| | Event type

4 × 400 metres Relay, Men

Date	31 July – 1 August 1980
Status	Olympic
Location	Bolshaya arena, Tsentralny stadion imeni V.I. Lenina, Moskva
Participants	97 from 24 countries
Olympic Record	2:58.65 / Herman Frazier • Benny Brown • Fred Newhouse • Maxie Parks USA / 31 July 1976 / Details

The top three teams entering the Olympic year were considered to be the USA, Kenya, and West Germany. But all three boycotted the Moskva Olympics, leading to a severely devalued event. At this time, substitutes were not allowed in the early rounds of the relays, and a runner could only be replaced in the final due to an injury. The Soviets controversially held out 400 gold medalist Viktor Markin in the opening round, instead running Viktor Burakov. But Buryakov developed a mysterious injury before the final, allowing Markin to run. The final was quite close throughout with no more than 1-2 metres separating the USSR and the GDR. The GDR actually had a narrow lead at the bell, and their anchor was run by Volker Beck, gold medalist in the 400 hurdles. But Markin ran him down on the final lap, and won by slightly over a metre. The winning time was the slowest since the 1960 Olympics.

Pos	Number	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	–	Soviet Union	URS	3:01.8 (1 h1)	3:01.1 (1)	Gold
		Remigijus Valiulis • Mikhail Linge • Nikolay Chernetsky • Viktor Markin • Viktor Burakov • Sergey Lovachov (DNS)
2	–	East Germany	GDR	3:03.4 (1 h2)	3:01.3 (2)	Silver
		Klaus Thiele • Andreas Knebel • Frank Schaffer • Volker Beck • Udo Bauer (DNS) • Frank Richter (DNS)
3	–	Italy	ITA	3:03.5 (3 h2)	3:04.3 (3)	Bronze
		Stefano Malinverni • Mauro Zuliani • Roberto Tozzi • Pietro Mennea • Flavio Borghi (DNS) • Mauro Marchioretto (DNS)
4	–	France	FRA	3:05.4 (1 h3)	3:04.8 (4)
		Jacques Fellice • Robert Froissart • Didier Dubois • Francis Demarthon • Philippe Le Joncour (DNS) • Hector Llatser (DNS)
5	–	Brazil	BRA	3:04.9 (2 h1)	3:05.9 (5)
		Paulo Roberto Correia • Antônio Ferreira • Agberto Guimarães • Geraldo José Pegado • Altevir de Araújo (DNS) • Katsuhiko Nakaya (DNS)
6	–	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	3:04.3 (4 h2)	3:06.6 (6)
		Joseph Coombs • Charles Joseph • Rafer Mohammed • Mike Solomon • Andrew Bruce (DNS) • Mike Paul (DNS)
7	–	Czechoslovakia	TCH	3:03.5 (2 h2)	3:07.0 (7)
		Josef Lomický • Dušan Malovec • František Břečka • Karel Kolář • Stanislav Sajdok (DNS)
AC r2/2	–	Great Britain	GBR	3:05.9 (2 h3)	– (DNF)
		Alan Bell • Terry Whitehead • Rod Milne • Glen Cohen • William Fowell (DNS) • David Jenkins (DNS)
3 h1 r1/2	–	Yugoslavia	YUG	3:05.3 (3 h1)	–
		Željko Knapić • Milovan Savić • Rok Kopitar • Jozo Alebić • Aleksandar Popović (DNS)
3 h3 r1/2	–	Switzerland	SUI	3:07.2 (3 h3)	–
		Rolf Strittmatter • Peter Haas • Rolf Gisler • Urs Kamber • Franz Meier (DNS)
4 h1 r1/2	–	Poland	POL	3:05.8 (4 h1)	–
		Jan Pawłowicz • Jerzy Pietrzyk • Adam Starostka • Andrzej Stępień • Lech Dunecki (DNS) • Zbigniew Jaremski (DNS)
4 h3 r1/2	–	Iraq	IRQ	3:10.5 (4 h3)	–
		Hussain Ali Nasayyif • Ali Hassan Kadhum • Fahim Abdul Al-Sada • Abbas Murshid Al-Aibi • Abdul Jabbar Rahima (DNS)
5 h1 r1/2	–	Netherlands	NED	3:06.0 (5 h1)	–
		Marcel Klarenbeek • Mario Westbroek • Henk Brouwer • Harry Schulting • Peter van Beusekom (DNS) • Koen Gijsbers (DNS)
5 h2 r1/2	–	Uganda	UGA	3:07.0 (5 h2)	–
		Pius Olowo • Charles Dramiga • John Akii-Bua • Silver Ayoo • Moses Kyeswa (DNS)
5 h3 r1/2	–	Nigeria	NGR	3:14.1 (5 h3)	–
		Sunday Uti • Hope Ezeigbo • Felix Imadiyi • Dele Udo • Ahmed Garba (DNS) • Leonard Ordiah (DNS)
6 h1 r1/2	–	Spain	ESP	3:06.9 (6 h1)	–
		Isidoro Hornillos • Colomán Trabado • Benjamín González • José Casabona • Ángel Cruz (DNS) • Antonio Páez (DNS)
6 h2 r1/2	–	Libya	LBA	3:16.7 (6 h2)	–
		Bashir Al-Fellah • Salem El-Margini • Ahmed Mohamed Sallouma • El-Mehdi Sallah Diab
6 h3 r1/2	–	Sri Lanka	SRI	3:14.4 (6 h3)	–
		Samararatne Dharmasena • Kosala Sahabandu • Newton Perera • Appunidage Premachandra • Ranjith Aluwihare (DNS)
7 h1 r1/2	–	Zambia	ZAM	3:14.9 (7 h1)	–
		Charles Lupiya • Alston Muziyo • Archfell Musango • Davison Lishebo • Bogger Mushanga (DNS)
7 h2 r1/2	–	Ethiopia	ETH	3:18.2 (7 h2)	–
		Besha Tuffa • Kumela Fituma • Asfaw Deble • Atre Bezabeh
7 h3 r1/2	–	Seychelles	SEY	3:19.2 (7 h3)	–
		Vincent Confait • Régis Tranquille • Marc Larose • Casimir Pereira • Arthure Agathine (DNS)
8 h1 r1/2	–	Sierra Leone	SLE	3:25.0 (8 h1)	–
		William Akabi-Davis • Jimmy Massallay • Sahr Kendor • George Branche • Sheku Boima (DNS) • Walter During (DNS)
AC h2 r1/2	–	Belgium	BEL	– (DNF h2)	–
		Eddy De Leeuw • Danny Roelandt • Rik Vandenberghe • Fons Brijdenbach • Jacques Borlée (DNS) • Reno Roelandt (DNS)
AC h3 r1/2	–	Jamaica	JAM	– (DNF h3)	–
		Derrick Peynado • Colin Bradford • Ian Stapleton • Bert Cameron • Alfred Daley (DNS) • Dennis Henry (DNS)
DNS	–	Kuwait	KUW	–	–
		Ramyan Al-Ramyan • Khaled Khalifa • Najem Al-Souailem • Jasem Al-Yagout • Abdul Latif Abbas • Khaled Hussain

Round One

Date	31 July 1980 — 18:50
Format	Top 2 in each heat and next 2 fastest advanced to the final round.

Pos	Team	NOC	Time (automatic)
1	Soviet Union	URS	3:01.8	Q
2	East Germany	GDR	3:03.4	Q
3	Czechoslovakia	TCH	3:03.5	Q
4	Italy	ITA	3:03.5	q
5	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	3:04.3	q
6	Brazil	BRA	3:04.9	Q
7	Yugoslavia	YUG	3:05.3
8	France	FRA	3:05.4	Q
9	Poland	POL	3:05.8
10	Great Britain	GBR	3:05.9	Q
11	Netherlands	NED	3:06.0
12	Spain	ESP	3:06.9
13	Uganda	UGA	3:07.0
14	Switzerland	SUI	3:07.2
15	Iraq	IRQ	3:10.5
16	Nigeria	NGR	3:14.1
17	Sri Lanka	SRI	3:14.4
18	Zambia	ZAM	3:14.9
19	Libya	LBA	3:16.7
20	Ethiopia	ETH	3:18.2
21	Seychelles	SEY	3:19.2
22	Sierra Leone	SLE	3:25.0
DNF	Belgium	BEL	–
DNF	Jamaica	JAM	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)
1	1	Soviet Union	URS	3:01.8	Q
Lead-Off	694	Nikolay Chernetsky		–
2nd Leg	713	Mikhail Linge		–
3rd Leg	741	Remigijus Valiulis		–
Anchor	693	Viktor Burakov		–
2	3	Brazil	BRA	3:04.9	Q
Lead-Off	75	Paulo Roberto Correia		–
2nd Leg	76	Antônio Ferreira		–
3rd Leg	78	Agberto Guimarães		–
Anchor	81	Geraldo José Pegado		–
3	5	Yugoslavia	YUG	3:05.3
Lead-Off	756	Željko Knapić		–
2nd Leg	763	Milovan Savić		–
3rd Leg	758	Rok Kopitar		–
Anchor	754	Jozo Alebić		–
4	6	Poland	POL	3:05.8
Lead-Off	542	Jan Pawłowicz		–
2nd Leg	544	Jerzy Pietrzyk		–
3rd Leg	549	Adam Starostka		–
Anchor	550	Andrzej Stępień		–
5	2	Netherlands	NED	3:06.0
Lead-Off	357	Henk Brouwer		–		1
2nd Leg	364	Mario Westbroek		–
3rd Leg	359	Marcel Klarenbeek		–
Anchor	361	Harry Schulting		–
6	7	Spain	ESP	3:06.9
Lead-Off	153	Isidoro Hornillos		–
2nd Leg	165	Colomán Trabado		–
3rd Leg	151	Benjamín González		–
Anchor	147	José Casabona		–
7	8	Zambia	ZAM	3:14.9
Lead-Off	772	Charles Lupiya		–
2nd Leg	775	Alston Muziyo		–
3rd Leg	774	Archfell Musango		–
Anchor	771	Davison Lishebo		–
8	4	Sierra Leone	SLE	3:25.0
Lead-Off	590	William Akabi-Davis		–
2nd Leg	598	Jimmy Massallay		–
3rd Leg	597	Sahr Kendor		–
Anchor	593	George Branche		–

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)
1	2	East Germany	GDR	3:03.4	Q
Lead-Off	339	Klaus Thiele		–
2nd Leg	312	Andreas Knebel		–
3rd Leg	329	Frank Schaffer		–
Anchor	293	Volker Beck		–
2	5	Czechoslovakia	TCH	3:03.5	Q
Lead-Off	660	Josef Lomický		–
2nd Leg	661	Dušan Malovec		–
3rd Leg	653	František Břečka		–
Anchor	658	Karel Kolář		–
3	3	Italy	ITA	3:03.5	q
Lead-Off	430	Stefano Malinverni		–
2nd Leg	440	Mauro Zuliani		–
3rd Leg	437	Roberto Tozzi		–
Anchor	433	Pietro Mennea		–
4	8	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	3:04.3	q
Lead-Off	677	Mike Solomon		–
2nd Leg	674	Rafer Mohammed		–
3rd Leg	673	Charles Joseph		–
Anchor	671	Joseph Coombs		–
5	1	Uganda	UGA	3:07.0
Lead-Off	684	Pius Olowo		–
2nd Leg	681	Charles Dramiga		–
3rd Leg	678	John Akii-Bua		–
Anchor	680	Silver Ayoo		–
6	7	Libya	LBA	3:16.7
Lead-Off	472	Bashir Al-Fellah		–
2nd Leg	471	Salem El-Margini		–
3rd Leg	474	Ahmed Mohamed Sallouma		–
Anchor	469	El-Mehdi Sallah Diab		–
7	6	Ethiopia	ETH	3:18.2
Lead-Off	186	Besha Tuffa		–
2nd Leg	175	Kumela Fituma		–
3rd Leg	173	Asfaw Deble		–
Anchor	171	Atre Bezabeh		–
DNF	4	Belgium	BEL	–
Lead-Off	40	Eddy De Leeuw		–
2nd Leg	47	Danny Roelandt		–
3rd Leg	52	Rik Vandenberghe		–
Anchor	39	Fons Brijdenbach		–

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)
1	4	France	FRA	3:05.4	Q
Lead-Off	235	Jacques Fellice		–
2nd Leg	236	Robert Froissart		–
3rd Leg	232	Didier Dubois		–
Anchor	230	Francis Demarthon		–
2	8	Great Britain	GBR	3:05.9	Q
Lead-Off	250	Alan Bell		–
2nd Leg	291	Terry Whitehead		–
3rd Leg	274	Rod Milne		–
Anchor	255	Glen Cohen		–
3	6	Switzerland	SUI	3:07.2
Lead-Off	619	Rolf Strittmatter		–
2nd Leg	613	Peter Haas		–
3rd Leg	612	Rolf Gisler		–
Anchor	614	Urs Kamber		–
4	3	Iraq	IRQ	3:10.5
Lead-Off	414	Hussain Ali Nasayyif		–
2nd Leg	411	Ali Hassan Kadhum		–
3rd Leg	410	Fahim Abdul Al-Sada		–
Anchor	413	Abbas Murshid Al-Aibi		–
5	2	Nigeria	NGR	3:14.1
Lead-Off	522	Sunday Uti		–
2nd Leg	784	Hope Ezeigbo		–
3rd Leg	515	Felix Imadiyi		–
Anchor	521	Dele Udo		–
6	1	Sri Lanka	SRI	3:14.4
Lead-Off	605	Samararatne Dharmasena		–
2nd Leg	604	Kosala Sahabandu		–
3rd Leg	602	Newton Perera		–
Anchor	603	Appunidage Premachandra		–
7	7	Seychelles	SEY	3:19.2
Lead-Off	584	Vincent Confait		–
2nd Leg	589	Régis Tranquille		–
3rd Leg	586	Marc Larose		–
Anchor	588	Casimir Pereira		–
DNF	5	Jamaica	JAM	–
Lead-Off	450	Derrick Peynado		–
2nd Leg	441	Colin Bradford		–
3rd Leg	452	Ian Stapleton		–
Anchor	442	Bert Cameron		–

Final Round

Date	1 August 1980 — 19:00

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)	Split	Exchange
1	4	Soviet Union	URS	3:01.1	3:01.08	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	741	Remigijus Valiulis		–	–	45.7 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	713	Mikhail Linge		–	–	45.4 (=2)	1:31.1 (=1)
3rd Leg	694	Nikolay Chernetsky		–	–	44.8 (=1)	2:15.9 (=1)
Anchor	718	Viktor Markin		–	–	45.2 (=1)	– (–)
2	1	East Germany	GDR	3:01.3	3:01.26	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	339	Klaus Thiele		–	–	45.8 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	312	Andreas Knebel		–	–	45.3 (1)	1:31.1 (=1)
3rd Leg	329	Frank Schaffer		–	–	44.8 (=1)	2:15.9 (=1)
Anchor	293	Volker Beck		–	–	45.4 (3)	– (–)
3	3	Italy	ITA	3:04.3	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	430	Stefano Malinverni		–	–	46.8 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	440	Mauro Zuliani		–	–	45.9 (=4)	1:32.7 (4)
3rd Leg	437	Roberto Tozzi		–	–	46.4 (5)	2:19.1 (5)
Anchor	433	Pietro Mennea		–	–	45.2 (=1)	– (–)
4	5	France	FRA	3:04.8	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	235	Jacques Fellice		–	–	46.6 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	236	Robert Froissart		–	–	46.7 (7)	1:33.3 (6)
3rd Leg	232	Didier Dubois		–	–	45.7 (3)	2:19.0 (=3)
Anchor	230	Francis Demarthon		–	–	45.8 (4)	– (–)
5	6	Brazil	BRA	3:05.9	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	75	Paulo Roberto Correia		–	–	47.4 (7)	– (–)
2nd Leg	76	Antônio Ferreira		–	–	45.4 (=2)	1:32.8 (5)
3rd Leg	78	Agberto Guimarães		–	–	46.2 (4)	2:19.0 (=3)
Anchor	81	Geraldo José Pegado		–	–	46.9 (7)	– (–)
6	7	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	3:06.6	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	671	Joseph Coombs		–	–	45.9 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	673	Charles Joseph		–	–	45.9 (=4)	1:31.8 (3)
3rd Leg	674	Rafer Mohammed		–	–	48.1 (7)	2:19.9 (6)
Anchor	677	Mike Solomon		–	–	46.7 (6)	– (–)
7	2	Czechoslovakia	TCH	3:07.0	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	660	Josef Lomický		–	–	47.3 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	661	Dušan Malovec		–	–	46.4 (6)	1:33.7 (7)
3rd Leg	653	František Břečka		–	–	46.7 (6)	2:20.4 (7)
Anchor	658	Karel Kolář		–	–	46.6 (5)	– (–)
DNF	8	Great Britain	GBR	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	250	Alan Bell		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
2nd Leg	291	Terry Whitehead		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
3rd Leg	274	Rod Milne		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	255	Glen Cohen		–	–	– (–)	– (–)