Kayak Singles, 1,000 metres, Men

Gert Fredriksson of Sweden, the reigning Olympic champion in the K-1 1000 and 10000, was the favorite to defend both of his titles at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was also a multiple World Championship medalist from 1948 and 1950, with the most relevant for the Olympic K-1 1000 being his title in the event from 1950. Finland’s Thorvald Strömberg, meanwhile, was the current World runner-up. Fredriksson came in third in his heat in the opening round, behind Strömberg and Lev Nikitin of the Soviet Union, while the other heats were won by Rik Verbrugghe of Belgium and Wim van der Kroft of the Netherlands, the latter of whom was a bronze medalist from the 1936 Olympic K-2 1000. In the final, Fredriksson took command of the race at the halfway point and never relented, winning the gold medal and leaving silver for Strömberg, a reversal of their fortunes from the previous day’s K-1 10000. France’s Louis Gantois, meanwhile, edged out van der Kroft for the bronze medal.