The men's
110 metres hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hu ...
hurdling event at the
1932 Summer Olympics took place on August 2 and August 3 at the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Seventeen athletes from 10 nations competed.
[ The 1930 Olympic Congress in Berlin had reduced the limit from 4 athletes per NOC to 3 athletes.][Official Report, p. 377.] The event was won by George Saling of the United States, the first in a streak of nine victories by the Americans (and the seventh overall gold medal for the United States in the 110 metres hurdles). It initially appeared that the Americans had swept the medals, but film review showed that Don Finlay
Group Captain Donald Osborne Finlay, DFC, AFC (27 May 1909 – 18 April 1970) was a British athlete and Royal Air Force officer.
Athletics career
A member of Milocarian Athletic Club and Surrey Athletics Club (based in Kingston upon Thames), ...
had come in third over Jack Keller; this gave Great Britain its first medal in the event since 1896.[
]
Background
This was the ninth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. None of the finalists from 1928 returned. Percy Beard
Percy Morris Beard (January 26, 1908 – March 27, 1990) was an American college and international track and field athlete who specialized in the high hurdles event, and won an Olympic silver medal. Beard later became a nationally prominent ...
and Jack Keller of the United States and Bengt Sjöstedt of Finland each had tied the world record before the Games.
Competition format
The competition used the three-round basic format introduced in 1908. The first round consisted of four heats, with between 3 and 6 hurdlers each. 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.[Official Report, pp. 433–35.]
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Jack Keller broke the Olympic record in the first semifinal, setting a new time at 14.5 seconds. George Saling bettered it in the second semifinal, dropping the Olympic record to 14.4 seconds—equal to the world record.
Schedule
Results
Round 1
Four heats were held; the fastest three runners advanced to the semifinal round.
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Semifinals
Two heats were held; the fastest three runners advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Mantikas was disqualified for knocking down three hurdles.[
]
Final
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metres hurdles
Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Sprint hurdles at the Olympics
Men's events at the 1932 Summer Olympics