Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres
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The men's
100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...
event at the 1956 Olympic Games in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia, was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23 and 24 November. Sixty-five athletes from 31 nations competed; each nation was limited to three athletes. The final was won by
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
Bobby Morrow Bobby Joe Morrow (October 15, 1935May 30, 2020) was an American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics. He has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his ...
, marking the fifth consecutive victory by a different American. Hec Hogan of Australia won that country's first medal in the event since 1900.Stanley Rowley's bronze medal in 1900 is retroactive; at the time, bronze medals were not awarded for third place. Thus, the 1956 Official Report states that Hogan's third-place finish "was the first time an Australian had won a sprint medal." Official Report, p. 269. The competition took place in strong winds, with the final run into a headwind.


Background

This was the thirteenth time the event was held, having appeared at every Olympics since the first in 1896. None of the finalists from 1952 returned. Notable entrants were Americans
Bobby Morrow Bobby Joe Morrow (October 15, 1935May 30, 2020) was an American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics. He has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his ...
(NCAA champion, U.S. Olympic trial champion, and heavy favorite) and Ira Murchison (world record co-holder);
Dave Sime David William Sime (; July 25, 1936 – January 12, 2016) was an American sprinter, multi-sport athlete at Duke University, and a pioneering ophthalmologist. He won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1960 Olympic Games. He held sever ...
was injured and did not make the American team. The Bahamas, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Liberia, Malay, Singapore, and Ethiopia were represented in the event for the first time. In addition, German athletes competed as the "United Team" for the first time, though pre-World War II Germany had competed many times and West Germany had competed as "Germany" in 1952. The United States was the only nation to have appeared at each of the first thirteen Olympic men's 100 metres events.


Competition format

The event retained the four round format from 1920 to 1952: heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. There were 12 heats, of 4–6 athletes each, with the top 2 in each heat advancing to the quarterfinals. The 24 quarterfinalists were placed into 4 heats of 6 athletes. The top 3 in each quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals. There were 2 heats of 6 semifinalists, once again with the top 3 advancing to the 6-man final.


Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows. Despite headwinds, Ira Murchison and
Bobby Morrow Bobby Joe Morrow (October 15, 1935May 30, 2020) was an American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics. He has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his ...
each equalled the Olympic record of 10.3 seconds (hand-timed) in the quarterfinals. Morrow did it again in the semifinals.


Results


Heats

The fastest two runners in each of the twelve heats advanced to the quarterfinal round.


Heat 1


Heat 2


Heat 3


Heat 4


Heat 5


Heat 6


Heat 7


Heat 8


Heat 9


Heat 10


Heat 11


Heat 12


Quarterfinals

The fastest three runners in each of the four heats advanced to the semifinal round.


Quarterfinal 1


Quarterfinal 2


Quarterfinal 3


Quarterfinal 4


Semifinals

The fastest three runners in each of the two heats advanced to the final round.


Semifinal 1


Semifinal 2


Final

Wind -2.5 m/s In lane 4,
Bobby Morrow Bobby Joe Morrow (October 15, 1935May 30, 2020) was an American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics. He has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his ...
was out fast, sandwiched by his teammates
Thane Baker Walter Thane Baker (born October 4, 1931) is an American former sprinter and winner of the gold medal in the 4x100 m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, with a new world record of 39.5 seconds. At those Olympics Baker a ...
in lane 6 and Ira Murchison in lane 1. Morrow just ran away from the field. Baker edged ahead of Murchison to get silver, and running before an Australian crowd, Hec Hogan came from behind to nip Murchison at the line. While Morrow was almost two metres ahead of Baker at the finish, the hand timing of the day gave them the same time of 10.5; the electronic timing system showed the margin to be a more accurate 0.15 of a second.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics 100 metres at the Olympics Men's events at the 1956 Summer Olympics