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Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles

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Men's 110 metres hurdles
at the Games of the XVI Olympiad
Jack Davis, silver medalist for the second time; his official time both Games matched the winner's. (photo from 1952)
VenueMelbourne Cricket Ground
DatesNovember 27 (heats and quarterfinals)
November 28 (semifinals and final)
Competitors24 from 15 nations
Winning time13.5 OR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Lee Calhoun
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Jack Davis
 United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Joel Shankle
 United States
← 1952
1960 →
Video on YouTube Official Video @45:55

The men's 110 metres hurdles was an event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. There were 24 athletes from 15 nations. The event took place on 27 and 28 November 1956.[1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Lee Calhoun of the United States. It was the fifth of nine consecutive American victories, and the 11th overall gold medal for the United States in the 110 metres hurdles. It was also the third of four consecutive American podium sweeps, and the seventh overall sweep by the United States in the event.

Jack Davis won silver for the second consecutive Games. The United States had won 28 of the 35 medals in the high hurdles between 1896 and 1952, all by different hurdlers; Davis was the first American to win a second medal. By contrast, two of the five non-American medalists had won two medals apiece, so Davis was the third man overall to do so.

Summary

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Jack Davis came into the Olympics with the world record, having run 13.4 in a qualifying heat at the national championships a week before the Olympic trials. That was 5 months earlier. Here the three Americans were the class of the field, all three running the semi-final in 14.0, almost half a second faster than any other competitor.

In the final, Lee Calhoun in lane 2 got the edge, leading by half a meter by the third hurdle. Davis, across the track in lane 5, could only keep pace but couldn't make up the gap. He gave his best effort to lean at the tape but was clearly beaten by Calhoun. Four metres back, Joel Shankle completed the American sweep, three metres ahead of Martin Lauer. Almost three years later, Lauer would get Davis' world record. Calhoun would equal it a year after that, in the season leading up to his repeating as Olympic Champion in 1960 leading another American sweep over Lauer.

Background

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This was the 13th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Two finalists from 1952 returned: silver medalist Jack Davis of the United States and fifth-place finisher Ken Doubleday of Australia. Davis, having also won the 1956 AAU championship with a new world record, was a "slight favorite" over countryman Lee Calhoun, who had tied Davis for first at the U.S. Olympic trials. The third American, Joel Shankle, was not quite at the level of Davis and Calhoun but was still good enough to give the United States a good chance at another medal sweep.[2]

Colombia made its first appearance in the event; Germany competed as the "United Team of Germany" for the first time. The United States made its 13th appearance, the only nation to have competed in the 110 metres hurdles in each Games to that point.

Competition format

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The competition used the basic three-round format introduced in 1908. The first round consisted of four heats, with 6 or 7 hurdlers each (before withdrawals; there ultimately were 6 starters in each heat). The top three hurdlers in each heat advanced to the semifinals. The 12 semifinalists were divided into two semifinals of 6 hurdlers each; the top three hurdlers in each advanced to the 6-man final.[2][3]

Records

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These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1956 Summer Olympics.

World record  Jack Davis (USA) 13.4 Bakersfield, United States 22 June 1956
Olympic record  Harrison Dillard (USA) 13.7 Helsinki, Finland 24 July 1952

Lee Calhoun and Jack Davis were both officially clocked at 13.5 seconds in the final to break the Olympic record.

Schedule

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All times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)

Date Time Round
Tuesday, 27 November 1956 15:20 Round 1
Wednesday, 28 November 1956 14:30
16:05
Semifinals
Final

Results

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Round 1

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Heat 1

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 5 Jack Davis  United States 14.0 14.17 Q
2 3 Edmond Roudnitska  France 14.3 14.49 Q
3 6 Ghulam Raziq  Pakistan 14.5 14.65 Q
4 4 Eamonn Kinsella  Ireland 14.6 14.66
5 1 Kenneth Doubleday  Australia 14.8 14.98
6 2 Guillermo Zapata  Colombia 15.3 15.58
7 Amadeo Francis  Puerto Rico DNS
Wind: +0.0 m/s

Heat 2

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 6 Lee Calhoun  United States 14.1 14.36 Q
2 1 Stanko Lorger  Yugoslavia 14.6 14.75 Q
3 2 Jean-Claude Bernard  France 14.7 14.88 Q
4 3 Jack Parker  Great Britain 14.8 15.00
5 5 John Chittick  Australia 14.9 15.18
6 4 Kalim Khawaja Ghani  Pakistan 16.1 16.32
Wind: -3.0 m/s

Heat 3

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 2 Joel Shankle  United States 14.0 14.20 Q
2 5 Bert Steines  United Team of Germany 14.3 14.59 Q
3 4 Danie Burger  South Africa 14.4 14.59 Q
4 3 Anatoly Mikhailov  Soviet Union 14.5 14.63
5 6 Keith Gardner  Jamaica 14.6 14.65
6 1 Bob Joyce  Australia 14.7 15.02
Wind: -0.7 m/s

Heat 4

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 6 Martin Lauer  United Team of Germany 14.2 14.41 Q
2 4 Evaristo Iglesias  Cuba 14.3 14.52 Q
3 2 Boris Stolyarov  Soviet Union 14.3 14.54 Q
4 5 Peter Hildreth  Great Britain 14.5 14.68
5 3 Ioannis Kambadelis  Greece 15.1 15.28
6 1 Sri Chand Ram  India 15.2 15.40
Wind: -0.5 m/s

Overall results for round 1

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Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 Jack Davis  United States 14.0 14.17 Q
2 Joel Shankle  United States 14.0 14.20 Q
3 Lee Calhoun  United States 14.1 14.36 Q
4 Martin Lauer  United Team of Germany 14.2 14.41 Q
5 Edmond Roudnitska  France 14.3 14.49 Q
6 Evaristo Iglesias  Cuba 14.3 14.52 Q
7 Boris Stolyarov  Soviet Union 14.3 14.54 Q
8 Bert Steines  United Team of Germany 14.3 14.59 Q
9 Danie Burger  South Africa 14.4 14.59 Q
10 Anatoly Mikhailov  Soviet Union 14.5 14.63
11 Ghulam Raziq  Pakistan 14.5 14.65 Q
12 Peter Hildreth  Great Britain 14.5 14.68
13 Keith Gardner  Jamaica 14.6 14.65
14 Eamonn Kinsella  Ireland 14.6 14.66
15 Stanko Lorger  Yugoslavia 14.6 14.75 Q
16 Jean-Claude Bernard  France 14.7 14.88 Q
17 Bob Joyce  Australia 14.7 15.02
18 Kenneth Doubleday  Australia 14.8 14.98
19 Jack Parker  Great Britain 14.8 15.00
20 John Chittick  Australia 14.9 15.18
21 Ioannis Kambadelis  Greece 15.1 15.28
22 Sri Chand Ram  India 15.2 15.40
23 Guillermo Zapata  Colombia 15.3 15.58
24 Kalim Khawaja Ghani  Pakistan 16.1 16.32
Amadeo Francis  Puerto Rico DNS

Semifinals

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Semifinal 1

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 6 Jack Davis  United States 14.0 14.28 Q
2 3 Martin Lauer  United Team of Germany 14.4 14.57 Q
3 5 Stanko Lorger  Yugoslavia 14.6 14.73 Q
4 1 Evaristo Iglesias  Cuba 14.6 14.73
5 2 Edmond Roudnitska  France 14.9 14.87
6 4 Danie Burger  South Africa 15.0 14.95
Wind: -2.5 m/s

Semifinal 2

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 5 Lee Calhoun  United States 14.0 14.18 Q
2 4 Joel Shankle  United States 14.0 14.23 Q
3 2 Boris Stolyarov  Soviet Union 14.5 14.64 Q
4 6 Bert Steines  United Team of Germany 14.5 14.70
5 3 Ghulam Raziq  Pakistan 14.6 14.74
6 1 Jean-Claude Bernard  France 14.6 14.78
Wind: -1.9 m/s

Overall results for semifinals

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Rank Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1 Lee Calhoun  United States 14.0 14.18 Q
2 Joel Shankle  United States 14.0 14.23 Q
3 Jack Davis  United States 14.0 14.28 Q
4 Martin Lauer  United Team of Germany 14.4 14.57 Q
5 Boris Stolyarov  Soviet Union 14.5 14.64 Q
6 Bert Steines  United Team of Germany 14.5 14.70
7 Stanko Lorger  Yugoslavia 14.6 14.73 Q
Evaristo Iglesias  Cuba 14.6 14.73
9 Ghulam Raziq  Pakistan 14.6 14.74
10 Jean-Claude Bernard  France 14.6 14.78
11 Edmond Roudnitska  France 14.9 14.87
12 Danie Burger  South Africa 15.0 14.95

Final

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time (hand) Time (auto) Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) 2 Lee Calhoun  United States 13.5 13.70 OR
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 Jack Davis  United States 13.5 13.73 OR
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1 Joel Shankle  United States 14.1 14.25
4 6 Martin Lauer  United Team of Germany 14.5 14.67
5 3 Stanko Lorger  Yugoslavia 14.5 14.68
6 4 Boris Stolyarov  Soviet Union 14.6 14.71

References

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  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games: Men's 110 metres Hurdles". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "110 metres Hurdles, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. ^ Official Report, p. 308.
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