Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres

The men's 800 metres competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. The event were held at the University Olympic Stadium on October 13–15.[1] Forty-four athletes from 32 nations competed.[2] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Ralph Doubell of Australia, the nation's second title in the men's 800 metres—and its first medal in the event since its first title in 1896. Wilson Kiprugut of Kenya improved on his 1964 bronze to take silver, becoming the seventh man to win a second medal in the 800 metres. Tom Farrell's bronze put the United States back on the podium for the first time since 1956.

Men's 800 metres
at the Games of the XIX Olympiad
VenueEstadio Olímpico Universitario
DateOctober 13–15
Competitors44 from 32 nations
Winning time1:44.3 =WR OR
Medalists
Ralph Doubell
 Australia
Wilson Kiprugut
 Kenya
Tom Farrell
 United States

Background

This was the 16th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Three finalists from 1964 returned: bronze medalist Wilson Kiprugut of Kenya, fourth-place finisher Tom Farrell of the United States, and eighth-place finisher Jacques Pennewaert of Belgium. American Wade Bell, the 1967 Pan American champion, was a favorite to challenge Kiprugut.[2]

The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Senegal, and Sudan appeared in the event for the first time; East Germany and West Germany competed separately for the first time as well. Great Britain and the United States each made their 15th appearance, tied for the most among all nations.

Competition format

The competition used the three-round format that had been in use for most Games since 1912. The event had seven heats in the first round, two semifinals and a final. The top two in each of the first round heats progressed, as did the four fastest non-qualifiers. The top four finishers in each semifinal race reached the finals.[2][3]

Records

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

World record Peter Snell (NZL)1:44.3Christchurch, New Zealand2 February 1962
Olympic record Peter Snell (NZL)1:45.1Tokyo, Japan16 October 1964

Ralph Doubell and Wilson Kiprugut both ran under the Olympic record in the final, with Doubell finishing in 1:44.3 to equal the world record.

Schedule

All times are Central Standard Time (UTC-6)

Date Time Round
Sunday, 13 October 196815:50Round 1
Monday, 14 October 196816:20Semifinals
Tuesday, 15 October 196818:10Final

Results

Round 1

Qual. rule: first 2 of each heat (Q) plus the 4 fastest times (q) qualified.

Heat 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Thomas Saisi Kenya 1:47.0Q
2Jean-Pierre Dufresne France 1:47.6Q
3Matias Habtemichael Ethiopia 1:49.6
4Papa M'Baye N'Diaye Senegal 1:51.3
5Wade Bell United States 1:51.5
6Róbert Honti Hungary 1:53.8

Heat 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Dieter Fromm East Germany 1:46.9Q
2Franz-Josef Kemper West Germany 1:47.0Q
3Ron Kutschinski United States 1:47.6q
4Ramasamy Subramaniam Malaysia 1:50.8
5Gilbert Van Manshoven Belgium 1:52.3
Guillermo Cuello Argentina DNF

Heat 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Walter Adams West Germany 1:48.4Q
2Jozef Plachý Czechoslovakia 1:48.6Q
3Noel Carroll Ireland 1:49.0
4Ahmed Issa Chad 1:49.0
5Roberto Silva Mexico 1:50.4
6Gerd Larsen Denmark 1:51.9
Neville Myton Jamaica DNF

Heat 4

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Ralph Doubell Australia 1:47.2Q
2Henryk Szordykowski Poland 1:47.4Q
3Robert Ouko Kenya 1:47.6q
4John Ametepey Ghana 1:50.7
5Gilles Sibon France 1:50.8
6Chris Carter Great Britain 1:52.9
7José L'Oficial Dominican Republic 1:55.6
8Alfredo Cubías El Salvador 2:08.7

Heat 5

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Wilson Kiprugut Kenya 1:46.1Q
2Tom Farrell United States 1:47.9Q
3Tomáš Jungwirth Czechoslovakia 1:48.7
4Anders Gärderud Sweden 1:48.9
5Jun Nagai Japan 1:51.2
6Angelo Hussein Sudan 1:53.4
7Jacques Pennewaert Belgium 1:53.8
8Francisco Menocal Nicaragua 1:58.9

Heat 6

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Dave Cropper Great Britain 1:47.9Q
2Ben Cayenne Trinidad and Tobago 1:48.2Q
3Yevhen Arzhanov Soviet Union 1:48.4q
4Byron Dyce Jamaica 1:48.5q
5Mamo Sebsibe Ethiopia 1:49.7
6Gianni Del Buono Italy 1:50.2
7Xaver Frick Jr. Liechtenstein 1:52.6
8Carlos Báez Puerto Rico 1:52.6

Semifinals

Qual. rule: first 4 of each heat (Q) qualified.

Semifinal 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Walter Adams West Germany 1:46.4Q
2Dieter Fromm East Germany 1:46.5Q
3Thomas Saisi Kenya 1:46.6Q
4Ben Cayenne Trinidad and Tobago 1:46.8Q
5Ron Kutschinski United States 1:47.3
6Jean-Pierre Dufresne France 1:51.8
Henryk Szordykowski Poland DNS
Yevhen Arzhanov Soviet Union DNS

Semifinal 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Ralph Doubell Australia 1:45.7Q
2Wilson Kiprugut Kenya 1:45.8Q
3Jozef Plachý Czechoslovakia 1:45.9Q
4Tom Farrell United States 1:46.1Q
5Robert Ouko Kenya 1:47.1
6Byron Dyce Jamaica 1:47.2
7Franz-Josef Kemper West Germany 1:47.3
8Dave Cropper Great Britain 1:47.6

Final

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
Ralph Doubell Australia1:44.3=WR, OR
Wilson Kiprugut Kenya1:44.5
Tom Farrell United States1:45.4
4Walter Adams West Germany1:45.8
5Jozef Plachý Czechoslovakia1:45.9
6Dieter Fromm East Germany1:46.2
7Thomas Saisi Kenya1:47.5
8Ben Cayenne Trinidad and Tobago1:54.3

References

  1. "Athletics at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games: Men's 800 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  2. "800 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  3. Official Report, p. 522.
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