The men's triple jump event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

[1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

Australia reached the podium for the second Games in a row (albeit twelve years apart) with Gordon George Avery's silver.

Valle Rautio of Finland was closest to being a favorite, having won the 1946 European championships.

[1] Brazil, Ceylon, South Korea, Peru, Portugal, and Turkey each made their first appearance in the event.