# Gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's pommel horse

The men's pommel horse competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics was held at Töölö Sports Hall, Exhibition Hall I from 19 to 21 July. It was the eighth appearance of the event. There were 185 competitors from 29 nations, with each nation sending up to 8 gymnasts. The event was won by Viktor Chukarin as the Soviet Union swept the medals in its debut. It was the fourth medal sweep in the event, and last before apparatus finals with a two-gymnast-per-nation limit made further sweeps impossible. Yevgeny Korolkov and Hrant Shahinyan tied for silver.

## Background

This was the eighth appearance of the event, which is one of the five apparatus events held every time there were apparatus events at the Summer Olympics (no apparatus events were held in 1900, 1908, 1912, or 1920). Five of the top 10 gymnasts from 1948 returned: joint gold medalists Paavo Aaltonen and Heikki Savolainen of Finland, fourth-place finisher Luigi Zanetti and fifth-place finisher Guido Figone of Italy, and eighth-place finisher Josef Stalder of Switzerland. Stalder was the reigning (1950) world champion.
Belgium, India, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saar, South Africa, the Soviet Union, Spain, and Sweden each made their debut in the men's pommel horse. The United States made its seventh appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the inaugural 1896 Games. Of the 22 different nations that had competed at least once in the event before 1952, 19 competed in Helsinki (only Greece, Mexico, and the Netherlands were missing among the nations having previously competed).

## Competition format

The gymnastics format continued to use the aggregation format. Each nation entered a team of between five and eight gymnasts or up to three individual gymnasts. All entrants in the gymnastics competitions performed both a compulsory exercise and a voluntary exercise for each apparatus. The 2 exercise scores were summed to give a total for the apparatus.
No separate finals were contested.
For each exercise, four judges gave scores from 0 to 10 in one-tenth point increments. The top and bottom scores were discarded and the remaining two scores averaged to give the exercise total. Thus, exercise scores ranged from 0 to 10 and apparatus scores from 0 to 20.
The competitor had the option to make a second try only on the compulsory exercise—with the second attempt counting regardless of whether it was better than the first.

## Schedule

All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Saturday, 19 July 1952 Sunday, 20 July 1952 Monday, 21 July 1952 | 7:30 8:00 8:00 | Final |

## Results

| Rank | Gymnast | Nation | Compulsory | Voluntary | Total |
| | Viktor Chukarin | Soviet Union | 9.70 | 9.80 | 19.50 |
| | Yevgeny Korolkov | Soviet Union | 9.75 | 9.65 | 19.40 |
| | Hrant Shahinyan | Soviet Union | 9.90 | 9.50 | 19.40 |
| 4 | Mikhail Perelman | Soviet Union | 9.70 | 9.60 | 19.30 |
| 5 | Josef Stalder | Switzerland | 9.65 | 9.55 | 19.20 |
| 6 | Hans Sauter | Austria | 9.60 | 9.55 | 19.15 |
| 7 | Vladimir Belyakov | Soviet Union | 9.60 | 9.50 | 19.10 |
| 8 | Heikki Savolainen | Finland | 9.55 | 9.50 | 19.05 |
| 8 | Jean Tschabold | Switzerland | 9.55 | 9.50 | 19.05 |
| 10 | József Fekete | Hungary | 9.55 | 9.45 | 19.00 |
| 11 | Helmut Bantz | Germany | 9.40 | 9.55 | 18.95 |
| 12 | Jakob Kiefer | Germany | 9.45 | 9.45 | 18.90 |
| 13 | Jack Günthard | Switzerland | 9.50 | 9.35 | 18.85 |
| 13 | Melchior Thalmann | Switzerland | 9.45 | 9.40 | 18.85 |
| 15 | Iosif Berdiev | Soviet Union | 9.55 | 9.25 | 18.80 |
| 15 | Friedel Overwien | Germany | 9.55 | 9.25 | 18.80 |
| 15 | Zdeněk Růžička | Czechoslovakia | 9.45 | 9.35 | 18.80 |
| 18 | Adalbert Dickhut | Germany | 9.60 | 9.15 | 18.75 |
| 18 | Berndt Lindfors | Finland | 9.45 | 9.30 | 18.75 |
| 20 | Sándor Réthy | Hungary | 9.55 | 9.15 | 18.70 |
| 21 | Hans Pfann | Germany | 9.40 | 9.25 | 18.65 |
| 22 | Bill Roetzheim | United States | 9.25 | 9.35 | 18.60 |
| 22 | Lajos Sántha | Hungary | 9.25 | 9.35 | 18.60 |
| 22 | Josef Škvor | Czechoslovakia | 9.30 | 9.30 | 18.60 |
| 25 | Hans Eugster | Switzerland | 9.25 | 9.30 | 18.55 |
| 25 | Ernst Gebendinger | Switzerland | 9.35 | 9.20 | 18.55 |
| 25 | Károly Kocsis | Hungary | 9.45 | 9.10 | 18.55 |
| 28 | Kalevi Viskari | Finland | 9.10 | 9.40 | 18.50 |
| 29 | Kaino Lempinen | Finland | 9.15 | 9.30 | 18.45 |
| 29 | Leo Sotorník | Czechoslovakia | 9.30 | 9.15 | 18.45 |
| 31 | Takashi Ono | Japan | 9.40 | 9.00 | 18.40 |
| 32 | Don Holder | United States | 9.10 | 9.20 | 18.30 |
| 32 | Ferenc Kemény | Hungary | 9.35 | 8.95 | 18.30 |
| 32 | Michel Mathiot | France | 9.15 | 9.15 | 18.30 |
| 32 | Valentin Muratov | Soviet Union | 9.70 | 8.60 | 18.30 |
| 36 | Ferdinand Daniš | Czechoslovakia | 9.55 | 8.70 | 18.25 |
| 37 | Guido Figone | Italy | 9.40 | 8.80 | 18.20 |
| 37 | Nikolay Milev | Bulgaria | 9.40 | 8.80 | 18.20 |
| 37 | Theo Wied | Germany | 9.50 | 8.70 | 18.20 |
| 40 | Paavo Aaltonen | Finland | 8.40 | 9.70 | 18.10 |
| 40 | Ed Scrobe | United States | 9.30 | 8.80 | 18.10 |
| 40 | Josy Stoffel | Luxembourg | 9.30 | 8.80 | 18.10 |
| 43 | Kalevi Laitinen | Finland | 9.05 | 9.00 | 18.05 |
| 43 | Frank Turner | Great Britain | 9.05 | 9.00 | 18.05 |
| 43 | Erich Wied | Germany | 8.80 | 9.25 | 18.05 |
| 43 | Luigi Zanetti | Italy | 9.35 | 8.70 | 18.05 |
| 47 | Poul Jessen | Denmark | 8.90 | 9.10 | 18.00 |
| 47 | Tadao Uesako | Japan | 9.15 | 8.85 | 18.00 |
| 49 | Georges Floquet | France | 9.00 | 8.95 | 17.95 |
| 49 | Franz Kemter | Austria | 9.05 | 8.90 | 17.95 |
| 51 | Vincent D'Autorio | United States | 8.85 | 9.05 | 17.90 |
| 51 | Szymon Sobala | Poland | 9.40 | 8.50 | 17.90 |
| 53 | Raymond Badin | France | 8.50 | 9.35 | 17.85 |
| 53 | Josef Svoboda | Czechoslovakia | 9.30 | 8.55 | 17.85 |
| 55 | Andrei Kerekes | Romania | 9.00 | 8.80 | 17.80 |
| 56 | Paweł Gaca | Poland | 8.80 | 9.00 | 17.80 |
| 57 | Silvio Brivio | Italy | 9.05 | 8.70 | 17.75 |
| 57 | Miloš Kolejka | Czechoslovakia | 9.25 | 8.50 | 17.75 |
| 57 | Ferenc Pataki | Hungary | 9.35 | 8.40 | 17.75 |
| 57 | Olavi Rove | Finland | 8.60 | 9.15 | 17.75 |
| 57 | Quinto Vadi | Italy | 8.90 | 8.85 | 17.75 |
| 57 | Ali Zaky | Egypt | 8.85 | 8.90 | 17.75 |
| 63 | Fabio Bonacina | Italy | 9.20 | 8.50 | 17.70 |
| 63 | Paweł Gawron | Poland | 8.95 | 8.75 | 17.70 |
| 65 | Freddy Jensen | Denmark | 8.50 | 9.10 | 17.60 |
| 65 | Vasil Konstantinov | Bulgaria | 8.50 | 9.10 | 17.60 |
| 65 | Alfred Schwarzmann | Germany | 9.20 | 8.40 | 17.60 |
| 65 | André Weingand | France | 8.85 | 8.75 | 17.60 |
| 69 | Hans Friedrich | Austria | 9.35 | 8.20 | 17.55 |
| 69 | Bob Stout | United States | 8.75 | 8.80 | 17.55 |
| 69 | Masao Takemoto | Japan | 8.90 | 8.65 | 17.55 |
| 69 | Jack Whitford | Great Britain | 9.05 | 8.50 | 17.55 |
| 73 | Walter Blattmann | United States | 8.90 | 8.60 | 17.50 |
| 73 | Onni Lappalainen | Finland | 9.00 | 8.50 | 17.50 |
| 73 | Orlando Polmonari | Italy | 9.00 | 8.50 | 17.50 |
| 73 | Volmer Thomsen | Denmark | 8.80 | 8.70 | 17.50 |
| 77 | Vladimír Kejř | Czechoslovakia | 8.60 | 8.85 | 17.45 |
| 77 | Rafael Lecuona | Cuba | 9.15 | 8.30 | 17.45 |
| 77 | Jindřich Mikulec | Czechoslovakia | 8.80 | 8.65 | 17.45 |
| 77 | Littorio Sampieri | Italy | 8.60 | 8.85 | 17.45 |
| 77 | Mincho Todorov | Bulgaria | 8.95 | 8.50 | 17.45 |
| 82 | Nikolay Atanasov | Bulgaria | 8.95 | 8.30 | 17.25 |
| 82 | Akitomo Kaneko | Japan | 9.35 | 7.90 | 17.25 |
| 84 | Tetsumi Nabeya | Japan | 8.20 | 9.00 | 17.20 |
| 84 | Lajos Tóth | Hungary | 8.20 | 9.00 | 17.20 |
| 84 | Ernst Wister | Austria | 8.70 | 8.50 | 17.20 |
| 87 | Willi Welt | Austria | 8.25 | 8.85 | 17.10 |
| 88 | Jack Beckner | United States | 8.40 | 8.60 | 17.00 |
| 88 | Hans Schwarzentruber | Switzerland | 9.00 | 8.00 | 17.00 |
| 90 | Ernst Fivian | Switzerland | 9.35 | 7.50 | 16.85 |
| 91 | Frederic Orendi | Romania | 8.80 | 8.00 | 16.80 |
| 92 | Erich Peters | Sweden | 8.25 | 8.50 | 16.75 |
| 92 | Ragai Youssef | Egypt | 8.35 | 8.40 | 16.75 |
| 94 | Arthur Schmitt | Saar | 8.20 | 8.35 | 16.55 |
| 95 | Paweł Świętek | Poland | 8.05 | 8.45 | 16.50 |
| 96 | Marcel de Wolf | France | 7.90 | 8.55 | 16.45 |
| 97 | Arrigo Carnoli | Italy | 8.40 | 8.00 | 16.40 |
| 97 | Magne Kleiven | Norway | 8.35 | 8.05 | 16.40 |
| 97 | János Mogyorósi-Klencs | Hungary | 7.40 | 9.00 | 16.40 |
| 100 | Armand Huberty | Luxembourg | 8.65 | 7.65 | 16.30 |
| 101 | Joaquín Blume | Spain | 8.00 | 8.25 | 16.25 |
| 101 | Mihai Botez | Romania | 7.75 | 8.50 | 16.25 |
| 101 | Ken Buffin | Great Britain | 8.50 | 7.75 | 16.25 |
| 104 | Dušan Furlan | Yugoslavia | 8.35 | 7.85 | 16.20 |
| 104 | Alf Nørgaard | Norway | 8.70 | 7.50 | 16.20 |
| 106 | Mahmoud Mohamed Reda | Egypt | 8.10 | 8.00 | 16.10 |
| 106 | Charles Simms | United States | 8.05 | 8.05 | 16.10 |
| 108 | Zdzisław Lesiński | Poland | 8.50 | 7.55 | 16.05 |
| 109 | Ángel Aguiar | Cuba | 8.35 | 7.60 | 15.95 |
| 109 | Heinz Ostheimer | Saar | 8.85 | 7.10 | 15.95 |
| 111 | René Changeat | France | 7.90 | 8.00 | 15.90 |
| 111 | Todor Todorov | Bulgaria | 7.70 | 8.20 | 15.90 |
| 113 | Manuel Prazeres | Portugal | 8.80 | 7.00 | 15.80 |
| 114 | Antun Kropivšek | Yugoslavia | 7.85 | 7.85 | 15.70 |
| 114 | Jerzy Solarz | Poland | 7.80 | 7.90 | 15.70 |
| 116 | Dimitar Yordanov | Bulgaria | 7.00 | 8.55 | 15.55 |
| 117 | Børge Nielsen | Denmark | 8.30 | 7.20 | 15.50 |
| 118 | Jean Guillou | France | 7.50 | 7.95 | 15.45 |
| 118 | Børge Minerth | Denmark | 7.90 | 7.55 | 15.45 |
| 120 | Paul Grubenthal | Austria | 8.15 | 7.25 | 15.40 |
| 121 | Frederik De Waele | Belgium | 8.00 | 7.35 | 15.35 |
| 121 | Fred Wiedersporn | Saar | 7.85 | 7.50 | 15.35 |
| 123 | Arne Knudsen | Norway | 7.90 | 7.40 | 15.30 |
| 123 | Ernst Madland | Norway | 7.05 | 8.25 | 15.30 |
| 125 | Wolfgang Girardi | Austria | 7.55 | 7.70 | 15.25 |
| 125 | Mathias Jamtvedt | Norway | 7.70 | 7.55 | 15.25 |
| 127 | Juan Caviglia | Argentina | 7.45 | 7.70 | 15.15 |
| 127 | Iliya Topalov | Bulgaria | 9.15 | 6.00 | 15.15 |
| 129 | Ivica Jelić | Yugoslavia | 7.65 | 7.40 | 15.05 |
| 129 | Ronnie Lombard | South Africa | 7.80 | 7.25 | 15.05 |
| 129 | George Weedon | Great Britain | 7.45 | 7.60 | 15.05 |
| 129 | Kurt Wigartz | Sweden | 8.25 | 6.80 | 15.05 |
| 133 | Gunnar Pedersen | Denmark | 7.75 | 7.00 | 14.75 |
| 134 | Odd Lie | Norway | 8.80 | 5.90 | 14.70 |
| 135 | Karel Janež | Yugoslavia | 6.30 | 8.35 | 14.65 |
| 136 | Carol Bedö | Romania | 6.85 | 7.75 | 14.60 |
| 137 | Rolf Lauer | Saar | 8.05 | 6.25 | 14.30 |
| 138 | Jey Kugeler | Luxembourg | 6.00 | 8.20 | 14.20 |
| 139 | Alf Olsen | Norway | 7.25 | 6.90 | 14.15 |
| 140 | Arne Carlsson | Sweden | 7.95 | 6.15 | 14.10 |
| 140 | Bjarne Jørgensen | Denmark | 7.20 | 6.90 | 14.10 |
| 142 | Eugen Balint | Romania | 6.50 | 7.50 | 14.00 |
| 143 | Hubert Erang | Luxembourg | 7.80 | 6.00 | 13.80 |
| 144 | Zoltan Balogh | Romania | 6.50 | 7.25 | 13.75 |
| 144 | Georg Johansen | Norway | 5.85 | 7.90 | 13.75 |
| 144 | Ede Mađar | Yugoslavia | 6.50 | 7.25 | 13.75 |
| 147 | Marcel Coppin | Luxembourg | 7.30 | 6.40 | 13.70 |
| 147 | Raymond Dot | France | 4.75 | 8.95 | 13.70 |
| 147 | Ahmed Khalil El-Giddawi | Egypt | 6.25 | 7.45 | 13.70 |
| 150 | Ivan Čaklec | Yugoslavia | 5.10 | 8.50 | 13.60 |
| 150 | Walter Müller | Saar | 7.60 | 6.00 | 13.60 |
| 152 | Mohamed Sayed Hamdi | Egypt | 5.50 | 7.85 | 13.35 |
| 152 | Nils Sjöberg | Sweden | 6.35 | 7.00 | 13.35 |
| 152 | Sreten Stefanović | Yugoslavia | 7.85 | 5.50 | 13.35 |
| 155 | Ryszard Kucjas | Poland | 6.50 | 6.80 | 13.30 |
| 156 | Norbert Dietrich | Saar | 7.50 | 5.65 | 13.15 |
| 157 | António Leite | Portugal | 6.10 | 6.75 | 12.85 |
| 158 | Jerzy Jokiel | Poland | 7.30 | 5.50 | 12.80 |
| 158 | Jeroom Riske | Belgium | 6.15 | 6.65 | 12.80 |
| 160 | Anders Lindh | Sweden | 6.15 | 6.45 | 12.60 |
| 161 | Peter Starling | Great Britain | 6.10 | 6.30 | 12.40 |
| 162 | Friedrich Fetz | Austria | 5.25 | 7.00 | 12.25 |
| 162 | Rolf Yelseth | South Africa | 7.00 | 5.25 | 12.25 |
| 164 | Dmytro Leonkin | Soviet Union | 3.75 | 8.35 | 12.10 |
| 165 | Francisc Cocis | Romania | 5.25 | 6.80 | 12.05 |
| 166 | William Thoresson | Sweden | 5.75 | 6.00 | 11.75 |
| 167 | Manuel Gouveia | Portugal | 6.80 | 4.85 | 11.65 |
| 168 | Jack Wells | South Africa | 6.80 | 4.75 | 11.55 |
| 169 | Raúl Caldeira | Portugal | 5.70 | 5.75 | 11.45 |
| 170 | Graham Harcourt | Great Britain | 6.85 | 4.50 | 11.35 |
| 171 | Joaquim Granger | Portugal | 6.05 | 5.25 | 11.30 |
| 172 | Mahmoud Safwat | Egypt | 4.50 | 6.65 | 11.15 |
| 173 | Manuel Cardoso | Portugal | 5.55 | 5.30 | 10.85 |
| 174 | Franjo Jurjević | Yugoslavia | 5.00 | 5.80 | 10.80 |
| 175 | Magdy Gheriani | Egypt | 3.00 | 7.55 | 10.55 |
| 176 | Maurice De Groote | Belgium | 3.50 | 6.75 | 10.25 |
| 177 | César Bonoris | Argentina | 3.00 | 7.05 | 10.05 |
| 178 | Börje Stattin | Sweden | 9.00 | 1.00 | 10.00 |
| 179 | Francisco Cascante | Cuba | 4.50 | 5.25 | 9.75 |
| 180 | Aurel Losnita | Romania | 4.75 | 4.50 | 9.25 |
| 181 | Stoyan Stoyanov | Bulgaria | 9.15 | – | 9.15 |
| 182 | Ahmed Issam Allam | Egypt | 3.50 | 4.75 | 8.25 |
| 182 | René Schroeder | Luxembourg | 4.75 | 3.50 | 8.25 |
| 184 | Vir Singh | India | 1.00 | 2.25 | 3.25 |
| 185 | Khushi Ram | India | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |