Rowing at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's eight

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.

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 →

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
  Charles Manring   United States 6:25.9
  Igor Polyakov   Soviet Union 6:31.2
  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
  Charles Manring   United States
  Igor Polyakov   Soviet Union
  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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