Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games:

The world record holder was Jamaica's [George Rhoden], who had run 45.8 in 1950 in Finland. His biggest rival was his countryman, [Herb McKenley], the defending silver medalist who had been favored in 1948. The defending champion, [Arthur Wint], was also back and Jamaican sweep was a possibility. In the final, Wint led early, which was unusual for him, but could not maintain the pace. Rhoden caught Wint just before the homestretch and quickly had a big lead. But McKenley closed very quickly and almost caught him by the line, with Wint fading to fifth place. The third-place finisher, [Ollie Matson], was later a star running back in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams.