200 metres, Men

Reigning champion Valery Borzov pulled out of his heat fuelling a short lived false rumour that he had defected.

Don Quarrie (JAM) had been the best 200 metre runner since 1970 but was injured in the 1972 Olympic semi-final. He had won the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1974 and the Pan American Games in 1971, and had set three world records over 200 metres. The best American in 1976 was Steve Williams, but he was injured and did not make the US team. He was possibly the fastest sprinter of the 1970s, but injuries always kept him from competing at major meets. The third fastest man in 1976 was Guyana’s James Gilkes, but his country joined the African boycott and he could not compete. He petitioned the IOC to compete as an individual but this was denied.

In Montréal, Quarrie had the fastest time in every round. He entered the final straight equal with Dwayne Evans (USA) but pulled away to a safe, though not dominant, win over American Millard Hampton, Evans getting in for the bronze medal. At 17 years 286 days, Evans was the youngest medallist in the event’s history. To the dismay of television directors everywhere the medallists took ten minutes to complete their victory lap. The 100m champion, Hasely Crawford, pulled up injured after 50 metres but, since he walked across the finish line without leaving his lane, he is unofficially credited with a time nearly a minute behind the winner.