Wikipedia

Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia took place between 26 and 29 July. There were 62 competitors from 42 countries.[1][2] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

Men's 400 metres
at the Games of the XXVI Olympiad
VenueCentennial Olympic Stadium
Dates26 July 1996 (heats)
27 July 1996 (quarter-finals)
28 July 1996 (semi-finals)
29 July 1996 (final)
Competitors62 from 42 nations
Winning time43.49 OR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Michael Johnson
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Roger Black
 Great Britain
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Davis Kamoga
 Uganda
← 1992
2000 →
Official Video Highlights
@ 1:50

The event was won by Michael Johnson of the United States. A few days later, Johnson would become the only man to win both the 400 metres and the 200 metres in the same Olympics. Johnson's 400 metres victory in Atlanta was the first of his two wins; he would become the only man to repeat as gold medalist in the event when he won again in 2000. More generally, his win was the fourth in what would ultimately be 7 consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008 and the 16th overall title in the event by the United States. Roger Black's silver medal was Great Britain's first in the event since 1936; Davis Kamoga's bronze was Uganda's first in the event ever.

Background

edit

This was the 23rd appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The only two finalists from 1992 to return were bronze medalist Samson Kitur of Kenya and seventh-place finisher Ibrahim Ismail Muftah of Qatar. Michael Johnson of the United States was the clear favorite, having won the last two world championships. His countryman Butch Reynolds had come in second both times, as well as having won silver in the 1988 Olympics. Roger Black of Great Britain, 1991 world championship runner-up, 1986 and 1990 European champion, and 1994 European runner-up, was probably the strongest non-American challenger.[2]

Algeria, Comoros, Cyprus, Saint Lucia, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, and Yemen appeared in this event for the first time. The United States made its 22nd appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Competition format

edit

The competition retained the basic four-round format from 1920. The "fastest loser" system, introduced in 1964, was used for the first round. There were 8 first-round heats, each with 7 or 8 runners. The top three runners in each heat advanced, along with the next eight fastest overall (in contrast to previous instances where there were 8 heats, which used a top-four with no-fastest-loser rule). The 32 quarterfinalists were divided into 4 quarterfinals with 8 runners each; the top four athletes in each quarterfinal heat advanced to the semifinals, with no "fastest loser" spots. The semifinals featured 2 heats of 8 runners each. The top four runners in each semifinal heat advanced, making an eight-man final.[2][3]

Records

edit

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics.

World record   Butch Reynolds (USA) 43.29 Zürich, Switzerland 17 August 1988
Olympic record   Quincy Watts (USA) 43.50 Barcelona, Spain 5 August 1992

In the final Michael Johnson set a new Olympic record by 0.01 seconds with 43.49 seconds.

Schedule

edit

Following the 1984 schedule, the event was held on four separate days, with each round being on a different day.

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)

Date Time Round
Friday, 26 July 1996 19:00 Round 1
Saturday, 27 July 1996 19:55 Quarterfinals
Sunday, 28 July 1996 20:26 Semifinals
Monday, 29 July 1996 21:10 Final

Results

edit

Round 1

edit

Heat 1

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 3 Roger Black   Great Britain 45.28 Q
2 2 Neil de Silva   Trinidad and Tobago 45.34 Q
3 1 Štefan Balošák   Slovakia 45.86 Q
4 6 Jude Monye   Nigeria 46.10 q
5 7 Michael Joubert   Australia 46.30
6 5 Kossi Akoto   Togo 46.94
— 8 Moustafa Abdel Naser   Libya DSQ
4 Amar Hecini   Algeria DSQ

Heat 2

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 5 Davian Clarke   Jamaica 45.54 Q
2 7 Sanderlei Parrela   Brazil 45.60 Q
3 1 Troy Douglas   Bermuda 45.61 Q
4 6 Charles Gitonga   Kenya 45.62 q
5 2 Piotr Rysiukiewicz   Poland 46.07 q
6 3 Mohamed Hamed Al-Bishi   Saudi Arabia 46.82
7 8 Ivan Jean-Marie   Saint Lucia 47.13
8 4 Hassan Abdou   Comoros 50.17

Heat 3

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 6 Alvin Harrison   United States 44.69 Q
2 5 Ibrahim Ismail Muftah   Qatar 45.61 Q
3 2 Paul Greene   Australia 46.12 Q
4 8 Shigekazu Omori   Japan 46.30
5 3 Laurent Clerc   Switzerland 46.42
6 4 Shon Ju-Il   South Korea 46.74
7 7 Subul Babo   Papua New Guinea 48.15
— 1 Justice Dipeba   Botswana DNS

Heat 4

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 6 Eswort Coombs   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 45.84 Q
2 5 Jean-Louis Rapnouil   France 45.93 Q
3 3 Du'aine Ladejo   Great Britain 46.27 Q
4 2 Troy McIntosh   Bahamas 46.42
5 7 Valdinei da Silva   Brazil 46.61
6 1 Richard Jones   Guyana 46.99
7 4 Mpho Morobe   Lesotho 47.54
8 8 Mohamed Amir   Maldives 49.67

Heat 5

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 8 Sugath Thilakaratne   Sri Lanka 45.79 Q
2 3 Michael Johnson   United States 45.80 Q
3 6 Alejandro Cárdenas   Mexico 45.85 Q
4 1 Bobang Phiri   South Africa 45.94 q
5 5 Kennedy Ochieng   Kenya 45.99 q
6 2 Euripidis Dimosthenous   Cyprus 46.76
7 4 Emmanuel Rubayiza   Rwanda 49.20
— 7 Francis Ogola   Uganda DNF

Heat 6

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 7 Butch Reynolds   United States 45.42 Q
2 3 Arnaud Malherbe   South Africa 45.75 Q
3 6 Tawanda Chiwira   Zimbabwe 45.89 Q
4 5 Mathias Rusterholz   Switzerland 45.92 q
5 1 Dawda Jallow   The Gambia 46.73
6 4 Eugene Farrell   Ireland 47.18
7 2 Casimiro Asumu Nze   Equatorial Guinea 50.14
— 8 Ibrahim Hassan   Ghana DNF

Heat 7

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 1 Clement Chukwu   Nigeria 45.18 Q
2 8 Samson Kitur   Kenya 45.39 Q
3 5 Michael McDonald   Jamaica 45.50 Q
4 6 Hendrick Mokganyetsi   South Africa 45.89 q
5 4 Osmar dos Santos   Brazil 46.16
6 2 Robert Guy   Trinidad and Tobago 46.80
7 7 Martial Biguet   Central African Republic 48.92
8 3 Anwar Mohamed Ali   Yemen 50.81

Heat 8

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 2 Sunday Bada   Nigeria 45.19 Q
2 7 Iwan Thomas   Great Britain 45.22 Q
3 1 Davis Kamoga   Uganda 45.56 Q
4 5 Roxbert Martin   Jamaica 46.01 q
5 8 Mark Ladbrook   Australia 46.28
6 6 Carl Oliver   Bahamas 47.41
7 3 Kimitene Biyago   Chad 48.88
— 4 Ibrahim Ouédraogo   Burkina Faso DNS

Eliminated in heats

edit

Ranks are unofficial.

Rank Athlete Nation Time
33 Osmar dos Santos   Brazil 46.16
34 Mark Ladbrook   Australia 46.28
35 Michael Joubert   Australia 46.30
Shigekazu Omori   Japan 46.30
37 Troy McIntosh   Bahamas 46.42
Laurent Clerc   Switzerland 46.42
39 Valdinei da Silva   Brazil 46.61
40 Richard Jones   Guyana 46.69
41 Dawda Jallow   The Gambia 46.73
42 Shon Ju-Il   South Korea 46.74
43 Evripides Demosthenous   Cyprus 46.76
44 Robert Guy   Trinidad and Tobago 46.80
45 Mohamed Hamed Al-Bishi   Saudi Arabia 46.82
46 Kossi Akoto   Togo 46.94
47 Ivan Jean-Marie   Saint Lucia 47.13
48 Eugene Farrell   Ireland 47.18
49 Carl Oliver   Bahamas 47.41
50 Mpho Morobe   Lesotho 47.54
51 Subul Babo   Papua New Guinea 48.15
52 Kimitene Biyago   Chad 48.88
53 Martial Biguet   Central African Republic 48.92
54 Emmanuel Rubayiza   Rwanda 49.20
55 Mohamed Amir   Maldives 49.67
56 Casimiro Asumu Nze   Equatorial Guinea 50.14
57 Hassan Abdou   Comoros 50.17
58 Anwar Mohamed Ali   Yemen 50.81
— Ibrahim Hassan   Ghana DNF
Francis Ogola   Uganda DNF
Moustafa Abdel Naser   Libya DSQ
Amar Hecini   Algeria DSQ
— Ibrahim Ouédraogo   Burkina Faso DNS
Justice Dipeba   Botswana DNS

Quarterfinals

edit

The quarterfinals were held on 27 July 1996. The top four in each heat advanced to the semifinals.

Quarterfinal 1

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 3 Sunday Bada   Nigeria 44.88 Q
2 4 Davian Clarke   Jamaica 44.98 Q
3 6 Samson Kitur   Kenya 45.03 Q
4 2 Troy Douglas   Bermuda 45.26 Q
5 5 Arnaud Malherbe   South Africa 45.26
6 7 Tawanda Chiwira   Zimbabwe 45.38
7 8 Mathias Rusterholz   Switzerland 45.72
8 1 Piotr Rysiukiewicz   Poland 46.19

Quarterfinal 2

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 3 Roger Black   Great Britain 44.72 Q
2 4 Ibrahim Ismail Muftah   Qatar 44.96 Q
3 5 Butch Reynolds   United States 45.21 Q
4 8 Štefan Balošák   Slovakia 45.32 Q
5 7 Alejandro Cárdenas   Mexico 45.33
6 1 Bobang Phiri   South Africa 45.51
7 6 Sanderlei Parrela   Brazil 45.72
8 2 Kennedy Ochieng   Kenya 45.72

Quarterfinal 3

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 6 Michael Johnson   United States 44.62 Q
2 7 Roxbert Martin   Jamaica 44.74 Q
3 8 Davis Kamoga   Uganda 44.82 Q
4 4 Neil de Silva   Trinidad and Tobago 45.02 Q
5 3 Clement Chukwu   Nigeria 45.24
6 2 Du'aine Ladejo   Great Britain 45.62
7 5 Sugath Thilakaratne   Sri Lanka 45.78
8 1 Paul Greene   Australia 46.22

Quarterfinal 4

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 4 Alvin Harrison   United States 44.79 Q
2 6 Iwan Thomas   Great Britain 45.04 Q
3 7 Michael McDonald   Jamaica 45.26 Q
4 5 Eswort Coombs   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 45.43 Q
5 3 Jean-Louis Rapnouil   France 45.74
6 1 Hendrick Mokganyetsi   South Africa 46.48
— 2 Jude Monye   Nigeria DNF
— 8 Charles Gitonga   Kenya DNS

Eliminated in quarterfinals

edit

Ranks are unofficial.

Rank Athlete Nation Time
17 Clement Chukwu   Nigeria 45.24
18 Arnaud Malherbe   South Africa 45.26
19 Alejandro Cardenas   Mexico 45.33
20 Tawanda Chiwira   Zimbabwe 45.38
21 Bobang Phiri   South Africa 45.51
22 Du'aine Ladejo   Great Britain 45.62
23 Sanderlei Parrela   Brazil 45.72
24 Mathias Rusterholz   Switzerland 45.72
25 Kennedy Ochieng   Kenya 45.72
26 Jean-Louis Rapnouil   France 45.74
27 Sugath Thilakaratne   Sri Lanka 45.78
28 Piotr Rysiukiewicz   Poland 46.19
29 Paul Greene   Australia 46.22
30 Hendrik Mokganyetsi   South Africa 46.48
31 Jude Monye   Nigeria DNF
32 Charles Gitonga   Kenya DNS

Semifinals

edit

The semifinals were held on 28 July 1996. The top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 4 Roger Black   Great Britain 44.69 Q
2 3 Davian Clarke   Jamaica 44.87 Q
3 6 Ibrahim Ismail Muftah   Qatar 45.02 Q
4 5 Alvin Harrison   United States 45.04 Q
5 2 Samson Kitur   Kenya 45.17
6 7 Štefan Balošák   Slovakia 45.59
7 8 Troy Douglas   Bermuda 46.33
— 1 Butch Reynolds   United States DNF

Semifinal 2

edit
Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 5 Michael Johnson   United States 44.59 Q
2 6 Roxbert Martin   Jamaica 44.81 Q
3 1 Davis Kamoga   Uganda 44.85 Q
4 3 Iwan Thomas   Great Britain 45.01 Q
5 4 Sunday Bada   Nigeria 45.30
6 8 Eswort Coombs   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 45.36
7 2 Michael McDonald   Jamaica 45.48
8 7 Neil de Silva   Trinidad and Tobago 45.56

Eliminated in semifinals

edit

Ranks are unofficial.

Rank Athlete Nation Time
9 Samson Kitur   Kenya 45.17
10 Sunday Bada   Nigeria 45.30
11 Eswort Coombs   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 45.36
12 Michael McDonald   Jamaica 45.48
13 Neil de Silva   Trinidad and Tobago 45.56
14 Štefan Balošák   Slovakia 45.59
15 Troy Douglas   Bermuda 46.33
16 Butch Reynolds   United States DNF

Final

edit

The final was held on 29 July 1996.

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
  4 Michael Johnson   United States 43.49 OR
  3 Roger Black   Great Britain 44.41
  2 Davis Kamoga   Uganda 44.53
4 1 Alvin Harrison   United States 44.62
5 8 Iwan Thomas   Great Britain 44.70
6 5 Roxbert Martin   Jamaica 44.83
7 6 Davian Clarke   Jamaica 44.99
— 7 Ibrahim Ismail Muftah   Qatar DNF

See also

edit

Women's 400 metres

References

edit
  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games: Men's 400 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  3. ^ Official Report, vol. 3, pp. 72–73.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Athletics_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics_–_Men%27s_400_metres&oldid=1238860226"