Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres
Men's 800 metres at the Games of the XVI Olympiad | ||||||||||
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Venue | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |||||||||
Dates | November 23 (heats) November 24 (semifinals) November 26 (final) | |||||||||
Competitors | 38 from 24 nations | |||||||||
Winning time | 1:47.7 OR | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
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Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics | ||
---|---|---|
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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 | |
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 800 metres event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne was held on 23, 24, and 26 November 1956. There were a total number of 38 competitors from 24 nations.[1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Tom Courtney, the last of a streak of four American victories in the event and the seventh overall United States victory. Derek Johnson's silver put Great Britain back on the podium for the first time since that nation's own four-Games gold streak ended in 1932. Norway received its first men's 800 metres medal with Audun Boysen's bronze.
Summary
This one Olympiad saw the use of starting blocks from a waterfall start for the 800 meters. All subsequent races have used a standing start in lanes, breaking after the first turn (known as a one turn stagger). Out of the blocks, Tom Courtney got the edge around the turn, but by the end of the turn Arnie Sowell edged into the lead. Over the next 150 metres, Sowell opened up as much as a three-metre lead, but Courtney didn't go away. He bided his time for the next lap working his way back to Sowell's shoulder into the final turn and he brought Audun Boysen and Derek Johnson with him. Coming off the final turn it was the two Americans shoulder to shoulder, Sowell on the inside and Courtney on the outside looking like they would fight each other to the finish line like so many domestic races earlier in the season. Johnson had other ideas, squeezing between the two and into daylight. Again Courtney didn't go away, instead accelerating to keep pace, then with a final burst of speed, passing Johnson 20 metres before the tape to take the gold. Boysen followed Courtney past Sowell to narrowly capture bronze.
Background
This was the 13th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The only finalist from the 1952 Games to return was fourth-place finisher Gunnar Nielsen of Denmark. In 1955, Audun Boysen of Norway had run under the then-world record time—but in a race in which he finished second, to Roger Moens of Belgium. Moens was injured and did not compete in Melbourne. Boysen faced American favorites Arnie Sowell (AAU champion) and Tom Courtney (U.S. Olympic trials victor) and British favorites Mike Rawson (AAA champion) and Derek Johnson (Commonwealth champion).[2][3]
Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, and Malaya appeared in the event for the first time; German athletes competed as the Unified Team of Germany for the first time. Great Britain and the United States each made their 12th appearance, tied for the most among all nations.
Competition format
The event used the three-round format introduced in 1912. However, the number of semifinals was reduced from 3 to 2 and the final was shrunk from 9 men to 8. There were five first-round heats, each with between 6 and 9 athletes; the top three runners in each heat advanced to the semifinals. There were two semifinals with 7 or 8 athletes each; the top four runners in each semifinal advanced to the eight-man final.[3][4]
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1948 Summer Olympics.
World record | ![]() | 1:45.7 | Oslo, Norway | 3 August 1955 |
Olympic record | ![]() | 1:49.2 | London, United Kingdom | 2 August 1948 |
Tom Courtney set a new Olympic record with a time of 1:47.7 in the final; the top four men in the final all broke the old record and the fifth-place finisher tied it.
Schedule
All times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)
Date | Time | Round |
---|---|---|
Friday, 23 November 1956 | 16:15 | Round 1 |
Saturday, 24 November 1956 | 16:00 | Semifinals |
Monday, 26 November 1956 | 15:30 | Final |
Results
Heats
Five heats were held, the fastest three of each would qualify for the semifinals.
Heat 1
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Audun Boysen | ![]() | 1:52.0 | Q |
2 | Mike Rawson | ![]() | 1:52.1 | Q |
3 | Yoshitaka Muroya | ![]() | 1:52.3 | Q |
4 | Gerard Rasquin | ![]() | 1:52.7 | |
5 | Dimitrios Konstantinidis | ![]() | 1:52.7 | |
6 | Frank Rivera | ![]() | 1:56.4 | |
7 | Mamo Wolde | ![]() | 1:58.0 | |
— | Murray Cockburn | ![]() | DNS | |
Olavi Salsola | ![]() | DNS | ||
Dan Waern | ![]() | DNS |
Heat 2
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tom Courtney | ![]() | 1:52.7 | Q |
2 | Mike Farrell | ![]() | 1:52.8 | Q |
3 | Evangelos Depastas | ![]() | 1:53.1 | Q |
4 | Donald MacMillan | ![]() | 1:53.4 | |
5 | Shigeharu Suzuki | ![]() | 1:54.1 | |
6 | Paul Schmidt | ![]() | 1:55.6 | |
7 | Manikavagasam Harichandra | ![]() | 1:56.27 | [5] |
8 | Douglas Clement | ![]() | 1:56.92 | [5] |
9 | Phoi Jaiswang | ![]() | Unknown | |
— | István Rózsavölgyi | ![]() | DNS |
Heat 3
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | James Bailey | ![]() | 1:51.1 | Q |
2 | Arnie Sowell | ![]() | 1:51.3 | Q |
3 | Émile Leva | ![]() | 1:52.0 | Q |
4 | Sohan Singh | ![]() | 1:52.4 | |
5 | Eduardo Fontecilla | ![]() | 1:52.8 | |
6 | Günter Dohrow | ![]() | 1:53.7 | |
7 | Arap Kiptalam Keter | ![]() | 1:56.13 | [5] |
8 | Bayene Ayanew | ![]() | Unknown | |
9 | Kenneth Perera | ![]() | Unknown |
Heat 4
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gunnar Nielsen | ![]() | 1:51.2 | Q |
2 | Lonnie Spurrier | ![]() | 1:51.5 | Q |
3 | Bill Butchart | ![]() | 1:51.6 | Q |
4 | Gianfranco Baraldi | ![]() | 1:51.9 | |
5 | Abdullah Khan | ![]() | 1:52.6 | |
6 | Sim Sang-ok | ![]() | 1:55.5 | |
7 | George Johnson | ![]() | Unknown | |
— | Ronnie Delany | ![]() | DNS | |
Stanislav Jungwirth | ![]() | DNS |
Heat 5
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Derek Johnson | ![]() | 1:50.8 | Q |
2 | René Djian | ![]() | 1:51.1 | Q |
3 | Lajos Szentgali | ![]() | 1:51.8 | Q |
4 | Ramón Sandoval | ![]() | 1:51.9 | |
5 | Klaus Richtzenhain | ![]() | 1:53.3 | |
6 | Mahmoud Jan | ![]() | 1:59.5 | |
— | Josy Barthel | ![]() | DNS | |
George Kerr | ![]() | DNS | ||
Joseph Narmath | ![]() | DNS |
Semifinals
Two semifinals were held, the fastest four of each would qualify for the final.
Semifinal 1
Nielsen withdrew, "reserving himself for the 1,500 metres."[2]
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Thomas Courtney | ![]() | 1:53.6 | Q |
2 | Lonnie Spurrier | ![]() | 1:53.6 | Q |
3 | Mike Farrell | ![]() | 1:53.7 | Q |
4 | Bill Butchart | ![]() | 1:53.8 | Q |
5 | Lajos Szentgali | ![]() | 1:53.9 | |
6 | Yoshitaka Muroya | ![]() | 1:54.5 | |
— | Gunnar Nielsen | ![]() | DNS |
Semifinal 2
Bailey was "obviously unwell and later scratched from the 1,500 metres."[2]
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arnie Sowell | ![]() | 1:50.0 | Q |
2 | Audun Boysen | ![]() | 1:50.0 | Q |
3 | Derek Johnson | ![]() | 1:50.2 | Q |
4 | Emile Leva | ![]() | 1:50.4 | Q |
5 | Mike Rawson | ![]() | 1:50.4 | |
6 | René Djian | ![]() | 1:50.7 | |
7 | James Bailey | ![]() | 1:51.4 | |
8 | Evangelos Depastas | ![]() | 1:52.0 |
Final
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Tom Courtney | ![]() | 1:47.7 | OR |
![]() | Derek Johnson | ![]() | 1:47.8 | |
![]() | Audun Boysen | ![]() | 1:48.1 | |
4 | Arnie Sowell | ![]() | 1:48.3 | |
5 | Mike Farrell | ![]() | 1:49.2 | |
6 | Lonnie Spurrier | ![]() | 1:49.3 | |
7 | Emile Leva | ![]() | 1:51.8 | |
8 | Bill Butchart | ![]() | 1:52.0 |
References
- "Athletics at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games: Men's 800 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- Official Report, p. 270.
- "800 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- Official Report, pp. 292–93.
- Unofficial auto-timed result. No hand-timed result is available.