title: Speed skating at the 1952 Winter Olympics – Men's 500 metres
text: # Speed skating at the 1952 Winter Olympics – Men's 500 metres
  
  The 500 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1952 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Saturday, 16 February 1952, at 3 p.m. Forty-one speed skaters from 14 nations competed.
  
  ## Medalists
  
  | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
  | - | - | - |
  | Ken Henry United States | Don McDermott United States | Gordon Audley CanadaArne Johansen Norway |
  
  ## Records
  
  These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1952 Winter Olympics.
  
  | World record | 41.2(*) | Yuri Sergeev | Medeo (URS) | 19 January 1952 |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Olympic record | 43.1 | Finn Helgesen | St. Moritz (SUI) | 31 January 1948 |
  
  (*) The record was set in a high altitude venue (more than 1000 metres above sea level) and on naturally frozen ice.
  
  ## Results
  
  The current world record holder Yuri Sergeev did not compete as the Soviet Union did not participate in Winter Games before 1956.
  
  | Place | Speed skater | Time |
  | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Ken Henry (USA) | 43.2 |
  | 2 | Don McDermott (USA) | 43.9 |
  | 3 | Gordon Audley (CAN) | 44.0 |
  | 3 | Arne Johansen (NOR) | 44.0 |
  | 5 | Finn Helgesen (NOR) | 44.0 |
  | 6 | Hroar Elvenes (NOR) | 44.1 |
  | 6 | Kiyotaka Takabayashi (JPN) | 44.1 |
  | 8 | Gerard Maarse (NED) | 44.2 |
  | 8 | Toivo Salonen (FIN) | 44.2 |
  | 10 | Sigmund Søfteland (NOR) | 44.3 |
  | 11 | Johnny Werket (USA) | 44.5 |
  | 12 | Masanori Aoki (JPN) | 44.8 |
  | 12 | Mats Bolmstedt (SWE) | 44.8 |
  | 12 | Frank Stack (CAN) | 44.8 |
  | 15 | Robert Fitzgerald (USA) | 44.9 |
  | 15 | Sukenobu Kudo (JPN) | 44.9 |
  | 15 | Craig MacKay (CAN) | 44.9 |
  | 18 | Tsuneo Sato (JPN) | 45.2 |
  | 19 | Cockie van der Elst (NED) | 45.3 |
  | 19 | Wim van der Voort (NED) | 45.3 |
  | 21 | Norman Holwell (GBR) | 45.4 |
  | 21 | Kalevi Laitinen (FIN) | 45.4 |
  | 23 | Gunnar Ström (SWE) | 45.6 |
  | 24 | Kauko Salomaa (FIN) | 45.7 |
  | 25 | Stig Lindberg (SWE) | 45.9 |
  | 25 | Franz Offenberger (AUT) | 45.9 |
  | 25 | Enrico Musolino (ITA) | 45.9 |
  | 28 | Ferenc Lőrincz (HUN) | 46.1 |
  | 29 | Colin Hickey (AUS) | 46.2 |
  | 30 | Ralf Olin (CAN) | 46.5 |
  | 31 | Bengt Malmsten (SWE) | 46.6 |
  | 32 | József Merényi (HUN) | 46.7 |
  | 33 | Theo Meding (GER) | 46.8 |
  | 34 | Bill Jones (GBR) | 46.9 |
  | 35 | Robert Laboubée (BEL) | 47.2 |
  | 36 | Konrad Pecher (AUT) | 47.3 |
  | 37 | Arthur Mannsbarth (AUT) | 47.6 |
  | 38 | Guido Citterio (ITA) | 48.2 |
  | 39 | Jean Massez (BEL) | 49.2 |
  | — | Jan Charisius (NED) | DNF |
  | — | Lassi Parkkinen (FIN) | DNF |
  
  Finn Helgesen did not receive a bronze medal because he was paired up with Arne Johansen and finished behind his opponent.
  
  Jan Charisius and Lassi Parkkinen gave up after a fall.
  
  