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1952 Olympic Games Helsinki, Finland - Men's 10 km Walk

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Details: Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics); Category: 1952 Olympic Games Helsinki, Finland - (Athletics); Last Updated: 17 May 2016; Hits: 451

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Host City: Helsinki, Finland

Format: Top six in each heat advanced to the final.

Date Started: July 24, 1952

Date Finished: July 27, 1952

(Competitors: 23; Countries: 12; Finalists: 12)

Venue(s): Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki

Overview by IAAF

British official Jack Crump, writing in the British Olympic report, noted that “the standard of judging and the basis on which decisions to caution or disqualify competitors were made, were neither consistent nor impartial.” Junk won the first heat in 45:05.8 from Mikaelsson (45:10.0), while Coleman won the second heat by over half a minute in 46:12.4. Coleman led for the first quarter of the final, but Mikaelsson then took over, and the Briton dropped back. Mikaelsson won by 150m from Schwab, who edged Junk by 0.02 after both men were clearly running in the last 50m. The inconsistencies of judging and competing meant that the m event would be replaced woth a 20 Kilometres road walk in 1956

Summary by Sports-reference.com

In the heats seven walkers were disqualified but the judging was felt to be arbitrary and inconsistent. The heats were won by the Estonian Bruno Junk (URS) and George Coleman (GBR), with defending champion John Mikaelsson trailing Junk in the first heat. But Mikaelsson prevailed easily in the final. The race for the medals came down to Junk and the bronze medalist from 1948, Fritz Schwab (SUI). And a race it was, as both athletes were clearly running on the final straight. But neither was disqualified, Junk edging Schwab for the silver medal. Because of the difficulty judging a relatively short walk, this was the last time the event was contested at the Olympics and it was replaced in 1956 by a 20 km. walk.

			Results

*10 km Walk*	Men		Final	27 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	45.02.8		John Mikaelsson	Sweden	SWE	38	OR	45.02.85
2	45.41.0		Fritz Schwab	Switzerland	SUI	32		45.41.03
3	45.41.0		Bruno Junk	Soviet Union	URS	22		45.41.05
4	45.50.4		Louis Chevalier	France	FRA	31		45.50.28
5	46.06.8		George Coleman	Great Britain	GBR	35		46.06.69
6	46.07.0		Ivan Yarmysh	Soviet Union	URS			46.07.07
7	46.08.0		Émile Maggi	France	FRA	44		46.08.16
8	46.25.6		Bruno Fait	Italy	ITA	28
9	46.38.6		Gabriel Reymond	Switzerland	SUI	29
10	47.37.0		Don Keane	Australia	AUS	21
AC	DQ		Lars Hindmar	Sweden	SWE	30
*10 km Walk*	Men		Round One Heat One	24 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	45.05.8	Q	Bruno Junk	Soviet Union	URS	22
2	45.10.0	Q	John Mikaelsson	Sweden	SWE	38
3	45.58.0	Q	Louis Chevalier	France	FRA	31
4	46.35.2	Q	Gabriel Reymond	Switzerland	SUI	29
5	46.55.2	Q	Don Keane	Australia	AUS	21
6	47.26.0	Q	Ivan Yarmysh	Soviet Union	URS
7	47.32.4		Arne Börjesson	Sweden	SWE	27
8	49.08.4		Kaare Hammer	Norway	NOR	34
9	50.42.8		Ragnvald Thunestvedt	Denmark	DEN	26
AC	DQ		Allah Ditta	Pakistan	PAK	21
AC	DQ		Henry Laskau	United States	USA	35
AC	DQ		Roland Hardy	Great Britain	GBR	26
*10 km Walk*	Men		Round One Heat Two	24 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	46.12.4	Q	George Coleman	Great Britain	GBR	35
2	46.47.8	Q	Émile Maggi	France	FRA	44
3	47.06.0	Q	Lars Hindmar	Sweden	SWE	30
4	47.06.0	Q	Fritz Schwab	Switzerland	SUI	32
5	47.06.2	Q	Josef Doležal	Czechoslovakia	TCH	31
6	47.23.4	Q	Bruno Fait	Italy	ITA	28
7	48.00.2		Telemaco Arcangeli	Italy	ITA	29
8	49.03.8		Ragnar Olsen	Norway	NOR	38
9	51.08.6		Price King	United States	USA	27
AC	DQ		Lawrence Allen	Great Britain	GBR	31
AC	DQ		Pēteris Zeltiņš	Soviet Union	URS	38