| | Event type
800 metres, Men
| Date | 1 – 2 August 1932 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California |
| Participants | 21 from 11 countries |
The top American in 1932 was Ben Eastman, who had broken the 800 world record with 1:50.0 at the Pacific AAU Championships in June. But he elected to compete only in the 400 at Los Angeles. The times posted by the other 800 runners were nothing outstanding and the event was considered open. The final pace was taken out by Canadian Phil Edwards who had a big lead with 52.4 at the bell. But on the backstretch he was caught by his teammate, Alex Wilson, and then by Britain’s Tommy Hampson. Wilson led until the closing stretch, caught by Hampson 20 metres from the line. Edwards hung on to win the bronze.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 199 | Tommy Hampson |  GBR | 1:53.0 (1 h3) | 1:49.7 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 82 | Alex Wilson |  CAN | 1:52.5 (2 h2) | 1:49.9 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 68 | Phil Edwards | CAN | 1:55.1 (2 h1) | 1:51.5 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 423 | Eddie Genung |  USA | 1:54.8 (1 h1) | 1:51.7 (4) | |||
| 5 | 462 | Ned Turner | USA | 1:54.0 (3 h3) | 1:52.5 (5) | |||
| 6 | 435 | Chuck Hornbostel | USA | 1:52.4 (1 h2) | 1:52.7 (6) | |||
| 7 | 202 | Jack Powell | GBR | 1:55.6 (3 h1) | 1:53.0 (7) | |||
| 8 | 147 | Séra Martin |  FRA | 1:53.2 (2 h3) | 1:53.6 (8) | |||
| 9 | 174 | Otto Peltzer |  GER | 1:53.6 (3 h2) | 1:55.0 (9) | |||
| 4 h1 r1/2 | 352 | Cyril Evans |  NZL | 1:56.6 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/2 | 358 | Hjalle Johannesen |  NOR | 1:54.3 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/2 | 71 | Eddie King | CAN | 1:54.4 (4 h3) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/2 | 391 | Paul Martin |  SUI | 1:58.4 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/2 | 4 | Hermenegildo de Rosso |  ARG | 1:54.9 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/2 | 161 | Max Danz | GER | 1:58.9 (5 h3) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/2 | 39 | Nestor Gomes |  BRA | 2:00.5 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/2 | 151 | René Morel | FRA | 1:55.2 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/2 | 52 | Domingos Puglisi | BRA | 1:59.4 (6 h3) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/2 | 331 | José Lucílo Iturbe |  MEX | 1:55.6 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 7 h3 r1/2 | 345 | Miguel Vasconcelos | MEX | 2:00.0 (7 h3) | – | |||
| AC h1 r1/2 | 146 | Jean Keller | FRA | – (DNF h1) | – | |||
| 28 | João Andrade | BRA | – | – | ||||
| 342 | Amilio Rodríguez | MEX | – | – | ||||
| 353 | Jack Lovelock | NZL | – | – |
Round One (1 August 1932 — 16:30)
Top three in each heat advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 423 | Eddie Genung | USA | 1:54.8 | 1:54.73 | |||
| 2 | 68 | Phil Edwards | CAN | 1:55.1 | – | |||
| 3 | 202 | Jack Powell | GBR | 1:55.6 | – | |||
| 4 | 352 | Cyril Evans | NZL | 1:56.6 | – | |||
| 5 | 391 | Paul Martin | SUI | 1:58.4 | – | |||
| 6 | 39 | Nestor Gomes | BRA | 2:00.5 | – | |||
| 146 | Jean Keller | FRA | – | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 435 | Chuck Hornbostel | USA | 1:52.4 | |||
| 2 | 82 | Alex Wilson | CAN | 1:52.5 | |||
| 3 | 174 | Otto Peltzer | GER | 1:53.6 | |||
| 4 | 358 | Hjalle Johannesen | NOR | 1:54.3 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Hermenegildo de Rosso | ARG | 1:54.9 | |||
| 6 | 151 | René Morel | FRA | 1:55.2 | |||
| 7 | 331 | José Lucílo Iturbe | MEX | 1:55.6 |
Heat Three
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 199 | Tommy Hampson | GBR | 1:53.0 | |||
| 2 | 147 | Séra Martin | FRA | 1:53.2 | |||
| 3 | 462 | Ned Turner | USA | 1:54.0 | |||
| 4 | 71 | Eddie King | CAN | 1:54.4 | |||
| 5 | 161 | Max Danz | GER | 1:58.9 | |||
| 6 | 52 | Domingos Puglisi | BRA | 1:59.4 | |||
| 7 | 345 | Miguel Vasconcelos | MEX | 2:00.0 |
Final (2 August 1932 — 15:45)
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 199 | Tommy Hampson | GBR | 1:49.7 | |||
| 2 | 82 | Alex Wilson | CAN | 1:49.9 | |||
| 3 | 68 | Phil Edwards | CAN | 1:51.5 | |||
| 4 | 423 | Eddie Genung | USA | 1:51.7 | |||
| 5 | 462 | Ned Turner | USA | 1:52.5 | |||
| 6 | 435 | Chuck Hornbostel | USA | 1:52.7 | |||
| 7 | 202 | Jack Powell | GBR | 1:53.0 | |||
| 8 | 147 | Séra Martin | FRA | 1:53.6 | |||
| 9 | 174 | Otto Peltzer | GER | 1:55.0 |
Splits
| 400 m | 52.3 | Phil Edwards | |