| Final 16:00 | time | electr | L | | 1. Glenn Davis |  United States | 49.3s OR | 49.51s | 6 | | 2. Cifton Cushman | United States | 49.6s | 49.77s | 5 | | 3. Richard Howard | United States | 49.7s | 49.90s | 1 | | 4. Helmut Janz |  Germany | 49.9s | 50.05s | 2 | | 5. Jussi Rintamaki |  Finland | 50.8s | 50.98s | 4 | | 6. Bruno Galliker |  Switzerland | 51.0s | 51.11s | 3 |
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| | | Venue: Stadio Olimpico 65,000. | | 34 competitors from 23 nations. |
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| Semi 1 | time | | 1. Glenn Davis | United States | 51.1s | | 2. Jussi Rintamaki | Finland | 51.1s | | 3. Helmut Janz | Germany | 51.4s | | 4. Georgy Chevchalov |  Soviet Union | 52.0s | | 5. Elio Catola |  Italy | 52.3s | | 6. Jan Gulbrandsen |  Norway | 52.4s | | 7. Moreno Martini | Italy | 52.4s |
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| Semi 2 | time | | 1. Cifton Cushman | United States | 50.8s | | 2. Richard Howard | United States | 50.8s | | 3. Bruno Galliker | Switzerland | 51.3s | | 4. Salvatore Morale | Italy | 51.3s | | 5. Bartonjo Rotich |  Kenya | 51.8s | | 6. Willi Matthias | Germany | 51.8s | | 7. John Metcalf |  Great Britain | 52.5s |
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Davis had again won the US Trials in 49.5, and was co-favourite with
Potgieter who had run a world record 49.3 for 440y at altitude earlier
in the year. A month before the Games the South African was badly
injured in a car crash, and a great duel was lost. As it was Davis had
two teammates who had also ducked below 50 seconds. In the early
rounds only Cushman - 50.8 (50.89) and Howard - 50.8 (50.92) ran
under 51 seconds.
In the final Davis led to the second hurdle, but had to chop stride at
that barrier, and Howard and Janz went past him. Davis only began to
pull back after the sixth hurdle, at which point Cushman was last. Davis
caught Janz at the ninth hurdle, and was level with Howard at the final
obstacle, with Janz third and Cushman closing fast in fourth place.
Davis and Cushman both finished powerfully, with the latter gaining a
metre on Davis. The time of 49.3 was the third-fastest ever, and gave
Davis six of the nine marks of 49.6 or better.
| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Bruno Galliker | Switzerland | 51.0s | | 2. Richard Howard | United States | 51.2s | | 3. Anubes Ferraz Da Silva |  Brazil | 52.1s | | 4. Max Boyes | Great Britain | 52.1s | | 5. Wieslaw Krol |  Poland | 52.4s | | 6. Mohamed Zouaki |  Marocco | 52.5s |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Jan Gulbrandsen | Norway | 52.2s | | 2. Glenn Davis | United States | 52.2s | | 3. Arnold Maculevich | Soviet Union | 52.9s | | 4. George Shepherd |  Canada | 53.0s | | 5. Marcel Lambrechts |  Belgium | 53.5s | | -. Soedjanoedji |  Indonesia | DNS |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Cifton Cushman | United States | 51.8s | | 2. Willi Matthias | Germany | 52.1s | | 3. Keiji Ogushi |  Japan | 52.4s | | 4. Christopher Goudge | Great Britain | 52.6s | | 5. Muhamad Yaqub |  Pakistan | 52.8s | | 6. Mongi Zarrouki |  Tunisia | 54.3s |
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| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Georgy Chevychalov | Soviet Union | 51.8s | | 2. Salvatore Morale | Italy | 52.0s | | 3. Per Owe Trollsas |  Sweden | 52.3s | | 4. Wolfgang Fischer | Germany | 53.2s | | 5. Dimitrios Skourtis |  Greece | 53.7s | | -. H. Zareef Syed |  Afghanistan | DNS |
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| Heat 5 | time | | 1. Helmut Janz | Germany | 51.1s | | 2. Bartonjo Rotich | Kenya | 51.2s | | 3. Jussi Rintamaki | Finland | 51.5s | | 4. Elio Catola | Italy | 51.8s | | 5. Fahir Ozguden |  Turkey | 55.3s | | 6. Nazzar Al Jamali |  Iraq | 58.0s |
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| Heat 6 | time | | 1. John Metcalf | Great Britain | 52.1s | | 2. Moreno Martini | Italy | 52.1s | | 3. Boris Kriunov | Soviet Union | 52.5s | | 4. Victor Flores |  Venezuela | 52.6s | | 5. Zdislaw Kumiszcze | Poland | 53.3s | | 6. Li Po Ting |  Chinese Taipei | 54.1s |
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