Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles

The men's 110 metres hurdles event at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games took place on 3 and 4 August. Twenty-eight athletes from 18 nations competed.[1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American William Porter. Porter's compatriots, Clyde Scott and Craig Dixon took 2nd and 3rd place.[2] It was the third of nine consecutive American victories, and the ninth overall gold medal for the United States in the 110 metres hurdles. It was also the first of four consecutive American podium sweeps, and the fifth overall sweep by the United States in the event.

Men's 110 metres hurdles
at the Games of the XIV Olympiad
Heat 5. 1932 and 1936 medalist Don Finlay (foreground) has fallen.
VenueWembley Stadium
Dates3 August (heats)
4 August (semifinals, final)
Competitors28 from 18 nations
Winning time13.9 OR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) William Porter
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Clyde Scott
 United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Craig Dixon
 United States
← 1936
1952 →
Video on YouTube Official Video
@ 44:40

Summary

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With the absence of the best American hurdler Harrison Dillard, who did not qualify to the Olympics in the hurdles but did win gold in his secondary event, the 100 metres, the three Americans William Porter, Clyde Scott and Craig Dixon were headlong over the rest of the field. From the start to finish they ran almost neck to neck, with the others some five yards behind. In the finish, Porter gained a clear win with Scott beating Dixon by inches for second place.

Background

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This was the 11th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Two finalists from the pre-war 1936 Games returned after the 12-year break: silver medalist (and 1932 bronze medalist) Don Finlay of Great Britain and fourth-place finisher Håkan Lidman of Sweden. The "prohibitive favorite" was Harrison Dillard of the United States—until he fell at the U.S. Olympic trials. The American team was deep, however, and Craig Dixon, William Porter, and Clyde Scott were all expected to medal.[1]

Jamaica, Pakistan, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Turkey each made their first appearance in the event. The United States made its 11th appearance, the only nation to have competed in the 110 metres hurdles in each Games to that point.

Competition format

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The competition used the basic three-round format introduced in 1908. The first round consisted of six heats, with 4 or 5 hurdlers each. The top two 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.[1][3]

Records

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These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1948 Summer Olympics.

World record   Forrest Towns (USA) 13.7 Oslo, Norway 27 August 1936
Olympic record   Forrest Towns (USA) 14.1 Berlin, Germany 6 August 1936

William Porter matched the Olympic record in the second semifinal, then broke it in the final to set a new record of 13.9 seconds. The other two medalists each finished equal to the old record time.

Schedule

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All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1).

Date Time Round
Tuesday, 3 August 1948 15:45 Round 1
Wednesday, 4 August 1948 15:15
17:00
Semifinals
Final

Results

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Round 1

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The first round was held on 3 August. The two fastest runners from each heat qualified to the semifinals.

Heat 1

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 1 William Porter   United States 14.3 14.5 Q
2 3 Pol Braekman   Belgium 15.2 15.33 Q
3 2 Mario Recordón   Chile 15.3 15.55
4 4 Ray Barkway   Great Britain 15.3 15.53
5 5 Erdal Barkay   Turkey Unknown
Wind: +1.8 m/s

Heat 2

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 1 Clyde Scott   United States 14.8 14.8 Q
2 3 Hugues Frayer   France 15.5 Q
3 2 Börje Rendin   Sweden 15.5
4 4 Lazaros Petropoulakis   Greece Unknown
5 Üner Teoman   Turkey DNS
Wind: +0.8 m/s

Heat 3

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 1 Alberto Triulzi   Argentina 14.6 14.7 Q
2 2 Peter Gardner   Australia 14.6 14.83 Q
3 5 Manuel Suárez   Spain 15.9 16.10
4 3 Joe Birrell   Great Britain Unknown 17.29
5 4 Paul Crosfield   Greece Unknown 17.30
Wind: +1.7 m/s

Heat 4

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 4 Jim Vickers   India 14.7 14.9 Q
2 1 Håkan Lidman   Sweden 14.7 Q
3 5 Julio Sabater   Puerto Rico 15.3
4 3 Jan Zwaan   Netherlands 15.4
5 2 Charles Green   Australia 15.4
Wind: +0.0 m/s

Heat 5

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 2 André Marie   France 14.4 15.0 Q
2 3 Olivier Bernard   Switzerland 14.9 Q
3 4 Sydney Foster   Jamaica 15.2
1 Don Finlay   Great Britain DNF
5 Santiago Ferrando   Peru DNS
Wind: +0.3 m/s

Heat 6

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 1 Craig Dixon   United States 14.2 14.4 Q
2 2 Ray Weinberg   Australia 15.0 Q
3 3 Gilbert Omnès   France 15.2
4 5 Hernán Alzamora   Peru Unknown
5 4 Mazhar-Ul-Haque Khan   Pakistan Unknown
Wind: +0.3 m/s

Semifinals

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The semifinals were held on 4 August. The three fastest runners advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 1 Craig Dixon   United States 14.2 14.4 Q
2 2 Peter Gardner   Australia 14.5 14.78 Q
3 3 Håkan Lidman   Sweden 14.6 14.84 Q
4 6 Pol Braekman   Belgium Unknown 15.22
5 5 Olivier Bernard   Switzerland Unknown
4 André Marie   France DNF
Wind: +0.9 m/s

Semifinal 2

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 1 William Porter   United States 14.1 14.2 Q, =OR
2 4 Clyde Scott   United States 14.2 14.2 Q
3 2 Alberto Triulzi   Argentina 14.6 14.76 Q
4 3 Jim Vickers   India Unknown 15.09
5 5 Ray Weinberg   Australia Unknown 15.27
6 6 Hugues Frayer   France Unknown 15.35
Wind: +0.0 m/s

Final

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
  2 William Porter   United States 13.9 14.2 OR
  6 Clyde Scott   United States 14.1 14.24
  1 Craig Dixon   United States 14.1 14.29
4 4 Alberto Triulzi   Argentina 14.6 14.71
5 5 Peter Gardner   Australia 14.7 14.79
6 3 Håkan Lidman   Sweden 14.8 14.86
Wind: +0.0 m/s

References

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  1. ^ a b c "110 metres Hurdles, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Athletics at the 1948 London Summer Games: Men's 110 metres Hurdles". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  3. ^ Official Report, p. 255.
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