Stories and curiosities
Timing curiosities and errors: disputed winners, ties and an extra lap
· 7 min read
In short
- The biggest result disputes usually involved close finishes decided by the human eye and handheld stopwatches. That is why touchpads, photo finishes and automatic timing were introduced.
- Errors are not always caused by technology. At the 1932 Olympics, the laps were miscounted and the steeplechase runners covered 3,460 meters instead of 3,000.
- Even today, rules covering ties and protests need to be written in advance.
The history of timekeeping is also a history of disputes. Whenever fractions of a second decide the outcome, protests and appeals follow, sometimes even leading to rule changes. These are the best-known stories.
Rome 1960: the 100-meter freestyle dispute
All six timekeepers used handheld stopwatches. The three assigned to Devitt recorded 55.2, while Larson's three recorded 55.0, 55.1 and 55.1. Of the three placing judges, two voted for Devitt and one for Larson, and the chief judge declared Devitt the winner. A US appeal supported by video footage was rejected. The result stood, but the swimming federation decided that automatic timing was essential, and Olympic swimming has been timed electronically since 1968. Read more in Swimming: touchpads and thousandths of a second.
Los Angeles 1932: an extra lap
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, an assistant official responsible for the lap counter failed to record the first lap. The bell for the final lap therefore rang one lap late, and the runners covered 3,460 meters. Finland's Volmari Iso-Hollo won. American Joe McCluskey, who finished third, declined an offer to rerun the race the following day, saying that a race has only one finish line.
Boston 1980: the winner who did not run the course
Rosie Ruiz appeared near the finish of the Boston Marathon and crossed the line as the women's winner in 2:31:56. Her rivals had not seen her on the course, she was absent from video footage, and eight days later her title was taken away because she had joined the course about a mile from the finish. Her New York time was later invalidated because she had covered part of the route by subway. The story demonstrates the purpose of split times: a checkpoint along the course would have made the shortcut far easier to detect.
Munich 1972: two thousandths
In the 400 m individual medley final at the Munich Olympics, Sweden's Gunnar Larsson recorded 4:31.981 and American Tim McKee 4:31.983. A margin of two thousandths of a second decided gold and silver. You can find the story in Swimming: touchpads and thousandths of a second.
Beijing 2008: one hundredth
Michael Phelps won the 100 m butterfly ahead of Milorad Čavić by one hundredth, 50.58 to 50.59. The human eye could not distinguish who had arrived first, and Serbia lodged a protest. Both the touchpad and underwater footage confirmed the result, and the protest was rejected.
Sapporo 1972 and Sochi 2014: ties with gold for both
In luge, pairs from East Germany and Italy recorded the same time of 1:28.35 and both received gold, leading the sport to adopt timing to the thousandth; read more in Luge, bobsleigh and the Jamaican bobsledders. In the women's alpine downhill in Sochi in 2014, Tina Maze and Dominique Gisin shared gold with a time of 1:41.57, the first tie for first place in Olympic alpine skiing.
Jerez 1997: three identical Formula 1 times
Qualifying for the 1997 European Grand Prix ended with three drivers setting the same time to the thousandth; read more in How timing works in Formula 1.
Lessons to take away
If you organize an event, many of these disputes can be prevented with clear rules on ties and protests, backup timing, checkpoints along the course and online results. You can find a list of practical steps in The most common timing mistakes. TAQIO helps by providing live results and split times, allowing errors or discrepancies to come to light sooner.
Frequently asked questions
What was the most famous disputed result in swimming?
The 100 m freestyle final in Rome in 1960. Three judges made their decision by eye, and the chief judge declared Australian John Devitt the winner ahead of American Lance Larson, although both received an official time of 55.2. The dispute helped drive the adoption of electronic timing.
How was the winner of the 100 m butterfly decided in Beijing in 2008?
Michael Phelps beat Milorad Čavić by one hundredth of a second, 50.58 to 50.59. Serbia's protest was rejected because both the touchpad and underwater footage confirmed the result.
What happened with Rosie Ruiz in Boston in 1980?
She crossed the finish line as the women's winner in 2:31:56, but her title was taken away eight days later because she had entered the course about a mile from the finish. Her New York time was later invalidated because she had covered part of the course by subway.
Has an Olympic gold medal ever been shared because of an identical time?
Yes. In the doubles luge event in Sapporo in 1972, two pairs received gold after recording 1:28.35, while Tina Maze and Dominique Gisin shared gold in the women's alpine downhill in Sochi in 2014 with a time of 1:41.57.