The Men's 400 metres

400 metres

The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...

at the 1988 Summer Olympics

1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...

in Seoul, South Korea always promised to be a classic. The clear favourite was the legendary American Harry "Butch" Reynolds. He had set a new world record of 43.29sec only a few months before. Reynolds breezed through the heats and into the final.

The final, ran on Thursday September 28, 1988, started somewhat as expected, with Reynolds holding back and saving himself for his normal strong finish. To the surprise of most watching a young American Steve Lewis went out strong from the start and gave reynolds a run for his money. Entering the home straight Lewis was leading and Reynolds charging back at him but Reynolds left it too late and the 19yr old Lewis hung on for victory in an amazing time of 43.87sec. With Reynolds second and Danny Everett

Danny Everett

Daniel Joseph Everett is a 400 metre runner from the United States. As a 21-year-old he participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal in the individual event and a gold medal with the United States 4x400 m relay...

 third for an American clean sweep! The same trio was also involved with Kevin Robinzine

Kevin Robinzine

Kevin Bernard Robinzine was a 1988 Olympic gold medalist in the men's 4×400 meter relay for the United States, where he ran the third leg. The team equalled the world and Olympic record from 1968 in Mexico with 2:56.16.-References:...

 in winning the 4x400m relay.

The career of Lewis was blighted by injury although he did compete in the 1992 Summer Olympics

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

 in Barcelona, Spain, placing 2nd in 400m and being part of the American quartet who took gold in 4x400m relay.

Medalists

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics.

World Record	43.29	Butch Reynolds Butch Reynolds Harry "Butch" Reynolds is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 meter dash. He held the world record for the event for eleven years with his personal best time of 43.29 seconds set in 1988. That year he was the silver medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and a...	Zurich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...  (SUI Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... )	August 17, 1988
Olympic Record	43.86	Lee Evans Lee Evans (athlete) Lee Edward Evans is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics....	Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...  (MEX Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... )	October 18, 1968

No records were broken.

Final

RANK	FINAL	TIME
		43.87
		43.93
		44.09
4.		44.55
5.		44.72
6.		44.94
7.		44.95
8.		45.03

Semi finals

RANK	HEAT 1	TIME
1.		44.35
2.		44.36
3.		44.38
4.		44.50
5.		44.90
6.		45.08
7.		45.27
8.		46.17

RANK	HEAT 2	TIME
1.		44.33
2.		44.60
3.		44.69
4.		44.74
5.		44.90
6.		45.48
7.		45.68
8.		46.07

See also

• 1987 Men's World Championships 400 metres (Rome)
• 1990 Men's European Championships 400 metres (Split)
  1990 European Championships in Athletics - Men's 400 metres
  These are the official results of the Men's 400 metres event at the 1990 European Championships in Split, Yugoslavia. The final was held on 30 August 1990.-Final:-Semifinals:-See also:* 1988 Men's Olympic 400 metres...
  
  
• 1991 Men's World Championships 400 metres (Tokyo)
  1991 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 400 metres
  These are the official results of the Men's 400 metres event at the 1991 IAAF World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. There were a total of 46 participating athletes, with six qualifying heats and the final held on Thursday August 29 1991.-Medalists:...
  
  
• 1992 Men's Olympic 400 metres (Barcelona)
  Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres
  These are the official results of the men's 400 metres event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total number of 69 participating athletes, with nine qualifying heats.-Medalists:-Records:...