4 × 400 metres Relay, Men

The US had the three best 400 metre runners in München. The 400 had been won by Vince Matthews, who had opened the 4x400 for the US in 1968, with Wayne Collett second. John Smith was actually considered the favorite for the 400 gold medal but went down in the final after running only a few metres, the victim of a hamstring injury. At the 400 medal ceremony, Matthews and Collett staged a mild protest, somewhat similar to Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968. As The Star-Spangled Banner played, they did not stand at attention, talked to each other, their warm-up jackets wide open, and did not even look at the US flag at it was raised. The IOC banned them from the Olympics. The US had nominated six runners for the 4x400 but with Matthews, Collett, and Smith out, they did not have a team. This left the event wide open. In their absence, Kenya won the gold medal. At the final exchange, Kenya and Great Britain were virtually even, but Julius Sang ran the anchor in 43.5 for Kenya to seal the victory.