 | Malcolm Spence | File:Flag of South Africa (1928–1982).svg South Africa | 45.5 | 45.60 | |
| 4 | 5 | Milkha Singh | File:Flag of India.svg India | 45.6 | 45.73 | NR |
| 5 | 6 | Manfred Kinder | File:Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg United Team of Germany | 45.9 | 46.04 | |
| 6 | 2 | Earl Young | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 45.9 | 46.07 |
References
- ↑ "Athletics at the 1960 Rome Summer Games: Men's 400 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ↑ "Otis Davis, 1960 400 meter and 4x400m Olympic Champion". 13 September 2009.
- ↑ "rediff.com Olympics Special: Milkha Singh on the race of his life".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ↑ Official Report, vol. 2, pp. 75–79.
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