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| Event type

800 metres, Men

Date30 July – 2 August 1948
StatusOlympic
LocationEmpire Stadium, Wembley, London
Participants41 from 24 countries

The favorite was American Mal Whitfield but favorites were difficult to choose as the War had interrupted most international competition. Also considered for the medals were Jamaica’s Arthur Wint and New Zealand’s Doug Harris. The fastest time of the year was 1:48.3 by France’s Marcel Hansenne. Harris failed to finish his semi-final, but the other favorites made it to the final. The leader on the first lap was France’s Robert Chef d’Hôtel, but Whitfield passed him at the bell, going thru in 54.2. At 500 metres, Whitfield kicked hard and had five metres on Wint at the start of the curve. Wint closed slightly but Whitfield was too strong and won the gold medal. Hansenne finished quickly for the bronze medal.

PosNrAthleteNOCR1SFFinal
1136Mal WhitfieldUSA1:52.8 (1 h6)1:50.7 (2 h1)1:49.2 (1)GoldOR
2122Arthur WintJAM1:53.9 (1 h4)1:52.7 (2 h2)1:49.5 (2)Silver
3151Marcel HansenneFRA1:54.6 (1 h1)1:50.5 (1 h1)1:49.8 (3)Bronze
4172Herb BartenUSA1:55.6 (1 h2)1:51.7 (1 h3)1:50.1 (4)
5164Ingvar BengtssonSWE1:52.9 (2 h6)1:51.2 (1 h2)1:50.5 (5)
6173Bob ChambersUSA1:54.3 (3 h3)1:52.9 (3 h2)1:52.1 (6)
7152Robert Chef d'HôtelFRA1:56.2 (2 h5)1:52.0 (2 h3)1:53.0 (7)
8155John ParlettGBR1:55.0 (2 h1)1:50.9 (3 h1)1:53.4 (8)
9106Niels Holst-SørensenDEN1:54.2 (1 h3)1:52.4 (3 h3)1:54.0 (9)
4 h1 r2/3146Jack HutchinsCAN1:55.5 (3 h6)1:52.6 (4 h1)
4 h2 r2/3153Gaston MayordomoFRA1:55.7 (4 h6)1:54.3 (4 h2)
4 h3 r2/3165Olle LjunggrenSWE1:56.1 (1 h5)1:52.5 (4 h3)
5 h1 r2/3143Joseph BrysBEL1:55.4 (4 h3)1:53.2 (5 h1)
5 h2 r2/395Bill RamsayAUS1:55.0 (3 h1)1:54.9 (5 h2)
5 h3 r2/3157Tom WhiteGBR1:56.6 (3 h2)1:53.0 (5 h3)
6 h1 r2/3161Josy BarthelLUX1:54.8 (3 h4)1:54.6 (6 h1)
6 h2 r2/3148Václav WinterTCH1:55.1 (4 h4)1:57.7 (6 h2)
6 h3 r2/3158Frits de RuijterNED1:54.4 (2 h4)1:54.6 (6 h3)
7 h1 r2/3125Bjørn VadeNOR1:54.2 (2 h3)– (7 h1)
7 h3 r2/3144Raymond RosierBEL1:56.7 (4 h2)– (7 h3)
AC h1 r2/3167Karl VolkmerSUI1:55.3 (4 h1)– (DNF h1)
AC h2 r2/3156Harry TarrawayGBR1:56.6 (4 h5)– (DNF h2)
AC h2 r2/3124Doug HarrisNZL1:56.6 (2 h2)– (DNF h2)
AC h3 r2/3166Hans StreuliSUI1:56.5 (3 h5)– (DNF h3)
5 h1 r1/3141Adán TorresARG1:56.7 (5 h1)
5 h2 r1/3154Vasilios MavroidisGRE1:57.4 (5 h2)
5 h3 r1/3159Óskar JónssonISL1:55.4 (5 h3)
5 h4 r1/3145Ezra HennigerCAN1:55.4 (5 h4)
5 h5 r1/3140Guillermo ÁvalosARG1:56.6 (5 h5)
5 h6 r1/3114Stylianos StratakosGRE2:02.2 (5 h6)
6 h1 r1/3160Lee Yun-SeokKOR2:01.4 (6 h1)
6 h2 r1/3162Antero MongrutPER1:58.7 (6 h2)
6 h3 r1/3147Bill ParnellCAN1:55.7 (6 h3)
6 h4 r1/3168Wilfred TullTTO1:55.7 (6 h4)
6 h5 r1/3170Rıza Maksut İşmanTUR2:01.1 (6 h5)
7 h1 r1/3149Rashad KhadrEGY– (7 h1)
7 h2 r1/3171Cahit ÖnelTUR– (7 h2)
7 h3 r1/3163Juan AdarragaESP1:55.7 (7 h3)
7 h4 r1/3169Seydi DinçtürkTUR– (7 h4)
7 h5 r1/3115Georgios KarageorgosGRE– (7 h5)
AC h2 r1/3105Herluf ChristensenDEN– (DNF h2)
DNS29Seamus KellyIRL– (DNS h3)
DNS142Bruno SchneiderAUT– (DNS h6)
DNS150Dermot McDermottIRL– (DNS h6)

Round One (30 July 1948 — 16:00)

Top four in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
11Marcel HansenneFRA1:54.61:54.8Q
24John ParlettGBR1:55.0Q
35Bill RamsayAUS1:55.0Q
46Karl VolkmerSUI1:55.3Q
57Adán TorresARG1:56.7
63Lee Yun-SeokKOR2:01.4
72Rashad KhadrEGY

Heat Two

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
17Herb BartenUSA1:55.61:55.8Q
28Doug HarrisNZL1:56.6Q
34Tom WhiteGBR1:56.6Q
45Raymond RosierBEL1:56.7Q
52Vasilios MavroidisGRE1:57.4
61Antero MongrutPER1:58.7
76Cahit ÖnelTUR
DNF3Herluf ChristensenDEN

Heat Three

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
13Niels Holst-SørensenDEN1:54.21:54.4Q
22Bjørn VadeNOR1:54.2Q
37Bob ChambersUSA1:54.3Q
48Joseph BrysBEL1:55.4Q
56Óskar JónssonISL1:55.4
64Bill ParnellCAN1:55.7
71Juan AdarragaESP1:55.7
DNS5Seamus KellyIRL

Heat Four

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
13Arthur WintJAM1:53.91:54.0Q
24Frits de RuijterNED1:54.4Q
35Josy BarthelLUX1:54.8Q
41Václav WinterTCH1:55.1Q
57Ezra HennigerCAN1:55.4
62Wilfred TullTTO1:55.7
76Seydi DinçtürkTUR

Heat Five

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
13Olle LjunggrenSWE1:56.11:56.2Q
25Robert Chef d'HôtelFRA1:56.2Q
37Hans StreuliSUI1:56.5Q
41Harry TarrawayGBR1:56.6Q
52Guillermo ÁvalosARG1:56.6
64Rıza Maksut İşmanTUR2:01.1
76Georgios KarageorgosGRE

Heat Six

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
16Mal WhitfieldUSA1:52.81:52.8Q
21Ingvar BengtssonSWE1:52.9Q
32Jack HutchinsCAN1:55.5Q
44Gaston MayordomoFRA1:55.7Q
55Stylianos StratakosGRE2:02.2
DNS3Bruno SchneiderAUT
DNS7Dermot McDermottIRL

Semi-Finals (31 July 1948 — 15:15)

Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
12Marcel HansenneFRA1:50.51:50.6Q
21Mal WhitfieldUSA1:50.71:50.89Q
33John ParlettGBR1:50.91:50.90Q
45Jack HutchinsCAN1:52.61:52.751
57Joseph BrysBEL1:53.21:53.34
64Josy BarthelLUX1:54.61:54.78
76Bjørn VadeNOR1:55.39
DNF8Karl VolkmerSUI

Heat Two

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
11Ingvar BengtssonSWE1:51.21:51.3Q
24Arthur WintJAM1:52.7Q
33Bob ChambersUSA1:52.9Q
47Gaston MayordomoFRA1:54.3
58Bill RamsayAUS1:54.9
65Václav WinterTCH1:57.7
DNF6Harry TarrawayGBR
DNF2Doug HarrisNZL

Heat Three

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
13Herb BartenUSA1:51.71:52.0Q
25Robert Chef d'HôtelFRA1:52.0Q
32Niels Holst-SørensenDEN1:52.4Q
41Olle LjunggrenSWE1:52.5
58Tom WhiteGBR1:53.0
64Frits de RuijterNED1:54.6
77Raymond RosierBEL
DNF6Hans StreuliSUI2

Final (2 August 1948 — 16:00)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
15Mal WhitfieldUSA1:49.21:49.3OR
28Arthur WintJAM1:49.51:49.58
34Marcel HansenneFRA1:49.81:50.08
41Herb BartenUSA1:50.11:50.34
57Ingvar BengtssonSWE1:50.51:50.86
69Bob ChambersUSA1:52.11:52.14
72Robert Chef d'HôtelFRA1:53.01:54.19
86John ParlettGBR1:53.41:56.27
93Niels Holst-SørensenDEN1:54.01:56.36

Splits

400 m54.2Mal Whitfield