The
men's 400 metres was an event at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 P ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
. The competition was held on July 26, 1976, July 28, 1976, and on July 29, 1976.
Forty-four athletes from 29 nations competed.
The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...
of Cuba, the nation's first medal in the event, breaking a string of five victories by the United States. Juantorena became the first man to win both the 800 metres and 400 metres in an Olympics.
Summary
In the final,
Fred Newhouse and
Maxie Parks appeared to go for the early lead, while
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...
was initially a little slower. Then he stretched out on the backstretch to regain position about equal to the third American
Herman Frazier
Herman Ronald "Herm" Frazier (born October 29, 1954) is a retired American sprinter. He won gold medals in the relay at the 1976 Olympics and 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games. Individually he earned a bronze medal in the 400 m event at the 1976 ...
. Coming off the final turn Juantorena had caught the rest of the field and was a step behind Newhouse. Parks and
Fons Brijdenbach were about even two more strides back with Frazier just behind them. As Juantorena began to pass Newhouse, Newhouse noticeably struggled, leaving Juantorena with the gold medal. Three metres back, Frazier just edged ahead of Brijdenbach for the bronze medal, as Parks faded.
Background
This was the eighteenth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Two finalists, but no medalists, from 1972 returned: sixth-place finisher
Markku Kukkoaho of Finland and seventh-place
Karl Honz
Karl Honz (born 28 January 1951) is a retired German sprinter. He held the European record in the 400 metres from 1972 until 1980 with a time of 44.70 s. At the 1972 Summer Olympics he placed seventh in the 400 m and fourth in the 4 × 400 m ...
of West Germany.
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...
was the favorite, ranked #1 in the world and trying to become the first man to win the 400 metres/800 metres double (outside of the 1906 Intercalated Games). His main competition was the United States team, aiming for a sixth consecutive win in the event.
[
Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, the Netherlands Antilles, and Papua New Guinea appeared in this event for the first time. The United States made its eighteenth appearance in the event, the only nation to compete in it at every Olympic Games to that point.
]
Competition format
The competition retained the basic four-round format from 1920. The "fastest loser" system, introduced in 1964, was applied in the first round. With 20 fewer runners than in 1972 (44 compared to 64), there were only 6 first-round heats, each scheduled to have 7 or 8 athletes but one with only 6 starters. The top five runners in each heat advanced to the quarterfinals along with the next two fastest overall. The 4 quarterfinals each had 8 runners; the top four athletes in each quarterfinal heat advanced to the semifinals, with no "fastest loser" spots. The semifinals featured 2 heats of 8 runners each. The top four runners in each semifinal heat advanced, making an eight-man final.[Official Report, vol. 3, p. 53.]
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1976 Summer Olympics.
No world or Olympic records were set during this event.
Schedule
The quarterfinals were moved back up to the first day (along with the first round) for the first time since 1964.
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small p ...
( UTC-4)
Results
Heats
The heats were held on July 26, 1976.
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Heat 5
Heat 6
Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals were held on July 26, 1976.
Quarterfinal 1
Quarterfinal 2
Quarterfinal 3
Quarterfinal 4
Semifinals
The semifinals were held on July 28, 1976.
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Final
The final was held on July 29, 1976.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres
1
400 metres at the Olympics
Men's events at the 1976 Summer Olympics