| Final | time | L | 200m | 400m | | 1. Bert Cameron |  JAM | 45.05s | 4 | 21.8s | 23.3s | | 2. Michael Franks |  USA | 45.22s | 5 | 21.7s | 23.6s | | 3. Sunder Nix | USA | 45.24s | 1 | 22.2s | 23.1s | | 4. Erwin Skamrahl |  FRG | 45.37s | 7 | 21.4s | 24.0s | | 5. Hartmut Weber | FRG | 45.49s | 3 | 21.6s | 23.9s | | 6. Thomas Schonlebe |  GDR | 45.50s | 6 | 22.0s | 23.5s | | 7. Michael Paul |  TRI | 45.80s | 8 | 21.5s | 24.3s | | 8. Gerson A. Souza |  BRA | 45.91s | 2 | 21.8s | 24.2s |
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The Commonwealth and three-times US Collegiate Champion, Cameron justified his status as favourite with a clear win. Conversely, the silver and bronze medals did not go to form. Cameron felt that the Germans Weber and Skamrahl would be his biggest rivals but Franks (pre-1983 best of only 48.74) proved to be his closest challenger. Third place went to another American, Nix, who made up four places in the finishing straight and only made the final as fastest loser.
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| | | First 4 from each Semi-Final advanced to Final. |
| Semi 1 | time | | 1. Michael Franks | USA | 45.44s | | 2. Hartmut Weber | FRG | 45.61s | | 3. Thomas Schonlebe | GDR | 45.67s | | 4. Michael Paul | TRI | 45.83s | | 5. Jan Tomko |  TCH | 46.03s | | 6. Todd Bennett |  GBR | 46.11s | | 7. Darren Clark |  AUS | 46.36s | | 8. Martin Weppler | FRG | 46.55s |
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| Semi 2 | time | | 1. Bert Cameron | JAM | 45.48s | | 2. Erwin Skamrahl | FRG | 45.61s | | 3. Gerson A. Souza | BRA | 45.63s | | 4. Sunder Nix | USA | 45.73s | | 5. Viktor Markin |  URS | 45.73s | | 6. Douglas Hinds |  CAN | 46.52s | | 7. Moses Kyeswa |  UGA | 46.79s | | 8. Philip Brown | GBR | 46.81s |
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| | | First 4 from each Quarter-Final advanced to Semi-Finals. |
| Quarter 1 | time | | 1. Michael Franks | USA | 45.57s | | 2. Philip Brown | GBR | 45.80s | | 3. Thomas Schonlebe | GDR | 45.86s | | 4. Martin Weppler | FRG | 46.12s | | 5. Gary Minihan | AUS | 46.32s | | 6. Mike Okot | UGA | 46.38s | | 7. Christopher Madzokere |  ZIM | 46.74s | | -. Dusan Malovec | TCH | DNF |
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| Quarter 2 | time | | 1. Bert Cameron | JAM | 45.76s | | 2. Darren Clark | AUS | 45.84s | | 3. Erwin Skamrahl | FRG | 45.90s | | 4. Gerson A. Souza | BRA | 45.94s | | 5. Gabriel Tiacoh |  CIV | 46.22s | | 6. Eliot Tabron | USA | 46.54s | | 7. Isidro Del Prado |  PHI | 46.71s | | 8. Matti Rusanen |  FIN | 47.69s |
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| Quarter 3 | time | | 1. Hartmut Weber | FRG | 46.01s | | 2. Moses Kyeswa | UGA | 46.31s | | 3. Michael Paul | TRI | 46.44s | | 4. Douglas Hinds | CAN | 46.62s | | 5. Susumu Takano |  JPN | 47.06s | | 6. James Atuti |  KEN | 47.59s | | 7. Oddur Sigurdsson |  ISL | 48.09s | | -. Marcel Arnold |  SUI | DNS |
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| Quarter 4 | time | | 1. Viktor Markin | URS | 46.16s | | 2. Sunder Nix | USA | 46.19s | | 3. Jan Tomko | TCH | 46.24s | | 4. Todd Bennett | GBR | 46.39s | | 5. Hector Daley |  PAN | 46.42s | | 6. Eric Josjo |  SWE | 46.97s | | 7. Sandor Vasvari |  HUN | 47.34s | | -. Hassan El Kashief |  SUD | DNF |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Sunder Nix | USA | 46.19s | | 2. Gerson A. Souza | BRA | 46.43s | | 3. Philip Brown | GBR | 46.60s | | 4. Isidro Del Prado | PHI | 46.92s | | 5. Aldo Canti |  FRA | 47.50s | | 6. Gordan Hinds |  BAR | 47.55s | | 7. Kenrick Camerud |  STK | 49.68s | | -. Paiwa Bogela |  PNG | DNS |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Bert Cameron | JAM | 46.11s | | 2. Jan Tomko | TCH | 46.17s | | 3. Thomas Schonlebe | GDR | 46.23s | | 4. Sandor Vasvari | HUN | 46.69s | | 5. Abu Alhassan |  GHA | 48.14s | | 6. Salem Khalil Ibrahim |  UAE | 48.16s | | 7. Ali Al Harazi |  YEM | 59.67s | | -. Angel Heras |  ESP | DQ |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Erwin Skamrahl | FRG | 46.31s | | 2. Todd Bennett | GBR | 46.58s | | 3. Douglas Hinds | CAN | 46.64s | | 4. Gary Minihan | AUS | 46.90s | | 5. James Atuti | KEN | 46.95s | | 6. Dean Greenaway |  BVI | 48.26s | | -. Emmanuel Bitanga |  CMR | DNS |
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| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Michael Paul | TRI | 46.33s | | 2. Moses Kyeswa | UGA | 46.35s | | 3. Susumu Takano | JPN | 46.66s | | 4. Eliot Tabron | USA | 46.68s | | 5. Marcel Arnold | SUI | 47.44s | | 6. David Sawyerr |  SLE | 49.29s | | 7. Lenford O'Garro |  STV | 50.25s | | -. Nafi Ahmed Mersal |  EGY | DNS |
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| Heat 5 | time | | 1. Martin Weppler | FRG | 46.32s | | 2. Hassan El Kashief | SUD | 46.61s | | 3. Viktor Markin | URS | 46.74s | | 4. Gabriel Tiacoh | CIV | 47.11s | | 5. Hector Daley | PAN | 47.19s | | 6. Eric Josjo | SWE | 47.25s | | 7. Jean-Marie Rudasinqwa |  RWA | 50.52s | | -. Allan Ingraham |  BAH | DNS |
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| Heat 6 | time | | 1. Michael Franks | USA | 46.16s | | 2. Oddur Sigurdsson | ISL | 47.09s | | 3. Christopher Madzokere | ZIM | 47.17s | | 4. Dusan Malovec | TCH | 47.35s | | 5. Moussa Fall |  SEN | 47.72s | | 6. Joseph Ramotshabi |  BOT | 48.35s | | 7. Agripa Mwausegha |  MAW | 49.02s | | -. Sunday Uti |  NGR | DQ |
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| Heat 7 | time | | 1. Hartmut Weber | FRG | 45.74s | | 2. Darren Clark | AUS | 46.26s | | 3. Mike Okot | UGA | 46.69s | | 4. Matti Rusanen | FIN | 47.37s | | 5. Adram M'Kumi |  TAN | 49.22s | | 6. Clive Williams |  BIZ | 1.82s | | -. Mike Solomon | TRI | DNS | | -. Roberto Ribaud |  ITA | DQ |
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