Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres

The men's 1500 metres middle-distance event at the 1932 Summer Olympics took place on August 3 and August 4 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[1] Twenty-four athletes from 14 nations competed.[2] The 1930 Olympic Congress in Berlin had reduced the limit from 4 athletes per NOC to 3 athletes.[3] The event was won by Luigi Beccali of Italy, earning the nation's first medal in the 1500 metres. Canada also won its first 1500 metres medal, with Phil Edwards's bronze.

Men's 1500 metres
at the Games of the X Olympiad
Olympic Athletics
VenueLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
DatesAugust 3 and August 4
Competitors24 from 14 nations
Winning time3:51.2 OR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Luigi Beccali
 Italy
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Jerry Cornes
 Great Britain
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Phil Edwards
 Canada
← 1928
1936 →

Background

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This was the ninth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Despite the low attendance in 1932 generally, the 1500 metres had a strong field. Returning finalists from 1928 were Finland's medalists, gold winner Harri Larva and bronze winner Eino Purje, along with sixth-place finisher Paul Martin of Switzerland. Other top runners included Jack Lovelock of New Zealand, Luigi Beccali of Italy, Glenn Cunningham of the United States, and Phil Edwards of Canada.[2]

Brazil and New Zealand each made their first appearance in the event. The United States made its ninth appearance, the only nation to have competed in the men's 1500 metres at each Games to that point.

Competition format

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The competition consisted of two rounds, the format used since 1908. With fewer runners than in previous Games, the number of semifinals was reduced to three (with between 7 and 9 runners each after withdrawals). The top four runners in each heat advanced to the final, maintaining the 12-man final race.[2][4]

Records

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These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1932 Summer Olympics.

World record   Jules Ladoumègue (FRA) 3:49.2 Paris, France 5 October 1930
Olympic record   Harri Larva (FIN) 3:53.2 Amsterdam, Netherlands 2 August 1928

In the final Luigi Beccali set a new Olympic record at 3:51.2.

Schedule

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Date Time Round
Wednesday, 3 August 1932 17:15 Semifinals
Thursday, 4 August 1932 15:45 Final

Results

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Semifinals

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Three heats were held; the fastest four runners from each heat advanced to the final round.

Semifinal 1

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Glenn Cunningham   United States 3:55.8 Q
2 Jerry Cornes   Great Britain 4:01.0 Q
3 Martti Luomanen   Finland 4:01.5 Q
4 Phil Edwards   Canada 4:03.5 Q
5 Hermenegildo del Rosso   Argentina 4:06.0
6 Christian Markersen   Denmark 4:06.5
7 Amilio Rodríguez   Mexico

Semifinal 2

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Jack Lovelock   New Zealand 3:58.0 Q
2 Norwood Hallowell   United States 3:58.1 Q
3 Eddie King   Canada 3:58.6 Q
4 Harri Larva   Finland 3:58.8 Q
5 Paul Martin   Switzerland 3:59.1
6 Folke Skoog   Sweden 3:59.6
7 Bill Barwick   Australia 4:03.5
Armando Bréa   Brazil DNF

Semifinal 3

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Luigi Beccali   Italy 3:59.6 Q
2 Eino Purje   Finland 3:59.7 Q
3 Eric Ny   Sweden 3:59.9 Q
4 Frank Crowley   United States 4:00.0 Q
5 Les Wade   Canada 4:00.5
6 Pedro Ortíz   Mexico 4:18.0
Nestor Gomes   Brazil DNF
Reg Thomas   Great Britain DNF
Otto Peltzer   Germany DNF

Final

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
  Luigi Beccali   Italy 3:51.2 OR
  Jerry Cornes   Great Britain 3:52.6
  Phil Edwards   Canada 3:52.8
4 Glenn Cunningham   United States 3:53.4
5 Eric Ny   Sweden 3:54.6
6 Norwood Hallowell   United States 3:55.0
7 Jack Lovelock   New Zealand 3:57.8
8 Frank Crowley   United States 3:58.1
9 Martti Luomanen   Finland 3:58.4
10 Harri Larva   Finland 3:58.4
Eino Purje   Finland DNF
Eddie King   Canada DNS

References

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  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1932 Los Angeles Games: Men's 1500 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "1500 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  3. ^ Official Report, p. 377.
  4. ^ Official Report, pp. 417–19.