Australia competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 81 competitors, 71 men and 10 women, took part in 67 events in 12 sports. Australian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games. As the country hosted the next Olympics in Melbourne, the flag of Australia was flown at the closing ceremony.
Medalists
Gold Marjorie Jackson-Nelson — Athletics, Women's 100 metres Marjorie Jackson-Nelson — Athletics, Women's 200 metres Shirley Strickland — Athletics, Women's 80m Hurdles Russell Mockridge — Cycling, Men's 1000m Time Trial Lionel Cox and Russell Mockridge — Cycling, Men's 2000m Tandem John Davies — Swimming, Men's 200m Breaststroke
Silver Lionel Cox — Cycling, Men's 1000m Sprint (Scratch) Mervyn Wood — Rowing, Men's Single Sculls
Bronze Shirley Strickland — Athletics, Women's 100 metres David Anderson, Phil Cayzer, Ernest Chapman, Tom Chessel, Mervyn Finlay, Nimrod Greenwood, Edward Pain, Bob Tinning, and Geoff Williamson — Rowing, Men's Eights Vern Barberis — Weightlifting, Men's Lightweight
Athletics
Men Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankJohn Treloar100 m10.921 Q10.842 Q10.763 Q10.916Edwin Carr200 m22.191 Q21.983did not advanceJohn Treloar21.751 Q21.861 Qdid not advanceEdwin Carr400 m48.233did not advanceMorris Curotta48.872 Q48.864did not advanceDon MacMillan800 m1:55.03 Qcolspan=2 1:58.48did not advanceJohn Landy1500 m3:57.05colspan=2 rowspan=2 did not advanceDon MacMillan3:52.04 Q3:50.83 Q3:49.69John Landy5000 m14:56.410colspan=4 rowspan=2 did not advanceLes Perry14:27.04 Q14:23.6610,000 mcolspan=6 Ken Doubleday110 m hurdles14.51 Qcolspan=2 rowspan=2 14.53 Q14.825Ray Weinberg14.41 Q14.53 Q15.156Ken Doubleday400 m hurdles55.43 Q1:00.26did not advanceEdwin CarrMorris CurottaKen DoubledayRay Weinberg4 × 100 m relay42.35colspan=2 did not advanceEdwin CarrMorris CurottaKen DoubledayRay Weinberg4 × 400 m relay3:16.005colspan=4 did not advanceRobert PrenticeMarathoncolspan=6 rowspan=2 2:43:13.437Claude Smeal2:52:23.045Don Keane10 km walk46:55.25 Qcolspan=4 47:37.010
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionPat LeaneLong jump6.4024did not advanceHigh jump1.8725 Q1.8024Ian ReedDiscus throw45.0021did not advance
Combined events – Decathlon AthleteEvent 100 m 400 m 1500 mFinalRankPat LeaneResult11.825.22———————Points623341————————
Women Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankWinsome Cripps100 m12.01 Q12.13 Q12.02 Q11.94Marjorie Jackson11.61 Q11.61 Q11.51 Q11.5Shirley Strickland de la Hunty12.01 Q12.03 Q11.92 Q11.9Winsome Cripps200 m24.42 Qcolspan=2 rowspan=2 24.32 Q24.24Marjorie Jackson23.61 Q23.41 Q23.7Shirley Strickland de la Hunty80 m hurdles11.01 Qcolspan=2 10.81 Q10.9Winsome CrippsMarjorie JacksonVerna JohnstonShirley Strickland de la Hunty4 × 100 m relay46.11 Qcolspan=4 46.65
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionVerna JohnstonLong jump5.5810 Q5.748
Boxing
AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankRonald GowerBantamweightL TKOdid not advanceDonald McDonnellFeatherweightL PTSdid not advanceNorman JonesLight welterweightL TKOdid not advanceTony MadiganMiddleweight W PTSL PTSdid not advance5Carl FitzgeraldHeavyweightL PTSdid not advance
Cycling
Road races Individual times added together for team race, 3 times needed for team event.
CyclistEventFinalResultRank Peter Pryor Individual road race 5:22:33.5 34 Jim Nevin 5:22:33.6 35 Ken Cavesdid not finish Peter Nelsondid not finish Peter Pryor Jim Nevin Ken Caves Peter Nelson Team road race did not finish
Track Ranks given are within the heat.
CyclistEventFirst roundFirst repechageQuarterfinalsSecond repechageSemifinalsFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRank Lionel Cox Sprint 11.9 1 QDirectly advanced 12.5 1 QDirectly advanced 11.6 1 Q Russell Mockridge Time trialn/a 1:11.1 Lionel Cox Russell Mockridge Tandem 11.4 1 QDirectly advanced 11.1 1 QDirectly advanced 11.0 1 Q 11.0 Jim Nevin Ken Caves Peter Nelson Peter Pryor Team pursuit 5:11.1 17 did not advance
Diving
Men AthleteEventPreliminariesFinalPointsRankPointsRankRonald Faulds3 m springboard59.9024did not advanceFrancis Murphy48.8234did not advance10 m platform64.1021did not advance
Fencing
Six fencers, four men and two women, represented Australia in 1952.
Men FencerEventFirst roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRank John Fethers Foil 5–2 1T Q 2–3 6 did not advance Ivan Lund 3–3 5 did not advance Jock Gibson 1–4 6 did not advance John Fethers Épée 3–4 4 Q 4–4 5 did not advance Ivan Lund 5–2 1 Q 1–6 8 did not advance Charles Stanmore 1–6 8 did not advance John Fethers Sabre 2–6 6 did not advance Jock Gibson 2–5 7 did not advance Ivan Lund 4–4 8 did not advance Charles Stanmore Jock Gibson John Fethers Ivan Lund Team sabre 0–2 3did not advance Jock Gibson Charles Stanmore John Fethers Ivan Lund Team épée 0–2 3 did not advance Charles Stanmore John Fethers Jock Gibson Ivan Lund Team foil 0–2 3 did not advance
Women FencerEventFirst roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRank Catherine Pym Foil 1–4 5 did not advance Patricia Norford 0–5 6 did not advance
Modern pentathlon
One male pentathlete represented Australia in 1952.
AthleteEventRiding(cross-country steeplechase)Fencing(épée)Shooting(Rapid fire pistol)Swimming(300 m freestyle)Running(4000 m cross-country)Total pointsFinal rankTimeRankWinsRankPointsRankTimeRankTimeRankForbes CarlileIndividual10:14.2131645180214:31.01016:35.23412325
Rowing
Men AthleteEventFirst roundFirst repechageSemifinalsSecond repechageFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankMervyn WoodSingle sculls7:44.11 Qcolspan=2 8:02.52 R7:45.51 Q8:14.5John RogersMurray RileyDouble sculls7:16.73 R7:03.01 Qcolspan=2 7:13.13did not advanceDon PalmerVic MiddletonCoxless pair8:06.41 Qcolspan=2 7:46.82 R7:50.53did not advanceBob TinningErnest ChapmanNimrod GreenwoodDavid AndersonGeoff WilliamsonMervyn FinlayEdward PainPhil CayzerTom ChessellEights6:07.22 Qcolspan=2 6:44.53 R6:09.61 Q6:33.1
Sailing
AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rankIIIIIIIVVVIVIIPeter AttrillFinn50729305482930372201322Barton Harvey Kevin WilsonStar277122520168144344122169718Jock Sturrock Bevan Worcester Douglas BuxtonDragon331185632331252185185210112
Swimming
Men AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankRex Aubrey100 m freestyle58.2=6 Q57.8=3 Q58.76Frank O'Neill1:00.629did not advanceGarrick Agnew400 m freestyle4:55.524did not advanceJohn Marshall4:46.811 Q4:50.315did not advanceGarrick Agnew1500 m freestyle20:03.824colspan=2 rowspan=2 did not advanceJohn Marshall19:09.26 Q19:53.48Frank O'Neill100 m backstroke1:10.5=21did not advanceJohn Davies200 m breaststroke2:39.77 Q2:36.81 Q2:34.4David Hawkins2:41.211 Q2:39.810did not advanceGarrick AgnewRex AubreyJohn MarshallFrank O'Neill4 × 200 m freestyle relay9:01.49colspan=2 did not advance
Women AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankDenise Norton100 m freestyle1:11.828did not advanceMarjorie McQuade1:07.911 Q1:08.2=12did not advanceJudy Davies400 m freestyle5:21.26 Q5:25.610did not advanceDenise Norton5:28.514 Q5:30.914did not advanceNancy Lyons200 m breaststroke3:04.413 Q3:05.615did not advance
Water polo
Australia failed to advance to the pool stage after losing both qualifiers.
Roster
Doug Laing Raymond Smee Jake Foster Peter Bennett Frank Jordan Malcolm Hastie William Orchard
Qualifying
Weightlifting
LifterEventPressSnatchJerkFinalKgRankKgRankKgRankKgRank Vern BarberisLightweight 105.0 1T 105.0 6T 140.0 2T 350.0 Fred Giffin Middleweight 107.5 7T 100.0 15T 127.5 16T 335.0 15 Ken MacDonaldMiddle–heavyweight 107.5 11T 125.0 2T 152.5 5 385.0 6
Wrestling
Men's freestyle AthleteEventRound oneRound twoRound threeRound fourRound fiveFinal / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankRichard ElliottFeatherweightL 1–3 PPL 0–3 VTdid not advanceDick GarrardLightweight W 3–1 PPW 3–1 PPL 1–3 PPdid not advanceBev ScottWelterweightW 3–1 PPW 3–1 PPL 1–3 PPdid not advanceKevin CooteLight-heavyweightL 1–3 PPL 1–3 PPdid not advance
References