| | Event type

400 metres Hurdles, Men

Date	31 August – 2 September 1960
Status	Olympic
Location	Stadio Olimpico, Roma
Participants	34 from 23 countries

Glenn Davis was the defending champion, world record holder, and the heavy favorite in 1960. He had won the AAU title in 1956, 57, 58, and 60, not competing in 1959 when the event was won by Dick Howard. Howard had also placed second at the 1959 Pan-American Games, third in that event going to Cliff Cushman. The only hurdler felt capable of challenging Davis was South Africa’s Gert Potgieter, 1958 Commonwealth Games champion in a 440 yard world record of 49.7. But he was injured in a car accident shortly before the Roma Olympics and could not compete. In Roma, Davis led an American sweep, with Howard getting the bronze medal, the silver medal going to Cushman. Cushman and Howard both died young, for different reasons. Cushman was listed as missing in action in Vietnam in 1966, while Howard died in 1967 from a heroin overdose.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	417	Glenn Davis	USA	52.2 (2 h2)	51.1 (1 h1)	49.3 (1)	Gold	OR
2	416	Cliff Cushman	USA	51.8 (1 h3)	50.8 (1 h2)	49.6 (2)	Silver
3	418	Dick Howard	USA	51.2 (2 h1)	50.8 (2 h2)	49.7 (3)	Bronze
4	284	Helmut Janz	GER	51.1 (1 h5)	51.4 (3 h1)	49.9 (4)
5	501	Jussi Rintamäki	FIN	51.5 (3 h5)	51.1 (2 h1)	50.8 (5)
6	224	Bruno Galliker	SUI	51.0 (1 h1)	51.3 (3 h2)	51.0 (6)
4 h1 r2/3	566	Georgy Chevychalov	URS	51.8 (1 h4)	52.0 (4 h1)	–
4 h2 r2/3	607	Salvatore Morale	ITA	52.0 (2 h4)	51.3 (4 h2)	–
5 h1 r2/3	609	Elio Catola	ITA	51.8 (4 h5)	52.3 (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r2/3	178	Bartonjo Rotich	KEN	51.2 (2 h5)	51.8 (5 h2)	–
6 h1 r2/3	686	Jan Gulbrandsen	NOR	52.2 (1 h2)	52.4 (6 h1)	–
6 h2 r2/3	285	Willi Matthias	GER	52.1 (2 h3)	51.8 (6 h2)	–
7 h1 r2/3	608	Moreno Martini	ITA	52.1 (2 h6)	52.4 (7 h1)	–
7 h2 r2/3	643	John Metcalf	GBR	52.1 (1 h6)	52.5 (7 h2)	–
3 h1 r1/3	39	Anubes da Silva	BRA	52.1 (3 h1)	–	–
3 h2 r1/3	567	Arnold Matsulevich	URS	52.9 (3 h2)	–	–
3 h3 r1/3	376	Keiji Ogushi	JPN	52.4 (3 h3)	–	–
3 h4 r1/3	348	Per-Owe Trollsås	SWE	52.3 (3 h4)	–	–
3 h6 r1/3	565	Boris Kriunov	URS	52.5 (3 h6)	–	–
4 h1 r1/3	644	Max Boyes	GBR	52.1 (4 h1)	–	–
4 h2 r1/3	141	George Shepherd	CAN	53.0 (4 h2)	–	–
4 h3 r1/3	642	Chris Goudge	GBR	52.6 (4 h3)	–	–
4 h4 r1/3	283	Wolfgang Fischer	GER	53.2 (4 h4)	–	–
4 h6 r1/3	363	Víctor Maldonado	VEN	52.6 (4 h6)	–	–
5 h1 r1/3	529	Wiesław Król	POL	52.4 (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r1/3	241	Marcel Lambrechts	BEL	53.5 (5 h2)	–	–
5 h3 r1/3	120	Muhammad Yaqub	PAK	52.8 (5 h3)	–	–
5 h4 r1/3	333	Dimitrios Skourtis	GRE	53.7 (5 h4)	–	–
5 h5 r1/3	660	Fahir Özgüden	TUR	55.3 (5 h5)	–	–
5 h6 r1/3	528	Zdzisław Kumiszcze	POL	53.3 (5 h6)	–	–
6 h1 r1/3	186	Mohamed Zouaki	MAR	55.2 (6 h1)	–	–
6 h3 r1/3	72	Mongi Soussi Zarrouki	TUN	54.3 (6 h3)	–	–
6 h5 r1/3	25	Nazzar Al-Jamali	IRQ	58.0 (6 h5)	–	–
6 h6 r1/3	32	Li Po-Ting	TPE	54.1 (6 h6)	–	–
DNS	493	Soedjanoedji	INA	– (DNS h2)	–	–
DNS	3	Habib Sayed	AFG	– (DNS h4)	–	–

Round One

Date	31 August 1960 — 15:00
Format	Top two in each heat and the next two fastest advanced to the semi-finals.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)	Time (hand)
1	224	Bruno Galliker	SUI	51.20	51.0	Q
2	284	Helmut Janz	GER	51.30	51.1	Q
3	418	Dick Howard	USA	51.32	51.2	Q
4	178	Bartonjo Rotich	KEN	51.39	51.2	Q
5	501	Jussi Rintamäki	FIN	51.70	51.5	q
6	609	Elio Catola	ITA	51.94	51.8	q
7	566	Georgy Chevychalov	URS	51.97	51.8	Q
8	416	Cliff Cushman	USA	51.98	51.8	Q
9	607	Salvatore Morale	ITA	52.13	52.0	Q
10	285	Willi Matthias	GER	52.23	52.1	Q
11	643	John Metcalf	GBR	52.24	52.1	Q
12	39	Anubes da Silva	BRA	52.25	52.1
13	608	Moreno Martini	ITA	52.26	52.1	Q
14	644	Max Boyes	GBR	52.32	52.1
15	686	Jan Gulbrandsen	NOR	52.39	52.2	Q
16	417	Glenn Davis	USA	52.41	52.2	Q
17	348	Per-Owe Trollsås	SWE	52.49	52.3
18	529	Wiesław Król	POL	52.52	52.4
19	376	Keiji Ogushi	JPN	52.58	52.4
20	565	Boris Kriunov	URS	52.66	52.5
21	642	Chris Goudge	GBR	52.75	52.6
22	363	Víctor Maldonado	VEN	52.79	52.6
23	120	Muhammad Yaqub	PAK	52.91	52.8
24	567	Arnold Matsulevich	URS	53.00	52.9
25	141	George Shepherd	CAN	53.05	53.0
26	283	Wolfgang Fischer	GER	53.35	53.2
27	528	Zdzisław Kumiszcze	POL	53.47	53.3
28	241	Marcel Lambrechts	BEL	53.67	53.5
29	333	Dimitrios Skourtis	GRE	53.85	53.7
30	32	Li Po-Ting	TPE	54.23	54.1
31	72	Mongi Soussi Zarrouki	TUN	54.34	54.3
32	660	Fahir Özgüden	TUR	55.43	55.3
33	186	Mohamed Zouaki	MAR	55.65	55.2
34	25	Nazzar Al-Jamali	IRQ	58.0	–
DNS	493	Soedjanoedji	INA	–	–
DNS	3	Habib Sayed	AFG	–	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	224	Bruno Galliker	SUI	51.0	51.20	Q
2	418	Dick Howard	USA	51.2	51.32	Q
3	39	Anubes da Silva	BRA	52.1	52.25
4	644	Max Boyes	GBR	52.1	52.32
5	529	Wiesław Król	POL	52.4	52.52
6	186	Mohamed Zouaki	MAR	55.2	55.65

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	686	Jan Gulbrandsen	NOR	52.2	52.39	Q
2	417	Glenn Davis	USA	52.2	52.41	Q
3	567	Arnold Matsulevich	URS	52.9	53.00
4	141	George Shepherd	CAN	53.0	53.05
5	241	Marcel Lambrechts	BEL	53.5	53.67
DNS	493	Soedjanoedji	INA	–	–

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	416	Cliff Cushman	USA	51.8	51.98	Q
2	285	Willi Matthias	GER	52.1	52.23	Q
3	376	Keiji Ogushi	JPN	52.4	52.58
4	642	Chris Goudge	GBR	52.6	52.75
5	120	Muhammad Yaqub	PAK	52.8	52.91
6	72	Mongi Soussi Zarrouki	TUN	54.3	54.34

Heat #4

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	566	Georgy Chevychalov	URS	51.8	51.97	Q
2	607	Salvatore Morale	ITA	52.0	52.13	Q
3	348	Per-Owe Trollsås	SWE	52.3	52.49
4	283	Wolfgang Fischer	GER	53.2	53.35
5	333	Dimitrios Skourtis	GRE	53.7	53.85
DNS	3	Habib Sayed	AFG	–	–

Heat #5

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	284	Helmut Janz	GER	51.1	51.30	Q
2	178	Bartonjo Rotich	KEN	51.2	51.39	Q
3	501	Jussi Rintamäki	FIN	51.5	51.70	q
4	609	Elio Catola	ITA	51.8	51.94	q
5	660	Fahir Özgüden	TUR	55.3	55.43
6	25	Nazzar Al-Jamali	IRQ	58.0	–

Heat #6

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	643	John Metcalf	GBR	52.1	52.24	Q
2	608	Moreno Martini	ITA	52.1	52.26	Q
3	565	Boris Kriunov	URS	52.5	52.66
4	363	Víctor Maldonado	VEN	52.6	52.79
5	528	Zdzisław Kumiszcze	POL	53.3	53.47
6	32	Li Po-Ting	TPE	54.1	54.23

Semi-Finals

Date	1 September 1960 — 16:15
Format	Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)	Time (hand)
1	416	Cliff Cushman	USA	50.89	50.8	Q
2	418	Dick Howard	USA	50.91	50.8	Q
3	417	Glenn Davis	USA	51.20	51.1	Q
4	501	Jussi Rintamäki	FIN	51.20	51.1	Q
5	224	Bruno Galliker	SUI	51.47	51.3	Q
6	607	Salvatore Morale	ITA	51.48	51.3
7	284	Helmut Janz	GER	51.55	51.4	Q
8	285	Willi Matthias	GER	51.95	51.8		1
9	178	Bartonjo Rotich	KEN	51.97	51.8		2
10	566	Georgy Chevychalov	URS	52.14	52.0
11	609	Elio Catola	ITA	52.44	52.3
12	686	Jan Gulbrandsen	NOR	52.56	52.4
13	608	Moreno Martini	ITA	52.57	52.4
14	643	John Metcalf	GBR	52.72	52.5

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	417	Glenn Davis	USA	51.1	51.20	Q
2	501	Jussi Rintamäki	FIN	51.1	51.20	Q
3	284	Helmut Janz	GER	51.4	51.55	Q
4	566	Georgy Chevychalov	URS	52.0	52.14
5	609	Elio Catola	ITA	52.3	52.44
6	686	Jan Gulbrandsen	NOR	52.4	52.56
7	608	Moreno Martini	ITA	52.4	52.57

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	416	Cliff Cushman	USA	50.8	50.89	Q
2	418	Dick Howard	USA	50.8	50.91	Q
3	224	Bruno Galliker	SUI	51.3	51.47	Q
4	607	Salvatore Morale	ITA	51.3	51.48
5	178	Bartonjo Rotich	KEN	51.8	51.97		3
6	285	Willi Matthias	GER	51.8	51.95		4
7	643	John Metcalf	GBR	52.5	52.72

Final Round

Date	2 September 1960 — 16:00

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	417	Glenn Davis	USA	49.3	49.51	OR
2	416	Cliff Cushman	USA	49.6	49.77
3	418	Dick Howard	USA	49.7	49.90
4	284	Helmut Janz	GER	49.9	50.05
5	501	Jussi Rintamäki	FIN	50.8	50.98
6	224	Bruno Galliker	SUI	51.0	51.11