The final was all-American, as Nelson Vails took silver, becoming the first Olympic cycling medalist of African descent.

[2] Japan earned its first medal in the men's sprint with Tsutomu Sakamoto's bronze.

The Soviet-led boycott was particularly disruptive in this event, with the East German team dominant at the time.

The 1981 and 1982 World Champion and 1980 Olympic bronze medalist, Soviet Sergei Kopylov, was also kept out due to the boycott.

[3] The Cayman Islands and Chinese Taipei each made their debut in the men's sprint.