|
| Event type

3,000 metres Steeplechase, Men

Date23 – 25 July 1952
StatusOlympic
LocationHelsingin Olympiastadion, Helsinki
Participants35 from 19 countries

In 1951 and 1952 Soviet Vladimir Kazantsev had twice set world best times and was favored. The heats were very fast with five runners breaking nine minutes. The third heat was won by American Horace Ashenfelter in a very quick 8:51.2. In the final Kazantsev and his teammate, Mikhail Saltykov pulled away early and led by 20 metres with 700 metres remaining. But Ashenfelter and Britain’s John Disley then closed hard and caught Kazantsev on the last lap, as Saltykov dropped off the pace. Ashenfelter took the lead on the final curve over the water jump, and pulled away to an easy victory in world record time. With the US-Soviet Cold War battle at the Olympics, much was made in the American media of the fact that Ashenfelter was an FBI agent who had chased down a Soviet runner.

PosNrAthleteNOCR1Final
1998Horace AshenfelterUSA8:51.0 (1 h3)8:45.4 (1)GoldWR
2436Vladimir KazantsevURS8:58.0 (1 h1)8:51.6 (2)Silver
3194John DisleyGBR8:59.4 (1 h2)8:51.8 (3)Bronze
4799Olavi RinteenpääFIN8:59.4 (2 h2)8:55.2 (4)
5689Curt SöderbergSWE9:02.4 (3 h3)8:55.6 (5)
6745Günter HeßelmannGER9:05.0 (2 h1)8:55.8 (6)
7438Mikhail SaltykovURS8:55.8 (2 h3)8:56.2 (7)
8744Helmut GudeGER9:04.2 (4 h2)9:01.4 (8)
9947József ApróHUN9:00.4 (3 h2)9:04.2 (9)
10919Cahit ÖnelTUR9:06.0 (4 h1)9:04.4 (10)
11193Chris BrasherGBR9:03.2 (4 h3)9:14.0 (11)
12687Gunnar KarlssonSWE9:05.4 (3 h1)10:26.4 (12)
5 h1 r1/2905Jindřich RoudnýTCH9:06.4 (5 h1)
5 h2 r1/2437Fyodor MarulinURS9:08.4 (5 h2)
5 h3 r1/2797Urho JulinFIN9:09.4 (5 h3)
6 h1 r1/2798Kauko LuseniusFIN9:26.8 (6 h1)
6 h2 r1/2145Ali BaghbanbashiIRI9:13.2 (6 h2)
6 h3 r1/2948László JeszenszkyHUN9:11.2 (6 h3)
7 h1 r1/2195Ken JohnsonGBR9:27.0 (7 h1)
7 h2 r1/2573Jan KielasPOL9:15.4 (7 h2)
7 h3 r1/2617André ParisFRA9:30.0 (7 h3)
8 h1 r1/2331Drago ŠtritofYUG9:28.0 (8 h1)
8 h2 r1/2619André LebrunFRA9:17.8 (8 h2)
8 h3 r1/250Robert SchoonjansBEL9:30.6 (8 h3)
9 h1 r1/2655Victor FireaROU9:29.2 (9 h1)
9 h2 r1/2311Susumu TakahashiJPN9:21.6 (9 h2)
9 h3 r1/2330Petar ŠegedinYUG9:40.2 (9 h3)
10 h1 r1/275Guillermo SoláCHI9:32.2 (10 h1)
10 h2 r1/2329Božidar ĐuraškovićYUG9:23.2 (10 h2)
11 h1 r1/2618Pierre PratFRA9:32.8 (11 h1)
11 h2 r1/2688Eric NilssonSWE9:25.0 (11 h2)
12 h1 r1/2141Gulzara Singh MannIND9:48.6 (12 h1)
12 h2 r1/21009Browning RossUSA9:44.0 (12 h2)
AC h1 r1/21008Bill AshenfelterUSA– (DNF h1)
AC h3 r1/2122Víctor SolaresGUA– (DNF h3)
DNS121Augusto RoblesGUA– (DNS h2)
DNS377Vasilis MavrapostolosGRE– (DNS h3)
DNS506Martin StokkenNOR– (DNS h3)
DNS920Osman CoşgülTUR– (DNS h3)

Round One (23 July 1952 — 16:35)

Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosNrAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
1436Vladimir KazantsevURS8:58.08:58.17QOR
2745Günter HeßelmannGER9:05.09:04.93Q
3687Gunnar KarlssonSWE9:05.49:05.59Q
4919Cahit ÖnelTUR9:06.09:06.02Q
5905Jindřich RoudnýTCH9:06.49:06.92
6798Kauko LuseniusFIN9:26.8
7195Ken JohnsonGBR9:27.0
8331Drago ŠtritofYUG9:28.0
9655Victor FireaROU9:29.2
1075Guillermo SoláCHI9:32.2
11618Pierre PratFRA9:32.8
12141Gulzara Singh MannIND9:48.6
DNF1008Bill AshenfelterUSA

Splits

1000m2:49.0Vladimir Kazantsev
1500m4:20.8Vladimir Kazantsev
2000m5:50.0Vladimir Kazantsev

Heat Two

PosNrAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
1194John DisleyGBR8:59.48:59.59Q
2799Olavi RinteenpääFIN8:59.48:59.71Q
3947József ApróHUN9:00.49:00.60Q
4744Helmut GudeGER9:04.29:04.74Q
5437Fyodor MarulinURS9:08.49:08.73
6145Ali BaghbanbashiIRI9:13.29:13.43
7573Jan KielasPOL9:15.49:15.62
8619André LebrunFRA9:17.8
9311Susumu TakahashiJPN9:21.6
10329Božidar ĐuraškovićYUG9:23.2
11688Eric NilssonSWE9:25.0
121009Browning RossUSA9:44.0
DNS121Augusto RoblesGUA

Splits

1000m2:55.0Helmut Gude
1500m4:29.0Helmut Gude
2000m5:57.0John Disley

Heat Three

PosNrAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
1998Horace AshenfelterUSA8:51.08:51.17QOR
2438Mikhail SaltykovURS8:55.88:56.05Q
3689Curt SöderbergSWE9:02.49:02.30Q
4193Chris BrasherGBR9:03.29:03.18Q
5797Urho JulinFIN9:09.49:09.54
6948László JeszenszkyHUN9:11.29:11.10
7617André ParisFRA9:30.0
850Robert SchoonjansBEL9:30.6
9330Petar ŠegedinYUG9:40.2
DNF122Víctor SolaresGUA
DNS377Vasilis MavrapostolosGRE
DNS506Martin StokkenNOR
DNS920Osman CoşgülTUR

Splits

1000m2:50.4Horace Ashenfelter
1500m4:20.0Horace Ashenfelter
2000m5:49.0Horace Ashenfelter

Final (25 July 1952 — 16:20)

PosNrAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
1998Horace AshenfelterUSA8:45.48:45.68WR
2436Vladimir KazantsevURS8:51.68:51.52
3194John DisleyGBR8:51.88:51.94
4799Olavi RinteenpääFIN8:55.28:55.60
5689Curt SöderbergSWE8:55.68:55.87
6745Günter HeßelmannGER8:55.88:55.98
7438Mikhail SaltykovURS8:56.28:56.47
8744Helmut GudeGER9:01.49:01.36
9947József ApróHUN9:04.29:04.30
10919Cahit ÖnelTUR9:04.49:04.73
11193Chris BrasherGBR9:14.0
12687Gunnar KarlssonSWE10:26.4

Splits

1000m2:49.8Mikhail Saltykov
2000m5:47.4Horace Ashenfelter