| | Event type
400 metres Hurdles, Men
| Date | 23 – 25 September 1988 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Ol-lim-pik Ju-gyeong-gi-jang, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul |
| Participants | 37 from 28 countries |
Between 26 August 1977 and 4 June 1987, Edwin Moses won 107 consecutive finals in the 400 hurdles, and had won gold medals in both 1976 and 1984. He was finally beaten by Danny Harris, silver medalist in 1984. The best race of 1988 may have been the US Olympic Trials final in which the top five runners bettered 47.80, with Harris placing fifth in 47.76, as Moses won in 47.37, followed by André Phillips in 47.58. In Seoul, Phillips started fastest in the final, leading comfortably after the third hurdle. Moses kept the pressure on thru the eighth hurdle but could not maintain the pace and his legendary career would effectively end with a bronze medal. Phillips held on for the gold medal in a personal best 47.19, while Senegal’s Amadou Dia Bâ closed rapidly, also finishing in a personal best 47.23, and nearly catching Phillips.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1120 | André Phillips |  USA | 49.34 (1 h5) | 48.19 (1 h2) | 47.19 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 898 | Amadou Dia Bâ |  SEN | 49.41 (1 h1) | 48.48 (3 h2) | 47.23 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 1114 | Edwin Moses | USA | 49.38 (1 h3) | 47.89 (1 h1) | 47.56 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 1137 | Kevin Young | USA | 49.35 (1 h4) | 48.56 (2 h1) | 47.94 (4) | |||
| 5 | 617 | Winthrop Graham |  JAM | 49.40 (2 h5) | 48.37 (2 h2) | 48.04 (5) | |||
| 6 | 402 | Kriss Akabusi |  GBR | 49.62 (2 h4) | 49.22 (4 h1) | 48.69 (6) | |||
| 7 | 386 | Harald Schmid |  FRG | 49.77 (1 h2) | 48.93 (3 h1) | 48.76 (7) | |||
| 8 | 372 | Edgar Itt | FRG | 50.10 (2 h3) | 48.86 (4 h2) | 48.78 (8) | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | 661 | Joseph Maritim |  KEN | 49.64 (3 h5) | 49.50 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | 142 | Toma Tomov |  BUL | 49.66 (4 h5) | 48.90 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | 255 | José Alonso |  ESP | 50.21 (3 h3) | 49.57 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | 658 | Simon Kitur | KEN | 49.88 (2 h2) | 49.74 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | 52 | Klaus Ehrle |  AUT | 50.10 (2 h1) | 51.04 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r2/3 | 81 | Alain Cuypers |  BEL | 50.42 (3 h2) | 49.75 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 8 h1 r2/3 | 156 | John Graham |  CAN | 50.30 (3 h1) | 51.33 (8 h1) | – | |||
| AC h2 r2/3 | 677 | Gideon Yego | KEN | 49.80 (3 h4) | – (DQ h2) | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/3 | 684 | Hwang Hong-Cheol |  KOR | 50.52 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/3 | 247 | Ahmed Abdelhalim |  EGY | 50.44 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/3 | 43 | Leigh Miller |  AUS | 50.53 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| 4 h4 r1/3 | 978 | Jozef Kucej |  TCH | 49.89 (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | 425 | Phil Harries | GBR | 50.81 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | 647 | Ryoichi Yoshida |  JPN | 50.49 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | 1156 | Branislav Karaulić |  YUG | 51.32 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | 1157 | Rok Kopitar | YUG | 50.54 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 5 h5 r1/3 | 450 | Max Robertson | GBR | 50.67 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/3 | 712 | Jasem Al-Dowaila |  KUW | 51.87 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | 1169 | Samuel Matete |  ZAM | 51.06 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | 77 | Allan Ince |  BAR | 52.76 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | 905 | Hamidou M'Baye | SEN | 50.58 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 6 h5 r1/3 | 130 | Ahmed Hamada |  BRN | 51.34 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 7 h1 r1/3 | 783 | Dambar Kuwar |  NEP | 56.80 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | 879 | Domingo Cordero |  PUR | 51.26 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | 28 | Oral Selkridge |  ANT | 53.44 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 7 h4 r1/3 | 915 | Benjamin Grant |  SLE | 51.73 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 7 h5 r1/3 | 707 | Youssef Al-Dosari |  KSA | 53.51 (7 h5) | – | – | |||
| 8 h2 r1/3 | 519 | Jorge Fidel Ponce |  HON | 55.38 (8 h2) | – | – | |||
| 8 h4 r1/3 | 296 | Joe Rodan |  FIJ | 53.66 (8 h4) | – | – | |||
| 955 | Sven Nylander |  SWE | – (DNS h1) | – | – |
Round One (23 September 1988)
Top three in each heat and next fastest advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One (11:10)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Amadou Dia Bâ | SEN | 49.41 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Klaus Ehrle | AUT | 50.10 | |||
| 3 | 8 | John Graham | CAN | 50.30 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Hwang Hong-Cheol | KOR | 50.52 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Phil Harries | GBR | 50.81 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Jasem Al-Dowaila | KUW | 51.87 | |||
| 7 | 2 | Dambar Kuwar | NEP | 56.80 | |||
| 7 | Sven Nylander | SWE | – |
Heat Two (11:15)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Harald Schmid | FRG | 49.77 | |||
| 2 | 7 | Simon Kitur | KEN | 49.88 | |||
| 3 | 4 | Alain Cuypers | BEL | 50.42 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Ahmed Abdelhalim | EGY | 50.44 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Ryoichi Yoshida | JPN | 50.49 | |||
| 6 | 5 | Samuel Matete | ZAM | 51.06 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Domingo Cordero | PUR | 51.26 | |||
| 8 | 2 | Jorge Fidel Ponce | HON | 55.38 |
Heat Three (11:20)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Edwin Moses | USA | 49.38 | |||
| 2 | 2 | Edgar Itt | FRG | 50.10 | |||
| 3 | 3 | José Alonso | ESP | 50.21 | |||
| 4 | 4 | Leigh Miller | AUS | 50.53 | |||
| 5 | 8 | Branislav Karaulić | YUG | 51.32 | |||
| 6 | 7 | Allan Ince | BAR | 52.76 | |||
| 7 | 5 | Oral Selkridge | ANT | 53.44 |
Heat Four (11:25)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Young | USA | 49.35 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Kriss Akabusi | GBR | 49.62 | |||
| 3 | 7 | Gideon Yego | KEN | 49.80 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Jozef Kucej | TCH | 49.89 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Rok Kopitar | YUG | 50.54 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Hamidou M'Baye | SEN | 50.58 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Benjamin Grant | SLE | 51.73 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Joe Rodan | FIJ | 53.66 |
Heat Five (11:30)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | André Phillips | USA | 49.34 | |||
| 2 | 2 | Winthrop Graham | JAM | 49.40 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Joseph Maritim | KEN | 49.64 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Toma Tomov | BUL | 49.66 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Max Robertson | GBR | 50.67 | |||
| 6 | 7 | Ahmed Hamada | BRN | 51.34 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Youssef Al-Dosari | KSA | 53.51 |
Semi-Finals (24 September 1988)
Top four in each heat advanced to the final.
Heat One (16:00)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Edwin Moses | USA | 47.89 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Kevin Young | USA | 48.56 | |||
| 3 | 1 | Harald Schmid | FRG | 48.93 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Kriss Akabusi | GBR | 49.22 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Joseph Maritim | KEN | 49.50 | |||
| 6 | 8 | José Alonso | ESP | 49.57 | |||
| 7 | 2 | Klaus Ehrle | AUT | 51.04 | |||
| 8 | 7 | John Graham | CAN | 51.33 |
Heat Two (16:05)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | André Phillips | USA | 48.19 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Winthrop Graham | JAM | 48.37 | |||
| 3 | 4 | Amadou Dia Bâ | SEN | 48.48 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Edgar Itt | FRG | 48.86 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Toma Tomov | BUL | 48.90 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Simon Kitur | KEN | 49.74 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Alain Cuypers | BEL | 49.75 | |||
| 8 | Gideon Yego | KEN | – |
Final (25 September 1988 — 13:35)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | Reaction Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | André Phillips | USA | 47.19 | 0.150 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Amadou Dia Bâ | SEN | 47.23 | 0.220 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Edwin Moses | USA | 47.56 | 0.209 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Kevin Young | USA | 47.94 | 0.214 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Winthrop Graham | JAM | 48.04 | 0.191 | |||
| 6 | 7 | Kriss Akabusi | GBR | 48.69 | 0.223 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Harald Schmid | FRG | 48.76 | 0.205 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Edgar Itt | FRG | 48.78 | 0.187 |