You Are Here > SR/Olympics > Summer Games > 1972 München > Athletics > Men's 400 metres Hurdles
Athletics at the 1972 München Summer Games:
Men's 400 metres Hurdles
Athletics at the 1972 Summer Games: Previous Summer Games ▪ Next Summer Games
Host City: München, West Germany
Venue(s): Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, München
Date Started: August 31, 1972
Date Finished: September 2, 1972
| Gold: |  John Akii-Bua |
| Silver: |  Ralph Mann |
| Bronze: |  Dave Hemery |
Summary
Defending champion Dave Hemery was back and was co-favorite with American Ralph Mann, who had been US Champion from 1969-71 and won the US Olympic Trials. Hemery led the final with a very quick pace, but was surprised when he was caught at the eighth hurdle by Uganda's John Akii-Bua. Akii-Bua’s strength showed in the last 100 metres as he won in world record time by 0.69 over the fast-closing Mann, with Hemery getting the bronze medal.
Final Standings
| Rank | Athlete | Age | Team | NOC | Medal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Akii-Bua | 22 | Uganda | UGA | Gold | WR |
| 2 | Ralph Mann | 23 | United States | USA | Silver | |
| 3 | Dave Hemery | 28 | Great Britain | GBR | Bronze | |
| 4 | Jim Seymour | 23 | United States | USA | ||
| 5 | Rainer Schubert | 30 | West Germany | FRG | ||
| 6T | Stavros Tziortzis | 23 | Greece | GRE | ||
| 6T | Yevgeny Gavrilenko | 21 | Soviet Union | URS | ||
| 8 | Yury Zorin | 24 | Soviet Union | URS | ||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | Rolf Ziegler | 21 | West Germany | FRG | ||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | Tadeusz Kulczycki | 24 | Poland | POL | ||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | Ivan Daniš | 21 | Czechoslovakia | TCH | ||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | Gary Knoke | 30 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | Viktor Savchenko | 23 | Soviet Union | URS | ||
| 8 h1 r2/3 | Jean-Pierre Corval | 23 | France | FRA | ||
| AC h2 r2/3 | Dieter Büttner | 23 | West Germany | FRG | ||
| AC h2 r2/3 | Christian Rudolph | 23 | East Germany | GDR | ||
| 4 h2 r1/3 | Bill Koskei | 24 | Kenya | KEN | ||
| 4 h3 r1/3 | Ari Salin | 25 | Finland | FIN | ||
| 4 h4 r1/3 | Bruce Field | 25 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 4 h5 r1/3 | Roger Johnson | 28 | New Zealand | NZL | ||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | Manuel Soriano | 26 | Spain | ESP | ||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | Giorgio Ballati | 26 | Italy | ITA | ||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | Jean-Pierre Perrinelle | 23 | France | FRA | ||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | Hansjörg Wirz | 29 | Switzerland | SUI | ||
| 5 h5 r1/3 | Mike Murei | 22 | Kenya | KEN | ||
| 6 h1 r1/3 | Fatwell Kimaiyo | 25 | Kenya | KEN | ||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | José Jacinto Hidalgo | 29 | Venezuela | VEN | ||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | José Carvalho | 19 | Portugal | POR | ||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | Dick Bruggeman | 25 | United States | USA | ||
| 6 h5 r1/3 | Lee Chung-Ping | 22 | Chinese Taipei | TPE | ||
| 7 h1 r1/3 | Roberto Frinolli | 31 | Italy | ITA | ||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | Norman Brinkworth | 28 | Pakistan | PAK | ||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | Hassan Bergaoui | 22 | Tunisia | TUN | ||
| 7 h4 r1/3 | Julio Ferrer | 19 | Puerto Rico | PUR | ||
| 7 h5 r1/3 | Gladstone Agbamu | 27 | Nigeria | NGR | ||
| 8 h1 r1/3 | Jean-Aimé Randrianalijaona | 26 | Madagascar | MAD | ||
| AC h5 r1/3 | John Sherwood | 27 | Great Britain | GBR |
Partner of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties.