The men's track time trial cycling event at the 1948 Summer Olympics took place on 11 August and was one of six events at the 1948 Olympics.[1] Twenty-one cyclists from 21 nations competed, with each nation limited to one competitor.[2][3] The event was won by Jacques Dupont of France, the nation's first victory in the event since 1896 and third consecutive podium appearance. Pierre Nihant earned Belgium's first medal in the men's track time trial with his silver; Tommy Godwin similarly took Great Britain's first medal in the event with his bronze.
| Cycling - Men's track time trial at the Games of the XIV Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jacques Dupont | ||||||||||
| Venue | Herne Hill Velodrome, London | |||||||||
| Date | 11 August 1948 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 21 from 21 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 1:13.5 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Background
This was the fifth appearance of the event, which had previously been held in 1896 and every Games since 1928. It would be held every Games until being dropped from the programme after 2004. None of the cyclists from 1936 returned. Jacques Dupont of France was the French champion and had set an unofficial world record of 1:08.6.[2]
Cuba, Guyana, India, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela each made their debut in the men's track time trial. France and Great Britain each made their fifth appearance, having competed at every appearance of the event.
Competition format
The event was a time trial on the track, with each cyclist competing separately to attempt to achieve the fastest time. Each cyclist raced one kilometre from a standing start. The track's asphalt surface led to slow times.[2][3]
Records
The following were the world and Olympic records prior to the competition.
| World record |  Fabio Battesini (ITA) | 1:10.0 | Milan, Italy | 1938 |
| Olympic record |  Arie van Vliet (NED) | 1:12.0 | Berlin, Germany | 1 August 1936 |
No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.
Schedule
All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, 11 August 1948 | 17:00 | Final |
Results
| Rank | Cyclist | Nation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Jacques Dupont |  France | 1:13.5 |
 | Pierre Nihant |  Belgium | 1:14.5 |
 | Tommy Godwin |  Great Britain | 1:15.0 |
| 4 | Hans Flückiger |  Switzerland | 1:15.3 |
| 5 | Axel Schandorff |  Denmark | 1:15.5 |
| 6 | Sid Patterson |  Australia | 1:15.7 |
| 7 | Jack Heid |  United States | 1:16.2 |
| 8 | Walter Freitag |  Austria | 1:16.8 |
| 9 | Gino Guerra |  Italy | 1:17.1 |
| 10 | Onni Kasslin |  Finland | 1:17.4 |
| 11 | Carlos Tramutolo |  Uruguay | 1:17.5 |
| 12 | Theo Blankenaauw | Netherlands | 1:17.7 |
| 13 | Jorge Sobrevila |  Argentina | 1:17.9 |
| 14 | Julio César León |  Venezuela | 1:18.1 |
| 15 | Lorne Atkinson |  Canada | 1:20.2 |
| 16 | Compton Gonsalves |  Trinidad and Tobago | 1:21.5 |
| Reinaldo Paseiro |  Cuba | 1:21.5 | |
| 18 | Adolfo Romero |  Mexico | 1:22.7 |
| 19 | Rohinton Noble |  India | 1:22.9 |
| 20 | Wazir Ali |  Pakistan | 1:24.8 |
| 21 | Laddie Lewis |  Guyana | 1:25.0 |