The Men's
decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...
at the
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland.
After Japan declared in ...
took place on 25 and 26 July, at the
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium (; ), located in the Töölö district about from the centre of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country. The stadium is best known for being the centre of activities in the 1952 Summer ...
. Now 21-year-old
Bob Mathias
Robert Bruce Mathias (November 17, 1930 – September 2, 2006) was an American decathlete, politician, and actor. Representing the United States, he won two Olympic gold medals in the Decathlon, at the 1948 and the 1952 Summer Games. As a Re ...
from the United States repeated his performances from the
previous games by winning the gold medal and setting new world and Olympic records. It was the second time the United States Olympic team earned all three medals in the event, the first one being in the
1936 Olympic Games.
Mathias ranked first in all three throwing events—discus, shot put and javelin. He won all of these by over a metre.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:
At the end of the competition the following world and Olympic records were set:
Results
Note: All scores are based on the tables used in 1952.
100m
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Heat 5
Heat 6
Heat 7
Heat 8
Heat 9
Long Jump
Shot Put
High Jump
400m
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Heat 5
Heat 6
Heat 7
Heat 8
110m Hurdles
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Heat 5
Heat 6
Heat 7
Heat 8
Discus Throw
Pole Vault
Javelin Throw
1500m
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Final standings
References
External links
Official Olympic Report ''la84.org''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics - Men's decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
Men's events at the 1952 Summer Olympics