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| Event type

Rings, Men

Date3 – 7 December 1956 — 08:00-16:00
StatusOlympic
LocationWest Melbourne Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria
Participants63 from 18 countries
FormatPlacement determined by best scores on apparatus in individual all-around event.

Armenian Albert Azaryan was a rings specialist who had won the 1954 World Championships and won the gold medal in Melbourne, and would defend in Rome. He invented the Olympic cross, a variant of the iron cross, in which the gymnast is stationary on the rings with his arms outstretched at shoulder height. In the Olympic cross, the gymnast twists first to one side then the other. It originated at the 1953 Soviet Championships when Russian judges told the Armenian coach their gymnasts were not holding their crosses long enough. Azaryan went into an iron cross, then turned to the judges on one side, asking, “Is this long enough?” and then repeated the maneuver to opposite side.

This event was fully dominated by the Soviet Union and Japan who filled the first eight places, with five Japanese and three Soviets. Silver went to Soviet Valentin Muratov while the bronze was won by Masami Kubota. Kubota also won apparatus bronze medals on the parallel bars and horizontal bar, while Muratov won apparatus golds on the vault and floor exercise. Azaryan’s son, Eduard, would compete in gymnastics at the 1980 Olympics.

PosCompetitor(s)NOCPointsCEPOEP
1Albert AzaryanURS19.359.559.80Gold
2Valentin MuratovURS19.159.609.55Silver
=3Masao TakemotoJPN19.109.609.50Bronze
=3Masami KubotaJPN19.109.609.50Bronze
=5Nobuyuki AiharaJPN19.059.559.50
=5Takashi OnoJPN19.059.509.55
=7Shinsaku TsukawakiJPN19.009.509.50
=7Viktor ChukarinURS19.009.409.60
9Ferdinand DanišTCH18.909.459.45
=10Yury TitovURS18.859.409.45
=10Berndt LindforsFIN18.859.459.40
=12Pavel StolbovURS18.809.409.40
=12Kalevi SuoniemiFIN18.809.309.50
14Robert KleinGER18.759.409.35
=15Akira KonoJPN18.709.409.30
=15Boris ShakhlinURS18.709.359.35
17Dick BecknerUSA18.659.359.30
18Helmut BantzGER18.609.259.35
19Vladimír KejřTCH18.509.309.20
=20Velik KapsazovBUL18.459.209.25
=20Armando VegaUSA18.459.059.40
22Zdeněk RůžičkaTCH18.309.109.20
=23Martti MansikkaFIN18.209.159.05
=23Josef ŠkvorTCH18.209.159.05
=23Hans PfannGER18.209.109.10
=23Attila TakácsHUN18.208.909.30
27Onni LappalainenFIN18.158.959.20
=28János HéderHUN18.108.959.15
=28Jaroslav BímTCH18.108.909.20
30Theo WiedGER17.809.058.75
31Jack BecknerUSA17.758.709.05
=32Jaroslav MikoškaTCH17.658.758.90
=32Erich WiedGER17.658.708.95
=34Abie GrossfeldUSA17.509.208.30
=34Charles SimmsUSA17.508.708.80
36Raymond DotFRA17.458.608.85
37Josy StoffelLUX17.408.508.90
=38Frank TurnerGBR17.258.758.50
=38Hans SauterAUT17.258.558.70
40Olavi LeimuvirtaFIN17.158.758.40
41Michel MathiotFRA17.008.858.15
=42Nik StuartGBR16.859.157.70
=42Ed GagnierCAN16.858.408.45
=42Bill TomUSA16.858.108.75
45Raimo HeinonenFIN16.757.858.90
=46Jean GuillouFRA16.608.608.00
=46William ThoressonSWE16.608.208.40
48Jakob KieferGER16.508.358.15
49John LeesAUS16.407.958.45
50Rafael LecuonaCUB16.007.708.30
51Bruce SharpAUS15.958.107.85
52Ronnie LombardRSA15.907.608.30
53Jack WellsRSA15.857.358.50
54Stoyan StoyanovBUL15.657.058.60
55Mincho TodorovBUL15.557.657.90
56David GourlayAUS15.457.557.90
57Kurt WigartzSWE15.306.908.40
58Graham BondAUS14.857.007.85
59Brian BlackburnAUS14.557.507.05
60Noel PuntonAUS14.356.807.55
61Sham LalIND13.506.906.60
62Pritam SinghIND10.756.004.75
63Anant RamIND6.754.752.00