| Final 17:15 | time | electr | | 1. Pyotr Bolotnikov |  Soviet Union | 28:32.2 OR | 28:32.18 | | 2. Hans Grodotzki |  Germany | 28:37.0 | 28:37.22 | | 3. Dave Power |  Australia | 28:38.2 | 28:37.65 | | 4. Aleksey Desyatchikov | Soviet Union | 28:39.6 | 28:39.72 | | 5. Murray Halberg |  New Zealand | 28:48.5 | 28:49.11 | | 6. Max Truex |  United States | 28:50.2 | 28:50.34 | | 7. Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak |  Poland | 28:52.4 | 28:52.75 | | 8. John Merriman |  Great Britain | 28:52.6 | 28:52.89 | | 9. Martin Hyman | Great Britain | 29:04.8 | 29:05.11 | | 10.Gordon Pirie | Great Britain | 29:15.2 | 29:15.49 | | 11.Iharos Sándor |  Hungary | 29:15.8 | 29:16.07 | | 12.Gerhard Hönicke | Germany | 29:20.4 | 29:20.14 | | 13.Robert Bogey |  France | 29:22.4 | 29:22.53 | | 14.Rhadi Ben Abdesselam |  Morocco | 29:34.4 | 29:32.00 | | 15.Kovács József | Hungary | 29:42.2 | 29:34.71 | | 16.Yevgeny Zhukov | Soviet Union | 29:20.4 | 29:20.14 | | 17.Xaver Höger | Germany | 29:58.0 | 29:50.20 | | 18.Stanisław Ożóg | Poland | 30:01.0 | 29:58.00 | | 19.Arere Anentia |  Kenya | 30:03.0 | 30:01.00 | | 20.Constantin Grecescu |  Romania | 30:04.8 | 30:03.00 | | 21.Simo Saloranta |  Finland | 30:12.4 | 30:04.80 | | 22.Hamoud Ameur | France | 30:25.4 | 30:12.40 | | 23.Hamida Addèche | France | 30:27.2 | 30:25.40 | | 24.Doug Kyle |  Canada | 30:31.6 | 30:27.20 | | 25.Carlos Pérez |  Spain | 30:35.8 | 30:31.60 | | 26.Barry Magee | New Zealand | 30:39.4 | 30:35.80 | | 27.Franco Antonelli |  Italy | 30:47.4 | 30:39.40 | | 28.Cyprian Tseriwa |  South Rhodesia | 30:47.8 | 30:47.80 | | 29.Fevzi Pakel |  Turkey | 32:06.2 | 32:06.20 | | -. Jaroslav Bohatý |  Czechoslovakia | DNF | | | -. Gebru Merawi |  Ethiopia | DNF | | | -. Kazimierz Zimny | Poland | DNF | |
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| | | Venue: Stadio Olimpico. Roma. Capp.: 65.000. | | 33 competitors from 21 nations. |
| World Record: 28:30.4 Vladimir Kutz, Soviet Union Moscou, Soviet Union 11th September 1956 | | Olympic Rekord: 28:45,6 Vladimir Kutz, Soviet Union Melbourne, Australia 23rd November 1956 |
More than half the field was able to stay in contact at the 5000m mark
(14:22.2) with no-one attempting a serious break. With seven laps to go
the Commonwealth champion Dave Power began to push the pace,
running the eighth and ninth kilometres in 2:50.1 and 2:51.8 (after
2:56.4 & 2:53.1 for the preceding two kilometres). Only Bolotnikov,
Desyatchikov and Grodotzki could stay with the Australian, but it was
not enough to worry Bolotnikov who attacked with 700m to go, and
built up an unassailable lead by the bell. Although Bolotnikov had won
three USSR titles by the time of Rome, his only major championship
outing over 10,000m had been a miserable 16th place in Melbourne
nearly two minutes behind Kuts. Here, his last lap of 57.4 broke Kuts’s
Olympic record by more than 13 seconds. The pre-race favourites had
been Halberg, Krzyszkowiak, Bolotnikov and Pirie, but only
Bolotnikov was fresh for the 10,000m.
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