# Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games – Men's 200 metres

The men's 200 metres event at the 1978 Commonwealth Games was held on 8 and 10 August at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Allan Wells Scotland | James Gilkes Guyana | Colin Bradford Jamaica |

## Results
### Heats

Held on 8 August
Qualification: First 5 in each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualify for the quarterfinals.
Wind: Heat 1: +1.9 m/s, Heat 2: +0.2 m/s, Heat 3: ? m/s, Heat 4: ? m/s, Heat 5: ? m/s, Heat 6: ? m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Colin Bradford | Jamaica | 20.87 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica | 20.97 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 21.00 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | Christopher Brathwaite | Trinidad and Tobago | 21.14 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Dacre Bowen | Canada | 21.15 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Albert Lomotey | Ghana | 21.25 | Q |
| 7 | 2 | Richard Hopkins | Australia | 21.25 | Q |
| 8 | 4 | Mike McFarlane | England | 21.28 | Q |
| 9 | 5 | Rickey Moxey | Bahamas | 21.29 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Floyd Brown | Jamaica | 21.30 | Q |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Biocchi | Canada | 21.33 | Q |
| 11 | 4 | Edwin Noel | Trinidad and Tobago | 21.33 | Q |
| 13 | 5 | Calvin Dill | Bermuda | 21.34 | Q |
| 14 | 6 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 21.35 | Q |
| 14 | 1 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 21.35 | Q |
| 16 | 6 | Trevor Hoyte | England | 21.39 | Q |
| 17 | 1 | Tochi Mochache | Kenya | 21.40 | Q |
| 18 | 6 | Cole Doty | Canada | 21.42 | Q |
| 19 | 5 | Drew McMaster | Scotland | 21.45 | Q |
| 20 | 4 | Cameron Sharp | Scotland | 21.52 | Q |
| 21 | 5 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 21.53 | q |
| 22 | 6 | Ernest Obeng | Ghana | 21.55 | Q |
| 23 | 5 | Jeff Griffiths | Wales | 21.56 | q |
| 24 | 2 | Timothy Bonsor | England | 21.59 | Q |
| 25 | 3 | Ramaswamy Gnanasekharan | India | 21.60 | Q |
| 26 | 3 | Cuthbert Jacobs | Antigua and Barbuda | 21.61 | Q |
| 27 | 2 | Bevan Smith | New Zealand | 21.62 | Q |
| 28 | 4 | Peter Kipkirong | Kenya | 21.69 | Q |
| 28 | 6 | Clyde Edwards | Barbados | 21.69 | Q |
| 30 | 2 | Dave Roberts | Wales | 21.70 | Q |
| 31 | 3 | Alex Mutunga | Kenya | 21.74 | Q |
| 32 | 1 | David Lukuba | Tanzania | 21.86 | Q |
| 33 | 3 | Linus Ambrose | Saint Lucia | 22.00 | |
| 34 | 2 | Mokam Mwita | Tanzania | 22.08 | |
| 35 | 1 | Banana Jarju | Gambia | 22.10 | |
| 35 | 4 | Vaughn Harvey | Bermuda | 22.10 | |
| 37 | 6 | Letseka Nchee | Lesotho | 22.17 | |
| 37 | 6 | Kimberley Wade | Bermuda | 22.17 | |
| 39 | 1 | Francis Williams | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 22.30 | |
| 40 | 2 | Keith Rocque | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 22.32 | |
| 41 | 4 | Genevieve Nestor | Saint Lucia | 22.45 | |
| 42 | 6 | Jean Charlotte | Mauritius | 22.67 | |
| 43 | 5 | Ousman N'Dure | Gambia | 22.73 | |
| 44 | 2 | Molapi Bambatha | Lesotho | 22.80 | |
| 45 | 4 | Bamba Njie | Gambia | 23.04 | |
| | 1 | Anthony Husbands | Trinidad and Tobago | DNS | |

### Quarterfinals

Held on 8 August
Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) qualify for the semifinals.
Wind: Heat 1: +1.1 m/s, Heat 2: +2.1 m/s, Heat 3: ? m/s, Heat 4: +1.8 m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 20.61 | Q |
| 2 | 1 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica | 20.66 | Q |
| 3 | 4 | Colin Bradford | Jamaica | 20.89 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 20.97 | Q |
| 5 | 4 | Trevor Hoyte | England | 21.16 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | Christopher Brathwaite | Trinidad and Tobago | 21.22 | q |
| 7 | 2 | Mike McFarlane | England | 21.31 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Richard Hopkins | Australia | 21.35 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 21.37 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | Floyd Brown | Jamaica | 21.37 | q |
| 11 | 3 | Albert Lomotey | Ghana | 21.38 | Q |
| 12 | 4 | Cole Doty | Canada | 21.44 | q |
| 13 | 1 | Timothy Bonsor | England | 21.48 | Q |
| 14 | 2 | Dacre Bowen | Canada | 21.48 | q |
| 15 | 1 | Daniel Biocchi | Canada | 21.50 | |
| 16 | 3 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 21.51 | Q |
| 17 | 3 | Calvin Dill | Bermuda | 21.53 | Q |
| 18 | 1 | Cameron Sharp | Scotland | 21.54 | |
| 18 | 3 | Drew McMaster | Scotland | 21.54 | |
| 20 | 4 | Bevan Smith | New Zealand | 21.60 | |
| 21 | 3 | Cuthbert Jacobs | Antigua and Barbuda | 21.63 | |
| 22 | 4 | Peter Kipkirong | Kenya | 21.64 | |
| 23 | 4 | Jeff Griffiths | Wales | 21.65 | |
| 24 | 1 | Edwin Noel | Trinidad and Tobago | 21.66 | |
| 24 | 3 | Rickey Moxey | Bahamas | 21.66 | |
| 26 | 1 | Ernest Obeng | Ghana | 21.81 | |
| 27 | 1 | Clyde Edwards | Barbados | 21.85 | |
| 28 | 2 | Dave Roberts | Wales | 21.91 | |
| 29 | 2 | Tochi Mochache | Kenya | 21.94 | |
| 30 | 2 | Ramaswamy Gnanasekharan | India | 21.96 | |
| 31 | 3 | Alex Mutunga | Kenya | 22.16 | |
| | 3 | David Lukuba | Tanzania | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Held on 10 August
Qualification: First 4 in each semifinal (Q) qualify directly for the final.
Wind: Heat 1: -0.5 m/s, Heat 2: +3.6 m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 20.68 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 20.71 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Floyd Brown | Jamaica | 20.72 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 20.75 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Timothy Bonsor | England | 20.89 | |
| 6 | 2 | Christopher Brathwaite | Trinidad and Tobago | 21.10 | |
| 7 | 1 | Colin Bradford | Jamaica | 21.15 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Cole Doty | Canada | 21.25 | |
| 9 | 1 | Trevor Hoyte | England | 21.31 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Richard Hopkins | Australia | 21.42 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Calvin Dill | Bermuda | 21.46 | Q |
| 12 | 1 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica | 21.49 | |
| 13 | 1 | Albert Lomotey | Ghana | 21.58 | |
| 14 | 1 | Dacre Bowen | Canada | 21.61 | |
| 15 | 1 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 22.14 | |
| | 2 | Mike McFarlane | England | DNS | |

### Final

Held on 10 August
Wind: +4.4 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | 3 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 20.12 |
| | 7 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 20.18 |
| | 8 | Colin Bradford | Jamaica | 20.43 |
| 4 | 2 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 20.74 |
| 5 | 4 | Floyd Brown | Jamaica | 20.79 |
| 6 | 6 | Richard Hopkins | Australia | 20.88 |
| 7 | 5 | Trevor Hoyte | England | 20.90 |
| 8 | 1 | Calvin Dill | Bermuda | 21.07 |