1956 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 400 m (men)
sport | athletics | ||||||||
discipline | 400 meter run | ||||||||
gender | Men | ||||||||
Attendees | 42 athletes from 23 countries | ||||||||
Competition location | Melbourne Cricket Ground | ||||||||
Competition phase | November 28, 1956 (preliminary / quarter-finals) November 29, 1956 (semi-finals / final) |
||||||||
|
The men's 400-meter race at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne was held on November 28 and 29, 1956 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground . 42 athletes took part.
The American Charles Jenkins became Olympic champion . He won ahead of the German Karl-Friedrich Haas . There were two bronze medals in this final, they went to Voitto Hellsten from Finland and Ardalion Ignatjew from the Soviet Union.
Two other German athletes started. While Horst Mann could not finish his prelim, Jürgen Kühl qualified for the quarter-finals, but was eliminated there in fifth. Swiss and Austrian athletes did not take part.
Existing records
World record | 45.2 s | Lou Jones ( USA ) | Los Angeles , USA | June 30, 1956 |
Olympic record | 45.9 s | George Rhoden ( Jamaica ) | Helsinki Final , Finland | July 25, 1952 |
Herb McKenley ( Jamaica ) |
Conducting the competition
The runners started eight heats on November 28th. The three best runners qualified for the quarter-finals on the same day. Here again the best three starters reached the semi-finals. The two preliminary rounds and the final were held on November 29th. In the semifinals, too, the top three qualified for the final.
Note: The qualified athletes are highlighted in light blue.
Time schedule
November 28th, 3 p.m .: preliminary runs
November 28, 5:35 p.m .: preliminary runs
November 29, 3 p.m .: semi-finals
November 29, 5:30 p.m .: Final
Note: All times are local Melbourne time (UTC + 10)
Prelims
Date: November 28, 1956, from 3 p.m.
Forward 1
The Japanese Kenji Akagi crossed the finish line in second place with 48.4 s, but was subsequently disqualified.
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lou Jones | United States | 48.1 s | 48.30 s | |
2 | Murray Cockburn | Canada | 49.0 s | 49.07 s | |
3 | Abdullah Khan | Pakistan | 49.0 s | 49.19 s | |
4th | Konstantin Grachev | Soviet Union | 49.4 s | 49.58 s | |
5 | Bejene Layesse | Ethiopia | 50.7 s | 50.83 s | |
DSQ | Kenji Akagi | Japan |
Forward 2
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Terry Tobacco | Canada | 47.9 s | 47.92 s | |
2 | Jacques Degats | France | 48.3 s | 48.32 s | |
3 | Jim Lea | United States | 48.3 s | 48.41 s | |
4th | Bartonjo Rotich | Kenya | 48.8 s | 48.90 s | |
5 | Jaime Aparicio | Colombia | 49.0 s | 49.14s | |
6th | Pablo Somblingo | Philippines | 49.4 s | 49.50s | |
7th | Kenneth Perera | Malaya | k. A. | 51.96 s |
Forward 3
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Malcolm Spence | South African Union | 47.7 s | 47.77 s | |
2 | Jürgen Kühl | Germany | 48.7 s | 48.74 s | |
3 | Charles Jenkins | United States | 48.7 s | 48.82 s | |
4th | Abebe Hailou | Ethiopia | 49.0 s | 49.18 s | |
5 | Abdul Amu | Nigeria | 49.4 s | 49.57 s |
Forward 4
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Voitto Hellsten | Finland | 48.4 s | 48.52 s | |
2 | Michael Wheeler | Great Britain | 49.3 s | 49.37 s | |
3 | Kibet Boit | Kenya | 49.3 s | 49.48 s | |
4th | Laird Sloan | Canada | 50.0 s | 50.18 s | |
5 | Somsakdi Tongaram | Thailand | 53.4 s | 53.61 s |
Forward 5
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Karl-Friedrich Haas | Germany | 47.2 s | 47.29 s | |
2 | Graham Gipson | Australia | 47.7 s | 47.87 s | |
3 | John Salisbury | Great Britain | 47.7 s | 47.95 s | |
4th | Milkha Singh | India | 48.9 s | 49.07 s |
Forward 6
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ardalion Ignatiev | Soviet Union | 48.6 s | 48.69 s | |
2 | George Kerr | Jamaica | 49.7 s | 49.74 s | |
3 | Pierre Haarhoff | France | 49.8 s | 49.99 s | |
4th | Kamau Wanyoke | Kenya | 50.6 s | 50.74 s |
Forward 7
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kevan Gosper | Australia | 48.0 s | 48.07 s | |
2 | Malcolm Spence | Jamaica | 48.2 s | 48.31 s | |
3 | Iván Rodríguez | Puerto Rico | 48.8 s | 48.86 s | |
4th | Gérard Rasquín | Luxembourg | 50.6 s | 50.76 s | |
5 | Abdul Rahim bin Ahmed | Malaya | 50.8 s | 50.93 s | |
6th | George Johnson | Liberia | 54.8 s | unknown |
Forward 8
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peter Higgins | Great Britain | 47.9 s | 47.98 s | |
2 | Melville Spence | Jamaica | 47.9 s | 48.00 s | |
3 | Jean-Paul Martin du Gard | France | 48.3 s | 48.39 s | |
4th | John Goodman | Australia | 48.5 s | 48.73 s | |
5 | Ayanev Bayene | Ethiopia | 51.3 s | 51.53 s | |
DNF | Horst Mann | Germany |
Quarter finals
Date: November 28, 1956, from 5:35 p.m.
Run 1
The Pakistani Abdullah Khan did not run.
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lou Jones | United States | 47.4 s | 47.42 s | |
2 | John Salisbury | Great Britain | 47.4 s | 47.60 s | |
3 | Iván Rodríguez | Puerto Rico | 47.5 s | 47.64 s | |
4th | Terry Tobacco | Canada | 47.7 s | 47.79 s | |
5 | Jürgen Kühl | Germany | 48.0 s | 48.23 s | |
DNS | Abdullah Khan | Pakistan |
Run 2
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ardalion Ignatiev | Soviet Union | 46.8 s | 46.88 s | |
2 | Malcolm Spence | Jamaica | 47.4 s | 47.42 s | |
3 | Peter Higgins | Great Britain | 47.4 s | 47.43 s | |
4th | Graham Gipson | Australia | 47.4 s | 47.45 s | |
5 | Jacques Degats | France | 48.7 s | 48.79 s | |
6th | Murray Cockburn | Canada | 49.5 s | 49.74 s |
Run 3
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Voitto Hellsten | Finland | 46.8 s | 46.85 s | |
2 | Malcolm Spence | South African Union | 47.1 s | 47.08 s | |
3 | Melville Spence | Jamaica | 47.3 s | 47.38 s | |
4th | Pierre Haarhoff | France | 47.6 s | 47.82 s | |
5 | Jim Lea | United States | 48.1 s | 48.33 s | |
6th | Kibet Boit | Kenya | 49.1 s | 49.18 s |
Run 4
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kevan Gosper | Australia | 46.7 s | 46.83 s | |
2 | Karl-Friedrich Haas | Germany | 47.3 s | 47.73 s | |
3 | Charles Jenkins | United States | 47.5 s | 47.63 s | |
4th | George Kerr | Jamaica | 47.7 s | 47.79 s | |
5 | Michael Wheeler | Great Britain | 47.9 s | 48.05 s | |
6th | Jean-Paul Martin du Gard | France | 48.2 s | 48.37 s |
Semifinals
Date: November 29, 1956, from 3 p.m.
Run 1
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ardalion Ignatiev | Soviet Union | 46.8 s | 46.93 s | |
2 | Malcolm Spence | South African Union | 47.2 s | 47.27 s | |
3 | Lou Jones | United States | 47.3 s | 47.32 s | |
4th | Melville Spence | Jamaica | 47.5 s | 47.58 s | |
5 | Peter Higgins | Great Britain | 47.7 s | 47.65 s | |
6th | Iván Rodríguez | Puerto Rico | 47.7 s | 47.86 s |
Run 2
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Charles Jenkins | United States | 46.1 s | 46.19 s | |
2 | Voitto Hellsten | Finland | 46.1 s | 46.20 s | |
3 | Karl-Friedrich Haas | Germany | 46.2 s | 46.29 s | |
4th | Kevan Gosper | Australia | 46.2 s | 46.45 s | |
5 | John Salisbury | Great Britain | 47.3 s | 47.47 s | |
6th | Malcolm Spence | Jamaica | 47.4 s | 47.52 s |
final
Date: November 29, 1956, 5:30 p.m.
The favorite was the winner of the US Olympic elimination, Louis Jones. Jones' teammate Charles Jenkins and the Soviet European Champion Ardalion Ignatjew were also highly rated.
The conditions in the final were not exactly conducive to performance. The temperatures were a little over 10 ° Celsius, and a sharp wind was blowing against the runners on the home straight. Jones, running on the outside lane, immediately set a high world record pace. At 200 meters there was the following result: 1. Jones 21.8 s / 2. Ignatiev s and Mal Spence 22.0 s / 4. Jenkins 22.2 s / 5. Voitto Hellsten 22.3 s / 6. Karl-Friedrich Haas 22.7 p. In the curve, Ignatjew moved close to Jones, Jenkins had overtaken the declining Spence, Haas was still at the end of the field with the same deficit. With the headwind on the home stretch, everything changed. Jenkins pulled past Jones, who had to pay tribute to his too fast starting pace. Haas rushed up from the back and secured the silver medal. With Ignatiew and Hellsten, a duo fought for third place. Both came to the finish line at the same time and no difference could be seen on the target photograph. Both runners received the bronze medal.
The fact that the times of the final were not exactly on a top level is explained by the wind and the fact that the preliminary decision and the final took place on the same day. From the 1960 games onwards, the finals were held the day after the semi-finals.
Charles Jenkins won the eighth gold medal for the USA in the 13th Olympic final.
Voitto Hellsten and Ardalion Ignatjew each won the first medal for their countries in this discipline.
space | Surname | nation | Official time hand-stopped |
Unofficial time electronically |
annotation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Charles Jenkins | United States | 46.7 s | 46.86 s | |
2 | Karl-Friedrich Haas | Germany | 46.8 s | 47.12 s | |
3 | Voitto Hellsten | Finland | 47.0 s | 47.15 s | |
Ardalion Ignatiev | Soviet Union | ||||
5 | Lou Jones | United States | 48.1 s | 48.35 s | |
6th | Malcolm Spence | South African Union | 48.3 s | 48.40 s |
literature
- Ekkehard zur Megede , The History of Olympic Athletics, Volume 2: 1948–1968, Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG, Berlin, 1st edition 1969, pp. 124–126
Web links
- SportsReference 400m , accessed October 2, 2017
- Official report p. 290f, engl. (PDF), accessed on October 2, 2017
- 1956 Olympialaiset 400m Finaali , published June 25, 2014 on youtube.com, accessed October 1, 2017
Individual evidence
- ↑ IAAF Statistics Handbook, Berlin 2009 page 548 ( Memento from June 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Official report p. 284, engl. (PDF), accessed on October 2, 2017
- ^ Official report p. 290, engl. (PDF), accessed on October 2, 2017
- ↑ a b c Official report p. 291, engl. (PDF), accessed on October 2, 2017
- ↑ Ekkehard zur Megede , The History of Olympic Athletics, Volume 2: 1948–1968, Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG, Berlin, 2nd edition 1970, p. 125