Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres

This was the twelfth time the event was held, having appeared at every Olympics since the first in 1896. None of the medalists from 1948 returned, but sixth-place finisher McDonald Bailey (who had recently tied the world record) did. London bronze medalist Lloyd LaBeach's brother Byron LaBeach represented Jamaica. Other notable entrants were American Art Bragg and Jamaican Herb McKenley, who were favorites along with Bailey.[2]

Bulgaria, Ghana, Guatemala, Israel, Nigeria, the Soviet Union, Thailand, and Venezuela were represented in the event for the first time. The United States was the only nation to have appeared at each of the first twelve Olympic men's 100 metres events.

The event retained the four round format from 1920–1948: heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. There were 12 heats, of 4–7 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.[2]

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.

World record	10.2	Jesse Owens	Chicago, United States	20 June 1936
	10.2	Harold Davis	Compton, United States	6 June 1941
	10.2	Lloyd LaBeach	Fresno, United States	15 May 1948
	10.2	Barney Ewell	Evanston, United States	9 July 1948
	10.2	McDonald Bailey	Belgrade, Yugoslavia	25 August 1951
Olympic record	10.3	Eddie Tolan	Los Angeles, USA	1 August 1932
	10.3	Ralph Metcalfe	Los Angeles, USA	1 August 1932
	10.3	Jesse Owens	Berlin, Germany	2 August 1936
	10.3	Harrison Dillard	London, United Kingdom	31 July, 1948