The men's figure skating competition at the 1952 Winter Olympics took place on 19 and 21 February at Jordal Amfi and Bislett stadion. The compulsory figures were held at Jordal Amfi, while the Free skating was contested at Bislett stadion. The ice surface at Bislett was set inside the oval created by the speed skating track. It was also an outdoor arena, which was used for the opening and closing ceremonies.Organising Committee for the VI Winter Olympic Games (1952), p. 28 There were no issues with the weather and the skating surface at Bislett was immaculate."The Olympics: 1948 and 1952", Skating magazine, February 1960 Computers were used for the first time during the figure skating competitions to help tabulate the judges' marks and relay the results instantaneously.

17-year-old American Dick Button was the dominant force in men's international skating, having won the Olympic title in 1948, and the World Championships in 1948, 1949, 1950 and 1951. Only three men had come close to challenging him in the years since his first Olympic victory, teammates Hayes Jenkins and James Grogan, and Austrian Helmut Seibt, who had won the European Championships in 1951 and 1952. Button took a strong lead after the compulsory figures and just needed to skate safely in the free skating to earn his second gold medal.Judd (2008), p. 95 Instead he chose to perform the triple loop, which was the first triple jump ever performed in international competition. He executed the jump without error and finished his skate cleanly, he was awarded perfect marks by the judges and won his second Olympic gold medal.

The battle for second place was much closer and hotly contested between Hellmut Seibt and James Grogan. Seibt did well in the compulsories but faltered in the free skating. Grogan was third after the compulsories but could not overtake Seibt in the free skating. The final marks placed Seibt in second place by one-tenth of a point, the closest possible margin. Hayes Jenkins placed fourth and went on to win the gold medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano (1956), p. 662–667 One week later Button, Grogan and Jenkins swept the World Championships. For Dick Button it was his fifth consecutive world title, and it also marked the end of his competitive skating career.

Results Here are the results of the men's figure skating competition.

Rank Name Nation CF FS Points Places 1 Dick Button 11192.2569 2 Hellmut Seibt 25180.14423 3 James Grogan 32180.82224 4 Hayes Alan Jenkins 53174.58940 5 Peter Firstbrook 44173.12243 6 Carlo Fassi 67169.82250 7 Alain Giletti 76163.23363 8 Freimut Stein 88155.95672 9 François Pache 911139.92292 10 Adrian Swan 129138.68995 11 Kurt Oppelt 1110137.03398 12 György Czakó 1412132.233112 13 Kalle Tuulos 1313131.211112 14 Per Cock-Clausen 1011133.722112

Referee: Kenneth M. Beaumont

Assistant referee: Georges Torchon

Judges: Alex Krupy Theo Klemm Bruno Bonfiglio Franz Wojtanowskyj Sven P. Sørensen Norman V.S. Gregory Martti Gyldén Gérard Rodrigues Henriques László Szollás

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