The men's 110 metres hurdles at the 1980 Summer Olympics in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

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had an entry list of 23 competitors from 16 nations, with three qualifying heats (23 runners) and two semifinals (16) before the final (8) took place on Sunday 27 July 1980. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by

Thomas Munkelt Thomas Munkelt (born 3 August 1952) is a retired East German athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Born in Zedtlitz, Bezirk Leipzig, East Germany, Thomas Munkelt was a classic high hurdler who dominated European hurdlin ...

of East Germany, the first medal by a German runner in the event.

Alejandro Casañas Alejandro Francisco Casañas Ramírez (born January 29, 1954) is a former Cuban hurdler. At the 1977 Summer Universiade in Sofia he set a new world record in the 110 m hurdles with a time 13.21 seconds. This record would, however, only stand ...

of Cuba took silver for the second Games in a row, making him the eighth man with two medals in the event.

Aleksandr Puchkov Aleksandr Nikolayevich Puchkov (russian: Александр Николаевич Пучков; born 25 March 1957 in Ulyanovsk) is a retired male hurdler and Olympic bronze medallist, who competed for the Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. of ...

's bronze was the Soviet Union's second medal in the event and first since 1964.

Background

This was the 19th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Two finalists from 1976 returned: silver medalist

of Cuba and fifth-place finisher

of East Germany. While 1976 had been an off year for American hurdles, the United States had two dominant athletes in 1980:

Renaldo Nehemiah Renaldo Nehemiah (born March 24, 1959) is a retired American track and field athlete who specialized in the 110 m hurdles. He was ranked number one in the world for four straight years, and is a former world record holder. Nehemiah is the first m ...

and Greg Foster. The American-led boycott of the 1980 Games, however, prevented both from competing. In their absence, Casañas and Munkelt were favored. Bulgaria, the Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, the Seychelles, and Syria each made their first appearance in the event. Great Britain made its 17th appearance (having missed 1900 and 1904), most of any nation competing in 1980 but still one behind the absent United States's 18.

Competition format

The competition continued to use the three-round format used since 1908 (except 1960, which had four rounds) and eight-man semifinals and finals, as well as the "fastest loser" system, used since 1964. The first round consisted of three heats, with 7 or 8 hurdlers each. The top five hurdlers in each heat, along with the next fastest overall, advanced to the semifinals. The 16 semifinalists were divided into two semifinals of 8 hurdlers each; the top four hurdlers in each advanced to the 8-man final.Official Report, vol. 3, p. 45.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1980 Summer Olympics. No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

Schedule

All times are

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Results

Round 1

The first round was held on Friday 25 July 1980.

Heat 1

Heat 2

Heat 3

Semifinals

The semifinals were held on Sunday 27 July 1980.

Semifinal 1

Semifinal 2

Final

Casañas hit the first two hurdles, allowing Munkelt to build a lead; Casañas nearly caught him, but "lost out to Munkelt in a lean at the tape."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics At The 1980 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 Metre Hurdles 1 Sprint hurdles at the Olympics Men's events at the 1980 Summer Olympics