The men's 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 16–18 August at the Beijing National Stadium.

[2] The event was won by Angelo Taylor of the United States, the nation's 18th victory in the men's 400 metres hurdles.

The United States completed its fifth podium sweep in the men's long hurdles, as Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson took silver and bronze.

However, when the Olympics returned in 1920 after World War I, the men's 400 metres hurdles was back and would continue to be contested at every Games thereafter.

Taylor was joined by the last two World Champions on the American team; Bershawn Jackson had won in 2005 and Kerron Clement in 2007.

The defending champion was "The Dictator" Félix Sánchez, but his reign ended short when he received the news of his grandmother, Lilian's death, just before his heat.

McFarlane took the ninth hurdle awkwardly at the same time as "Batman" Jackson began his patented sprint to the finish.

McFarlane took the final hurdle smoothly and also mounted a charge, but was not able to catch Jackson's furious dive at Clement leaving the results as an American sweep.

In repeating as Olympic champion non-consecutively, Taylor joined a rare club including Paavo Nurmi, Volodymyr Holubnychy, Heike Drechsler, Nina Romashkova and Edwin Moses (caused by the boycott).