The men's 200 meters was held over 3–4 September. In the first round, Moorosi was drawn into heat three, which he finished with a time of 21.15 seconds, fourth out of seven competitors in that heat, which was sufficient to advance him to the quarter-finals. For the quarter-finals, he was drawn into heat four, and finished with a time of 20.90 seconds. This put him fifth out of seven competitors in the heat, and he was eliminated as only the top three from each heat, and the fastest fourth-place finisher overall could advance. Borzov eventually won the gold medal in a time of 20 seconds flat, the United States' Larry Black won the silver medal, and the bronze medal was earned by Pietro Mennea of Italy.