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| Event type

Sprint, Men

Date1 – 3 August 1932
StatusOlympic
LocationRose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Participants9 from 9 countries
Format1,000 metres.

The format of the match sprint was changed slightly in 1932. For the first time, the final was conducted as best two of three races. Only nine cyclists came to the mark in the first round, with the only rider who had ever seen the podium at the World Championships being Bruno Pellizzari (ITA), third-place finisher in 1930. He survived a quarter-final race against Ernest Chambers (GBR), despite protests. Pellizzari had nearly pushed Chambers off the track but the protest was not upheld and Pellizzari made it to the semi-finals where he faced Jacobus van Egmond (NED) in the second of two semis. Van Egmond rode outside Pellizzari for the last 1½ laps, but outrode him on the last lap to win quite easily. In the first semi, Frenchman Louis Chaillot faced Australian Dunc Gray. That race was very close, with Chaillot edging Gray by inches. Gray then elected to bypass the bronze medal race against Pellizzari, with US newspapers noting that Gray was saving himself for the kilometer while Dutch newspapers stated that Gray was protesting the decision in his race against Chaillot. This decision not to race would pay off as Gray won the gold medal in the kilometer time trial.

In the final, Chaillot won the first race, winning as the Los Angeles Times put it, “by a gnat’s whisker,” and European sources noted that many observers felt the decision was incorrect, but no protest was lodged. In the second race, van Egmond won by a bike length. In the final race, van Egmond led out the race, with Chaillot following throughout. But Chaillot could never get by the Dutchman, who won the gold medal by a wheel. Van Egmond would return in 1933 to win the World Sprint Championships.

PosCompetitor(s)NOC
1Jacques van EgmondNEDGold
2Louis ChaillotFRASilver
3Bruno PellizzariITABronze
4Dunc GrayAUS
=5Leo MarchioriCAN
=5Bobby ThomasUSA
=5Willy GervinDEN
=5Ernest ChambersGBR
9Enrique HerediaMEX

Round One (1 August 1932 — 19:30)

Top two advanced to the quarter-finals.

Heat One

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Louis ChaillotFRA13.0Q
2Willy GervinDENQ
3Enrique HerediaMEX

Heat Two

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Jacques van EgmondNED13.0Q
2Ernest ChambersGBRQ
3Leo MarchioriCAN

Heat Three

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Dunc GrayAUS13.2Q
2Bruno PellizzariITAQ
3Bobby ThomasUSA

Round One Repêchage (2 August 1932 — 19:30)

Top two advanced to the quarter-finals.

Heat One

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Bobby ThomasUSA13.1Q
2Leo MarchioriCANQ
3Enrique HerediaMEX

Quarter-Finals (2 August 1932)

Winner of each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Louis ChaillotFRA12.9Q
2Leo MarchioriCAN

Heat Two (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Jacques van EgmondNED12.2Q
2Bobby ThomasUSA

Heat Three (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Dunc GrayAUS12.9Q
2Willy GervinDEN

Heat Four (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Bruno PellizzariITA12.5Q
2Ernest ChambersGBR

Semi-Finals (3 August 1932)

Winner of each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Louis ChaillotFRA12.8Q
2Dunc GrayAUS

Heat Two (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Jacques van EgmondNED12.5Q
2Bruno PellizzariITA

Final Round (3 August 1932 — 19:30)

Match 1/2 (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCRaces Won
1Jacques van EgmondNED2
2Louis ChaillotFRA1

Match 3/4 (19:30)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTime
1Bruno PellizzariITA12.7
2Dunc GrayAUS