5,000 metres, Men
| Date | 31 July – 2 August 1948 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Empire Stadium, Wembley, London |
| Participants | 33 from 21 countries |
The world record and 14-minute barrier had been broken in 1942 by Sweden’s Gunder Hägg but he had been declared a professional and never competed in the Olympics. The 1946 European Champion was Britain’s Sydney Wooderson but he was injured and did not compete in London. A few days before the 5K final, Czechoslovakia’s Emil Zátopek had won the 10,000. He pushed the pace immediately in this race, with only Gaston Reiff (BEL), Erik Ahldén (SWE), and Wim Slijkhuis (NED), the 1946 European silver medalist, able to stay in contact. On the ninth lap, Reiff pulled away from the group and opened up a lead which grew to 30 metres by the bell lap. But with 300 metres to go, Zátopek took flight after Reiff and almost closed the margin by the tape, finishing only a metre in arrears. Reiff’s gold medal was the first ever for Belgium in track & field athletics.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 175 | Gaston Reiff |  BEL | 15:07.0 (2 h3) | 14:17.6 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 203 | Emil Zátopek |  TCH | 14:34.4 (2 h2) | 14:17.8 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 189 | Wim Slijkhuis |  NED | 15:06.8 (1 h3) | 14:26.8 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 224 | Erik Ahldén |  SWE | 14:34.2 (1 h2) | 14:28.6 (4) | |||
| 5 | 225 | Bertil Albertsson | SWE | 15:07.8 (3 h3) | 14:39.0 (5) | |||
| 6 | 232 | Curt Stone |  USA | 14:58.6 (3 h1) | 14:39.4 (6) | |||
| 7 | 207 | Väinö Koskela |  FIN | 14:58.3 (2 h1) | 14:41.0 (7) | |||
| 8 | 208 | Väinö Mäkelä | FIN | 14:45.8 (3 h2) | 14:43.0 (8) | |||
| 9 | 201 | Marcel Vandewattyne | BEL | 15:14.0 (4 h1) | – (9) | |||
| 10 | 221 | Martin Stokken |  NOR | 15:04.4 (4 h2) | – (10) | |||
| 11 | 206 | Helge Perälä | FIN | 15:07.8 (4 h3) | – (11) | |||
| 226 | Evert Nyberg | SWE | 14:58.2 (1 h1) | – ( | ||||
| 5 h1 r1/2 | 211 | Jacques Vernier |  FRA | 15:29.8 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/2 | 210 | Maurice Pouzieux | FRA | 15:09.8 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/2 | 231 | Jerry Thompson | USA | 15:08.4 (5 h3) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/2 | 219 | Harry Nelson |  NZL | 15:34.4 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/2 | 223 | Gregorio Rojo |  ESP | 15:19.0 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/2 | 209 | Alain Mimoun | FRA | 15:11.2 (6 h3) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r1/2 | 216 | Jef Lataster | NED | 15:39.0 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/2 | 213 | Bill Lucas |  GBR | – (7 h2) | – | |||
| 7 h3 r1/2 | 214 | Alec Olney | GBR | – (7 h3) | – | |||
| 8 h1 r1/2 | 212 | Jack Braughton | GBR | – (8 h1) | – | |||
| 8 h2 r1/2 | 202 | Luo Wenao |  CHN | – (8 h2) | – | |||
| 8 h3 r1/2 | 218 | Martín Alarcón |  MEX | – (8 h3) | – | |||
| 9 h1 r1/2 | 176 | Cliff Salmond |  CAN | 16:05.0 (9 h1) | – | |||
| 9 h2 r1/2 | 215 | Vasilis Mavrapostolos |  GRE | – (9 h2) | – | |||
| 9 h3 r1/2 | 227 | Ernst Günther |  SUI | – (9 h3) | – | |||
| 10 h1 r1/2 | 228 | Manny Ramjohn |  TTO | – (10 h1) | – | |||
| 10 h2 r1/2 | 217 | Sim Bok-Seok |  KOR | – (10 h2) | – | |||
| AC h1 r1/2 | 204 | Aage Poulsen |  DEN | – (DNF h1) | – | |||
| AC h1 r1/2 | 181 | John Joe Barry |  IRL | – (DNF h1) | – | |||
| AC h2 r1/2 | 229 | Mustafa Özcan |  TUR | – (DNF h2) | – | |||
| AC h2 r1/2 | 230 | Clarence Robison | USA | – (DNF h2) | – | |||
| 205 | Martin Egan | IRL | – (DNS h3) | – | ||||
| 200 | Ricardo Bralo |  ARG | – (DNS h3) | – | ||||
| 222 | Constantino Miranda Justo | ESP | – (DNS h1) | – | ||||
| 220 | Jakob Kjersem | NOR | – (DNS h3) | – |
Round One (31 July 1948 — 16:00)
Top four in each heat advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 226 | Evert Nyberg | SWE | 14:58.2 | – | |||
| 2 | 207 | Väinö Koskela | FIN | 14:58.3 | – | |||
| 3 | 232 | Curt Stone | USA | 14:58.6 | – | |||
| 4 | 201 | Marcel Vandewattyne | BEL | 15:14.0 | – | |||
| 5 | 211 | Jacques Vernier | FRA | 15:29.8 | – | |||
| 6 | 219 | Harry Nelson | NZL | 15:34.4 | – | |||
| 7 | 216 | Jef Lataster | NED | 15:39.0 | – | |||
| 8 | 212 | Jack Braughton | GBR | – | – | |||
| 9 | 176 | Cliff Salmond | CAN | 16:05.0 | – | |||
| 10 | 228 | Manny Ramjohn | TTO | – | – | |||
| 204 | Aage Poulsen | DEN | – | – | ||||
| 181 | John Joe Barry | IRL | – | – | ||||
| 222 | Constantino Miranda Justo | ESP | – | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 224 | Erik Ahldén | SWE | 14:34.2 | 14:34.9 | |||
| 2 | 203 | Emil Zátopek | TCH | 14:34.4 | 14:34.94 | |||
| 3 | 208 | Väinö Mäkelä | FIN | 14:45.8 | – | |||
| 4 | 221 | Martin Stokken | NOR | 15:04.4 | – | |||
| 5 | 210 | Maurice Pouzieux | FRA | 15:09.8 | – | |||
| 6 | 223 | Gregorio Rojo | ESP | 15:19.0 | – | |||
| 7 | 213 | Bill Lucas | GBR | – | – | |||
| 8 | 202 | Luo Wenao | CHN | – | – | |||
| 9 | 215 | Vasilis Mavrapostolos | GRE | – | – | |||
| 10 | 217 | Sim Bok-Seok | KOR | – | – | |||
| 229 | Mustafa Özcan | TUR | – | – | ||||
| 230 | Clarence Robison | USA | – | – |
Heat Three
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 189 | Wim Slijkhuis | NED | 15:06.8 | 15:06.8 | |||
| 2 | 175 | Gaston Reiff | BEL | 15:07.0 | 15:07.46 | |||
| 3 | 225 | Bertil Albertsson | SWE | 15:07.8 | 15:07.96 | |||
| 4 | 206 | Helge Perälä | FIN | 15:07.8 | 15:08.01 | |||
| 5 | 231 | Jerry Thompson | USA | 15:08.4 | 15:08.72 | |||
| 6 | 209 | Alain Mimoun | FRA | 15:11.2 | – | |||
| 7 | 214 | Alec Olney | GBR | – | – | |||
| 8 | 218 | Martín Alarcón | MEX | – | – | |||
| 9 | 227 | Ernst Günther | SUI | – | – | |||
| 205 | Martin Egan | IRL | – | – | ||||
| 200 | Ricardo Bralo | ARG | – | – | ||||
| 220 | Jakob Kjersem | NOR | – | – |
Final (2 August 1948 — 17:00)
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 175 | Gaston Reiff | BEL | 14:17.6 | – | |||
| 2 | 203 | Emil Zátopek | TCH | 14:17.8 | 14:17.86 | |||
| 3 | 189 | Wim Slijkhuis | NED | 14:26.8 | – | |||
| 4 | 224 | Erik Ahldén | SWE | 14:28.6 | – | |||
| 5 | 225 | Bertil Albertsson | SWE | 14:39.0 | – | |||
| 6 | 232 | Curt Stone | USA | 14:39.4 | – | |||
| 7 | 207 | Väinö Koskela | FIN | 14:41.0 | – | |||
| 8 | 208 | Väinö Mäkelä | FIN | 14:43.0 | – | |||
| 9 | 201 | Marcel Vandewattyne | BEL | – | – | |||
| 10 | 221 | Martin Stokken | NOR | – | – | |||
| 11 | 206 | Helge Perälä | FIN | – | – | |||
| 226 | Evert Nyberg | SWE | – | – |