# Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games – Men's 800 metres

The men's 800 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 |
| Mike Boit Kenya | Seymour Newman Jamaica | Peter Lemashon Kenya |

## Results
### Heats

Held on 8 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 | 2 | John Higham | Australia | 1:48.9 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Colin Szwed | England | 1:49.1 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Peter Hoffmann | Scotland | 1:49.1 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Glen Grant | Wales | 1:49.3 | q |
| 5 | 3 | James Maina Boi | Kenya | 1:49.48 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Garry Cook | England | 1:49.9 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | Paul Forbes | Scotland | 1:50.0 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Halidu Zinentah | Ghana | 1:50.2 | q |
| 9 | 3 | Rayfield Beaton | Guyana | 1:50.3 | q |
| 10 | 2 | Doug Wournell | Canada | 1:50.4 | q |
| 11 | 4 | Mike Boit | Kenya | 1:50.6 | Q |
| 12 | 4 | David Warren | England | 1:51.4 | Q |
| 13 | 1 | Chum Darvall | Australia | 1:51.5 | Q |
| 13 | 4 | Dennis Norris | New Zealand | 1:51.5 | Q |
| 15 | 1 | Peter Lemashon | Kenya | 1:51.6 | Q |
| 15 | 1 | Seymour Newman | Jamaica | 1:51.6 | Q |
| 15 | 4 | Peter Favell | Canada | 1:51.56 | |
| 18 | 1 | James McGuinness | Northern Ireland | 1:51.71 | |
| 19 | 3 | Conrad Francis | Grenada | 1:52.22 | |
| 20 | 4 | Donald Pierre | Grenada | 1:52.61 | |
| 21 | 4 | Ezzard Wilson | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1:52.66 | |
| 22 | 1 | Carlsen Phillips | Bermuda | 1:52.83 | |
| 23 | 1 | Dave Hill | Canada | 1:53.77 | |
| 24 | 2 | Henry Carver | Mauritius | 1:54.83 | |
| 25 | 3 | William Amakye | Ghana | 1:54.90 | |
| 26 | 1 | Trevor Small | Barbados | 1:55.24 | |
| 27 | 3 | John Erysthee | Saint Lucia | 1:58.43 | |
| 28 | 2 | Heligar Calderon | Saint Lucia | 2:01.08 | |
| | 3 | Michael Watson | Bermuda | DQ | |
| | 1 | Michael Olliviere | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | DNS | |
| | 4 | Lewis Swann | Turks and Caicos Islands | DNS | |
| | 4 | Auchinleck Spencer | Antigua and Barbuda | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Held on 8 August
Qualification: First 4 in each semifinal (Q) qualify directly for the final.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Seymour Newman | Jamaica | 1:48.83 | Q |
| 2 | 1 | Glen Grant | Wales | 1:49.25 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Chum Darvall | Australia | 1:49.26 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Mike Boit | Kenya | 1:49.88 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Peter Lemashon | Kenya | 1:49.93 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Peter Hoffmann | Scotland | 1:50.10 | |
| 7 | 2 | Halidu Zinentah | Ghana | 1:50.62 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Garry Cook | England | 1:50.75 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | John Higham | Australia | 1:50.77 | Q |
| 10 | 2 | Dennis Norris | New Zealand | 1:50.77 | |
| 11 | 1 | Colin Szwed | England | 1:50.89 | |
| 12 | 1 | Doug Wournell | Canada | 1:51.23 | |
| 13 | 2 | Rayfield Beaton | Guyana | 1:51.86 | |
| 14 | 2 | David Warren | England | 1:51.96 | |
| 15 | 2 | Paul Forbes | Scotland | 1:56.80 | |
| | 1 | James Maina Boi | Kenya | DQ | |

### Final

Held on 10 August
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Mike Boit | Kenya | 1:46.39 |
| | Seymour Newman | Jamaica | 1:47.30 |
| | Peter Lemashon | Kenya | 1:47.57 |
| 4 | Chum Darvall | Australia | 1:47.74 |
| 5 | Garry Cook | England | 1:48.06 |
| 6 | Halidu Zinentah | Ghana | 1:48.15 |
| 7 | John Higham | Australia | 1:48.90 |
| 8 | Glen Grant | Wales | 1:49.32 |