Imre Németh, who had won four years earlier, took bronze; he was the fourth man to win multiple medals in the event.

Németh was among the favorites to repeat; other contenders included 1950 European champion Sverre Strandli of Norway and Karl Storch of Germany.

[2] Belgium, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Romania, and the Soviet Union each made their debut in the event.

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1936, with the qualifying round completely separate from the divided final.

In the final, five men beat the old Olympic record and a sixth man tied it; the three medalists all bettered Csermák's qualifying round mark.