# Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games – Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres event at the 1978 Commonwealth Games was held on 6 and 7 August at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Rick Mitchell Australia | Joseph Coombs Trinidad and Tobago | Glenn Bogue Canada |

## Results
### Heats

Held on 6 August
Qualification: First 5 in each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualify for the quarterfinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Joel Ngetich | Kenya | 46.50 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Rick Mitchell | Australia | 46.74 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Glenn Bogue | Canada | 46.77 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | Clyde Edwards | Barbados | 46.78 | Q |
| 5 | 6 | Glen Cohen | England | 47.15 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | Washington Njiri | Kenya | 47.20 | Q |
| 7 | 5 | Chum Darvall | Australia | 47.42 | Q |
| 7 | 6 | John Bandu | Ghana | 47.42 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | Richard Ashton | England | 47.50 | Q |
| 10 | 3 | Terry Whitehead | England | 47.52 | Q |
| 11 | 2 | Joseph Coombs | Trinidad and Tobago | 47.53 | Q |
| 12 | 4 | Michael Delaney | Wales | 47.56 | Q |
| 13 | 2 | Jeremiah Ongwae | Kenya | 47.61 | Q |
| 14 | 3 | Rayfield Beaton | Guyana | 47.77 | Q |
| 15 | 1 | David Jenkins | Scotland | 47.78 | Q |
| 16 | 1 | Fred Sowerby | Antigua and Barbuda | 47.82 | Q |
| 17 | 4 | Clive Beattie | Northern Ireland | 47.83 | Q |
| 18 | 1 | Mike Paul | Trinidad and Tobago | 47.87 | Q |
| 19 | 5 | Roger Jenkins | Scotland | 47.93 | Q |
| 20 | 1 | Jeff Griffiths | Wales | 47.97 | Q |
| 21 | 6 | Bevan Smith | New Zealand | 48.02 | Q |
| 22 | 4 | Mike Solomon | Trinidad and Tobago | 48.14 | Q |
| 23 | 2 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 48.26 | Q |
| 24 | 3 | John Higham | Australia | 48.27 | Q |
| 25 | 6 | Appunidage Premachandra | Sri Lanka | 48.30 | Q |
| 26 | 3 | Zvonko Stankovic | Canada | 48.31 | Q |
| 27 | 2 | Elroy Turner | Antigua and Barbuda | 48.46 | Q |
| 28 | 1 | Bertland Cameron | Jamaica | 48.49 | Q |
| 29 | 3 | Benjamin Soglo | Ghana | 48.53 | Q |
| 30 | 6 | Carlsen Phillips | Bermuda | 48.77 | q |
| 31 | 2 | Renelda Swan | Bermuda | 48.78 | q |
| 32 | 3 | David Anderson | Isle of Man | 48.80 | |
| 33 | 1 | Vaughn Harvey | Bermuda | 48.86 | |
| 34 | 5 | Donald Pierre | Grenada | 49.19 | Q |
| 35 | 4 | Lester Flax | Antigua and Barbuda | 49.42 | |
| 36 | 6 | Norris Bailey | Belize | 49.64 | |
| 37 | 5 | Heligar Calderon | Saint Lucia | 50.04 | |
| 38 | 2 | Keith Rocque | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 50.15 | |
| 39 | 4 | Henry Carver | Mauritius | 50.76 | |
| 40 | 5 | Bambo Fatty | Gambia | 50.98 | |
| 41 | 3 | Michael Olliviere | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 51.15 | |
| 42 | 1 | Genevieve Nestor | Saint Lucia | 51.39 | |

### Quarterfinals

Held on 6 August
Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) qualify for the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Glenn Bogue | Canada | 46.06 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Richard Ashton | England | 46.27 | Q |
| 3 | 4 | Rick Mitchell | Australia | 46.36 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Clyde Edwards | Barbados | 46.38 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Joseph Coombs | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.40 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Joel Ngetich | Kenya | 46.43 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | Glen Cohen | England | 46.45 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Washington Njiri | Kenya | 46.46 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Terry Whitehead | England | 46.52 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 46.59 | Q |
| 11 | 2 | David Jenkins | Scotland | 46.66 | q |
| 12 | 2 | Chum Darvall | Australia | 46.71 | q |
| 13 | 1 | Bevan Smith | New Zealand | 46.77 | q |
| 14 | 4 | Fred Sowerby | Antigua and Barbuda | 46.80 | Q |
| 15 | 4 | Mike Solomon | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.89 | Q |
| 16 | 1 | Rayfield Beaton | Guyana | 47.07 | q |
| 17 | 1 | Bertland Cameron | Jamaica | 47.20 | |
| 18 | 3 | John Bandu | Ghana | 47.21 | |
| 19 | 4 | Jeremiah Ongwae | Kenya | 47.31 | |
| 20 | 1 | Michael Delaney | Wales | 47.41 | |
| 21 | 4 | Jeff Griffiths | Wales | 47.41 | |
| 22 | 3 | Roger Jenkins | Scotland | 47.44 | |
| 23 | 4 | Clive Beattie | Northern Ireland | 47.77 | |
| 24 | 3 | Mike Paul | Trinidad and Tobago | 47.83 | |
| 25 | 3 | John Higham | Australia | 47.84 | |
| 26 | 4 | Zvonko Stankovic | Canada | 48.20 | |
| 27 | 4 | Benjamin Soglo | Ghana | 48.29 | |
| 28 | 2 | Elroy Turner | Antigua and Barbuda | 48.35 | |
| 29 | 2 | Renelda Swan | Bermuda | 48.77 | |
| 30 | 3 | Carlsen Phillips | Bermuda | 48.99 | |
| 31 | 2 | Donald Pierre | Grenada | 50.45 | |
| | 1 | Appunidage Premachandra | Sri Lanka | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Held on 7 August
Qualification: First 4 in each semifinal (Q) qualify directly for the final.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Fred Sowerby | Antigua and Barbuda | 46.86 | Q |
| 2 | 1 | Joseph Coombs | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.87 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Richard Ashton | England | 46.88 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Rick Mitchell | Australia | 46.88 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Glen Cohen | England | 47.00 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 47.32 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Glenn Bogue | Canada | 47.32 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | David Jenkins | Scotland | 47.37 | |
| 9 | 1 | Chum Darvall | Australia | 47.41 | |
| 10 | 2 | Mike Solomon | Trinidad and Tobago | 47.61 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Clyde Edwards | Barbados | 47.62 | |
| 12 | 2 | Joel Ngetich | Kenya | 47.64 | |
| 13 | 2 | Terry Whitehead | England | 47.85 | |
| 14 | 2 | Rayfield Beaton | Guyana | 48.05 | |
| 15 | 2 | Bevan Smith | New Zealand | 48.25 | |
| 16 | 1 | Washington Njiri | Kenya | 48.55 | |

### Final

Held on 7 August
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Rick Mitchell | Australia | 46.34 |
| | Joseph Coombs | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.54 |
| | Glenn Bogue | Canada | 46.63 |
| 4 | Mike Solomon | Trinidad and Tobago | 46.97 |
| 5 | Glen Cohen | England | 46.99 |
| 6 | Richard Ashton | England | 47.32 |
| 7 | Fred Sowerby | Antigua and Barbuda | 47.51 |
| 8 | Brian Saunders | Canada | 48.01 |