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| Event type

Eights, Men1

Date20 – 23 July 1952
StatusOlympic
LocationMeilahti, Helsinki
Participants126 from 14 countries

Despite having the fewest participating nations, the coxed eights tournament was the signature rowing event of the 1952 Summer Olympics. Since it had first been contested in 1900, the United States had never lost (Great Britain won in 1908 and 1912 when the Americans did not submit a crew) and they were therefore the overwhelming favorites in Helsinki. The Australians had won the event at the 1950 British Empire Games but, without the presence of the United States, this victory was qualified at best. In the opening round, Yugoslavia had the fastest time, but it was obvious to most observers that the United States remained dominant.

In a rare occurrence during the round one repêchage, Canada and Sweden finished so closely that the photo-finish could not distinguish between them, and thus the jury allowed both crews to advance. The United States and Great Britain won the semi-finals, while Australia, the Soviet Union, and Germany rounded out the final following the repêchage. The medal round began with a legitimate challenge to the United States from the USSR, but the reigning champions reached the finish line with a comfortable margin of over five seconds. The Soviet Union settled for silver and the Australians slipped ahead of the Britons and the Germans to capture bronze.

PosCompetitorsNOC
1United StatesUSAGold
Frank ShakespeareBill FieldsJim DunbarDick MurphyBob DetweilerHenry ProctorWayne FryeEd StevensCharley Manring
2Soviet UnionURSSilver
Yevgeny BragoVladimir RodimushkinAleksey KomarovIgor BorisovSlava AmiragovLeonid GissenYevgeny SamsonovVladimir KryukovIgor Polyakov
3AustraliaAUSBronze
Bob TinningErnest ChapmanNim GreenwoodMerv FinlayTed PainPhil CayzerTom ChessellDave AndersonGeoff Williamson
4Great BritainGBR
David MacklinAlastair MacLeodNicholas ClackRoger SharpleyJohn WorlidgeBrian LloydBill WindhamDavid JennensJohn Hinde
5Unified Team of GermanyGER
Anton ReinartzMichael ReinartzRoland FreihoffHeinz ZünklerPeter BetzStefan ReinartzHans BetzToni SiebenhaarHermann Zander
2 h1 r4/5YugoslaviaYUG
Ladislav MatetićBranko BelačićVladimir HorvatVojko ŠeravićKarlo PavlenčBoris BeljakStanko DespotDrago HusjakZdenko Bego
2 h2 r4/5HungaryHUN
István SándorCsaba KovácsMiklós ZágonTibor NádasRezső RiheczkyPál BakosLászló MártonBéla Zsitnik, Sr.Róbert Zimonyi
2 h3 r4/5CanadaCAN
Ted ChilcottJack TaylorBo WestlakeFrank YoungJohn SharpMervin KayeJack RussellGeorge McCauleyNorm Rowe
3 h1 r4/5SwedenSWE
Lennart AnderssonFrank OlssonJohn NiklassonGösta AdamssonIvan SimonssonRagnar EkThore BörjessonRune AnderssonSture Baatz
3 h2 r4/5DenmarkDEN
Bjørn StybertPreben HochMogens SnogdahlJørn SnogdahlHelge Muxoll SchrøderBjørn BrønnumLeif HermansenOle Scavenius JensenJohn Vilhelmsen
2 h1 r2/5RomaniaROU
Iosif BergeszMilivoi IancoviciȘtefan KonyelicskaGheorghe MăcinicIon NigaȘtefan PongratzAlexandru RotaruȘtefan SomogyIon Vlăduț
2 h2 r2/5ItalyITA
Albino BaldanSavino Dalla PuppaAlberto BozzatoFerdinando SmerghettoMontanino NuvoliDino NardinOttorino EnzoPiero AttorreseSergio Ghiatto
3 h1 r2/5PortugalPOR
Felisberto FortesAlbino Simões NetoManuel RegalaJoão CravoJoão Alberto LemosCarlos da BentaJoão da PaulaZacarias AndiasJosé Pinheiro
3 h2 r2/5FinlandFIN
Tor LundstenBirger AnderssonEero LehtovirtaYrjö HakoilaAntti ArellHarry WikmanEsko LyytikkäKlaus LampiToivo Räsänen

Round One

Date20 July 1952 — 9:00
FormatWinner and runner-up in each heat advanced to semi-finals. All others advanced to repêchage.

Heat #1

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
14YugoslaviaYUG6:06.9Q
Ladislav MatetićBranko BelačićVladimir HorvatVojko ŠeravićKarlo PavlenčBoris BeljakStanko DespotDrago HusjakZdenko Bego
21AustraliaAUS6:07.2Q
Bob TinningErnest ChapmanNim GreenwoodDave AndersonGeoff WilliamsonMerv FinlayTed PainPhil CayzerTom Chessell
35RomaniaROU6:23.0
Iosif BergeszMilivoi IancoviciȘtefan KonyelicskaGheorghe MăcinicIon NigaȘtefan PongratzAlexandru RotaruȘtefan SomogyIon Vlăduț
42CanadaCAN6:26.5
Ted ChilcottJack TaylorBo WestlakeFrank YoungJohn SharpMervin KayeJack RussellGeorge McCauleyNorm Rowe
53FinlandFIN6:28.5
Tor LundstenBirger AnderssonEero LehtovirtaYrjö HakoilaAntti ArellHarry WikmanEsko LyytikkäKlaus LampiToivo Räsänen

Heat #2

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
13United StatesUSA6:09.0Q
Frank ShakespeareBill FieldsJim DunbarDick MurphyBob DetweilerHenry ProctorWayne FryeEd StevensCharley Manring
21Great BritainGBR6:15.1Q
David MacklinAlastair MacLeodNicholas ClackRoger SharpleyJohn WorlidgeBrian LloydBill WindhamDavid JennensJohn Hinde
35Unified Team of GermanyGER6:18.7
Anton ReinartzMichael ReinartzRoland FreihoffHeinz ZünklerPeter BetzStefan ReinartzHans BetzToni SiebenhaarHermann Zander
44SwedenSWE6:24.3
Lennart AnderssonFrank OlssonJohn NiklassonGösta AdamssonIvan SimonssonRagnar EkThore BörjessonRune AnderssonSture Baatz
52PortugalPOR6:30.8
Felisberto FortesAlbino Simões NetoManuel RegalaJoão CravoJoão Alberto LemosCarlos da BentaJoão da PaulaZacarias AndiasJosé Pinheiro

Heat #3

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
12Soviet UnionURS6:10.2Q
Yevgeny BragoVladimir RodimushkinAleksey KomarovIgor BorisovSlava AmiragovLeonid GissenYevgeny SamsonovVladimir KryukovIgor Polyakov
23HungaryHUN6:13.6Q
István SándorCsaba KovácsMiklós ZágonTibor NádasRezső RiheczkyPál BakosLászló MártonBéla Zsitnik, Sr.Róbert Zimonyi
34ItalyITA6:17.0
Albino BaldanSavino Dalla PuppaAlberto BozzatoFerdinando SmerghettoMontanino NuvoliDino NardinOttorino EnzoPiero AttorreseSergio Ghiatto
41DenmarkDEN6:17.9
Bjørn StybertPreben HochMogens SnogdahlJørn SnogdahlHelge Muxoll SchrøderBjørn BrønnumLeif HermansenOle Scavenius JensenJohn Vilhelmsen

Round One Repêchage

Date21 July 1952 — 9:00
FormatWinner of each heat advanced to semi-final repêchage.

Heat #1

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
11DenmarkDEN6:17.8Q
Bjørn StybertPreben HochMogens SnogdahlJørn SnogdahlHelge Muxoll SchrøderBjørn BrønnumLeif HermansenOle Scavenius JensenJohn Vilhelmsen
22RomaniaROU6:20.7
Iosif BergeszMilivoi IancoviciȘtefan KonyelicskaGheorghe MăcinicIon NigaȘtefan PongratzAlexandru RotaruȘtefan SomogyIon Vlăduț
33PortugalPOR6:25.3
Felisberto FortesAlbino Simões NetoManuel RegalaJoão CravoJoão Alberto LemosCarlos da BentaJoão da PaulaZacarias AndiasJosé Pinheiro

Heat #2

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
13Unified Team of GermanyGER6:15.1Q
Anton ReinartzMichael ReinartzRoland FreihoffHeinz ZünklerPeter BetzStefan ReinartzHans BetzToni SiebenhaarHermann Zander
21ItalyITA6:15.8
Albino BaldanSavino Dalla PuppaAlberto BozzatoFerdinando SmerghettoMontanino NuvoliDino NardinOttorino EnzoPiero AttorreseSergio Ghiatto
32FinlandFIN6:28.4
Tor LundstenBirger AnderssonEero LehtovirtaYrjö HakoilaAntti ArellHarry WikmanEsko LyytikkäKlaus LampiToivo Räsänen

Heat #3

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
=11CanadaCAN6:25.9Q
Ted ChilcottJack TaylorBo WestlakeFrank YoungJohn SharpMervin KayeJack RussellGeorge McCauleyNorm Rowe
=12SwedenSWE6:25.9Q
Lennart AnderssonFrank OlssonJohn NiklassonGösta AdamssonIvan SimonssonRagnar EkThore BörjessonRune AnderssonSture Baatz

Semi-Finals

Date21 July 1952 — 16:00
FormatWinner of each heat advanced to final. All others advanced to semi-final repêchage.

Heat #1

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
13Great BritainGBR6:32.4Q
David MacklinAlastair MacLeodNicholas ClackRoger SharpleyJohn WorlidgeBrian LloydBill WindhamDavid JennensJohn Hinde
22YugoslaviaYUG6:33.5
Ladislav MatetićBranko BelačićVladimir HorvatVojko ŠeravićKarlo PavlenčBoris BeljakStanko DespotDrago HusjakZdenko Bego
31HungaryHUN6:37.4
István SándorCsaba KovácsMiklós ZágonTibor NádasRezső RiheczkyPál BakosLászló MártonBéla Zsitnik, Sr.Róbert Zimonyi

Heat #2

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
12United StatesUSA6:32.1Q
Frank ShakespeareBill FieldsJim DunbarDick MurphyBob DetweilerHenry ProctorWayne FryeEd StevensCharley Manring
21Soviet UnionURS6:44.0
Yevgeny BragoVladimir RodimushkinAleksey KomarovIgor BorisovSlava AmiragovLeonid GissenYevgeny SamsonovVladimir KryukovIgor Polyakov
33AustraliaAUS6:44.5
Bob TinningErnest ChapmanNim GreenwoodDave AndersonGeoff WilliamsonMerv FinlayTed PainPhil CayzerTom Chessell

Semi-Finals Repêchage

Date22 July 1952 — 9:00
FormatWinner of each heat advanced to final

Heat #1

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
13AustraliaAUS6:09.6Q
Bob TinningErnest ChapmanNim GreenwoodDave AndersonGeoff WilliamsonMerv FinlayTed PainPhil CayzerTom Chessell
22YugoslaviaYUG6:12.0
Ladislav MatetićBranko BelačićVladimir HorvatVojko ŠeravićKarlo PavlenčBoris BeljakStanko DespotDrago HusjakZdenko Bego
31SwedenSWE6:28.1
Lennart AnderssonFrank OlssonJohn NiklassonGösta AdamssonIvan SimonssonRagnar EkThore BörjessonRune AnderssonSture Baatz

Heat #2

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
13Soviet UnionURS6:10.6Q
Yevgeny BragoVladimir RodimushkinAleksey KomarovIgor BorisovSlava AmiragovLeonid GissenYevgeny SamsonovVladimir KryukovIgor Polyakov
22HungaryHUN6:15.4
István SándorCsaba KovácsMiklós ZágonTibor NádasRezső RiheczkyPál BakosLászló MártonBéla Zsitnik, Sr.Róbert Zimonyi
31DenmarkDEN6:16.0
Bjørn StybertPreben HochMogens SnogdahlJørn SnogdahlHelge Muxoll SchrøderBjørn BrønnumLeif HermansenOle Scavenius JensenJohn Vilhelmsen

Heat #3

PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
12Unified Team of GermanyGER6:19.3Q
Anton ReinartzMichael ReinartzRoland FreihoffHeinz ZünklerPeter BetzStefan ReinartzHans BetzToni SiebenhaarHermann Zander
21CanadaCAN6:24.8
Ted ChilcottJack TaylorBo WestlakeFrank YoungJohn SharpMervin KayeJack RussellGeorge McCauleyNorm Rowe

Final Round

Date23 July 1952 — 19:00
PosLaneCompetitorsNOCTime
12United StatesUSA6:25.9
Frank ShakespeareBill FieldsJim DunbarDick MurphyBob DetweilerHenry ProctorWayne FryeEd StevensCharley Manring
23Soviet UnionURS6:31.2
Yevgeny BragoVladimir RodimushkinAleksey KomarovIgor BorisovSlava AmiragovLeonid GissenYevgeny SamsonovVladimir KryukovIgor Polyakov
31AustraliaAUS6:33.1
Bob TinningErnest ChapmanNim GreenwoodDave AndersonGeoff WilliamsonMerv FinlayTed PainPhil CayzerTom Chessell
45Great BritainGBR6:34.8
David MacklinAlastair MacLeodNicholas ClackRoger SharpleyJohn WorlidgeBrian LloydBill WindhamDavid JennensJohn Hinde
54Unified Team of GermanyGER6:42.8
Anton ReinartzMichael ReinartzRoland FreihoffHeinz ZünklerPeter BetzStefan ReinartzHans BetzToni SiebenhaarHermann Zander