# Athletics at the 1977 Summer Universiade – Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres event at the 1977 Summer Universiade was held at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia on 19, 20 and 21 August.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Fons Brydenbach Belgium | Willie Smith United States | Ryszard Podlas Poland |

## Results
### Heats

| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Willie Smith | United States | 46.35 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | Steve Scutt | Great Britain | 46.53 | Q |
| 3 | 7 | Ryszard Podlas | Poland | 46.57 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Jerzy Pietrzyk | Poland | 46.58 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Elvis Jennings | United States | 46.59 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | Zakir Urinov | Soviet Union | 46.88 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | Fons Brydenbach | Belgium | 47.08 | Q |
| 8 | 5 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 47.12 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | Yasuhiro Harada | Japan | 47.14 | q |
| 10 | 7 | Glenn Bogue | Canada | 47.17 | Q |
| 11 | 3 | Hector Llatser | France | 47.22 | Q |
| 11 | 5 | Narzis Popov | Bulgaria | 47.22 | q |
| 13 | 1 | Horia Toboc | Romania | 47.28 | Q |
| 14 | 7 | Flavio Borghi | Italy | 47.29 | q |
| 15 | 2 | Lionel Malingre | France | 47.35 | q |
| 16 | 6 | Alfonso Di Guida | Italy | 47.37 | Q |
| 17 | 6 | Lothar Krieg | West Germany | 47.40 | Q |
| 18 | 1 | Željko Knapić | Yugoslavia | 47.55 | q |
| 19 | 3 | Pavel Litovchenko | Soviet Union | 47.63 | q |
| 20 | 7 | Konstantin Vogt | Switzerland | 47.67 | q |
| 21 | 7 | Jukka Paaianen | Finland | 47.73 | q |
| 22 | 4 | Rolf Gisler | Switzerland | 47.75 | Q |
| 23 | 1 | Alexander Feroteiny | Austria | 47.83 | |
| 24 | 4 | Henry Hermans | Belgium | 47.84 | |
| 25 | 6 | Leopoldo Puertas | Spain | 47.85 | |
| 26 | 6 | Alphonse Mandonda | Congo | 47.93 | |
| 27 | 3 | Iritia Genaro | Spain | 48.11 | |
| 28 | 3 | Josip Bohucki | Yugoslavia | 48.39 | |
| 29 | 8 | Takashi Nagao | Japan | 48.51 | Q |
| 30 | 8 | Roger Jenkins | Great Britain | 48.66 | Q |
| 31 | 7 | Istvan de Jesús | Puerto Rico | 48.83 | |
| 32 | 1 | Jean-Prosper Rajaonarison | Madagascar | 48.92 | |
| 33 | 8 | Yordan Yordanov | Bulgaria | 49.12 | |
| 34 | 2 | Brahim Badi | Algeria | 49.15 | |
| 35 | 4 | Omer Yousif | Sudan | 49.23 | |
| 36 | 8 | Eberhard Schneider | West Germany | 49.24 | |
| 37 | 8 | Istvan Nagy | Romania | 49.43 | |
| 38 | 2 | Klaus Mayramhof | Austria | 49.93 | |
| 39 | 3 | Aydoğan Erdoğan | Turkey | 50.08 | |
| 40 | 8 | Moustapha Belgacem | Tunisia | 51.44 | |
| 41 | 6 | Amor Ghimaji | Tunisia | 51.45 | |
| 42 | 4 | Titus Kiboi | Kenya | 53.85 | |

### Semifinals

| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Willie Smith | United States | 45.71 | Q |
| 2 | 1 | Lothar Krieg | West Germany | 46.24 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Fons Brydenbach | Belgium | 46.32 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Elvis Jennings | United States | 46.40 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Steve Scutt | Great Britain | 46.42 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Jerzy Pietrzyk | Poland | 46.58 | q |
| 7 | 2 | Ryszard Podlas | Poland | 46.59 | Q |
| 8 | 3 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 46.76 | q |
| 9 | 2 | Zakir Urinov | Soviet Union | 46.97 | |
| 10 | 1 | Glenn Bogue | Canada | 47.04 | |
| 10 | 2 | Željko Knapić | Yugoslavia | 47.04 | |
| 12 | 2 | Narzis Popov | Bulgaria | 47.05 | |
| 13 | 1 | Alfonso Di Guida | Italy | 47.15 | |
| 14 | 2 | Yasuhiro Harada | Japan | 47.26 | |
| 15 | 1 | Rolf Gisler | Switzerland | 47.40 | |
| 16 | 1 | Takashi Nagao | Japan | 47.46 | |
| 17 | 3 | Flavio Borghi | Italy | 47.65 | |
| 18 | 2 | Jukka Paaianen | Finland | 47.73 | |
| 19 | 3 | Konstantin Vogt | Switzerland | 47.73 | |
| | ? | Horia Toboc | Romania | ? | |
| | ? | Roger Jenkins | Great Britain | ? | |
| | ? | Hector Llatser | France | DNS | |
| | ? | Lionel Malingre | France | DNS | |
| | 1 | Pavel Litovchenko | Soviet Union | DNS | |

### Final

| Rank | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
| | Fons Brydenbach | Belgium | 45.18 |
| | Willie Smith | United States | 45.34 |
| | Ryszard Podlas | Poland | 45.36 |
| 4 | Elvis Jennings | United States | 45.95 |
| 5 | Lothar Krieg | West Germany | 46.25 |
| 6 | Steve Scutt | Great Britain | 46.27 |
| 7 | Jerzy Pietrzyk | Poland | 46.40 |
| 8 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 46.41 |