Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's decathlon

The Men's decathlon at the 1952 Summer Olympics took place on 25 and 26 July, at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Now 21-year-old Bob Mathias from the United States repeated his performances from the previous games by winning the gold medal and setting new world and Olympic records. It was the second time the United States Olympic team earned all three medals in the event, the first one being in the 1936 Olympic Games.

Mathias ranked first in all three throwing events—discus, shot put and javelin. He won all of these by over a metre.

Records Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:

At the end of the competition the following world and Olympic records were set:

Date Event Athlete Points OR WR 26 July Final 7887 OR WR

Results Note: All scores are based on the tables used in 1952.

100m Heat 1 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Milt Campbell 10.7810342 Carlos Vera 11.288703 Vladimir Volkov 11.497684 Bob Adams 11.95650

Heat 2 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Friedel Schirmer 11.686782 Pat Leane 11.826233 Georges Breitman 13.70254

Heat 3 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Sergey Kuznetsov 11.567682 Kjell Tånnander 11.597683 Erkki Hautamäki 12.22572

Heat 4 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Geoff Elliott 11.458692 Brígido Iriarte 11.667073 Héctor Román 11.706784 Max Wehrli 11.93650

Heat 5 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Floyd Simmons 11.527372 Hugues Frayer 11.617073 Oto Rebula 11.72678

Heat 6 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Olli Reikko 11.438002 Fotios Kosmas 11.537373 Hernán Figueroa 11.736784 Reinaldo Oliver 11.89623

Heat 7 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Göran Widenfelt 11.537682 Pyotr Kozhevnikov 11.60768

Heat 8 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Bob Mathias 11.089482 Sepp Hipp 11.467683 Fernando Fernandes 11.54737

Heat 9 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1 Ignace Heinrich 11.617372 Eeles Landström 12.10597

Long Jump

RankAthleteCountryDistancePoints1 Ignace Heinrich 7.108182 Vladimir Volkov 7.098152 Sergey Kuznetsov 7.098154 Floyd Simmons 7.068044 Brígido Iriarte 7.068046 Bob Mathias 6.987797 Carlos Vera 6.967738 Kjell Tånnander 6.907559 Sepp Hipp 6.8574010 Hugues Frayer 6.8072511 Göran Widenfelt 6.7671312 Milt Campbell 6.7470713 Eeles Landström 6.7069514 Olli Reikko 6.6668415 Oto Rebula 6.6467816 Fernando Fernandes 6.5264517 Max Wehrli 6.4863518 Héctor Román 6.4763219 Geoff Elliott 6.4462420 Hernán Figueroa 6.3860821Friedel Schirmer 6.3760521 Erkki Hautamäki 6.3760523 Bob Adams 6.2256724 Fotios Kosmas 6.2056225 Reinaldo Oliver 6.1555026 Pyotr Kozhevnikov 5.8046627Georges Breitman 5.4338528Pat Leane 5.22341

Shot Put RankAthleteCountryDistancePoints1Bob Mathias 15.309122Milt Campbell 13.897593Sepp Hipp 13.266964Floyd Simmons 13.186885Kjell Tånnander 12.976696Oto Rebula 12.906637Hernán Figueroa 12.876608Ignace Heinrich 12.836569Max Wehrli 12.7364710Friedel Schirmer 12.6964411Vladimir Volkov 12.6263712Geoff Elliott 12.4061813Hugues Frayer 12.3661414Erkki Hautamäki 12.1959915Bob Adams 12.0158216Olli Reikko 11.8556817Eeles Landström 11.7556018Sergey Kuznetsov 11.7155619Brígido Iriarte 11.6655220Göran Widenfelt 11.61548 21Héctor Román 11.5654422Fernando Fernandes 11.2051623Reinaldo Oliver 10.2243724Carlos Vera 9.5238725Georges Breitman 9.28369

High Jump

RankAthleteCountryDistancePoints1Göran Widenfelt 1.949602Floyd Simmons 1.929303Bob Mathias 1.909004Ignace Heinrich 1.888725Milt Campbell 1.858325Kjell Tånnander 1.858327Friedel Schirmer 1.807708Vladimir Volkov 1.757118Sepp Hipp 1.757118Geoff Elliott 1.757118Eeles Landström 1.757118Bob Adams 1.757118Carlos Vera 1.7571114Olli Reikko 1.7065614Fernando Fernandes 1.7065614Reinaldo Oliver 1.7065614Erkki Hautamäki 1.7065618Sergey Kuznetsov 1.6560518Hugues Frayer 1.6560518Oto Rebula 1.6560518Héctor Román 1.6560522Brígido Iriarte 1.6055522Hernán Figueroa 1.6055522Max Wehrli 1.6055525Georges Breitman 1.50464

400m Heat 1 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Bob Mathias 50.28282Sergey Kuznetsov 52.86543Max Wehrli 54.7545

Heat 2 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Vladimir Volkov 51.2758 2Göran Widenfelt 51.37513Hugues Frayer 51.37514Reinaldo Oliver 53.4618

Heat 3 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Hernán Figueroa 52.86542Oto Rebula 54.3565

Heat 4 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Milt Campbell 50.9779 2Sepp Hipp 51.3751 3Bob Adams 55.2520

Heat 5 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Olli Reikko 50.38212Ignace Heinrich 51.07723Floyd Simmons 51.1765

Heat 6 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Friedel Schirmer 50.58072Geoff Elliott 53.06423Brígido Iriarte 53.1636

Heat 7 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Kjell Tånnander 52.6666 2Héctor Román 52.7660 3Erkki Hautamäki 53.9588

Heat 8 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Fernando Fernandes 51.27582Eeles Landström 56.7445 3Georges Breitman 1:03.9189

110m Hurdles

Heat 1 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Friedel Schirmer 16.05932Bob Adams 16.6489

Heat 2 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Ignace Heinrich 16.0593 2Brígido Iriarte 16.6489 3Reinaldo Oliver 16.7473 4Eeles Landström 17.1413

Heat 3 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Hugues Frayer 15.47162Kjell Tånnander 15.86323Fernando Fernandes 15.86324Olli Reikko 18.8208

Heat 4 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Milt Campbell 14.59532Floyd Simmons 15.08133Vladimir Volkov 15.86324Erkki Hautamäki 16.3540

Heat 5 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Sepp Hipp 16.15752Hernán Figueroa 16.4523

Heat 6 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Göran Widenfelt 16.15752Héctor Román 16.4523

Heat 7 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Bob Mathias 14.78942Geoff Elliott 15.7652

Heat 8 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Oto Rebula 16.05932Sergey Kuznetsov 16.45233Max Wehrli 16.4523

Discus Throw

RankAthleteCountryDistancePoints1Bob Mathias 46.898382Sepp Hipp 45.848023Bob Adams 42.456964Sergey Kuznetsov 41.046565Milt Campbell 40.506406Hugues Frayer 40.026277Göran Widenfelt 39.536138Kjell Tånnander 39.306079Oto Rebula 38.5558710Brígido Iriarte 38.2357811Hernán Figueroa 38.0857412Vladimir Volkov 38.0457313Floyd Simmons 37.7756614Erkki Hautamäki 37.2055215Friedel Schirmer 37.0154716Max Wehrli 36.8154117Eeles Landström 34.5148318Fernando Fernandes 34.2747719Geoff Elliott 34.2147620Héctor Román 32.9844621Olli Reikko 30.7239222Reinaldo Oliver 29.95374

Pole Vault RankAthleteCountryDistancePoints1Eeles Landström 4.208552Geoff Elliott 4.107953Bob Mathias 4.007454Vladimir Volkov 3.806454Max Wehrli 3.806456Bob Adams 3.705967Floyd Simmons 3.605567Sergey Kuznetsov 3.605569Sepp Hipp 3.505169Göran Widenfelt 3.505169Kjell Tånnander 3.505169Friedel Schirmer 3.505169Olli Reikko 3.505169Hernán Figueroa 3.505169Reinaldo Oliver 3.5051616Hugues Frayer 3.4047616Brígido Iriarte 3.4047616Oto Rebula 3.4047616Héctor Román 3.4047616Erkki Hautamäki 3.4047621Milt Campbell 3.3043822Fernando Fernandes 3.00328

Javelin Throw

RankAthleteCountryDistancePoints1Bob Mathias 59.217152Eeles Landström 57.616803Vladimir Volkov 56.686604Reinaldo Oliver 56.686605Brígido Iriarte 55.556376Floyd Simmons 54.696207Milt Campbell 54.546178Sepp Hipp 54.146099Friedel Schirmer 54.0060610Erkki Hautamäki 53.5759711Kjell Tånnander 52.7958212Olli Reikko 51.4155413Oto Rebula 51.3955414Hernán Figueroa 51.2255015Max Wehrli 51.0854816Héctor Román 49.8052517Geoff Elliott 49.5652018Göran Widenfelt 49.3651719Bob Adams 44.8343620Fernando Fernandes 43.5541421Sergey Kuznetsov 43.1940822Hugues Frayer 41.31376

1500m

Heat 1 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Olli Reikko 4:28.05262Fernando Fernandes 4:37.04413Göran Widenfelt 4:38.64274Reinaldo Oliver 4:51.83215Bob Adams 4:57.02836Max Wehrli 4:58.6272

Heat 2 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Vladimir Volkov 4:33.24752Kjell Tånnander 4:57.2281 3Eeles Landström 5:01.0255 4Hugues Frayer 5:14.4175 5Héctor Román 5:14.4175

Heat 3 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Sergey Kuznetsov 4:42.03962Friedel Schirmer 4:47.6352 3Brígido Iriarte 4:49.83364Bob Mathias 4:50.83285Floyd Simmons 4:53.4309

Heat 4 RankAthleteCountryTimePoints1Sepp Hipp 4:57.22812Hernán Figueroa 4:58.22743Oto Rebula 5:01.82494Geoff Elliott 5:03.62385Milt Campbell 5:07.2216

Final standings

PosAthleteTotalPoints100mLJSPHJ400m110m HDTPVJT1500m7,887 WR9487799129008288948387457153286,9751,0347077598327799536404386172166,7887378046889307658135665566203096,6747688156377117586325736456604756,4497687406967117515758025166092816,3887687135489607515756135165174276,3087687556698326666326075165822816,1186786056447708075935475166063526,044768624618711642652476795520238105,937768815556605654523656556408396115,772707725614605751716627476376175125,770707804552555636489578476637336135,725800684568656821208392516554526145,694597695560711445413483855680255155,648678678663605565593587476554249165,604737645516656758632477328414441175,592678608660555654523574516550274185,561650635647555545523541645548272195,530650567582711520489696596436283205,264678632544605660523446476525175215,228623550437656618473374516660321572605599656588540552476597737818656872772593254385369464189870773387711737562768446623341

References

External links Official Olympic Report, la84.org.