# Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres

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 event was won by Michael Johnson of the United States. A few days later, Johnson would become the only man to win both the 400 metres and the 200 metres in the same Olympics. Johnson's 400 metres victory in Atlanta was the first of his two wins; he would become the only man to repeat as gold medalist in the event when he won again in 2000. More generally, his win was the fourth in what would ultimately be 7 consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008 and the 16th overall title in the event by the United States. Roger Black's silver medal was Great Britain's first in the event since 1936; Davis Kamoga's bronze was Uganda's first in the event ever.

## Background

This was the 23rd appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The only two finalists from 1992 to return were bronze medalist Samson Kitur of Kenya and seventh-place finisher Ibrahim Ismail Muftah of Qatar. Michael Johnson of the United States was the clear favorite, having won the last two world championships. His countryman Butch Reynolds had come in second both times, as well as having won silver in the 1988 Olympics. Roger Black of Great Britain, 1991 world championship runner-up, 1986 and 1990 European champion, and 1994 European runner-up, was probably the strongest non-American challenger.
Algeria, Comoros, Cyprus, Saint Lucia, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, and Yemen appeared in this event for the first time. The United States made its 22nd appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

## Competition format

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 8 first-round heats, each with 7 or 8 runners. The top three runners in each heat advanced, along with the next eight fastest overall (in contrast to previous instances where there were 8 heats, which used a top-four with no-fastest-loser rule). 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.

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics.
| World record | Butch Reynolds (USA) | 43.29 | Zürich, Switzerland | 17 August 1988 |
| Olympic record | Quincy Watts (USA) | 43.50 | Barcelona, Spain | 5 August 1992 |
In the final Michael Johnson set a new Olympic record by 0.01 seconds with 43.49 seconds.

## Schedule

Following the 1984 schedule, the event was held on four separate days, with each round being on a different day.
All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Friday, 26 July 1996 | 19:00 | Round 1 |
| Saturday, 27 July 1996 | 19:55 | Quarterfinals |
| Sunday, 28 July 1996 | 20:26 | Semifinals |
| Monday, 29 July 1996 | 21:10 | Final |

## Results
### Round 1
#### Heat 1

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Roger Black | Great Britain | 45.28 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Neil de Silva | Trinidad and Tobago | 45.34 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Štefan Balošák | Slovakia | 45.86 | Q |
| 4 | 6 | Jude Monye | Nigeria | 46.10 | q |
| 5 | 7 | Michael Joubert | Australia | 46.30 | |
| 6 | 5 | Kossi Akoto | Togo | 46.94 | |
| — | 8 | Moustafa Abdel Naser | Libya | DSQ | |
| — | 4 | Amar Hecini | Algeria | DSQ | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Davian Clarke | Jamaica | 45.54 | Q |
| 2 | 7 | Sanderlei Parrela | Brazil | 45.60 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Troy Douglas | Bermuda | 45.61 | Q |
| 4 | 6 | Charles Gitonga | Kenya | 45.62 | q |
| 5 | 2 | Piotr Rysiukiewicz | Poland | 46.07 | q |
| 6 | 3 | Mohamed Hamed Al-Bishi | Saudi Arabia | 46.82 | |
| 7 | 8 | Ivan Jean-Marie | Saint Lucia | 47.13 | |
| 8 | 4 | Hassan Abdou | Comoros | 50.17 | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Alvin Harrison | United States | 44.69 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | Ibrahim Ismail Muftah | Qatar | 45.61 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Paul Greene | Australia | 46.12 | Q |
| 4 | 8 | Shigekazu Omori | Japan | 46.30 | |
| 5 | 3 | Laurent Clerc | Switzerland | 46.42 | |
| 6 | 4 | Shon Ju-Il | South Korea | 46.74 | |
| 7 | 7 | Subul Babo | Papua New Guinea | 48.15 | |
| — | 1 | Justice Dipeba | Botswana | DNS | |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Eswort Coombs | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 45.84 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | Jean-Louis Rapnouil | France | 45.93 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Du'aine Ladejo | Great Britain | 46.27 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Troy McIntosh | Bahamas | 46.42 | |
| 5 | 7 | Valdinei da Silva | Brazil | 46.61 | |
| 6 | 1 | Richard Jones | Guyana | 46.99 | |
| 7 | 4 | Mpho Morobe | Lesotho | 47.54 | |
| 8 | 8 | Mohamed Amir | Maldives | 49.67 | |

#### Heat 5

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 8 | Sugath Thilakaratne | Sri Lanka | 45.79 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Michael Johnson | United States | 45.80 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Alejandro Cárdenas | Mexico | 45.85 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Bobang Phiri | South Africa | 45.94 | q |
| 5 | 5 | Kennedy Ochieng | Kenya | 45.99 | q |
| 6 | 2 | Euripidis Dimosthenous | Cyprus | 46.76 | |
| 7 | 4 | Emmanuel Rubayiza | Rwanda | 49.20 | |
| — | 7 | Francis Ogola | Uganda | DNF | |

#### Heat 6

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 7 | Butch Reynolds | United States | 45.42 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Arnaud Malherbe | South Africa | 45.75 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Tawanda Chiwira | Zimbabwe | 45.89 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | Mathias Rusterholz | Switzerland | 45.92 | q |
| 5 | 1 | Dawda Jallow | The Gambia | 46.73 | |
| 6 | 4 | Eugene Farrell | Ireland | 47.18 | |
| 7 | 2 | Casimiro Asumu Nze | Equatorial Guinea | 50.14 | |
| — | 8 | Ibrahim Hassan | Ghana | DNF | |

#### Heat 7

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Clement Chukwu | Nigeria | 45.18 | Q |
| 2 | 8 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 45.39 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Michael McDonald | Jamaica | 45.50 | Q |
| 4 | 6 | Hendrick Mokganyetsi | South Africa | 45.89 | q |
| 5 | 4 | Osmar dos Santos | Brazil | 46.16 | |
| 6 | 2 | Robert Guy | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.80 | |
| 7 | 7 | Martial Biguet | Central African Republic | 48.92 | |
| 8 | 3 | Anwar Mohamed Ali | Yemen | 50.81 | |

#### Heat 8

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Sunday Bada | Nigeria | 45.19 | Q |
| 2 | 7 | Iwan Thomas | Great Britain | 45.22 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Davis Kamoga | Uganda | 45.56 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | Roxbert Martin | Jamaica | 46.01 | q |
| 5 | 8 | Mark Ladbrook | Australia | 46.28 | |
| 6 | 6 | Carl Oliver | Bahamas | 47.41 | |
| 7 | 3 | Kimitene Biyago | Chad | 48.88 | |
| — | 4 | Ibrahim Ouédraogo | Burkina Faso | DNS | |

#### Eliminated in heats

Ranks are unofficial.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 33 | Osmar dos Santos | Brazil | 46.16 |
| 34 | Mark Ladbrook | Australia | 46.28 |
| 35 | Michael Joubert | Australia | 46.30 |
| 35 | Shigekazu Omori | Japan | 46.30 |
| 37 | Troy McIntosh | Bahamas | 46.42 |
| 37 | Laurent Clerc | Switzerland | 46.42 |
| 39 | Valdinei da Silva | Brazil | 46.61 |
| 40 | Richard Jones | Guyana | 46.69 |
| 41 | Dawda Jallow | The Gambia | 46.73 |
| 42 | Shon Ju-Il | South Korea | 46.74 |
| 43 | Evripides Demosthenous | Cyprus | 46.76 |
| 44 | Robert Guy | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.80 |
| 45 | Mohamed Hamed Al-Bishi | Saudi Arabia | 46.82 |
| 46 | Kossi Akoto | Togo | 46.94 |
| 47 | Ivan Jean-Marie | Saint Lucia | 47.13 |
| 48 | Eugene Farrell | Ireland | 47.18 |
| 49 | Carl Oliver | Bahamas | 47.41 |
| 50 | Mpho Morobe | Lesotho | 47.54 |
| 51 | Subul Babo | Papua New Guinea | 48.15 |
| 52 | Kimitene Biyago | Chad | 48.88 |
| 53 | Martial Biguet | Central African Republic | 48.92 |
| 54 | Emmanuel Rubayiza | Rwanda | 49.20 |
| 55 | Mohamed Amir | Maldives | 49.67 |
| 56 | Casimiro Asumu Nze | Equatorial Guinea | 50.14 |
| 57 | Hassan Abdou | Comoros | 50.17 |
| 58 | Anwar Mohamed Ali | Yemen | 50.81 |
| — | Ibrahim Hassan | Ghana | DNF |
| — | Francis Ogola | Uganda | DNF |
| — | Moustafa Abdel Naser | Libya | DSQ |
| — | Amar Hecini | Algeria | DSQ |
| — | Ibrahim Ouédraogo | Burkina Faso | DNS |
| — | Justice Dipeba | Botswana | DNS |

### Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals were held on 27 July 1996. The top four in each heat advanced to the semifinals.

#### Quarterfinal 1

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Sunday Bada | Nigeria | 44.88 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Davian Clarke | Jamaica | 44.98 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 45.03 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Troy Douglas | Bermuda | 45.26 | Q |
| 5 | 5 | Arnaud Malherbe | South Africa | 45.26 | |
| 6 | 7 | Tawanda Chiwira | Zimbabwe | 45.38 | |
| 7 | 8 | Mathias Rusterholz | Switzerland | 45.72 | |
| 8 | 1 | Piotr Rysiukiewicz | Poland | 46.19 | |

#### Quarterfinal 2

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Roger Black | Great Britain | 44.72 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Ibrahim Ismail Muftah | Qatar | 44.96 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Butch Reynolds | United States | 45.21 | Q |
| 4 | 8 | Štefan Balošák | Slovakia | 45.32 | Q |
| 5 | 7 | Alejandro Cárdenas | Mexico | 45.33 | |
| 6 | 1 | Bobang Phiri | South Africa | 45.51 | |
| 7 | 6 | Sanderlei Parrela | Brazil | 45.72 | |
| 8 | 2 | Kennedy Ochieng | Kenya | 45.72 | |

#### Quarterfinal 3

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Michael Johnson | United States | 44.62 | Q |
| 2 | 7 | Roxbert Martin | Jamaica | 44.74 | Q |
| 3 | 8 | Davis Kamoga | Uganda | 44.82 | Q |
| 4 | 4 | Neil de Silva | Trinidad and Tobago | 45.02 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Clement Chukwu | Nigeria | 45.24 | |
| 6 | 2 | Du'aine Ladejo | Great Britain | 45.62 | |
| 7 | 5 | Sugath Thilakaratne | Sri Lanka | 45.78 | |
| 8 | 1 | Paul Greene | Australia | 46.22 | |

#### Quarterfinal 4

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Alvin Harrison | United States | 44.79 | Q |
| 2 | 6 | Iwan Thomas | Great Britain | 45.04 | Q |
| 3 | 7 | Michael McDonald | Jamaica | 45.26 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | Eswort Coombs | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 45.43 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Jean-Louis Rapnouil | France | 45.74 | |
| 6 | 1 | Hendrick Mokganyetsi | South Africa | 46.48 | |
| — | 2 | Jude Monye | Nigeria | DNF | |
| — | 8 | Charles Gitonga | Kenya | DNS | |

#### Eliminated in quarterfinals

Ranks are unofficial.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 17 | Clement Chukwu | Nigeria | 45.24 |
| 18 | Arnaud Malherbe | South Africa | 45.26 |
| 19 | Alejandro Cardenas | Mexico | 45.33 |
| 20 | Tawanda Chiwira | Zimbabwe | 45.38 |
| 21 | Bobang Phiri | South Africa | 45.51 |
| 22 | Du'aine Ladejo | Great Britain | 45.62 |
| 23 | Sanderlei Parrela | Brazil | 45.72 |
| 24 | Mathias Rusterholz | Switzerland | 45.72 |
| 25 | Kennedy Ochieng | Kenya | 45.72 |
| 26 | Jean-Louis Rapnouil | France | 45.74 |
| 27 | Sugath Thilakaratne | Sri Lanka | 45.78 |
| 28 | Piotr Rysiukiewicz | Poland | 46.19 |
| 29 | Paul Greene | Australia | 46.22 |
| 30 | Hendrik Mokganyetsi | South Africa | 46.48 |
| 31 | Jude Monye | Nigeria | DNF |
| 32 | Charles Gitonga | Kenya | DNS |

### Semifinals

The semifinals were held on 28 July 1996. The top four in each heat advanced to the final.

#### Semifinal 1

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Roger Black | Great Britain | 44.69 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Davian Clarke | Jamaica | 44.87 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Ibrahim Ismail Muftah | Qatar | 45.02 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | Alvin Harrison | United States | 45.04 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 45.17 | |
| 6 | 7 | Štefan Balošák | Slovakia | 45.59 | |
| 7 | 8 | Troy Douglas | Bermuda | 46.33 | |
| — | 1 | Butch Reynolds | United States | DNF | |

#### Semifinal 2

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Michael Johnson | United States | 44.59 | Q |
| 2 | 6 | Roxbert Martin | Jamaica | 44.81 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Davis Kamoga | Uganda | 44.85 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Iwan Thomas | Great Britain | 45.01 | Q |
| 5 | 4 | Sunday Bada | Nigeria | 45.30 | |
| 6 | 8 | Eswort Coombs | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 45.36 | |
| 7 | 2 | Michael McDonald | Jamaica | 45.48 | |
| 8 | 7 | Neil de Silva | Trinidad and Tobago | 45.56 | |

#### Eliminated in semifinals

Ranks are unofficial.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 9 | Samson Kitur | Kenya | 45.17 |
| 10 | Sunday Bada | Nigeria | 45.30 |
| 11 | Eswort Coombs | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 45.36 |
| 12 | Michael McDonald | Jamaica | 45.48 |
| 13 | Neil de Silva | Trinidad and Tobago | 45.56 |
| 14 | Štefan Balošák | Slovakia | 45.59 |
| 15 | Troy Douglas | Bermuda | 46.33 |
| 16 | Butch Reynolds | United States | DNF |

### Final

The final was held on 29 July 1996.
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Michael Johnson | United States | 43.49 | OR |
| | 3 | Roger Black | Great Britain | 44.41 | |
| | 2 | Davis Kamoga | Uganda | 44.53 | |
| 4 | 1 | Alvin Harrison | United States | 44.62 | |
| 5 | 8 | Iwan Thomas | Great Britain | 44.70 | |
| 6 | 5 | Roxbert Martin | Jamaica | 44.83 | |
| 7 | 6 | Davian Clarke | Jamaica | 44.99 | |
| — | 7 | Ibrahim Ismail Muftah | Qatar | DNF | |