| | Event type

3,000 metres Steeplechase, Men

Date	23 – 25 July 1952
Status	Olympic
Location	Helsingin Olympiastadion, Helsinki
Participants	35 from 19 countries

In 1951 and 1952 Soviet Vladimir Kazantsev had twice set world best times and was favored. The heats were very fast with five runners breaking nine minutes. The third heat was won by American Horace Ashenfelter in a very quick 8:51.2. In the final Kazantsev and his teammate, Mikhail Saltykov pulled away early and led by 20 metres with 700 metres remaining. But Ashenfelter and Britain’s John Disley then closed hard and caught Kazantsev on the last lap, as Saltykov dropped off the pace. Ashenfelter took the lead on the final curve over the water jump, and pulled away to an easy victory in world record time. With the US-Soviet Cold War battle at the Olympics, much was made in the American media of the fact that Ashenfelter was an FBI agent who had chased down a Soviet runner.

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	R1	Final
1	998	Horace Ashenfelter	USA	8:51.0 (1 h3)	8:45.4 (1)	Gold	WR
2	436	Vladimir Kazantsev	URS	8:58.0 (1 h1)	8:51.6 (2)	Silver
3	194	John Disley	GBR	8:59.4 (1 h2)	8:51.8 (3)	Bronze
4	799	Olavi Rinteenpää	FIN	8:59.4 (2 h2)	8:55.2 (4)
5	689	Curt Söderberg	SWE	9:02.4 (3 h3)	8:55.6 (5)
6	745	Günter Heßelmann	GER	9:05.0 (2 h1)	8:55.8 (6)
7	438	Mikhail Saltykov	URS	8:55.8 (2 h3)	8:56.2 (7)
8	744	Helmut Gude	GER	9:04.2 (4 h2)	9:01.4 (8)
9	947	József Apró	HUN	9:00.4 (3 h2)	9:04.2 (9)
10	919	Cahit Önel	TUR	9:06.0 (4 h1)	9:04.4 (10)
11	193	Chris Brasher	GBR	9:03.2 (4 h3)	9:14.0 (11)
12	687	Gunnar Karlsson	SWE	9:05.4 (3 h1)	10:26.4 (12)
5 h1 r1/2	905	Jindřich Roudný	TCH	9:06.4 (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r1/2	437	Fyodor Marulin	URS	9:08.4 (5 h2)	–
5 h3 r1/2	797	Urho Julin	FIN	9:09.4 (5 h3)	–
6 h1 r1/2	798	Kauko Lusenius	FIN	9:26.8 (6 h1)	–
6 h2 r1/2	145	Ali Baghbanbashi	IRI	9:13.2 (6 h2)	–
6 h3 r1/2	948	László Jeszenszky	HUN	9:11.2 (6 h3)	–
7 h1 r1/2	195	Ken Johnson	GBR	9:27.0 (7 h1)	–
7 h2 r1/2	573	Jan Kielas	POL	9:15.4 (7 h2)	–
7 h3 r1/2	617	André Paris	FRA	9:30.0 (7 h3)	–
8 h1 r1/2	331	Drago Štritof	YUG	9:28.0 (8 h1)	–
8 h2 r1/2	619	André Lebrun	FRA	9:17.8 (8 h2)	–
8 h3 r1/2	50	Robert Schoonjans	BEL	9:30.6 (8 h3)	–
9 h1 r1/2	655	Victor Firea	ROU	9:29.2 (9 h1)	–
9 h2 r1/2	311	Susumu Takahashi	JPN	9:21.6 (9 h2)	–
9 h3 r1/2	330	Petar Šegedin	YUG	9:40.2 (9 h3)	–
10 h1 r1/2	75	Guillermo Solá	CHI	9:32.2 (10 h1)	–
10 h2 r1/2	329	Božidar Đurašković	YUG	9:23.2 (10 h2)	–
11 h1 r1/2	618	Pierre Prat	FRA	9:32.8 (11 h1)	–
11 h2 r1/2	688	Eric Nilsson	SWE	9:25.0 (11 h2)	–
12 h1 r1/2	141	Gulzara Singh Mann	IND	9:48.6 (12 h1)	–
12 h2 r1/2	1009	Browning Ross	USA	9:44.0 (12 h2)	–
AC h1 r1/2	1008	Bill Ashenfelter	USA	– (DNF h1)	–
AC h3 r1/2	122	Víctor Solares	GUA	– (DNF h3)	–
DNS	121	Augusto Robles	GUA	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	377	Vasilis Mavrapostolos	GRE	– (DNS h3)	–
DNS	506	Martin Stokken	NOR	– (DNS h3)	–
DNS	920	Osman Coşgül	TUR	– (DNS h3)	–

Round One (23 July 1952 — 16:35)

Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	436	Vladimir Kazantsev	URS	8:58.0	8:58.17	QOR
2	745	Günter Heßelmann	GER	9:05.0	9:04.93	Q
3	687	Gunnar Karlsson	SWE	9:05.4	9:05.59	Q
4	919	Cahit Önel	TUR	9:06.0	9:06.02	Q
5	905	Jindřich Roudný	TCH	9:06.4	9:06.92
6	798	Kauko Lusenius	FIN	9:26.8	–
7	195	Ken Johnson	GBR	9:27.0	–
8	331	Drago Štritof	YUG	9:28.0	–
9	655	Victor Firea	ROU	9:29.2	–
10	75	Guillermo Solá	CHI	9:32.2	–
11	618	Pierre Prat	FRA	9:32.8	–
12	141	Gulzara Singh Mann	IND	9:48.6	–
DNF	1008	Bill Ashenfelter	USA	–	–

Splits

1000m	2:49.0	Vladimir Kazantsev
1500m	4:20.8	Vladimir Kazantsev
2000m	5:50.0	Vladimir Kazantsev

Heat Two

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	194	John Disley	GBR	8:59.4	8:59.59	Q
2	799	Olavi Rinteenpää	FIN	8:59.4	8:59.71	Q
3	947	József Apró	HUN	9:00.4	9:00.60	Q
4	744	Helmut Gude	GER	9:04.2	9:04.74	Q
5	437	Fyodor Marulin	URS	9:08.4	9:08.73
6	145	Ali Baghbanbashi	IRI	9:13.2	9:13.43
7	573	Jan Kielas	POL	9:15.4	9:15.62
8	619	André Lebrun	FRA	9:17.8	–
9	311	Susumu Takahashi	JPN	9:21.6	–
10	329	Božidar Đurašković	YUG	9:23.2	–
11	688	Eric Nilsson	SWE	9:25.0	–
12	1009	Browning Ross	USA	9:44.0	–
DNS	121	Augusto Robles	GUA	–	–

Splits

1000m	2:55.0	Helmut Gude
1500m	4:29.0	Helmut Gude
2000m	5:57.0	John Disley

Heat Three

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	998	Horace Ashenfelter	USA	8:51.0	8:51.17	QOR
2	438	Mikhail Saltykov	URS	8:55.8	8:56.05	Q
3	689	Curt Söderberg	SWE	9:02.4	9:02.30	Q
4	193	Chris Brasher	GBR	9:03.2	9:03.18	Q
5	797	Urho Julin	FIN	9:09.4	9:09.54
6	948	László Jeszenszky	HUN	9:11.2	9:11.10
7	617	André Paris	FRA	9:30.0	–
8	50	Robert Schoonjans	BEL	9:30.6	–
9	330	Petar Šegedin	YUG	9:40.2	–
DNF	122	Víctor Solares	GUA	–	–
DNS	377	Vasilis Mavrapostolos	GRE	–	–
DNS	506	Martin Stokken	NOR	–	–
DNS	920	Osman Coşgül	TUR	–	–

Splits

1000m	2:50.4	Horace Ashenfelter
1500m	4:20.0	Horace Ashenfelter
2000m	5:49.0	Horace Ashenfelter

Final (25 July 1952 — 16:20)

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	998	Horace Ashenfelter	USA	8:45.4	8:45.68	WR
2	436	Vladimir Kazantsev	URS	8:51.6	8:51.52
3	194	John Disley	GBR	8:51.8	8:51.94
4	799	Olavi Rinteenpää	FIN	8:55.2	8:55.60
5	689	Curt Söderberg	SWE	8:55.6	8:55.87
6	745	Günter Heßelmann	GER	8:55.8	8:55.98
7	438	Mikhail Saltykov	URS	8:56.2	8:56.47
8	744	Helmut Gude	GER	9:01.4	9:01.36
9	947	József Apró	HUN	9:04.2	9:04.30
10	919	Cahit Önel	TUR	9:04.4	9:04.73
11	193	Chris Brasher	GBR	9:14.0	–
12	687	Gunnar Karlsson	SWE	10:26.4	–

Splits

1000m	2:49.8	Mikhail Saltykov
2000m	5:47.4	Horace Ashenfelter