Only this race of Rome can count the presence, at the start, of Olympic champions  of the five consecutive editions of the games from 1948 to 1964.

Km. 50 road walk – September 7, 1960 

1. Don THOMPSON (GBR) 4:25:30.0 OR 

2. John LJUNGGREN (SWE) 4:25:47.0 

3. Abdon PAMICH (ITA) 4:27:55.4 

4. Alexsandr SHCHERBINA (URS) 4:31:44.0 (UKR) 

5. Tom MISSON (GBR) 4:33:03.0 

6. Alex OAKLEY (CAN) 4:33:08.6 

7. Giuseppe DORDONI (ITA) 4:33:28.8 

8. Zora SINGH (IND) 4:37:45.0 

Split times

Thompson: 10 Km. 51:39 

20 Km. 1:43:36 

30 Km. 2:37:31 

40 Km. 3:31:40 

Ljunggren: 10 Km. 52:30 

20 Km. 1:44:45 

30 Km. 2:38:05 

40 Km. 3:31:46 

Pamich: 10 Km. 53:07 

20 Km. 1:46:19 

30 Km. 2:40:51 

40 Km. 3:33:40 

Shcherbina:10 Km. - 

20 Km. 1:44:36 

30 Km. 2:38:29 

40 Km. 3:33:46 

Misson: 10 Km. - 

20 Km. - 

30 Km. 2:43:29 

40 Km. 3:37:25 

Oakley: 10 Km. 52.35 

20 Km. 1:46:19 

30 Km. 2:41:21 

40 Km. 3:37:23 

Dordoni:10 Km. 53:41 

20 Km. - 

30 Km. - 

40 Km. - 

Singh: 10 Km. 51:24 

20 Km. 1:43:28 

30 Km. 2:41:18 

40 Km. 3:37:31 

Entry athletes were 39 from 20 different Countries.

The road course was a long go and back.

From the Olympic Stadium athletes walls along the Lungotevere Marshal Cadorna, Lungotevere of Victory, Oberdan, of Armi, Michelangelo Mellini, Castle, Gianicolense, Farnesina, Sanzio, Anguillara and Ripa) and then, after crossing the Tiber at Ponte Marconi, they continue on Via del Mare ​​reaching Acilia, from where they turn back by the same way.

Don Thompson had retired in Melbourne in 1956 when he was in fifth place in 45th Km.

It is said that he trained for Roma practicing games in his bathroom with electric air conditioners to 40 degrees Celsius temperature to simulate the conditions of Rome.

At the start, the leaders were Zora Singh, the two Australians Noel Freeman and Ron Crawford and Georgiy Klimov (URS). They preceded by fifteen seconds Thompson and Norman Read, while Pamich was just ninth.

Al Halfway the situation of the race had changed radically. Freeman and Klimov had already been disqualified, Zora Singh and Ron Crawford had given positions, with the result that Don Thompson found himself in the lead, followed by Ljunngren (+1:37) which was pressed by the Soviet Shcherbina, while Pamich it was in seventh place at 3:14 from English.

Between the 25th and the 35th Km. the elder Swedish walker (Ljunngren would have celebrated his 41st birthday two days later) produced his best effort and managed to reach and pass Thompson of 4"; following him Aleksandr Shcherbina (+1:04), and Abdon Pamich who meanwhile had climbed to fourth position (+3:27).

The other walkerrs, with Oakely leading the pack, were more than five minutes.

Dordoni was 10th with a gap of 8 minutes.

At the 40th Km. Thompson returned leading the race, although only 6" of advantage on Ljunngren; Pamich meanwhile had passed Shcherbina of 6 seconds.

Other 5 Km. of head to head between the first two walking a few meters away in a race that seemed dramatic and full of pathos: the 45th Km. one second divided the British from Swedish, and even Abdon Pamich had comeback in having reduced his gap to 1:18, but unfortunately his comeback would have been late.

After the 45th Km. Thompson still forced the pace and managed the race leaving the elder rival at 17 seconds, while Pamich, that in the last kilometers had suffered a bit, he won the bronze detached by 2:25.4 behind the winner.

The Soviet Shcherbina was fourth at over six minutes behind the winner.

Pino Dordoni, with a second part of the race brave and beautiful, could close in seventh place.

The third was the Italian Antonio De Gaetano who finished in 10th place for more than 15 minutes behind the winner.

Of the 39 parties athletes, five DNF, and 6 DQ.

The Roman public was the real star; tried in every way to encourage Pamich, it seemed as if they wanted to push towards that Olympic success that only four years later he finally reached.

Short highlights of the race: click here