| | Event type
Canadian Singles, 1,000 metres, Men
| Date | 28 July 1952 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Taivallahti, Helsinki |
| Participants | 10 from 10 countries |
Josef Holeček was the reigning Olympic and World C-1 1000 Champion, as well as the most recent World runner-up in the C-1 10000, and was the heavy favorite to win gold again at the 1952 Summer Olympics. In Helsinki he was effectively unchallenged, winning his opening heat by nearly four seconds and the final by over seven. János Parti of Hungary took silver, while Olavi Ojanperä of Finland captured bronze. American Frank Havens, who had won the C-1 10000 the previous day and had the potential to medal in this event, came in fourth.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Josef Holeček |  TCH | 5:06.0 (1 h2) | 4:56.3 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | – | János Parti |  HUN | 4:58.5 (2 h1) | 5:03.6 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | – | Olavi Ojanperä |  FIN | 5:09.8 (2 h2) | 5:08.5 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | – | Frank Havens |  USA | 5:09.3 (3 h1) | 5:13.7 (4) | |||
| 5 | – | Ingemar Andersson |  SWE | 5:11.9 (4 h1) | 5:15.0 (5) | |||
| 6 | – | Ralf Berckhan |  GER | 5:17.3 (3 h2) | 5:22.8 (6) | |||
| 7 | – | Jean Molle |  FRA | 4:56.1 (1 h1) | 5:24.1 (7) | |||
| 8 | – | Vladimir Kotyrev |  URS | 5:21.2 (4 h2) | 5:24.5 (8) | |||
| 5 h1 r1/2 | – | George Bossy |  CAN | 5:25.8 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/2 | – | Gerald Marchand |  GBR | 5:28.8 (5 h2) | – |
Round One
| Date | 28 July 1952 — 12:30 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top four in each heat advanced to the final. |
Heat #1
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Jean Molle | FRA | 4:56.1 | ||
| 2 | – | János Parti | HUN | 4:58.5 | ||
| 3 | – | Frank Havens | USA | 5:09.3 | ||
| 4 | – | Ingemar Andersson | SWE | 5:11.9 | ||
| 5 | – | George Bossy | CAN | 5:25.8 |
Heat #2
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Josef Holeček | TCH | 5:06.0 | ||
| 2 | – | Olavi Ojanperä | FIN | 5:09.8 | ||
| 3 | – | Ralf Berckhan | GER | 5:17.3 | ||
| 4 | – | Vladimir Kotyrev | URS | 5:21.2 | ||
| 5 | – | Gerald Marchand | GBR | 5:28.8 |
Final Round
| Date | 28 July 1952 — 17:20 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Josef Holeček | TCH | 4:56.3 | ||
| 2 | – | János Parti | HUN | 5:03.6 | ||
| 3 | – | Olavi Ojanperä | FIN | 5:08.5 | ||
| 4 | – | Frank Havens | USA | 5:13.7 | ||
| 5 | – | Ingemar Andersson | SWE | 5:15.0 | ||
| 6 | – | Ralf Berckhan | GER | 5:22.8 | ||
| 7 | – | Jean Molle | FRA | 5:24.1 | ||
| 8 | – | Vladimir Kotyrev | URS | 5:24.5 |