Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games:

There were 19 qualifiers which led to a five-hour final. Bob Richards, bronze medalist from 1948, was the favorite, having won the 1949-51 AAU and tieing in 1952 with Don Laz, also present in Helsinki. They were the class of the Olympic final, having no misses thru 4.40 (14-5¼) and then were the only two vaulters to clear 4.50 (14-9), both on their second attempts. The competition was thus tied to that point, but Richards made 4.55 (14-11) on his third try to win the gold medal. The best European was Sweden’s Ragnar Lundberg, 1950 European Champion, and he won the bronze medal. He and Soviet Pyotr Denisenko tied at 4.40 (14-5¼), both clearing on the first attempt, and had the same number of misses, but Lundberg had taken one less jump, which was the third tie-breaking rule in this era.