

Athletics at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games:

Men's 4 × 100 metres Relay



Host City: Melbourne, Australia
Venue(s): Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria
Date Started: November 30, 1956
Date Finished: December 1, 1956

Gold: USA United States
Silver: URS Soviet Union
Bronze: GER Germany


Led by Bobby Joe Morrow, who had won the 100 and 200, the US was expected to win, and posted the fastest times in the first round and semi-final. The first two US runners, Ira Murchison and Leamon King, opened a big lead on the Soviets but a poor handoff to Thane Baker allowed them to draw almost even. Baker ran a good curve, however, and Morrow received the stick slightly ahead. He had a thigh injury and was not as strong as he had been in the individual events but held on to win the gold for the US. The USSR finished second in a new European record.

Final Standings

Rank Team NOC Medal
1 United States USA Gold WR
2 Soviet Union URS Silver
3 Germany GER Bronze
4 Italy ITA
5 Great Britain GBR
6 Poland POL
4 h1 r2/3 France FRA
4 h2 r2/3 Australia AUS
5 h1 r2/3 Hungary HUN
5 h2 r2/3 Pakistan PAK
6 h1 r2/3 Brazil BRA
6 h2 r2/3 Japan JPN
4 h1 r1/3 Venezuela VEN
4 h2 r1/3 Thailand THA
4 h3 r1/3 Canada CAN
5 h1 r1/3 Liberia LBR
5 h3 r1/3 Ethiopia ETH
AC h4 r1/3 Nigeria NGR