First 3 from each 2 semi-finals progressed to Final.
Semi 1
time
+time
adj.
Y
1. Craig Dixon
USA
14.2s
14.4
22
2. Peter Gardner
AUS
14.5s
+0.38
23
3. Håkan Lidman
SWE
14.6s
+0.44
33
4. Pol Braekman
BEL
+0.82
28
5. Olivier Bernard
SUI
27
-. André Marie
FRA
DNF
22
Semi 2
time
+time
adj.
Y
1. Bill Porter
USA
14.1s
OR
14.2
22
2. Clyde Scott
USA
14.2s
+0.00
23
3. Alberto Triulzi
ARG
14.6s
+0.56
20
4. Jim Vickers
IND
+0.89
5. Ray Weinberg
AUS
+1.07
18
6. Hugues Frayer
FRA
+1.15
25
Harrison Dillard was holder of the world record, but he fell in the US
Trials, won by Bill Porter in an electrically-timed 13.90. The three
selected Americans were clearly the class of the field, and Dixon (14.2)
and Porter (14.3) were 0.3 faster than anyone else in the heats. The
same differential remained in the semi-finals, as Dixon ran 14.2 ahead
of Gardner’s 14.5, and was followed by Porter, edging Scott, 14.1 to
14.2, some 0.4 ahead of Triulzi. The biggest event in round 1 for the
home crowd was the demise of Finlay. The British veteran, who first
ran internationally in 1929, was leading in heat 5 by a metre when he
fell at the final hurdle.
In the final, the burly (1.83/82kg) Scott was off the fastest and led
until the third hurdle, when Dixon took over. He led until the eighth
hurdle, when Porter surged past. Scott finished quickly, but Porter held
on in a frenzied finish. The official winning margin of 0.2 was clearly
incorrect, as less than one tenth of a second separated the first three
men.