| | Event type
400 metres Hurdles, Men
| Date | 24 – 26 July 1980 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Bolshaya arena, Tsentralny stadion imeni V.I. Lenina, Moskva |
| Participants | 22 from 19 countries |
Volker Beck of the GDR won the gold medal – possibly the most devalued gold medal in Olympic history as the American boycott kept Edwin Moses from defending his title. Moses was by 1980 already considered the greatest ever intermediate hurdler and he would have been an overwhelming favorite in Moskva. The second best 400 hurdler in 1980 was also not in Moskva, that being the FRG’s Harald Schmid, the 1978 European Champion. In their absence Beck won in the slowest Olympic winning time since 1964.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 293 | Volker Beck |  GDR | 50.35 (3 h1) | 50.36 (1 h1) | 48.70 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 689 | Vasily Arkhipenko |  URS | 50.22 (1 h3) | 49.80 (1 h2) | 48.86 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 277 | Gary Oakes |  GBR | 50.39 (3 h2) | 50.07 (3 h2) | 49.11 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 742 | Nikolay Vasilyev | URS | 50.09 (1 h1) | 49.87 (2 h2) | 49.34 (4) | |||
| 5 | 758 | Rok Kopitar |  YUG | 50.34 (3 h3) | 50.55 (2 h1) | 49.67 (5) | |||
| 6 | 571 | Horia Toboc |  ROU | 50.89 (6 h1) | 50.58 (3 h1) | 49.84 (6) | |||
| 7 | 615 | Franz Meier |  SUI | 50.32 (2 h3) | 50.12 (4 h2) | 50.00 (7) | |||
| 8 | 85 | Yanko Bratanov |  BUL | 50.56 (5 h3) | 50.17 (5 h2) | 56.35 (8) | |||
| 4 h1 r2/3 | 361 | Harry Schulting |  NED | 50.01 (1 h2) | 50.61 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | 706 | Aleksandr Kharlov | URS | 50.79 (4 h2) | 50.64 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | 386 | József Szalai |  HUN | 50.23 (2 h2) | 51.06 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | 552 | Ryszard Szparak |  POL | 50.45 (4 h1) | 50.41 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | 76 | Antônio Ferreira |  BRA | 50.14 (2 h1) | 52.31 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r2/3 | 678 | John Akii-Bua |  UGA | 50.87 (5 h1) | 51.10 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 8 h2 r2/3 | 155 | Juan Lloveras |  ESP | 50.48 (4 h3) | 51.86 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | 147 | José Casabona | ESP | 51.26 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | 623 | Christer Gullstrand |  SWE | 50.95 (6 h3) | – (DNS h1) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r1/3 | 771 | Davison Lishebo |  ZAM | 51.73 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | 637 | Amer Maaraoui |  SYR | 53.26 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 8 h3 r1/3 | 459 | Abdul Latif Abbas |  KUW | 53.31 (8 h3) | – | – | |||
| AC h2 r1/3 | 504 | Wilfred Kareng |  BOT | – (DNF h2) | – | – | |||
| AC h2 r1/3 | 68 | Leonel Teller |  NCA | – (DNF h2) | – | – | |||
| 411 | Ali Hassan Kadhum |  IRQ | – (DNS h2) | – | – |
Round One (24 July 1980 — 10:15)
Top four in each heat and next four fastest advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 742 | Nikolay Vasilyev | URS | 50.09 | |||
| 2 | 76 | Antônio Ferreira | BRA | 50.14 | |||
| 3 | 293 | Volker Beck | GDR | 50.35 | |||
| 4 | 552 | Ryszard Szparak | POL | 50.45 | |||
| 5 | 678 | John Akii-Bua | UGA | 50.87 | |||
| 6 | 571 | Horia Toboc | ROU | 50.89 | |||
| 7 | 771 | Davison Lishebo | ZAM | 51.73 |
Heat Two
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 361 | Harry Schulting | NED | 50.01 | |||
| 2 | 386 | József Szalai | HUN | 50.23 | |||
| 3 | 277 | Gary Oakes | GBR | 50.39 | |||
| 4 | 706 | Aleksandr Kharlov | URS | 50.79 | |||
| 5 | 147 | José Casabona | ESP | 51.26 | |||
| 68 | Leonel Teller | NCA | – | ||||
| 504 | Wilfred Kareng | BOT | – | ||||
| 411 | Ali Hassan Kadhum | IRQ | – |
Heat Three
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 689 | Vasily Arkhipenko | URS | 50.22 | |||
| 2 | 615 | Franz Meier | SUI | 50.32 | |||
| 3 | 758 | Rok Kopitar | YUG | 50.34 | |||
| 4 | 155 | Juan Lloveras | ESP | 50.48 | |||
| 5 | 85 | Yanko Bratanov | BUL | 50.56 | |||
| 6 | 623 | Christer Gullstrand | SWE | 50.95 | |||
| 7 | 637 | Amer Maaraoui | SYR | 53.26 | |||
| 8 | 459 | Abdul Latif Abbas | KUW | 53.31 |
Semi-Finals (25 July 1980 — 17:10)
Top three in each heat and next two fastest advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 293 | Volker Beck | GDR | 50.36 | |||
| 2 | 758 | Rok Kopitar | YUG | 50.55 | |||
| 3 | 571 | Horia Toboc | ROU | 50.58 | |||
| 4 | 361 | Harry Schulting | NED | 50.61 | |||
| 5 | 706 | Aleksandr Kharlov | URS | 50.64 | |||
| 6 | 386 | József Szalai | HUN | 51.06 | |||
| 7 | 76 | Antônio Ferreira | BRA | 52.31 | |||
| 623 | Christer Gullstrand | SWE | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 689 | Vasily Arkhipenko | URS | 49.80 | |||
| 2 | 742 | Nikolay Vasilyev | URS | 49.87 | |||
| 3 | 277 | Gary Oakes | GBR | 50.07 | |||
| 4 | 615 | Franz Meier | SUI | 50.12 | |||
| 5 | 85 | Yanko Bratanov | BUL | 50.17 | |||
| 6 | 552 | Ryszard Szparak | POL | 50.41 | |||
| 7 | 678 | John Akii-Bua | UGA | 51.10 | |||
| 8 | 155 | Juan Lloveras | ESP | 51.86 |
Final (26 July 1980 — 19:55)
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 293 | Volker Beck | GDR | 48.70 | |||
| 2 | 689 | Vasily Arkhipenko | URS | 48.86 | |||
| 3 | 277 | Gary Oakes | GBR | 49.11 | |||
| 4 | 742 | Nikolay Vasilyev | URS | 49.34 | |||
| 5 | 758 | Rok Kopitar | YUG | 49.67 | |||
| 6 | 571 | Horia Toboc | ROU | 49.84 | |||
| 7 | 615 | Franz Meier | SUI | 50.00 | |||
| 8 | 85 | Yanko Bratanov | BUL | 56.35 |