The event was won by Giovanni Pettenella of Italy, the nation's second consecutive and fourth overall victory in the men's sprint (trailing only France's five gold medals all-time).

Sergio Bianchetto took silver, making it the second consecutive Games in which Italy had two men on the podium in the event.

Italy and France, which had combined for 8 of the 12 previous gold medals, had strong teams.

France was favored, with Pierre Trentin and Daniel Morelon the top two at the 1964 World Championship.

The other Italian, Giovanni Pettenella, was less well-known but had taken silver in the track time trial earlier in the Games.

The winner of each heat advanced to the 1/8 finals, while the 26 remaining cyclists were relegated to the first round of repechages.

During their semifinal, Pettenella and Trentin set an Olympic record by standing still for 21 minutes and 57 seconds.

[4] The two finals each pitted a pair of countrymen against each other; Italians in the gold medal match and Frenchmen in the bronze.