| Date | 30 September – 1 October 1988 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Ol-lim-pik Ju-gyeong-gi-jang, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul |
| Participants | 99 from 22 countries |
The US had the three fastest 400 metre runners ever in Harry “Butch” Reynolds, Steve Lewis, and Danny Joe Everett, so the result was not in doubt. Lewis had won the 400 gold medal and in August of 1988, Reynolds had broken Lee Evans esteemed world record from the 1968 Olympics, running 43.29 at the Welklasse Meet in Zürich. If the baton was not dropped, and nobody pulled up, the question was not if they would win, but by how much. Everett and Lewis ran the first two legs in the final, and both bettered 44 seconds, giving the US a huge early lead. Kevin Robinzine ran the third leg and Reynolds anchored, as the answer to the question became “40 metres.” The scoreboard clock showed the final time to be 2:56.17, tantalizingly missing the 1968 Olympic and World record of 2:56.16, but the official time was found to be equal to the world record.
| Date | 30 September 1988 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top four in each heat and next four fastest advanced to the semi-finals. |
| Pos | Team | NOC | Time (automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | USA | 3:02.16 | ||
| 2 | West Germany | FRG | 3:03.90 | ||
| 3 | Jamaica | JAM | 3:04.00 | ||
| 4 | Great Britain | GBR | 3:04.18 | ||
| 5 | Kenya | KEN | 3:05.21 | ||
| 6 | Yugoslavia | YUG | 3:05.62 | ||
| 7 | Japan | JPN | 3:05.63 | ||
| 8 | Australia | AUS | 3:05.93 | ||
| 9 | Barbados | BAR | 3:06.03 | ||
| 10 | Nigeria | NGR | 3:06.59 | ||
| 11 | Senegal | SEN | 3:06.93 | ||
| 12 | Côte d'Ivoire | CIV | 3:07.40 | ||
| 13 | Portugal | POR | 3:07.75 | ||
| 14 | East Germany | GDR | 3:08.13 | ||
| 15 | Pakistan | PAK | 3:08.54 | ||
| 16 | Canada | CAN | 3:09.52 | ||
| 17 | Sierra Leone | SLE | 3:10.47 | ||
| 18 | Antigua and Barbuda | ANT | 3:11.04 | ||
| 19 | Zambia | ZAM | 3:11.35 | ||
| 20 | Oman | OMA | 3:12.89 | ||
| 21 | Botswana | BOT | 3:13.16 | ||
| 22 | Republic of Korea | KOR | 3:14.71 | ||
| Uganda | UGA | – |
| Time | 10:10 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time (Automatic) | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | West Germany | FRG | 3:03.90 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 375 | Bodo Kuhn | – | 47.07 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 370 | Mark Henrich | – | 45.71 (1) | 1:32.78 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 394 | Jörg Vaihinger | – | 45.25 (1) | 2:18.03 (1) | |||
| Anchor | 377 | Ralf Lübke | – | 45.87 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:04.18 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 459 | Brian Whittle | – | 46.46 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 424 | Paul Harmsworth | – | 46.46 (4) | 1:32.92 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 404 | Todd Bennett | – | 45.59 (2) | 2:18.51 (2) | |||
| Anchor | 408 | Phil Brown | – | 45.67 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Japan | JPN | 3:05.63 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 630 | Hirofumi Koike | – | 46.90 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 644 | Kenji Yamauchi | – | 46.36 (3) | 1:33.26 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 629 | Hiromi Kawasumi | – | 46.80 (3) | 2:20.06 (3) | |||
| Anchor | 641 | Susumu Takano | – | 45.57 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:05.93 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 34 | Robert Ballard | – | 46.45 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 39 | Mark Garner | – | 46.60 (5) | 1:33.05 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 43 | Leigh Miller | – | 47.22 (4) | 2:20.27 (4) | |||
| Anchor | 45 | Miles Murphy | – | 45.66 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Barbados | BAR | 3:06.03 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 80 | Seibert Straughn | – | 47.49 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 78 | Richard Louis | – | 45.72 (2) | 1:33.21 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 77 | Allan Ince | – | 47.37 (5) | 2:20.58 (5) | |||
| Anchor | 76 | Elvis Forde | – | 45.45 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Sierra Leone | SLE | 3:10.47 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 913 | Horace Dove-Edwin | – | 46.47 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 922 | Felix Sandy | – | 47.59 (8) | 1:34.06 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 915 | Benjamin Grant | – | 48.32 (6) | 2:22.38 (6) | |||
| Anchor | 914 | David Sawyerr | – | 48.09 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Oman | OMA | 3:12.89 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 823 | Sulaiman Juma Al-Habsi | – | 48.48 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 825 | Mohamed Al-Malky | – | 46.79 (6) | 1:35.27 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 824 | Abdullah Salem Al-Khalidi | – | 48.74 (8) | 2:24.01 (7) | |||
| Anchor | 822 | Mansour Al-Baloushi | – | 48.88 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | – | Republic of Korea | KOR | 3:14.71 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 684 | Hwang Hong-Cheol | – | 48.55 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 704 | Yun Nam-Han | – | 47.22 (7) | 1:35.77 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 700 | Yu Tae-Gyeong | – | 48.42 (7) | 2:24.19 (8) | |||
| Anchor | 681 | Jo Jin-Saeng | – | 50.52 (8) | – (–) |
| Time | 10:20 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time (Automatic) | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Jamaica | JAM | 3:04.00 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 612 | Howard Burnett | – | 47.63 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 620 | Devon Morris | – | 45.02 (1) | 1:32.65 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 616 | Trevor Graham | – | 45.73 (1) | 2:18.38 (1) | |||
| Anchor | 614 | Howard Davis | – | 45.62 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Yugoslavia | YUG | 3:05.62 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1156 | Branislav Karaulić | – | 47.39 (=3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1160 | Slobodan Popović | – | 46.81 (=3) | 1:34.20 (=3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 1155 | Slobodan Branković | – | 46.77 (=2) | 2:20.97 (=2) | |||
| Anchor | 1159 | Ismail Mačev | – | 44.65 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Portugal | POR | 3:07.75 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 865 | Paulo Curvelo | – | 47.39 (=3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 869 | Filipe Lombá | – | 46.81 (=3) | 1:34.20 (=3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 855 | António Abrantes | – | 46.77 (=2) | 2:20.97 (=2) | |||
| Anchor | 875 | Álvaro Silva | – | 46.78 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | East Germany | GDR | 3:08.13 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 462 | Jens Carlowitz | – | 46.23 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 478 | Michael Schimmer | – | 46.61 (2) | 1:32.84 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 477 | Mathias Schersing | – | 49.97 (7) | 2:22.81 (4) | |||
| Anchor | 480 | Thomas Schönlebe | – | 45.32 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Canada | CAN | 3:09.52 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 156 | John Graham | – | 46.53 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 154 | Carl Folkes | – | 49.20 (7) | 1:35.73 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 174 | Paul Osland | – | 47.66 (4) | 2:23.39 (5) | |||
| Anchor | 176 | Anton Skerritt | – | 46.13 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Antigua and Barbuda | ANT | 3:11.04 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 25 | Howard Lindsay | – | 47.71 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 21 | Alfred Browne | – | 47.80 (5) | 1:35.51 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 28 | Oral Selkridge | – | 48.47 (5) | 2:23.98 (6) | |||
| Anchor | 26 | Larry Miller | – | 47.06 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Zambia | ZAM | 3:11.35 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1168 | Douglas Kalembo | – | 48.18 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1170 | Enock Musonda | – | 48.43 (6) | 1:36.61 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 1167 | Jonathan Chipalo | – | 49.75 (6) | 2:26.36 (7) | |||
| Anchor | 1169 | Samuel Matete | – | 44.99 (2) | – (–) | |||
| – | Uganda | UGA | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| 1017 | John Goville DNS | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||||
| 1019 | Moses Musonge DNS | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||||
| 1021 | Mike Okot DNS | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||||
| 1022 | Sunday Olweny DNS | – | – (–) | – (–) |
| Time | 10:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time (Automatic) | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | United States | USA | 3:02.16 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1135 | Andrew Valmon | – | 45.34 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1126 | Kevin Robinzine | – | 45.51 (=1) | 1:30.85 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 1110 | Antonio McKay | – | 44.98 (1) | 2:15.83 (1) | |||
| Anchor | 1103 | Steve Lewis | – | 46.33 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Kenya | KEN | 3:05.21 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 672 | Tito Sawe | – | 46.90 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 670 | Lucas Sang | – | 45.51 (=1) | 1:32.41 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 651 | Paul Ereng | – | 46.58 (4) | 2:18.99 (2) | |||
| Anchor | 655 | Simeon Kipkemboi | – | 46.22 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Nigeria | NGR | 3:06.59 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 803 | Sunday Uti | – | 45.92 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 802 | Moses Ugbisien | – | 46.83 (4) | 1:32.75 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 789 | Henry Amike | – | 46.41 (3) | 2:19.16 (3) | |||
| Anchor | 791 | Innocent Egbunike | – | 47.43 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | Senegal | SEN | 3:06.93 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 900 | Ousmane Diarra | – | 47.64 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 907 | Babacar Niang | – | 47.31 (6) | 1:34.95 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 903 | Moussa Fall | – | 46.09 (2) | 2:21.04 (4) | |||
| Anchor | 898 | Amadou Dia Bâ | – | 45.89 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Côte d'Ivoire | CIV | 3:07.40 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 215 | Akissi Kpidi | – | 47.86 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 216 | Anatole Zongo Kuyo | – | 46.79 (3) | 1:34.65 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 214 | Lancine Fofana | – | 47.71 (6) | 2:22.36 (6) | |||
| Anchor | 217 | Gabriel Tiacoh | – | 45.04 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Pakistan | PAK | 3:08.54 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1204 | Bashir Ahmad | – | 48.08 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1203 | Muhammad Sadaqat | – | 46.98 (5) | 1:35.06 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 829 | Muhammad Afzal | – | 46.93 (5) | 2:21.99 (5) | |||
| Anchor | 831 | Muhammad Fayyaz | – | 46.55 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Botswana | BOT | 3:13.16 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 110 | Joe Ramotshabi | – | 49.22 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 106 | Bobby Gaseitsiwe | – | 47.60 (7) | 1:36.82 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 107 | Benny Kgarametso | – | 48.76 (7) | 2:25.58 (7) | |||
| Anchor | 109 | Sunday Maweni | – | 47.58 (7) | – (–) |
| Date | 30 September 1988 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top four in each heat advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Team | NOC | Time (automatic) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Germany | GDR | 3:00.60 | ||
| 2 | West Germany | FRG | 3:00.66 | ||
| 3 | Jamaica | JAM | 3:00.94 | ||
| 4 | Nigeria | NGR | 3:01.13 | ||
| 5 | Yugoslavia | YUG | 3:01.59 | ||
| 6 | United States | USA | 3:02.84 | ||
| 7 | Kenya | KEN | 3:03.24 | ||
| 8 | Japan | JPN | 3:03.80 | ||
| 9 | Great Britain | GBR | 3:04.60 | ||
| 10 | Australia | AUS | 3:06.63 | ||
| 11 | Barbados | BAR | 3:06.93 | ||
| 12 | Côte d'Ivoire | CIV | 3:07.15 | ||
| 13 | Senegal | SEN | 3:07.19 | ||
| 14 | Portugal | POR | 3:07.75 | ||
| 15 | Canada | CAN | 3:09.48 | ||
| 16 | Pakistan | PAK | 3:09.50 |
| Time | 14:45 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time (Automatic) | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | United States | USA | 3:02.84 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1135 | Andrew Valmon | – | 45.24 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1126 | Kevin Robinzine | – | 45.25 (3) | 1:30.49 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 1110 | Antonio McKay | – | 45.27 (1) | 2:15.76 (1) | |||
| Anchor | 1103 | Steve Lewis | – | 47.08 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Kenya | KEN | 3:03.24 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 672 | Tito Sawe | – | 46.60 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 670 | Lucas Sang | – | 44.91 (2) | 1:31.51 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 651 | Paul Ereng | – | 46.37 (2) | 2:17.88 (2) | |||
| Anchor | 655 | Simeon Kipkemboi | – | 45.36 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:04.60 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 459 | Brian Whittle | – | 46.71 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 402 | Kriss Akabusi | – | 44.85 (1) | 1:31.56 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 404 | Todd Bennett | – | 46.51 (4) | 2:18.07 (3) | |||
| Anchor | 408 | Phil Brown | – | 46.53 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:06.63 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 45 | Miles Murphy | – | 47.84 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 39 | Mark Garner | – | 46.46 (5) | 1:34.30 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 34 | Robert Ballard | – | 46.43 (3) | 2:20.73 (4) | |||
| Anchor | 36 | Darren Clark | – | 45.90 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Barbados | BAR | 3:06.93 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 80 | Seibert Straughn | – | 47.96 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 78 | Richard Louis | – | 45.69 (4) | 1:33.65 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 77 | Allan Ince | – | 47.24 (6) | 2:20.89 (5) | |||
| Anchor | 76 | Elvis Forde | – | 46.04 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Côte d'Ivoire | CIV | 3:07.15 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 215 | Akissi Kpidi | – | 47.54 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 212 | René Djédjémel | – | 46.49 (6) | 1:34.03 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 213 | Djétenan Kouadio | – | 47.70 (7) | 2:21.73 (7) | |||
| Anchor | 217 | Gabriel Tiacoh | – | 45.42 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Portugal | POR | 3:07.75 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 865 | Paulo Curvelo | – | 47.08 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 869 | Filipe Lombá | – | 47.32 (7) | 1:34.40 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 855 | António Abrantes | – | 46.86 (5) | 2:21.26 (6) | |||
| Anchor | 875 | Álvaro Silva | – | 46.49 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | – | Canada | CAN | 3:09.48 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 156 | John Graham | – | 48.02 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 154 | Carl Folkes | – | 47.50 (8) | 1:35.52 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 174 | Paul Osland | – | 47.78 (8) | 2:23.30 (8) | |||
| Anchor | 176 | Anton Skerritt | – | 46.18 (5) | – (–) |
| Time | 14:55 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time (Automatic) | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | East Germany | GDR | 3:00.60 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 462 | Jens Carlowitz | – | 44.79 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 472 | Frank Möller | – | 45.74 (5) | 1:30.53 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 477 | Mathias Schersing | – | 44.76 (2) | 2:15.29 (1) | |||
| Anchor | 480 | Thomas Schönlebe | – | 45.31 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | West Germany | FRG | 3:00.66 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 365 | Norbert Dobeleit | – | 45.41 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 370 | Mark Henrich | – | 45.56 (3) | 1:30.97 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 394 | Jörg Vaihinger | – | 44.88 (=3) | 2:15.85 (3) | |||
| Anchor | 377 | Ralf Lübke | – | 44.81 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Jamaica | JAM | 3:00.94 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 616 | Trevor Graham | – | 46.13 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 620 | Devon Morris | – | 45.24 (1) | 1:31.37 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 613 | Bert Cameron | – | 44.34 (1) | 2:15.71 (2) | |||
| Anchor | 614 | Howard Davis | – | 45.23 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | Nigeria | NGR | 3:01.13 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 803 | Sunday Uti | – | 45.31 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 802 | Moses Ugbisien | – | 45.57 (4) | 1:30.88 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 789 | Henry Amike | – | 45.63 (6) | 2:16.51 (4) | |||
| Anchor | 791 | Innocent Egbunike | – | 44.62 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Yugoslavia | YUG | 3:01.59 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1156 | Branislav Karaulić | – | 46.40 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1160 | Slobodan Popović | – | 45.35 (2) | 1:31.75 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 1155 | Slobodan Branković | – | 44.88 (=3) | 2:16.63 (5) | |||
| Anchor | 1159 | Ismail Mačev | – | 44.96 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Japan | JPN | 3:03.80 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 630 | Hirofumi Koike | – | 46.85 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 644 | Kenji Yamauchi | – | 45.92 (6) | 1:32.77 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 629 | Hiromi Kawasumi | – | 45.90 (7) | 2:18.67 (6) | |||
| Anchor | 641 | Susumu Takano | – | 45.13 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Senegal | SEN | 3:07.19 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 900 | Ousmane Diarra | – | 47.01 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 907 | Babacar Niang | – | 46.89 (8) | 1:33.90 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 903 | Moussa Fall | – | 45.30 (5) | 2:19.20 (7) | |||
| Anchor | 898 | Amadou Dia Bâ | – | 47.99 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | – | Pakistan | PAK | 3:09.50 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1204 | Bashir Ahmad | – | 47.89 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1203 | Muhammad Sadaqat | – | 46.63 (7) | 1:34.52 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 829 | Muhammad Afzal | – | 47.06 (8) | 2:21.58 (8) | |||
| Anchor | 831 | Muhammad Fayyaz | – | 47.92 (7) | – (–) |
| Date | 1 October 1988 — 15:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time (Automatic) | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | United States | USA | 2:56.16 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 1088 | Danny Everett | – | 43.79 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 1103 | Steve Lewis | – | 43.69 (1) | 1:27.48 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 1126 | Kevin Robinzine | – | 44.74 (1) | 2:12.22 (1) | |||
| Anchor | 1124 | Butch Reynolds | – | 43.94 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Jamaica | JAM | 3:00.30 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 614 | Howard Davis | – | 45.05 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 620 | Devon Morris | – | 44.90 (3) | 1:29.95 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 617 | Winthrop Graham | – | 45.80 (3) | 2:15.75 (2) | |||
| Anchor | 613 | Bert Cameron | – | 44.55 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | West Germany | FRG | 3:00.56 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 365 | Norbert Dobeleit | – | 45.30 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 372 | Edgar Itt | – | 45.10 (6) | 1:30.40 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 394 | Jörg Vaihinger | – | 45.52 (2) | 2:15.92 (3) | |||
| Anchor | 377 | Ralf Lübke | – | 44.64 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | East Germany | GDR | 3:01.13 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 462 | Jens Carlowitz | – | 44.74 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 477 | Mathias Schersing | – | 45.00 (4) | 1:29.74 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 472 | Frank Möller | – | 46.52 (6) | 2:16.26 (4) | |||
| Anchor | 480 | Thomas Schönlebe | – | 44.87 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:02.00 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 459 | Brian Whittle | – | 45.70 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 402 | Kriss Akabusi | – | 44.73 (2) | 1:30.43 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 404 | Todd Bennett | – | 46.13 (5) | 2:16.56 (5) | |||
| Anchor | 408 | Phil Brown | – | 45.44 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:02.49 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 34 | Robert Ballard | – | 46.03 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 39 | Mark Garner | – | 45.37 (7) | 1:31.40 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 45 | Miles Murphy | – | 46.58 (7) | 2:17.98 (7) | |||
| Anchor | 36 | Darren Clark | – | 44.51 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Nigeria | NGR | 3:02.50 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 803 | Sunday Uti | – | 44.81 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 802 | Moses Ugbisien | – | 45.76 (8) | 1:30.57 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 789 | Henry Amike | – | 46.06 (4) | 2:16.63 (6) | |||
| Anchor | 791 | Innocent Egbunike | – | 45.87 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | – | Kenya | KEN | 3:04.69 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-Off | 672 | Tito Sawe | – | 46.25 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | 670 | Lucas Sang | – | 45.08 (5) | 1:31.33 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | 651 | Paul Ereng | – | 47.00 (8) | 2:18.33 (8) | |||
| Anchor | 655 | Simeon Kipkemboi | – | 46.36 (8) | – (–) |