10,000 metres, Men

With African boycott keeping out the Kenyan and Ethiopians, the way was open for defending champion Lasse Virén. He had not been prominent in the years since the his 5K/10K double at the 1972 Olympics, but early in 1976 his form seemed good. Rumors of blood doping always accompanied his ability to peak at the Olympics, but nothing was ever proven of this. In the Olympic final, Carlos Lopes (POR) took the lead at 8 laps, and only Virén and Brendan Foster could stay with him. Foster dropped off the leading pair after 8000m. Shortly before the bell lap, Virén moved ahead of Lopes and the race was over. He pulled ahead steadily during the last lap, winning by almost five seconds, and adding another victory to what would be a unique 5K/10K double/double in 1972 and 1976 - he would complete the double/double after the 5,000 in Montreal. A tiring Foster just had enough left to hold off compatriot Tony Simmons for the bronze medal. A messy start to the race saw Knut Børø of Norway retire with a leg injury and, reportedly, Marc Smet finish the race with a fractured arm.