| Host City: Helsinki, Finland |
Format: Top four in each heat advanced to the final. |
| Date Started: July 23, 1952 |
|
| Date Finished: July 25, 1952 |
|
| (Competitors: 35; Countries: 19; Finalists: 12) |
|
|
|
Venue(s): Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki
|
| Overview by IAAF |
|
 |
| Although there would be no official world record in the event until 1954, the standard improved dramatically in 1952, with five men running under nine minutes in the heats (only four had ever run sub-9 before 1952), with the big favourite Kazantsev (8:58.17) and Disley (8:59.60) taking the first two heats, to be followed by Ashenfelter taking the role of “dark horse” with his surprising US record of 8:51.18. Saltykov led for the initial two laps in the final, and then Ashenfelter took over. He and Kazantsev built up a lead of 20m with one and a half circuits to go. Behind them, Disley was third, having moved up from seventh in the sixth lap. Kazantsev made his big effort with 200m to go, but was passed by Ashenfelter coming out of the final water jump. Within 25m he gained 5m, and Kazantsev eased off, getting home just 3m ahead of the charging Disley. Ashenfelter’s world best time would not be improved upon until 1955. |
|
|
|
|
| Summary by Sports-reference.com |
|
|
|
| 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. |
| |
|
|
|
|
Results |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 3000 m steeple |
Men |
|
|
Final |
25 July |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rank |
Mark |
|
|
Athlete |
Country |
NOC |
Age |
Records |
Notes |
| 1 |
8.45.68 |
|
|
Horace Ashenfelter |
United States |
USA |
29 |
WR |
8.45.4 h |
| 2 |
8.51.52 |
|
|
Vladimir Kazantsev |
Soviet Union |
URS |
29 |
|
8.51.6 h |
| 3 |
8.51.94 |
|
|
John Disley |
Great Britain |
GBR |
23 |
|
8.51.8 h |
| 4 |
8.55.60 |
|
|
Olavi Rinteenpää |
Finland |
FIN |
27 |
|
8.55.2 h |
| 5 |
8.55.87 |
|
|
Curt Söderberg |
Sweden |
SWE |
25 |
|
8.55.6 h |
| 6 |
8.55.98 |
|
|
Günter Heßelmann |
Germany |
GER |
26 |
|
8.55.8 h |
| 7 |
8.56.47 |
|
|
Mikhail Saltykov |
Soviet Union |
URS |
|
|
8.56.2 h |
| 8 |
9.01.36 |
|
|
Helmut Gude |
Germany |
GER |
26 |
|
9.01.4 h |
| 9 |
9.04.30 |
|
|
József Apró |
Hungary |
HUN |
31 |
|
9.04.2 h |
| 10 |
9.04.73 |
|
|
Cahit Önel |
Turkey |
TUR |
24 |
|
9.04.4 h |
| 11 |
9.14.0 |
|
|
Chris Brasher |
Great Britain |
GBR |
23 |
|
|
| 12 |
10.26.4 |
|
|
Gunnar Karlsson-Tjörnebo |
Sweden |
SWE |
25 |
|
|
| 3000 m steeple |
Men |
|
|
Round One Heat One |
23 July |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rank |
Mark |
|
|
Athlete |
Country |
NOC |
Age |
Records |
Notes |
| 1 |
8.58.17 |
|
Q |
Vladimir Kazantsev |
Soviet Union |
URS |
29 |
OR |
8.58.0 h |
| 2 |
9.04.93 |
|
Q |
Günter Heßelmann |
Germany |
GER |
26 |
|
9.05.0 h |
| 3 |
9.05.59 |
|
Q |
Gunnar Karlsson-Tjörnebo |
Sweden |
SWE |
25 |
|
9.05.4 h |
| 4 |
9.06.02 |
|
Q |
Cahit Önel |
Turkey |
TUR |
24 |
|
9.06.0 h |
| 5 |
9.06.92 |
|
|
Jindřich Roudný |
Czechoslovakia |
TCH |
28 |
|
9.06.4 h |
| 6 |
9.26.8 |
|
|
Kauko Lusenius |
Finland |
FIN |
33 |
|
|
| 7 |
9.27.0 |
|
|
Kenneth Johnson |
Great Britain |
GBR |
23 |
|
|
| 8 |
9.28.0 |
|
|
Drago Štritof |
Yugoslavia |
YUG |
28 |
|
|
| 9 |
9.29.2 |
|
|
Victor Firea |
Romania |
ROU |
29 |
|
|
| 10 |
9.32.2 |
|
|
Guillermo Solá |
Chile |
CHI |
23 |
|
|
| 11 |
9.32.8 |
|
|
Pierre Prat |
France |
FRA |
22 |
|
|
| 12 |
9.48.6 |
|
|
Gulzara Singh Mann |
India |
IND |
28 |
|
|
| AC |
DNF |
|
|
Bill Ashenfelter |
United States |
USA |
27 |
|
|
| 3000 m steeple |
Men |
|
|
Round One Heat Two |
23 July |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rank |
Mark |
|
|
Athlete |
Country |
NOC |
Age |
Records |
Notes |
| 1 |
8.59.59 |
|
Q |
John Disley |
Great Britain |
GBR |
23 |
|
8.59.4 h |
| 2 |
8.59.71 |
|
Q |
Olavi Rinteenpää |
Finland |
FIN |
27 |
|
8.59.4 h |
| 3 |
9.00.60 |
|
Q |
József Apró |
Hungary |
HUN |
31 |
|
9.00.4 h |
| 4 |
9.04.74 |
|
Q |
Helmut Gude |
Germany |
GER |
26 |
|
9.04.2 h |
| 5 |
9.08.73 |
|
|
Fyodor Marulin |
Soviet Union |
URS |
26 |
|
9.08.4 h |
| 6 |
9.13.43 |
|
|
Ali Baghbanbashi |
Iran |
IRI |
27 |
|
9.13.2 h |
| 7 |
9.15.62 |
|
|
Jan Kielas |
Poland |
POL |
36 |
|
9.15.4 h |
| 8 |
9.17.8 |
|
|
André Lebrun |
France |
FRA |
24 |
|
|
| 9 |
9.21.6 |
|
|
Susumu Takahashi |
Japan |
JPN |
31 |
|
|
| 10 |
9.23.2 |
|
|
Božidar Đurašković |
Yugoslavia |
YUG |
27 |
|
|
| 11 |
9.25.0 |
|
|
Eric Nilsson |
Sweden |
SWE |
25 |
|
|
| 12 |
9.44.0 |
|
|
Browning Ross |
United States |
USA |
28 |
|
|
| 3000 m steeple |
Men |
|
|
Round One Heat Three |
23 July |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rank |
Mark |
|
|
Athlete |
Country |
NOC |
Age |
Records |
Notes |
| 1 |
8.51.17 |
|
Q |
Horace Ashenfelter |
United States |
USA |
29 |
OR |
8.51.0 h |
| 2 |
8.56.05 |
|
Q |
Mikhail Saltykov |
Soviet Union |
URS |
|
|
8.55.8 h |
| 3 |
9.02.30 |
|
Q |
Curt Söderberg |
Sweden |
SWE |
25 |
|
9.02.4 h |
| 4 |
9.03.18 |
|
Q |
Chris Brasher |
Great Britain |
GBR |
23 |
|
9.03.2 h |
| 5 |
9.09.54 |
|
|
Urho Julin |
Finland |
FIN |
23 |
|
9.09.4 h |
| 6 |
9.11.10 |
|
|
László Jeszenszky |
Hungary |
HUN |
25 |
|
9.11.2 h |
| 7 |
9.30.0 |
|
|
André Paris |
France |
FRA |
26 |
|
|
| 8 |
9.30.6 |
|
|
Robert Schoonjans |
Belgium |
BEL |
26 |
|
|
| 9 |
9.40.2 |
|
|
Petar Šegedin |
Yugoslavia |
YUG |
25 |
|
|
| AC |
DNF |
|
|
Víctorio Solares |
Guatemala |
GUA |
20 |
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
