Men's single sculls
at the Games of the XVI Olympiad
Gold medalist Vyacheslav Ivanov (1964)
VenueLake Wendouree
Dates23–27 November
Competitors12 from 12 nations
Winning time8:02.5
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Vyacheslav Ivanov
 Soviet Union
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Stuart Mackenzie
 Australia
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) John B. Kelly Jr.
 United States

The men's single sculls competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, Australia. The event was held from 23 to 27 November.[1] There were 12 competitors from 12 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event.[2] The event was won by Vyacheslav Ivanov of the Soviet Union, the nation's second consecutive victory in the men's single sculls Ivanov's first of his three consecutive Olympic titles. He was so thrilled when he was presented with his gold medal that he jumped up and down with joy-and dropped the medal into Lake Wendouree. He immediately dived into the lake to retrieve it, but could not find it. After the games were over he was given a replacement medal.[3] Stuart Mackenzie took silver, making it the second consecutive Games with an Australian runner-up. American John B. Kelly Jr., after missing the finals in 1948 and 1952 by 0.4 seconds and 0.2 seconds respectively, reached the final and took the bronze medal this time.

Background

This was the 12th appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The single sculls has been held every time that rowing has been contested, beginning in 1900.[2]

Three of the 18 single scullers from the 1952 Games returned: bronze medalist Teodor Kocerka of Poland, fourth-place finisher Tony Fox of Great Britain, and sixth-place finisher (and 1948 fourth-place finisher) John B. Kelly Jr. of the United States. Kocerka, who had also won the European championships in 1955 and the Diamond Challenge Sculls in 1955 and 1956, was the favorite. The challengers included 1956 European champion Vyacheslav Ivanov of the Soviet Union, 1953 European champion and 1954 Diamond Challenge winner Perica Vlašić of Yugoslavia, 1951 and 1953 Diamond Challenge winner Tony Fox of Great Britain, and Kelly.[2]

Mexico made its debut in the event; East and West Germany competed together as the United Team of Germany for the first time. Great Britain made its 11th appearance, most among nations, having missed only the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

Competition format

This rowing event was a single scull event, meaning that each boat was propelled by a single rower. The "scull" portion means that the rower used two oars, one on each side of the boat. The course used the 2000 metres distance that became the Olympic standard in 1912.[4]

The competition dropped the second repechage after the semifinals, used in 1952. The tournament featured four rounds: quarterfinals, a repechage, semifinals, and a final.

  • Quarterfinals: Three heats of 4 boats each. Top two boats in each heat advance to the semifinals, remaining boats to the repechage. No eliminations.
  • Repechage: Two heats of 3 boats each. The winner of each heat rejoined the quarterfinal winners in the semifinals, with the remaining 4 boats (2nd and 3rd in each heat) eliminated.
  • Semifinals: Two heats of 4 boats each. The top two boats in each heat advanced to the final, the remaining boats (4 total) were eliminated.
  • Final: One heat of 4 boats.

Schedule

All times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)

Date Time Round
Friday, 23 November 195611:00Quarterfinals
Saturday, 24 November 195611:00Repechage
Monday, 26 November 195611:00Semifinals
Tuesday, 27 November 195615:30Final

Results

Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals were held on 23 November. The first two rowers in each heat advanced to the semifinals, while the others went to the repechage.

Quarterfinal 1

Rank Rower Nation Time Notes
1Vyacheslav Ivanov Soviet Union7:26.1Q
2Stuart Mackenzie Australia7:28.8Q
3James Hill New Zealand7:30.1R
4Ferdinand Rabeder Austria7:36.0R

Quarterfinal 2

Rank Rower Nation Time Notes
1Perica Vlašić Yugoslavia7:31.3Q
2Klaus von Fersen United Team of Germany7:34.4Q
3Stefano Martinoli Italy7:36.5R
4Nikos Hatzigiakoumis Greece7:51.5R

Quarterfinal 3

Rank Rower Nation Time Notes
1John B. Kelly Jr. United States7:24.8Q
2Teodor Kocerka Poland7:28.1Q
3Tony Fox Great Britain7:36.7R
4Jorge Roesler Mexico8:24.3R

Repechage

The repechage round was held on 24 November, with three rowers for each repechage. The winner of the repechage is qualified for the semifinals.

Repechage heat 1

Rank Rower Nation Time Notes
1James Hill New Zealand8:29.9Q
2Nikos Hatzigiakoumis Greece11:00.4
Jorge Roesler MexicoDNF

Repechage heat 2

Rank Rower Nation Time Notes
1Stefano Martinoli Italy9:11.8Q
2Ferdinand Rabeder Austria9:16.4
3Tony Fox Great Britain9:31.6

Semifinals

The semifinals were held on 26 November. The first two rowers in each semifinal advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

Rank Rower Nation Time Notes
1Vyacheslav Ivanov Soviet Union9:02.7Q
2Teodor Kocerka Poland9:05.7Q
3James Hill New Zealand9:12.5
4Klaus von Fersen United Team of Germany9:23.2

Semifinal 2

Rank Rower Nation Time Notes
1John B. Kelly Jr. United States9:12.5Q
2Stuart Mackenzie Australia9:19.5Q
3Perica Vlašić Yugoslavia9:32.2
4Stefano Martinoli Italy9:35.7

Final

The final round of men's single sculls was held on 27 November.

Rank Rower Nation Time
1st place, gold medalist(s)Vyacheslav Ivanov Soviet Union8:02.5
2nd place, silver medalist(s)Stuart Mackenzie Australia8:07.7
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)John B. Kelly Jr. United States8:11.8
4Teodor Kocerka Poland8:12.9

Results summary

Rank Rower Nation QuarterfinalsRepechageSemifinalsFinal
1st place, gold medalist(s)Vyacheslav Ivanov Soviet Union7:26.1Bye9:02.78:02.5
2nd place, silver medalist(s)Stuart Mackenzie Australia7:28.8Bye9:19.58:07.7
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)John B. Kelly Jr. United States7:24.8Bye9:12.58:11.8
4Teodor Kocerka Poland7:28.1Bye9:05.78:12.9
5James Hill New Zealand7:30.18:29.99:12.5Did not advance
6Klaus von Fersen United Team of Germany7:34.4Bye9:23.2
7Perica Vlašić Yugoslavia7:31.3Bye9:32.2
8Stefano Martinoli Italy7:36.59:11.89:35.7
9Ferdinand Rabeder Austria7:36.09:16.4Did not advance
10Tony Fox Great Britain7:36.79:31.6
11Nikos Hatzigiakoumis Greece7:51.511:00.4
12Jorge Roesler Mexico8:24.3DNF

References

  1. "Rowing at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games: Men's Single Sculls". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Single Sculls, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  3. Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. England: Penguin Books. p. 348. ISBN 0140066322.
  4. "Why Do We Race 2000m? The History Behind the Distance". World Rowing. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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