# Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games – Men's 100 metres

The men's 100 metres event at the 1978 Commonwealth Games was held on 6 and 7 August at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

## Results
### Heats

Held on 6 August
Qualification: First 5 in each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualify for the quarterfinals.
Wind: Heat 1: ? m/s, Heat 2: ? m/s, Heat 3: ? m/s, Heat 4: -1.3 m/s, Heat 5: ? m/s, Heat 6: ? m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica | 10.43 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Ernest Obeng | Ghana | 10.47 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Hasely Crawford | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.55 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 10.55 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Christopher Brathwaite | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.57 | Q |
| 5 | 5 | Mike McFarlane | England | 10.57 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | Marvin Nash | Canada | 10.59 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | Ohene Karikari | Ghana | 10.60 | Q |
| 9 | 6 | Hugh Fraser | Canada | 10.62 | Q |
| 10 | 5 | Desai Williams | Canada | 10.64 | Q |
| 11 | 2 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 10.65 | Q |
| 12 | 3 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 10.66 | Q |
| 13 | 3 | Oliver Heywood | Jamaica | 10.66 | Q |
| 14 | 6 | George Enchill | Ghana | 10.68 | Q |
| 15 | 6 | Rickey Moxey | Bahamas | 10.69 | Q |
| 16 | 3 | Dennis Trott | Bermuda | 10.70 | Q |
| 17 | 4 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 10.71 | Q |
| 18 | 2 | Gregory Simons | Bermuda | 10.78 | Q |
| 18 | 3 | Cameron Sharp | Scotland | 10.78 | Q |
| 20 | 4 | Drew McMaster | Scotland | 10.79 | Q |
| 21 | 4 | Brian Green | England | 10.80 | Q |
| 22 | 4 | John Mwebi | Kenya | 10.83 | Q |
| 23 | 5 | Calvin Dill | Bermuda | 10.86 | Q |
| 23 | 6 | Leslie Hoyte | England | 10.86 | Q |
| 25 | 2 | Ephraim Serrette | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.87 | Q |
| 25 | 5 | Errol Quarrie | Jamaica | 10.87 | Q |
| 27 | 1 | Dave Roberts | Wales | 10.88 | Q |
| 28 | 1 | Ramaswamy Gnanasekharan | India | 10.94 | Q |
| 28 | 2 | Graeme French | New Zealand | 10.94 | Q |
| 30 | 2 | David Lukuba | Tanzania | 10.96 | Q |
| 31 | 6 | Bakary Jarju | Gambia | 10.98 | q |
| 32 | 5 | Mokam Mwita | Tanzania | 11.06 | q |
| 33 | 6 | Linus Ambrose | Saint Lucia | 11.11 | |
| 34 | 1 | Jean Charlotte | Mauritius | 11.26 | |
| 35 | 2 | Molapi Bambatha | Lesotho | 11.27 | |
| 36 | 2 | Francis Williams | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 11.28 | |
| 37 | 3 | Genevieve Nestor | Saint Lucia | 11.34 | |
| 37 | 4 | Mosharaf Shamin | Bangladesh | 11.34 | |
| 39 | 5 | Letseka Nchee | Lesotho | 11.46 | |
| 40 | 3 | Ousman N'Dure | Gambia | 11.49 | |
| 41 | 4 | Bamba N'Jie | Gambia | 11.51 | |
| 42 | 1 | Glenn Osborne | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 11.62 | |
| | 3 | Richard Hopkins | Australia | DNS | |

### Quarterfinals

Held on 6 August
Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) qualify for the semifinals.
Wind: Heat 1: +0.9 m/s, Heat 2: +1.5 m/s, Heat 3: +1.4 m/s, Heat 4: -1.3 m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Mike McFarlane | England | 10.32 | Q |
| 1 | 3 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 10.32 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Hasely Crawford | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.33 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 10.35 | Q |
| 5 | 4 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica | 10.36 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 10.38 | Q |
| 7 | 4 | Ernest Obeng | Ghana | 10.44 | Q |
| 8 | 3 | Hugh Fraser | Canada | 10.48 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Ohene Karikari | Ghana | 10.51 | Q |
| 10 | 2 | Dennis Trott | Bermuda | 10.53 | q |
| 11 | 2 | Marvin Nash | Canada | 10.54 | q |
| 12 | 3 | George Enchill | Ghana | 10.57 | Q |
| 13 | 1 | Oliver Heywood | Jamaica | 10.58 | Q |
| 14 | 2 | Rickey Moxey | Bahamas | 10.60 | q |
| 15 | 1 | Calvin Dill | Bermuda | 10.63 | q |
| 15 | 4 | Christopher Brathwaite | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.63 | Q |
| 17 | 3 | Ephraim Serrette | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.64 | |
| 18 | 1 | Cameron Sharp | Scotland | 10.65 | |
| 18 | 2 | Drew McMaster | Scotland | 10.65 | |
| 20 | 1 | Brian Green | England | 10.68 | |
| 21 | 3 | Gregory Simons | Bermuda | 10.69 | |
| 22 | 2 | Errol Quarrie | Jamaica | 10.73 | |
| 22 | 4 | Rawle Clarke | Barbados | 10.73 | |
| 24 | 1 | John Mwebi | Kenya | 10.76 | |
| 24 | 4 | Desai Williams | Canada | 10.76 | |
| 26 | 1 | David Lukuba | Tanzania | 10.80 | |
| 27 | 4 | Dave Roberts | Wales | 10.84 | |
| 28 | 3 | Leslie Hoyte | England | 10.85 | |
| 29 | 3 | Ramaswamy Gnanasekharan | India | 10.86 | |
| 30 | 4 | Bakary Jarju | Gambia | 10.91 | |
| 31 | 4 | Graeme French | New Zealand | 10.98 | |
| 32 | 3 | Mokam Mwita | Tanzania | 11.02 | |

### Semifinals

Held on 7 August
Qualification: First 4 in each semifinal (Q) qualify directly for the final.
Wind: Heat 1: -0.3 m/s, Heat 2: +4.6 m/s
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica | 10.19 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Hasely Crawford | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.25 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 10.31 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 10.31 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Ernest Obeng | Ghana | 10.32 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Mike McFarlane | England | 10.43 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 10.46 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | George Enchill | Ghana | 10.53 | |
| 9 | 1 | Christopher Brathwaite | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.54 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Hugh Fraser | Canada | 10.55 | |
| 10 | 2 | Rickey Moxey | Bahamas | 10.55 | |
| 12 | 1 | Dennis Trott | Bermuda | 10.56 | |
| 13 | 1 | Ohene Karikari | Ghana | 10.56 | |
| 14 | 1 | Oliver Heywood | Jamaica | 10.69 | |
| 15 | 2 | Calvin Dill | Bermuda | 10.72 | |
| | 2 | Marvin Nash | Canada | DNS | |

### Final

Held on 7 August
Wind: +7.6 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | 8 | Don Quarrie | Jamaica | 10.03 |
| | 3 | Allan Wells | Scotland | 10.07 |
| | 1 | Hasely Crawford | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.09 |
| 4 | 4 | James Gilkes | Guyana | 10.15 |
| 5 | 6 | Mike McFarlane | England | 10.29 |
| 6 | 2 | Paul Narracott | Australia | 10.31 |
| 7 | 5 | Christopher Brathwaite | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.32 |
| 8 | 7 | Ernest Obeng | Ghana | 10.34 |