Date | 2 August 1996 — 7:30 |
---|---|
Status | Olympic |
Location | Centennial Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia |
Participants | 51 from 27 countries |
Robert Korzeniowski (POL) had been disqualified in the 1992 Olympics and the 1993 World Championships in this event. But he had managed to finish the 1995 World Championships and earned a bronze medal. The two favorites with the Pole were Valentin Kononen (FIN) and Jesús Ángel García (ESP). García took a big early lead but would be disqualified after he was dropped near 40 km. Kononen would finish seventh. Korzeniowski was always with the leaders and pulled away at 43 km. The surprise silver medalist was Russian Mikhail Shchennikov, making only his second start at this distance.