| Date | 23 – 24 November 1956 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Participants | 28 from 18 countries |
Coming in to 1956, the top American was Josh Culbreath, AAU Champion in 1953-55 and Pan-American Champion in 1955. The world record holder at the beginning of the year was Soviet Yury Lituyev with 50.4 set in 1953. Lituyev had been second at the European Championships in 1950 and 1954 and was the top European in 1956. But two young Americans took up the intermediate hurdles in 1956. Glenn Davis was a top 200/400 runner at Ohio State and won the US Olympic Trials in a world record 49.5, narrowly defeating Eddie Southern, still only a junior, who ran 49.7. In Melbourne again established his superiority, winning the final by 7/10ths over Southern, with Culbreath completing a US medal sweep, Lituyev trailing in fourth. South Africa’s Gert Potgieter had been in the medal hunt until he fell on the last barrier, finishing last.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 278 | Glenn Davis |  USA | 51.3 (1 h1) | 50.7 (2 h1) | 50.1 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 279 | Eddie Southern | USA | 51.3 (1 h2) | 50.1 (1 h1) | 50.8 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 277 | Josh Culbreath | USA | 50.9 (1 h3) | 50.9 (1 h2) | 51.6 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 282 | Yury Lituyev |  URS | 51.6 (1 h5) | 51.8 (3 h2) | 51.7 (4) | |||
| 5 | 257 | David Lean |  AUS | 51.4 (2 h1) | 51.4 (2 h2) | 51.8 (5) | |||
| 6 | 274 | Gert Potgieter |  RSA | 52.0 (2 h5) | 51.3 (3 h1) | 56.0 (6) | |||
| 4 h1 r2/3 | 263 | Guy Cury |  FRA | 51.6 (2 h3) | 51.5 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r2/3 | 113 | Ilie Savel |  ROU | 52.2 (2 h6) | 52.0 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | 280 | Anatoly Yulin | URS | 52.1 (1 h6) | 51.7 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | 268 | Harry Kane |  GBR | 51.8 (2 h2) | 52.7 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | 258 | Ross Parker | AUS | 53.5 (1 h4) | 52.6 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | 240 | Ioannis Kampadelis |  GRE | 53.7 (2 h4) | 53.8 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 3 h1 r1/3 | 270 | Keiji Ogushi |  JPN | 53.2 (3 h1) | – | – | |||
| 3 h2 r1/3 | 256 | Geoff Goodacre | AUS | 52.5 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 3 h3 r1/3 | 675 | Jaime Aparicio |  COL | 52.0 (3 h3) | – | – | |||
| 3 h4 r1/3 | 247 | Amadeo Francis |  PUR | 54.3 (3 h4) | – | – | |||
| 3 h5 r1/3 | 262 | Ossi Mildh |  FIN | 52.1 (3 h5) | – | – | |||
| 3 h6 r1/3 | 267 | Bob Shaw | GBR | 52.5 (3 h6) | – | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/3 | 273 | Ovidio de Jesús | PUR | 54.0 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/3 | 246 | Kalim Khawaja Ghani |  PAK | 55.1 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/3 | 266 | Tom Farrell | GBR | 52.7 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| 4 h5 r1/3 | 264 | Alexandre Yankoff | FRA | 53.1 (4 h5) | – | – | |||
| 4 h6 r1/3 | 260 | Ulisses dos Santos |  BRA | 53.8 (4 h6) | – | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | 271 | Pablo Somblingo |  PHI | 54.5 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | 269 | Jagdev Singh |  IND | 55.2 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | 372 | Muhammad Yaqub | PAK | 53.1 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 5 h5 r1/3 | 259 | Marcel Lambrechts |  BEL | 54.0 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | 261 | Tsai Cheng-Fu |  TPE | 54.6 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 281 | Igor Ilyin | URS | – (DNS h4) | – | – | ||||
| 249 | Josef Kost |  SUI | – (DNS h6) | – | – | ||||
| 265 | Helmut Janz |  GER | – (DNS h4) | – | – | ||||
| 275 | Christian Wägli | SUI | – (DNS h4) | – | – |
| Date | 23 November 1956 — 14:30 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top 2 in each heat advanced to the semi-finals. |
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Time (automatic) | Time (hand) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 277 | Josh Culbreath | USA | 51.06 | 50.9 | ||
| 2 | 278 | Glenn Davis | USA | 51.33 | 51.3 | ||
| 3 | 279 | Eddie Southern | USA | 51.41 | 51.3 | ||
| 4 | 257 | David Lean | AUS | 51.55 | 51.4 | ||
| 5 | 282 | Yury Lituyev | URS | 51.69 | 51.6 | ||
| 6 | 263 | Guy Cury | FRA | 51.76 | 51.6 | ||
| 7 | 268 | Harry Kane | GBR | 51.85 | 51.8 | ||
| 8 | 274 | Gert Potgieter | RSA | 52.05 | 52.0 | ||
| 9 | 675 | Jaime Aparicio | COL | 52.14 | 52.0 | ||
| 10 | 262 | Ossi Mildh | FIN | 52.19 | 52.1 | ||
| 11 | 280 | Anatoly Yulin | URS | 52.22 | 52.1 | ||
| 12 | 113 | Ilie Savel | ROU | 52.31 | 52.2 | ||
| 13 | 267 | Bob Shaw | GBR | 52.62 | 52.5 | ||
| 14 | 256 | Geoff Goodacre | AUS | 52.85 | 52.5 | ||
| 15 | 266 | Tom Farrell | GBR | 52.88 | 52.7 | ||
| 16 | 372 | Muhammad Yaqub | PAK | 53.18 | 53.1 | ||
| 17 | 270 | Keiji Ogushi | JPN | 53.22 | 53.2 | ||
| 18 | 264 | Alexandre Yankoff | FRA | 53.30 | 53.1 | ||
| 19 | 258 | Ross Parker | AUS | 53.51 | 53.5 | ||
| 20 | 240 | Ioannis Kampadelis | GRE | 53.66 | 53.7 | ||
| 21 | 260 | Ulisses dos Santos | BRA | 53.99 | 53.8 | ||
| 22 | 273 | Ovidio de Jesús | PUR | 54.08 | 54.0 | ||
| 23 | 259 | Marcel Lambrechts | BEL | 54.24 | 54.0 | ||
| 24 | 247 | Amadeo Francis | PUR | 54.38 | 54.3 | ||
| 25 | 271 | Pablo Somblingo | PHI | 54.66 | 54.5 | ||
| 26 | 261 | Tsai Cheng-Fu | TPE | 54.84 | 54.6 | ||
| 27 | 246 | Kalim Khawaja Ghani | PAK | 55.36 | 55.1 | ||
| 28 | 269 | Jagdev Singh | IND | 55.36 | 55.2 | ||
| 281 | Igor Ilyin | URS | – | – | |||
| 265 | Helmut Janz | GER | – | – | |||
| 275 | Christian Wägli | SUI | – | – | |||
| 249 | Josef Kost | SUI | – | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Glenn Davis | USA | 51.3 | 51.33 | ||
| 2 | 5 | David Lean | AUS | 51.4 | 51.55 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Keiji Ogushi | JPN | 53.2 | 53.22 | ||
| 4 | 4 | Ovidio de Jesús | PUR | 54.0 | 54.08 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Pablo Somblingo | PHI | 54.5 | 54.66 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Eddie Southern | USA | 51.3 | 51.41 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Harry Kane | GBR | 51.8 | 51.85 | ||
| 3 | 2 | Geoff Goodacre | AUS | 52.5 | 52.85 | ||
| 4 | 5 | Kalim Khawaja Ghani | PAK | 55.1 | 55.36 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Jagdev Singh | IND | 55.2 | 55.36 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Josh Culbreath | USA | 50.9 | 51.06 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Guy Cury | FRA | 51.6 | 51.76 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Jaime Aparicio | COL | 52.0 | 52.14 | ||
| 4 | 5 | Tom Farrell | GBR | 52.7 | 52.88 | ||
| 5 | 4 | Muhammad Yaqub | PAK | 53.1 | 53.18 | ||
| 6 | 6 | Tsai Cheng-Fu | TPE | 54.6 | 54.84 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ross Parker | AUS | 53.5 | 53.51 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Ioannis Kampadelis | GRE | 53.7 | 53.66 | ||
| 3 | 4 | Amadeo Francis | PUR | 54.3 | 54.38 | ||
| 5 | Igor Ilyin | URS | – | – | |||
| 2 | Helmut Janz | GER | – | – | |||
| 6 | Christian Wägli | SUI | – | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Yury Lituyev | URS | 51.6 | 51.69 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Gert Potgieter | RSA | 52.0 | 52.05 | ||
| 3 | 4 | Ossi Mildh | FIN | 52.1 | 52.19 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Alexandre Yankoff | FRA | 53.1 | 53.30 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Marcel Lambrechts | BEL | 54.0 | 54.24 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Anatoly Yulin | URS | 52.1 | 52.22 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Ilie Savel | ROU | 52.2 | 52.31 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Bob Shaw | GBR | 52.5 | 52.62 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Ulisses dos Santos | BRA | 53.8 | 53.99 | ||
| 2 | Josef Kost | SUI | – | – |
| Date | 23 November 1956 — 17:40 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top 3 in each heat advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Time (automatic) | Time (hand) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 279 | Eddie Southern | USA | 50.26 | 50.1 | ||
| 2 | 278 | Glenn Davis | USA | 50.78 | 50.7 | ||
| 3 | 277 | Josh Culbreath | USA | 50.97 | 50.9 | ||
| 4 | 274 | Gert Potgieter | RSA | 51.30 | 51.3 | ||
| 5 | 257 | David Lean | AUS | 51.45 | 51.4 | ||
| 6 | 263 | Guy Cury | FRA | 51.66 | 51.5 | ||
| 7 | 282 | Yury Lituyev | URS | 51.78 | 51.8 | ||
| 8 | 280 | Anatoly Yulin | URS | 51.79 | 51.7 | ||
| 9 | 113 | Ilie Savel | ROU | 52.06 | 52.0 | ||
| 10 | 258 | Ross Parker | AUS | 52.72 | 52.6 | ||
| 11 | 268 | Harry Kane | GBR | 52.95 | 52.7 | ||
| 12 | 240 | Ioannis Kampadelis | GRE | 53.93 | 53.8 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Eddie Southern | USA | 50.1 | 50.26 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Glenn Davis | USA | 50.7 | 50.78 | ||
| 3 | 2 | Gert Potgieter | RSA | 51.3 | 51.30 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Guy Cury | FRA | 51.5 | 51.66 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Anatoly Yulin | URS | 51.7 | 51.79 | ||
| 6 | 3 | Ross Parker | AUS | 52.6 | 52.72 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Josh Culbreath | USA | 50.9 | 50.97 | ||
| 2 | 3 | David Lean | AUS | 51.4 | 51.45 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Yury Lituyev | URS | 51.8 | 51.78 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Ilie Savel | ROU | 52.0 | 52.06 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Harry Kane | GBR | 52.7 | 52.95 | ||
| 6 | 4 | Ioannis Kampadelis | GRE | 53.8 | 53.93 |
| Date | 24 November 1956 — 17:10 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time (Hand) | Time (Automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Glenn Davis | USA | 50.1 | 50.29 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Eddie Southern | USA | 50.8 | 50.94 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Josh Culbreath | USA | 51.6 | 51.74 | ||
| 4 | 5 | Yury Lituyev | URS | 51.7 | 51.91 | ||
| 5 | 6 | David Lean | AUS | 51.8 | 51.93 | ||
| 6 | 3 | Gert Potgieter | RSA | 56.0 | – |
