# 1978 European Athletics Championships – Men's 200 metres

The men's 200 metres at the 1978 European Athletics Championships was held in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, at Stadion Evžena Rošického on 31 August, and 1 September 1978.
The winning margin was 0.45 seconds. With the conclusion of the 2024 championships, this remains the greatest winning margin in the men's 200 metres at these championships, a feat which was equalled in 2012 by Churandy Martina of the Netherlands.

## Participation

According to an unofficial count, 26 athletes from 15 countries participated in the event.
* Belgium (2)
* Bulgaria (2)
* Czechoslovakia (3)
* East Germany (2)
* Finland (1)
* France (3)
* Great Britain (2)
* Iceland (1)
* Italy (1)
* Luxembourg (2)
* Poland (2)
* Soviet Union (2)
* Spain (1)
* Switzerland (1)
* Yugoslavia (1)

## Results
### Heats

31 August

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Pietro Mennea | Italy | 20.70 | Q |
| 2 | Leszek Dunecki | Poland | 21.01 | Q |
| 3 | Dragan Zarić | Yugoslavia | 21.13 | Q |
| 4 | David Jenkins | Great Britain | 21.16 | Q |
| 5 | Roland Bombardella | Luxembourg | 21.17 | |
| 6 | Lambert Micha | Belgium | 21.36 | |
| | | | Wind: +0.5 m/s | Wind: +0.5 m/s |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Aleksandr Aksinin | Soviet Union | 20.97 | Q |
| 2 | Joseph Arame | France | 21.32 | Q |
| 3 | Antti Rajamäki | Finland | 21.34 | Q |
| 4 | Klaus Thiele | East Germany | 21.36 | Q |
| 5 | Luděk Bohman | Czechoslovakia | 21.39 | |
| 6 | Mike Bayle | Luxembourg | 21.48 | |
| 7 | Vilmundur Vilhjálmsson | Iceland | 21.80 | |
| | | | Wind: -1.5 m/s | Wind: -1.5 m/s |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Pascal Barré | France | 20.78 | Q |
| 2 | Vladimir Ignatenko | Soviet Union | 20.98 | Q |
| 3 | Luis Sarría | Spain | 21.18 | Q |
| 4 | Martin Pelach | Czechoslovakia | 21.48 | Q |
| 5 | Pavel Pavlov | Bulgaria | 21.50 | |
| | Renno Roelandt | Belgium | DNF | |
| | | | Wind: -0.2 m/s | Wind: -0.2 m/s |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Zenon Licznerski | Poland | 20.82 | Q |
| 2 | Vladimir Ivanov | Bulgaria | 20.96 | Q |
| 3 | Olaf Prenzler | East Germany | 20.97 | Q |
| 4 | Peter Muster | Switzerland | 21.04 | Q |
| 5 | Trevor Hoyte | Great Britain | 21.24 | |
| 6 | Patrick Barré | France | 21.27 | |
| 7 | Marián Králik | Czechoslovakia | 21.47 | |
| | | | Wind: +0.2 m/s | Wind: +0.2 m/s |

### Semi-finals

31 August

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Pietro Mennea | Italy | 20.40 | Q |
| 2 | Peter Muster | Switzerland | 20.63 | Q |
| 3 | Leszek Dunecki | Poland | 20.64 | Q |
| 4 | Olaf Prenzler | East Germany | 20.69 | Q |
| 5 | Vladimir Ignatenko | Soviet Union | 20.74 | |
| 6 | Joseph Arame | France | 21.08 | |
| 7 | Antti Rajamäki | Finland | 21.19 | |
| 8 | Martin Pelach | Czechoslovakia | 21.59 | |
| | | | Wind: -0.2 m/s | Wind: -0.2 m/s |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Pascal Barré | France | 20.96 | Q |
| 2 | Vladimir Ivanov | Bulgaria | 20.96 | Q |
| 3 | Aleksandr Aksinin | Soviet Union | 21.08 | Q |
| 4 | Zenon Licznerski | Poland | 21.10 | Q |
| 5 | Luis Sarría | Spain | 21.24 | |
| 6 | Dragan Zarić | Yugoslavia | 21.28 | |
| 7 | David Jenkins | Great Britain | 21.59 | |
| | Klaus Thiele | East Germany | DNF | |
| | | | Wind: 0.0 m/s | Wind: 0.0 m/s |

### Final

1 September
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | Pietro Mennea | Italy | 20.16 | CR |
| | Olaf Prenzler | East Germany | 20.61 | |
| | Peter Muster | Switzerland | 20.64 | |
| 4 | Leszek Dunecki | Poland | 20.68 | |
| 5 | Pascal Barré | France | 20.70 | |
| 6 | Zenon Licznerski | Poland | 20.74 | |
| 7 | Aleksandr Aksinin | Soviet Union | 20.87 | |
| 8 | Vladimir Ivanov | Bulgaria | 20.92 | |
| | | | Wind: -0.2 m/s | Wind: -0.2 m/s |