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Rowing at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's eight

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Men's eight
at the Games of the XV Olympiad
Rowing pictogram
VenueMeilahti
Dates20–23 July
Competitors126 from 14 nations
Winning time6:25.9
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s)  United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Soviet Union
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Australia
← 1948
1956 →

The men's eight competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics took place at Meilahti, Finland.[1] It was held from 20 to 23 July.[2] There were 14 boats (126 competitors) from 14 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event.[2] The event was won by the United States, the nation's seventh consecutive and ninth overall gold medal in the men's eight; the Americans had won every time they competed (missing 1908 and 1912). The Soviet Union took silver in its Olympics debut; Australia's bronze was its first medal in the men's eight.

Background

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This was the 11th appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The men's eight has been held every time that rowing has been contested, beginning in 1900.[2]

The United States was the dominant nation in the event, with the nation winning the previous six Olympic men's eight competitions (as well as the other two competitions which the United States had entered). Potential challengers included Australia (1950 British Empire champion) and Great Britain (1951 European Rowing Championships winners), but the Americans were heavily favored.[2]

Finland, Romania, and the Soviet Union each made their debut in the event. Canada, Great Britain, and the United States each made their ninth appearance, tied for most among nations to that point.

Competition format

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The "eight" event featured nine-person boats, with eight rowers and a coxswain. It was a sweep rowing event, with the rowers each having one oar (and thus each rowing on one side). The course returned to the 2000 metres distance that became the Olympic standard in 1912 (with the exception of 1948).[3]

The 1952 competition featured five rounds: three main rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final) as well as two repechages, after the quarterfinals and semifinals.

  • The 14 boats were divided into 3 heats of 4 or 5 boats each for the quarterfinals. The winner and 2nd place boats in each heat (6 total) advanced to the semifinals, while the remaining boats (8 total) went to the repechage.
  • The first repechage had 8 boats. They were placed in 3 heats, with 2 or 3 boats each. The winner of each repechage heat (a tie in one heat led to there being a total of 4 boats advancing) went to the second repechage (not the semifinals), with the other boats (4 total) eliminated.
  • The semifinals placed the 6 boats in 2 heats, with 3 boats per heat. The winner of each heat (2 boats total) advanced directly to the final, while the other boats (4 total) competed in the second repechage.
  • The second repechage had 8 boats, placed in 3 heats with 2 or 3 boats per heat. The winner of each heat (3 boats) qualified for the final, with all others (5 total) eliminated.
  • The final round consisted of a single final for the medals and 4th and 5th places.

Schedule

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All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3)

Date Time Round
Sunday, 20 July 1952 9:00 Quarterfinals
Monday, 21 July 1952 9:00
16:00
First repechage
Semifinals
Tuesday, 22 July 1952 9:00 Second repechage
Wednesday, 23 July 1952 19:00 Final

Results

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Quarterfinals

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Quarterfinal 1

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Zdenko Bego  Yugoslavia 6:06.9 Q
2 Tom Chessell  Australia 6:07.2 Q
3 Ion Vlăduț  Romania 6:23.0 R
4 Norm Rowe  Canada 6:26.5 R
5 Toivo Räsänen  Finland 6:28.5 R

Quarterfinal 2

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Charles Manring  United States 6:09.0 Q
2 John Hinde  Great Britain 6:15.1 Q
3 Hermann Zander  Germany 6:18.7 R
4 Sture Baatz  Sweden 6:24.3 R
5 José Pinheiro  Portugal 6:30.8 R

Quarterfinal 3

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Igor Polyakov  Soviet Union 6:10.2 Q
2 Róbert Zimonyi  Hungary 6:13.6 Q
3 Sergio Ghiatto  Italy 6:17.0 R
4 John Vilhelmsen  Denmark 6:17.9 R

First repechage

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First repechage heat 1

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 John Vilhelmsen  Denmark 6:17.8 Q
2 Ion Vlăduț  Romania 6:20.7
3 José Pinheiro  Portugal 6:25.3

First repechage heat 2

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Hermann Zander  Germany 6:15.1 Q
2 Sergio Ghiatto  Italy 6:15.8
3 Toivo Räsänen  Finland 6:28.4

First repechage heat 3

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The finish between these two boats was so close that even the photo finish could not separate them. Both boats advanced.

Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Norm Rowe  Canada 6:25.9 Q
Sture Baatz  Sweden 6:25.9 Q

Semifinals

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Semifinal 1

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 John Hinde  Great Britain 6:32.4 Q
2 Zdenko Bego  Yugoslavia 6:33.5 R
3 Róbert Zimonyi  Hungary 6:37.4 R

Semifinal 2

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Charles Manring  United States 6:32.1 Q
2 Igor Polyakov  Soviet Union 6:44.0 R
3 Tom Chessell  Australia 6:44.5 R

Second repechage

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Second repechage heat 1

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Tom Chessell  Australia 6:09.6 Q
2 Zdenko Bego  Yugoslavia 6:12.0
3 Sture Baatz  Sweden 6:28.1

Second repechage heat 2

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Igor Polyakov  Soviet Union 6:10.6 Q
2 Róbert Zimonyi  Hungary 6:15.4
3 John Vilhelmsen  Denmark 6:16.0

Second repechage heat 3

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Hermann Zander  Germany 6:19.3 Q
2 Norm Rowe  Canada 6:24.8

Final

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Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time
1st place, gold medalist(s) Charles Manring  United States 6:25.9
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Igor Polyakov  Soviet Union 6:31.2
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Tom Chessell  Australia 6:33.1
4 John Hinde  Great Britain 6:34.8
5 Hermann Zander  Germany 6:42.8

Results summary

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The following rowers took part:[1]

Rank Rowers Coxswain Country
1st place, gold medalist(s) Charles Manring  United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Igor Polyakov  Soviet Union
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Tom Chessell  Australia
John Hinde  Great Britain
Hermann Zander  Germany
Zdenko Bego  Yugoslavia
Róbert Zimonyi  Hungary
Norm Rowe  Canada
Sture Baatz  Sweden
John Vilhelmsen  Denmark
Ion Vlăduț  Romania
Sergio Ghiatto  Italy
José Pinheiro  Portugal
Toivo Räsänen  Finland

References

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  1. ^ a b "Rowing at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games: Men's Coxed Eights". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Eight, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Why Do We Race 2000m? The History Behind the Distance". World Rowing. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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