The men's 110 metres hurdles hurdling event at the 1932 Summer Olympics took place on August 2 and August 3 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Seventeen athletes from 10 nations competed. The 1930 Olympic Congress in Berlin had reduced the limit from 4 athletes per NOC to 3 athletes.Official Report, p. 377. The event was won by George Saling of the United States, the first in a streak of nine victories by the Americans (and the seventh overall gold medal for the United States in the 110 metres hurdles). It initially appeared that the Americans had swept the medals, but film review showed that Don Finlay had come in third over Jack Keller; this gave Great Britain its first medal in the event since 1896.
Background
This was the ninth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. None of the finalists from 1928 returned. Percy Beard and Jack Keller of the United States and Bengt Sjöstedt of Finland each had tied the world record before the Games.
For the first time, no nations made their debut in the 110 metres hurdles. The United States made its ninth appearance, the only nation to have competed in the 110 metres hurdles in each Games to that point.
Competition format
The competition used the three-round basic format introduced in 1908. The first round consisted of four heats, with between 3 and 6 hurdlers each. The top three hurdlers in each heat advanced to the semifinals. The 12 semifinalists were divided into two semifinals of 6 hurdlers each; the top three hurdlers in each advanced to the 6-man final.Official Report, pp. 433–35.
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Jack Keller broke the Olympic record in the first semifinal, setting a new time at 14.5 seconds. George Saling bettered it in the second semifinal, dropping the Olympic record to 14.4 seconds—equal to the world record.
Schedule
Date Time Round Tuesday, 2 August 1932 14:3016:15 Round 1Semifinals Wednesday, 3 August 1932 15:45 Final
Results
Round 1
Four heats were held; the fastest three runners advanced to the semifinal round.
Heat 1
Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes 1 Percy Beard 14.7 14.80 2 Roland Harper 14.9 — 3 Erwin Wegner 15.1 — 4 Sylvio Padilha 15.4 —
Heat 2
Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes 1 Don Finlay 14.8 14.84 2 George Saling 15.0 — 3 Tatsuzo Fujita 15.1 —
Heat 3
Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes 1 Willi Welscher 14.8 15.02 2 Bengt Sjöstedt 14.9 — 3 Bunoo Sutton 15.1 — 4 Art Ravensdale 15.2 — 5 Antônio Giusfredi 15.3 — 6 Federico Gamboa 15.4 —
Heat 4
Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes 1 Jack Keller 14.9 15.01 2 Khristos Mantikas 15.1 — 3Lord Burghley 15.1 — 4 Roberto Sánchez 15.7 —
Semifinals
Two heats were held; the fastest three runners advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes 1 Jack Keller 14.5 14.63 , 2 Lord Burghley 14.6 — 3 Don Finlay 14.6 — 4 Bunoo Sutton Unknown — 5 Bengt Sjöstedt Unknown — 6 Erwin Wegner Unknown —
Semifinal 2
Mantikas was disqualified for knocking down three hurdles.
Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes 1 George Saling 14.4 14.55 , , 2 Percy Beard 14.6 — 3 Willi Welscher 14.8 — 4 Tatsuzo Fujita 14.8 — 5 Roland Harper 14.9 — — Khristos Mantikas —
Final
Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) George Saling 14.6 14.57 Percy Beard 14.7 14.69 Don Finlay 14.8 14.74 4 Jack Keller 14.8 14.81 5 Lord Burghley 14.8 14.83 — Willi Welscher —
References