# Athletics at the 1979 Pan American Games – Men's 100 metres

The men's 100 metres sprint competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 7 and 8 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Silvio Leonard of Cuba.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan American Games records were as follows:
| World record | Jim Hines (USA) | 9.95 | Mexico City, Mexico | October 14, 1968 |
| Pan American Games record | Silvio Leonard (CUB) | 10.15 | Mexico City, Mexico | 1975 |

## Results

All times shown are in seconds. Harvey Glance set a new Pan American Record in the semifinals with a time of 10.12 seconds.
| KEY: | WR | World Record | GR | Pan American Record |

### Heats

Held on 7 July
Wind: Heat 1: +0.7 m/s, Heat 2: +0.8 m/s, Heat 3: +1.1 m/s, Heat 4: +0.4 m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Harvey Glance | United States | 10.14 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Emmit King | United States | 10.25 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Silvio Leonard | Cuba | 10.27 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Rui da Silva | Brazil | 10.38 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Nelson dos Santos | Brazil | 10.39 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Ephraim Serrette | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.42 | Q |
| 7 | 2 | Desai Williams | Canada | 10.44 | Q |
| 8 | 4 | Osvaldo Lara | Cuba | 10.45 | Q |
| 9 | 3 | Jesús Cabrera | Puerto Rico | 10.48 | q |
| 10 | 2 | Guy Abrahams | Panama | 10.50 | Q |
| 11 | 4 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 10.54 | Q |
| 12 | 4 | Rudy Levarity | Bahamas | 10.55 | Q |
| 13 | 4 | Dennis Trott | Bermuda | 10.56 | q |
| 14 | 2 | Gerard Suero | Dominican Republic | 10.59 | q |
| 15 | 1 | Oliver Heywood | Jamaica | 10.64 | Q |
| 15 | 4 | Rafael Félix | Dominican Republic | 10.64 | q |
| 17 | 1 | Marvin Nash | Canada | 10.73 | |
| 18 | 2 | Richard Wilson | Jamaica | 10.73 | |
| 19 | 1 | Edwin Noel | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.75 | |
| 20 | 4 | Florencio Aguilar | Panama | 10.76 | |
| 21 | 2 | David Phillips | Barbados | 10.91 | |
| 22 | 4 | Luis Schneider | Chile | 10.96 | |
| 23 | 3 | Wendell Powell | Virgin Islands | 10.98 | |
| 24 | 2 | Roberto McFarlane | Costa Rica | 11.11 | |
| 25 | 1 | Ronald Russell | Virgin Islands | 11.25 | |
| | 3 | James Gilkes | Guyana | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Held on 7 July
Wind: Heat 1: +0.9 m/s, Heat 2: +1.0 m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Harvey Glance | United States | 10.13 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Emmit King | United States | 10.19 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Silvio Leonard | Cuba | 10.21 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Nelson dos Santos | Brazil | 10.30 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Desai Williams | Canada | 10.43 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Rui da Silva | Brazil | 10.44 | Q |
| 7 | 2 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 10.44 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Osvaldo Lara | Cuba | 10.44 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Ephraim Serrette | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.45 | |
| 10 | 2 | Guy Abrahams | Panama | 10.45 | |
| 11 | 2 | Dennis Trott | Bermuda | 10.56 | |
| 12 | 2 | Jesús Cabrera | Puerto Rico | 10.62 | |
| 13 | 1 | Oliver Heywood | Jamaica | 10.63 | |
| 14 | 2 | Rafael Félix | Dominican Republic | 10.68 | |
| 15 | 1 | Rudy Levarity | Bahamas | 10.69 | |
| 16 | 1 | Gerard Suero | Dominican Republic | 10.73 | |

### Final

Held on 8 July
Wind: +1.5 m/s
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Silvio Leonard | Cuba | 10.13 |
| | Harvey Glance | United States | 10.19 |
| | Emmit King | United States | 10.30 |
| 4 | Nelson dos Santos | Brazil | 10.33 |
| 5 | Rui da Silva | Brazil | 10.41 |
| 6 | Osvaldo Lara | Cuba | 10.47 |
| 7 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 10.48 |
| 8 | Desai Williams | Canada | 10.58 |