# Athletics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games – Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres event at the 1990 Commonwealth Games was held on 27 and 28 January at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Darren Clark Australia | Samson Kitur Kenya | Simeon Kipkemboi Kenya |

## Results
### Heats

Qualification: First 6 of each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) qualified for the quarterfinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 46.12 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Stephen Mwanzia | Kenya | 46.51 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Darren Clark | Australia | 46.64 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Simeon Kipkemboi | Kenya | 46.70 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Devon Morris | Jamaica | 46.73 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | Wayne McDonald | England | 46.87 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | Trevor Graham | Jamaica | 47.11 | Q |
| 8 | 3 | Howard Burnett | Jamaica | 47.12 | Q |
| 9 | 4 | Robert Stone | Australia | 47.13 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Mark Garner | Australia | 47.23 | Q |
| 11 | 3 | Camera Ntereke | Botswana | 47.27 | Q |
| 12 | 3 | Todd Bennett | England | 47.28 | Q |
| 13 | 4 | Patrick Delice | Trinidad and Tobago | 47.37 | Q |
| 14 | 4 | Mike McLean | Canada | 47.49 | Q |
| 15 | 4 | John Goville | Uganda | 47.64 | Q |
| 16 | 1 | Craig Purdy | New Zealand | 47.67 | Q |
| 17 | 1 | Steve O'Brien | Canada | 47.85 | Q |
| 18 | 5 | Felix Sandy | Sierra Leone | 47.89 | Q |
| 19 | 5 | Joseph Adam | Seychelles | 48.08 | Q |
| 20 | 5 | Siebert Straughan | Barbados | 48.11 | Q |
| 21 | 5 | Anton Skerritt | Canada | 48.20 | Q |
| 22 | 1 | Mohamed Hossain Milzer | Bangladesh | 48.24 | Q |
| 22 | 2 | Phil Brown | England | 48.24 | Q |
| 24 | 2 | Takale Tuna | Papua New Guinea | 48.45 | Q |
| 25 | 2 | Grant Gilbert | New Zealand | 48.47 | Q |
| 26 | 5 | Duane Johnson | Guyana | 48.49 | Q |
| 27 | 3 | Troy Douglas | Bermuda | 48.80 | Q |
| 28 | 5 | Eugene Matthews | Trinidad and Tobago | 48.84 | q |
| 29 | 2 | David Teece | Isle of Man | 48.99 | Q |
| 30 | 1 | Muhammad Sadaqat | Pakistan | 49.08 | q |
| 31 | 3 | Muhammad Fayyaz | Pakistan | 49.19 | Q |
| 32 | 5 | Lamin Marikong | Gambia | 49.75 | q |
| 33 | 3 | Darren Dale | New Zealand | 50.27 | Q |
| 34 | 4 | John Hou | Papua New Guinea | 50.32 | q |
| 35 | 4 | Patrick Mchiwiri | Malawi | 50.86 | q |
| 36 | 1 | Ancel Nalau | Vanuatu | 53.32 | q |
| 37 | 2 | Baptiste Firiam | Vanuatu | 1:03.41 | |
| | 3 | Alvin Daniel | Trinidad and Tobago | DNF | |
| | 2 | Brian Whittle | Scotland | DNS | |

### Quarterfinals

Qualification: First 4 of each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 45.79 | Q |
| 2 | 1 | Robert Stone | Australia | 46.23 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Devon Morris | Jamaica | 46.24 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Howard Burnett | Jamaica | 46.33 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Simeon Kipkemboi | Kenya | 46.44 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Todd Bennett | England | 46.59 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | Patrick Delice | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.67 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Darren Clark | Australia | 46.68 | Q |
| 9 | 3 | Anton Skerritt | Canada | 46.74 | q |
| 10 | 2 | Wayne McDonald | England | 46.82 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Felix Sandy | Sierra Leone | 46.89 | Q |
| 12 | 4 | Stephen Mwanzia | Kenya | 46.93 | Q |
| 13 | 4 | Phil Brown | England | 47.09 | Q |
| 14 | 4 | Grant Gilbert | New Zealand | 47.11 | Q |
| 15 | 4 | Trevor Graham | Jamaica | 47.19 | Q |
| 16 | 4 | Mark Garner | Australia | 47.24 | q |
| 17 | 2 | Mike McLean | Canada | 47.34 | Q |
| 18 | 2 | Troy Douglas | Bermuda | 47.41 | Q |
| 19 | 2 | Camera Ntereke | Botswana | 47.58 | |
| 20 | 3 | Siebert Straughan | Barbados | 47.78 | |
| 21 | 1 | Craig Purdy | New Zealand | 47.87 | |
| 22 | 2 | Darren Dale | New Zealand | 47.98 | |
| 23 | 1 | Takale Tuna | Papua New Guinea | 47.99 | |
| 24 | 1 | Duane Johnson | Guyana | 48.04 | |
| 25 | 4 | John Goville | Uganda | 48.07 | |
| 26 | 2 | Joseph Adam | Seychelles | 48.51 | |
| 27 | 2 | Mohamed Hossain Milzer | Bangladesh | 48.60 | |
| 28 | 4 | Steve O'Brien | Canada | 48.71 | |
| 29 | 4 | Muhammad Fayyaz | Pakistan | 48.75 | |
| 30 | 3 | Muhammad Sadaqat | Pakistan | 49.00 | |
| 31 | 3 | David Teece | Isle of Man | 49.43 | |
| 32 | 1 | Patrick Mchiwiri | Malawi | 51.69 | |
| 33 | 4 | John Hou | Papua New Guinea | 52.24 | |
| | 2 | Eugene Matthews | Trinidad and Tobago | DQ | |
| | 1 | Lamin Marikong | Gambia | DNS | |
| | 3 | Ancel Nalau | Vanuatu | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Qualification: First 4 of each heat (Q) and the next 1 fastest (q) qualified for the final.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Darren Clark | Australia | 45.64 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 45.67 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Mark Garner | Australia | 46.02 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Todd Bennett | England | 46.06 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Simeon Kipkemboi | Kenya | 46.22 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Stephen Mwanzia | Kenya | 46.28 | q |
| 7 | 1 | Robert Stone | Australia | 46.29 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | Devon Morris | Jamaica | 46.65 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Grant Gilbert | New Zealand | 46.68 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Trevor Graham | Jamaica | 46.89 | |
| 11 | 1 | Patrick Delice | Trinidad and Tobago | 47.08 | |
| 12 | 1 | Wayne McDonald | England | 47.13 | |
| 13 | 1 | Felix Sandy | Sierra Leone | 47.21 | |
| 14 | 2 | Howard Burnett | Jamaica | 47.22 | |
| 15 | 2 | Anton Skerritt | Canada | 47.79 | |
| 16 | 1 | Mike McLean | Canada | 47.81 | |
| 17 | 2 | Troy Douglas | Bermuda | 48.15 | |
| | 2 | Phil Brown | England | DNF | |

### Final

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 6 | Darren Clark | Australia | 44.60 | CR |
| | 4 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 44.88 | |
| | 7 | Simeon Kipkemboi | Kenya | 44.93 | |
| 4 | 1 | Robert Stone | Australia | 45.25 | |
| 5 | 8 | Devon Morris | Jamaica | 45.68 | |
| 6 | 3 | Mark Garner | Australia | 46.10 | |
| 7 | 2 | Grant Gilbert | New Zealand | 46.18 | |
| 8 | 9 | Stephen Mwanzia | Kenya | 46.35 | |
| 9 | 5 | Todd Bennett | England | 46.64 | |