# Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres

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. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by 0.27 seconds 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.

## Background

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.
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.

## 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 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.

## Records

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) | 43.86 | 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 |

## Schedule

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 |

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

| 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 | |

#### Heat 2

| 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 | |

#### Heat 3

| 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 | Bryan 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 | |

#### Heat 4

| 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-Didace Bemou | 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 | |

#### Heat 5

| 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 | |

#### Heat 6

| 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 | |

#### Heat 7

| 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 | |

#### Heat 8

| 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 | |

#### Heat 9

| 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 | |

#### Heat 10

| 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 |

### Quarterfinals
#### Quarterfinal 1

| 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 | |

#### Quarterfinal 2

| 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 | |

#### Quarterfinal 3

| 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 | |

#### Quarterfinal 4

| 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 | |

### Semifinals
#### Semifinal 1

| 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 | |

#### Semifinal 2

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).
| 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 | |

### Final

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.
| 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 popular culture

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.