Men's 400 metres at the Games of the XXIII Olympiad | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Venue | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | |||||||||
Dates | 4 to 8 August | |||||||||
Competitors | 80 from 56 nations | |||||||||
Winning time | 44.27 | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics | ||
---|---|---|
Track events | ||
100 m | men | women |
200 m | men | women |
400 m | men | women |
800 m | men | women |
1500 m | men | women |
3000 m | women | |
5000 m | men | |
10,000 m | men | |
100 m hurdles | women | |
110 m hurdles | men | |
400 m hurdles | men | women |
3000 m steeplechase | men | |
4×100 m relay | men | women |
4×400 m relay | men | women |
Road events | ||
Marathon | men | women |
20 km walk | men | |
50 km walk | men | |
Field events | ||
Long jump | men | women |
Triple jump | men | |
High jump | men | women |
Pole vault | men | |
Shot put | men | women |
Discus throw | men | women |
Javelin throw | men | women |
Hammer throw | men | |
Combined events | ||
Heptathlon | women | |
Decathlon | men | |
Wheelchair races | ||
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. It was held from August 4 to August 8. Eighty athletes from 56 nations competed. [1] [2] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Alonzo Babers, returning the United States to the top of the podium for the first time since 1972 (and the 13th time overall). Gabriel Tiacoh won the Ivory Coast's first Olympic medal in any event, with a silver.
This was the twentieth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. None of the finalists from 1980 returned. The favorites were Bert Cameron of Jamaica (winner of the first world championship in 1983) and Americans Antonio McKay and Alonzo Babers. [2]
The British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, the Gambia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nepal, Oman, Rwanda, Somalia, Suriname, Togo, the United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe appeared in this event for the first time. The United States made its 19th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.
The competition retained the basic four-round format from 1920. The "fastest loser" system, introduced in 1964, was used for the first round. There were 10 first-round heats, each with 8 runners. The top three runners in each heat advanced, along with the next two fastest overall. The 32 quarterfinalists were divided into 4 quarterfinals with 8 runners each; the top four athletes in each quarterfinal heat advanced to the semifinals, with no "fastest loser" spots. The semifinals featured 2 heats of 8 runners each. The top four runners in each semifinal heat advanced, making an eight-man final. [2] [3]
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1976 Summer Olympics.
World record | Lee Evans (USA) | 43.86 | Mexico City, Mexico | 18 October 1968 |
Olympic record | Lee Evans (USA) | 43.8 | Mexico City, Mexico | 18 October 1968 |
No world or Olympic records were set during this event. National records set were:
Nation | Athlete | Round | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Barbados | Elvis Forde | Semifinal 2 | 45.32 |
Somalia | Ibrahim Okash | Heat 1 | 47.91 |
For the first time, the event was held on four separate days, with each round being on a different day.
All times are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Date | Time | Round |
---|---|---|
Saturday, 4 August 1984 | 10:30 | Round 1 |
Sunday, 5 August 1984 | 17:00 | Quarterfinals |
Monday, 6 August 1984 | 16:55 | Semifinals |
Wednesday, 8 August 1984 | 16:45 | Final |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Davison Lishebo | Zambia | 46.20 | Q |
2 | 1 | David Peltier | Barbados | 46.57 | Q |
3 | 7 | Allan Ingraham | Bahamas | 46.72 | Q |
4 | 6 | Boubacar Diallo | Senegal | 46.73 | |
5 | 2 | Dean Greenaway | British Virgin Islands | 47.33 | |
6 | 3 | Evaldo da Silva | Brazil | 47.55 | |
7 | 4 | Ibrahim Okash | Somalia | 47.91 | NR |
8 | 8 | Issaka Hassane | Chad | 49.64 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Gabriel Tiacoh | Ivory Coast | 45.96 | Q |
2 | 6 | David Kitur | Kenya | 46.25 | Q |
3 | 5 | Marcel Arnold | Switzerland | 46.46 | Q |
4 | 2 | Gary Minihan | Australia | 46.93 | |
5 | 1 | Nordin Jadi | Malaysia | 47.12 | |
6 | 7 | Tommy Johansson | Sweden | 47.77 | |
7 | 8 | Daniel Andre | Mauritius | 49.09 | |
8 | 4 | Faustin Butéra | Rwanda | 51.41 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Innocent Egbunike | Nigeria | 46.63 | Q |
2 | 5 | Mark Senior | Jamaica | 46.73 | Q |
3 | 8 | Gérson de Souza | Brazil | 47.02 | Q |
4 | 6 | Manuel Ramirez-Caicedo | Colombia | 47.17 | |
5 | 7 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 47.40 | |
6 | 4 | Mohamed Amer Al-Malky | Oman | 47.61 | |
7 | 3 | Meesaq Rizvi | Pakistan | 49.58 | |
— | 2 | Secundino Borabota | Equatorial Guinea | DSQ |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Bertland Cameron | Jamaica | 46.14 | Q |
2 | 7 | Oddur Sigurdsson | Iceland | 46.30 | Q |
3 | 2 | Doug Hinds | Canada | 46.42 | Q |
4 | 1 | Richard Louis | Barbados | 46.70 | |
5 | 5 | Jean-Didiace Bémou | Republic of the Congo | 47.26 | |
6 | 3 | Hector Llatser | France | 47.30 | |
7 | 8 | Phillip Pipersburg | Belize | 48.04 | |
8 | 6 | Alberto López | Guatemala | 52.21 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Alonzo Babers | United States | 45.81 | Q |
2 | 3 | Michael Paul | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.18 | Q |
3 | 2 | Philip Brown | Great Britain | 46.26 | Q |
4 | 1 | Moses Kyeswa | Uganda | 46.78 | |
5 | 8 | Tim Bethune | Canada | 46.98 | |
6 | 6 | Joseph Ramotshabi | Botswana | 48.11 | |
7 | 5 | Dawda Jallow | The Gambia | 48.36 | |
8 | 4 | René López | El Salvador | 48.71 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Bruce Frayne | Australia | 46.08 | Q |
2 | 2 | Aldo Canti | France | 46.14 | Q |
3 | 8 | Susumu Takano | Japan | 46.26 | Q |
4 | 6 | Nafi Mersal | Egypt | 46.46 | |
5 | 3 | Alfred Browne | Antigua and Barbuda | 47.29 | |
6 | 7 | Rashid Al-Jirbi | United Arab Emirates | 48.71 | |
7 | 4 | Siegfried Cruden | Suriname | 50.07 | |
— | 5 | Hassan El-Kashief | Sudan | DNF |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Sunder Nix | United States | 45.42 | Q |
2 | 6 | Elvis Forde | Barbados | 45.47 | Q |
3 | 7 | Antonio Sánchez | Spain | 46.03 | Q |
4 | 4 | Anton Skerritt | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.30 | q |
5 | 5 | James Atuti | Kenya | 47.04 | |
6 | 8 | Adjé Adjeoda Vignon | Togo | 47.43 | |
7 | 3 | Lapule Tamean | Papua New Guinea | 47.60 | |
8 | 1 | Pushpa Raj Ojha | Nepal | 52.12 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Antonio McKay | United States | 45.55 | Q |
2 | 1 | John Anzrah | Kenya | 46.12 | Q |
3 | 7 | Isidro del Prado | Philippines | 46.82 | Q |
4 | 6 | Leonardo Loforte | Mozambique | 47.07 | |
5 | 3 | Joseph Rodan | Fiji | 49.00 | |
6 | 8 | Agripa Mwausegha | Malawi | 49.12 | |
7 | 4 | Charles Moses | Ghana | 50.39 | |
— | 2 | Ali St. Louis | Trinidad and Tobago | DNF |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Erwin Skamrahl | West Germany | 45.94 | Q |
2 | 5 | Angel Heras | Spain | 46.06 | Q |
3 | 3 | Todd Bennett | Great Britain | 46.09 | Q |
4 | 4 | Yann Quentrec | France | 46.94 | |
5 | 7 | Wilson dos Santos | Brazil | 47.55 | |
6 | 8 | Mark Handelsman | Israel | 48.17 | |
7 | 1 | Chris Madzokere | Zimbabwe | 48.49 | |
8 | 6 | Arsène Randriamahazomana | Madagascar | 48.86 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Kriss Akabusi | Great Britain | 45.64 | Q |
2 | 3 | Darren Clark | Australia | 45.68 | Q |
3 | 5 | Sunday Uti | Nigeria | 45.74 | Q |
4 | 2 | Devon Morris | Jamaica | 45.80 | q |
5 | 1 | Mike Okot | Uganda | 46.68 | |
6 | 8 | Samuel Sarkpa | Liberia | 47.65 | |
7 | 7 | Mama Moluh | Cameroon | 48.90 | |
— | 4 | Vincent Confait | Seychelles | DSQ |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | Antonio McKay | United States | 44.72 | Q |
2 | 6 | Darren Clark | Australia | 44.77 | Q |
3 | 3 | Kriss Akabusi | Great Britain | 45.43 | Q |
4 | 4 | Dave Lishebo | Zambia | 45.57 | Q |
5 | 2 | John Anzrah | Kenya | 45.67 | |
6 | 1 | Devon Morris | Jamaica | 46.14 | |
7 | 7 | Allan Ingraham | Bahamas | 46.14 | |
8 | 5 | David Peltier | Barbados | 46.48 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Innocent Egbunike | Nigeria | 45.26 | Q |
2 | 5 | Sunder Nix | United States | 45.31 | Q |
3 | 2 | Elvis Forde | Barbados | 45.60 | Q |
4 | 7 | Aldo Canti | France | 45.64 | Q |
5 | 3 | Angel Heras | Spain | 45.88 | |
6 | 6 | Marcel Arnold | Switzerland | 46.10 | |
7 | 8 | Philip Brown | Great Britain | 46.63 | |
8 | 1 | Anton Skerritt | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.93 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Alonzo Babers | United States | 44.75 | Q, PB |
2 | 1 | Sunday Uti | Nigeria | 45.01 | Q |
3 | 8 | Bertland Cameron | Jamaica | 45.16 | Q |
4 | 7 | Bruce Frayne | Australia | 45.35 | Q |
5 | 6 | Todd Bennett | Great Britain | 45.51 | |
6 | 2 | Antonio Sánchez | Spain | 45.79 | |
7 | 4 | Oddur Sigurdsson | Iceland | 46.07 | |
8 | 3 | Doug Hinds | Canada | 46.19 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Gabriel Tiacoh | Ivory Coast | 45.15 | Q |
2 | 6 | David Kitur | Kenya | 45.78 | Q |
3 | 8 | Michael Paul | Trinidad and Tobago | 45.84 | Q |
4 | 4 | Susumu Takano | Japan | 45.91 | Q |
5 | 1 | Erwin Skamrahl | West Germany | 46.39 | |
6 | 7 | Mark Senior | Jamaica | 46.50 | |
7 | 3 | Gerson Souza | Brazil | 46.65 | |
8 | 5 | Isidro del Prado | Philippines | 46.71 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Innocent Egbunike | Nigeria | 45.16 | Q |
2 | 7 | Alonzo Babers | United States | 45.17 | Q |
3 | 1 | Darren Clark | Australia | 45.26 | Q |
4 | 6 | Sunder Nix | United States | 45.41 | Q |
5 | 8 | Aldo Canti | France | 45.59 | |
6 | 5 | Michael Paul | Trinidad and Tobago | 45.60 | |
7 | 2 | Kriss Akabusi | Great Britain | 45.69 | |
8 | 4 | Susumu Takano | Japan | 45.88 |
Cameron pulled up with an injury at 150 metres, hopping for about 20 metres before returning to a run. Despite the injury, he finished fourth to qualify for the final (in which he ultimately would not be able to run). [2]
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Gabriel Tiacoh | Ivory Coast | 44.64 | Q |
2 | 8 | Sunday Uti | Nigeria | 44.83 | Q |
3 | 3 | Antonio McKay | United States | 44.92 | Q |
4 | 2 | Bertland Cameron | Jamaica | 45.10 | Q |
5 | 5 | Bruce Frayne | Australia | 45.21 | |
6 | 1 | Elvis Forde | Barbados | 45.32 | NR |
7 | 6 | David Kitur | Kenya | 45.62 | |
8 | 7 | Dave Lishebo | Zambia | 45.97 |
Cameron was still injured from the semifinal race and could not start the final. Clark led early and held the lead until the final straight. Babers began his successful push from about the 250 metre mark, with Tiacoh behind him. McKay edged Clark and Nix at the finish. [2] [4]
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | Alonzo Babers | United States | 44.27 | PB | |
7 | Gabriel Tiacoh | Ivory Coast | 44.54 | ||
1 | Antonio McKay | United States | 44.71 | ||
4 | 5 | Darren Clark | Australia | 44.75 | |
5 | 6 | Sunder Nix | United States | 44.75 | |
6 | 2 | Sunday Uti | Nigeria | 44.93 | |
7 | 3 | Innocent Egbunike | Nigeria | 45.35 | |
— | 8 | Bertland Cameron | Jamaica | DNS |
In the UK TV show Little Britain , character Denver Mills is credited as having won the silver medal in the 400 metres at the 1984 Olympics.
The men's 400 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 20 to 23. Sixty-two athletes from 48 nations competed. The event was won by Jeremy Wariner of the United States, the sixth in what would ultimately be 7 consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008 and the 18th overall title in the event by the United States. The United States swept the podium for the 4th time in the event.
The men's 400 metres was the third-shortest of the men's track races in the Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics program in Tokyo. It was held on 17 October, 18 October, and 19 October 1964. 55 athletes from 36 nations entered, with 5 not starting in the first round. The first two rounds were held on 17 October, with the semifinals on 18 October and the final on 19 October. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Mike Larrabee of the United States, the third consecutive and tenth overall victory for an American in the event. Trinidad and Tobago and Poland each earned their first medal in the 400 metres.
The men's 400 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea took place between 24 and 28 September 1988. Seventy-five athletes from 55 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Steve Lewis of the United States, the second in what would ultimately be 7 consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008. The United States swept the podium in the event for the third time, having previously done so in 1904 and 1968.
The men's 200 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 72 competitors from 59 nations, with ten qualifying heats (72), five quarterfinal races (40) and two semifinals (16), before the final (8) took off on Wednesday September 28, 1988. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Joe DeLoach of the United States, beating his teammate and defending champion Carl Lewis by 0.04 seconds in the final. The defeat ended Lewis's hopes of repeating his 1984 quadruple, despite running the final under his own Olympic record time. It was the United States' 14th victory in the men's 200 metres. Lewis was the seventh man to win multiple medals in the event, matching Andy Stanfield for the best result to that point. Robson da Silva earned Brazil's first medal in the event with his bronze.
The men's 400 metres event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia took place between 26 and 29 July. There were 62 competitors from 42 countries. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.
The men's 200 metres was an event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. It was held on 31 July and 1 August 1928 at the Olympic Stadium. There were 59 competitors from 29 nations. Nations had been limited to 4 athletes each since 1920. The event was won by Percy Williams of Canada, the nation's second victory in the event. The win broke a streak of three victories by the United States; with no Americans on the podium, the nation's six-Games medal streak was broken as well. Walter Rangeley of Great Britain took silver, giving Great Britain a four-Games medal streak in the event. Germany earned its first men's 200 metres medal with Helmut Körnig's bronze.
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total number of 68 participating athletes from 52 nations, with nine qualifying heats. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Quincy Watts of the United States, the third in what would ultimately be seven consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008 and the 15th overall title in the event by the United States. Steve Lewis became the third man to win a second medal in the event. Samson Kitur earned Kenya's first medal in the men's 400 metres since 1972.
The men's 400 metres event at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics programme was held at Stadium Australia from 22 to 25 September 2000. Sixty-eight athletes from 44 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Michael Johnson of the United States, successfully defending his 1996 gold medal. It was the fifth in what would ultimately be 7 consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008 and the 17th overall title in the event by the United States. Gregory Haughton's bronze was Jamaica's first medal in the event since the nation won back-to-back golds in 1948 and 1952.
The men's 200 metres was an event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There were 78 participating athletes from 57 nations, with eleven qualifying heats (78), five quarterfinal races (40), two semifinals (16) and a final (8). The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Michael Johnson of the United States, the nation's fourth consecutive and 16th overall victory in the event. Frankie Fredericks of Namibia won his second straight silver medal, the eighth man to win multiple medals in the 200 metres. Ato Boldon earned Trinidad and Tobago's first medal in the event with his bronze.
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The competition was held from July 27 to July 30, 1980. Fifty athletes from 32 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Viktor Markin of the Soviet Union, the nation's first title in the men's 400 metres and first medal in the event since 1956. With the United States boycotting the Games, the country was not represented on the podium for the first time since 1920. Australia earned its first medal in the event with Rick Mitchell's silver, while East Germany won its first medal with Frank Schaffer's bronze, which was the first medal by any German since the United Team took silvers in 1956 and 1960.
The men's 200 metres sprint event at the 1936 Olympic Games took place between August 4 and August 5. There were 44 athletes from 22 nations competing. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by African American Jesse Owens, with silver going to Mack Robinson. Owens thus reached 3 gold medals in 1936, with the sprint relay still to come. The Netherlands earned its first medal in the men's 200 metres with Tinus Osendarp's bronze.
The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games took place on August 3 and August 4. There were 32 competitors from 20 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Glenn Hardin. After two Games of silver and bronze medals, it was the United States' first victory since 1920 and sixth overall. However, it was the first time since 1900 that the Americans had only one medalist in the event. John Loaring took Canada's first 400 metres hurdles medal since 1900 with his silver. Miguel White gave the Philippines a bronze in its 400 metres hurdles debut.
The men's 400 metres sprint event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place between August 4 and August 5. Fifty-three athletes from 28 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by Jamaican Arthur Wint coming from almost 10 meters back to catch teammate and world record holder Herb McKenley. This was Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal in any event, and broke a string of 3 straight American victories in the men's 400 metres.
The men's 100 metres sprint event at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland was held at the Olympic Stadium on 20 and 21 July. Seventy-two athletes from 33 nations competed; each nation was limited to 3 runners. The final was won by American Lindy Remigino, the fourth consecutive victory by a different American. Herb McKenley won Jamaica's first medal in the men's 100 metres with his silver, while McDonald Bailey's bronze put Great Britain on the podium for the first time since 1928. The final was "probably the closest mass finish in Olympic 100 metre history" with the first four runners all clocking in at 10.4 seconds hand-timed, all six finalists within 0.12 seconds electric-timed, and a photo finish necessary to separate the winners.
The men's 100 metres sprint event at the 1984 Olympic Games took place between August 3 and August 4. Eighty-two athletes from 59 countries participated. Each nation was limited to 3 athletes per rules in force since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Carl Lewis of the United States, that nation's first title after two Games of missing the podium. Canada's Ben Johnson took bronze to break up the Americans' bid to sweep the podium ; it was Canada's first medal in the event since 1964.
The men's 800 metres middle distance event at the 1960 Olympic Games took place between August 31 and September 2. Fifty-one athletes from 35 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.
The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1952 Summer Olympics took place July 20–21, 1952 at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. There were 40 competitors from 24 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by American Charles Moore. It was the nation's third consecutive and eighth overall victory in the event. The Soviet Union, in its debut, and New Zealand each earned their first medal in the men's 400 metres hurdles, with Yuriy Lituyev's silver and John Holland's bronze, respectively.
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. The competition was held between 16–18 of October. Times are listed as both hand timing and automatic timing. Hand timing was the official time used in the 1968 Olympics. Fifty-five athletes from 36 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Lee Evans of the United States, the fourth consecutive and 11th overall title in the event by an American. The Americans swept the podium, the second time a podium sweep occurred in the men's 400 metres.
The men's 400 metres was an event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on 3, 4 and 7 September. Sixty-four athletes from 49 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Vince Matthews of the United States, the nation's fifth consecutive and 12th overall victory in the event. The Americans' hopes to repeat their podium sweep of four years earlier were dashed by injury in the final. Bronze medalist Julius Sang became the first black African to win a sprint Olympic medal, earning Kenya's first medal in the event.
The men's 400 metres hurdles was an event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on 31 August - 2 September. There were 37 competitors from 25 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by John Akii-Bua of Uganda, the nation's first medal in the event and first gold medal in any Olympic event. Ralph Mann returned the United States to the podium after a one-Games absence with his silver medal, while David Hemery added a bronze to his 1968 gold to become the fifth man to earn multiple medals in the event while extending Great Britain's podium streak in the 400 metres hurdles to three Games.