30 athletes from 19 nations entered, with 1 not starting in the first round.

[1] New Olympic records for the event were set in two of the three heats as well as in the final, for a total of three out of four races resulting in a new record.

Alexeiunas could not match his record-setting pace from the heats, falling to 7th in the final.

Herriott, who had set the record Alexeiunas had broken, improved on his own time but could not reach Alexeiunas's record as he placed second.

Roelants, the world record-holder who had run behind Alexeiunas in the heat, turned out victorious in the final, breaking the Soviet's record by a full second to set a third new record in the event.