| 2021 | ||||
| (Tokyo, August 5) | ||||
| 1. | Steven Gardiner (Bahamas) | 43.85 | ||
| 2. | Anthony Zambrano (Colombia) | 44.08 | ||
| 3. | Kirani James (Grenada) | 44.19 | ||
| 4. | Michael Cherry (USA) | 44.21 | ||
| 5. | Michael Norman (USA) | 44.31 | ||
| 6. | Christopher Taylor (Jamaica) | 44.79 | ||
| 7. | Isaac Makwala (Botswana) | 44.94 | ||
| 8. | Liemarvin Bonevacia (Netherlands) | 45.07 | ||
| [Randolph Ross (USA) 4th in heat] | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
| (Rio de Janeiro, August 14) | ||||
| 1 | Wayde van Niekerk (South Africa) | 43.03 | WR | |
| 2 | Kirani James (Grenada) | 43.76 | ||
| 3 | LaShawn Merritt (USA) | 43.85 | ||
| 4 | Machel Cedenio (Trinidad) | 44.01 | ||
| 5 | Karabo Sibanda (Botswana) | 44.25 | ||
| 6 | Ali Khamis Abbas (Bahrain) | 44.36 | ||
| 7 | Bralon Taplin (Grenada) | 44.45 | ||
| 8 | Matthew Hudson-Smith (Great Britain) | 44.61 | ||
| [Gil Roberts (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [David Verburg (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| 2012 | ||||
| (London, August 6) | ||||
| 1 | Kirani James (Grenada) | 43.94 | ||
| 2 | Luguelin Santos (Dominican Republic) | 44.46 | ||
| 3 | Lalonde Gordon (Trinidad) | 44.52 | ||
| 4 | Chris Brown (Bahamas) | 44.79 | ||
| 5 | Kevin Borlée (Belgium) | 44.81 | ||
| 6 | Jonathan Borlée (Belgium) | 44.83 | ||
| 7 | Demetrius Pinder (Bahamas) | 44.98 | ||
| 8 | Steven Solomon (Australia) | 45.14 | ||
| [Bryshon Nellum (USA) 3rd semi III] | ||||
| [Tony McQuay (USA) 4th semi II] | ||||
| [LaShawn Merritt (USA) dnf (injured) heat VI] | ||||
| 2008 | ||||
| 1 | LaShawn Merritt (USA) | 43.75 | ||
| 2 | Jeremy Wariner (USA) | 44.74 | ||
| 3 | David Neville (USA) | 44.80 | ||
| 4 | Chris Brown (Bahamas) | 44.84 | ||
| 5 | Leslie Djhone (France) | 45.11 | ||
| 6 | Martyn Rooney (Great Britain) | 45.12 | ||
| 7 | Rennie Quow (Trinidad) | 45.22 | ||
| 8 | Johan Wissman (Sweden) | 45.39 | ||
| 2004 | ||||
| 1 | Jeremy Wariner (USA) | 44.00 | ||
| 2 | Otis Harris (USA) | 44.16 | ||
| 3 | Derrick Brew (USA) | 44.42 | ||
| 4 | Alleyne Francique (Grenada) | 44.66 | ||
| 5 | Brandon Simpson (Jamaica) | 44.76 | ||
| 6 | Davian Clarke (Jamaica) | 44.83 | ||
| 7 | Leslie Djhone (France) | 44.94 | ||
| 8 | Michael Blackwood (Jamaica) | 45.55 | ||
| 2000 | ||||
| 1 | Michael Johnson (USA) | 43.84 | ||
| 2 | Alvin Harrison (USA) | 44.40 | ||
| 3 | Greg Haughton (Jamaica) | 44.70 | ||
| 4 | Sanderlei Parrela (Brazil) | 45.01 | ||
| 5 | Robert Mackowiak (Poland) | 45.14 | ||
| 6 | Hendrik Mokganyetsi (South Africa) | 45.26 | ||
| 7 | Antonio Pettigrew (USA) | 45.42 | ||
| 8 | Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) | 45.55 | ||
| 1996 | ||||
| 1 | Michael Johnson (USA) | 43.49 | ||
| 2 | Roger Black (Great Britain) | 44.41 | ||
| 3 | Davis Kamoga (Uga) | 44.53 | ||
| 4 | Alvin Harrison (USA) | 44.62 | ||
| 5 | Iwan Thomas (Great Britain) | 44.70 | ||
| 6 | Roxbert Martin (Jamaica) | 44.83 | ||
| 7 | Davian Clarke (Jamaica) | 44.99 | ||
| DNF—Ibrahim Ismail (Qatar) | ||||
| [Butch Reynolds (USA) DNF in semi (injured)] | ||||
| [Johnson 43.49 OR] | ||||
| 1992 | ||||
| 1 | Quincy Watts (USA) | 43.50 | ||
| 2 | Steve Lewis (USA) | 44.21 | ||
| 3 | Samson Kitur (Kenya) | 44.24 | ||
| 4 | Ian Morris (Trinidad) | 44.25 | ||
| 5 | Roberto Hernández (Cuba) | 44.52 | ||
| 6 | David Grindley (Great Britain) | 44.75 | ||
| 7 | Ibrahim Ismail (Qatar) | 45.10 | ||
| 8 | Susumu Takano (Japan) | 45.18 | ||
| [Danny Everett (USA) 8th in semi] | ||||
| [Watts 43.50 OR] | ||||
| 1988 | ||||
| 1 | Steve Lewis (USA) | 43.87 | ||
| 2 | Butch Reynolds (USA) | 43.93 | ||
| 3 | Danny Everett (USA) | 44.09 | ||
| 4 | Darren Clark (Australia) | 44.55 | ||
| 5 | Innocent Egbunike (Nigeria) | 44.72 | ||
| 6 | Bert Cameron (Jamaica) | 44.94 | ||
| 7 | Ian Morris (Trinidad) | 44.95 | ||
| 8 | Mohamed Al-Malky (Oman) | 45.03 | ||
| 1984 | ||||
| 1 | Alonzo Babers (USA) | 44.27 | ||
| 2 | Gabriel Tiacoh (Côte d’Ivoire) | 44.54 | ||
| 3 | Antonio McKay (USA) | 44.71 | ||
| 4 | Darren Clark (Australia) | 44.75 | ||
| 5 | Sunder Nix (USA) | 44.75 | ||
| 6 | Sunday Uti (Nigeria) | 44.93 | ||
| 7 | Innocent Egbunike (Nigeria) | 45.35 | ||
| DNC—Bert Cameron (Jamaica) | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| 1 | Viktor Markin (Soviet Union) | 44.60 | ||
| 2 | Rick Mitchell (Australia) | 44.84 | ||
| 3 | Frank Schaffer (East Germany) | 44.87 | ||
| 4 | Alberto Juantorena (Cuba) | 45.09 | ||
| 5 | Fons Brydenbach (Belgium) | 45.10 | ||
| 6 | Mike Solomon (Trinidad) | 45.55 | ||
| 7 | David Jenkins (Great Britain) | 45.56 | ||
| 8 | Joseph Coombs (Trinidad) | 46.33 | ||
| 1976 | ||||
| 1 | Alberto Juantorena (Cuba) | 44.26 | ||
| 2 | Fred Newhouse (USA) | 44.40 | ||
| 3 | Herman Frazier (USA) | 44.95 | ||
| 4 | Fons Brydenbach (Belgium) | 45.04 | ||
| 5 | Maxie Parks (USA) | 45.24 | ||
| 6 | Rick Mitchell (Australia) | 45.40 | ||
| 7 | David Jenkins (Great Britain) | 45.57 | ||
| 8 | Jan Werner (Poland) | 45.63 | ||
| 1972 | ||||
| 1 | Vince Matthews (USA) | 44.66 | ||
| 2 | Wayne Collett (USA) | 44.80 | ||
| 3 | Julius Sang (Kenya) | 44.92 | ||
| 4 | Charles Asati (Kenya) | 45.13 | ||
| 5 | Horst-Rüdinger Schlöske (West Germany) | 45.31 | ||
| 6 | Markku Kukkoaho (Finland) | 45.49 | ||
| 7 | Karl Honz (West Germany) | 45.68 | ||
| DNF[injured]—John Smith (USA) | ||||
| 1968 | ||||
| (high altitude) | ||||
| 1 | Lee Evans (USA) | 43.8 (43.86) | ||
| 2 | Larry James (USA) | 43.9 (43.97) | ||
| 3 | Ron Freeman (USA) | 44.4 (44.41) | ||
| 4 | Amadou Gakou (Senegal) | 45.0 (45.01) | ||
| 5 | Martin Jellinghaus (West Germany) | 45.3 (45.32) | ||
| 6 | Tegegne Bezabeh (Ethiopia) | 45.4 (45.42) | ||
| 7 | Andrzej Badenski (Poland) | 45.4 (45.42) | ||
| 8 | Amos Omolo (Uga) | 47.6 (47.61) | ||
| [Evans 44.8 (44.83) OR {semi}, 43.8 WR, OR] | ||||
| 1964 | ||||
| 1 | Mike Larrabee (USA)45.1 (45.15) | |||
| 2 | Wendell Mottley (Trinidad) | 45.2 (45.24) | ||
| 3 | Andrzej Badenski (Poland) | 45.6 (45.64) | ||
| 4 | Robbie Brightwell (Great Britain) | 45.7 (45.75) | ||
| 5 | Ulis Williams (USA) | 46.0 (46.01) | ||
| 6 | Tim Graham (Great Britain) | 46.0 (46.08) | ||
| 7 | Peter Vassella (Australia) | 46.3 (46.32) | ||
| 8 | Edwin Skinner (Trinidad) | 46.8 | ||
| [Ollan Cassell (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| 1960 | ||||
| 1 | Otis Davis (USA) | 44.9 (45.07) | ||
| 2 | Carl Kaufmann (West Germany) | 44.9 (45.08) | ||
| 3 | Mal Spence (South Africa) | 45.5 (45.60) | ||
| 4 | Milka Singh (India) | 45.6 (45.73) | ||
| 5 | Manfred Kinder (West Germany) | 45.9 (46.04) | ||
| 6 | Earl Young (USA) | 45.9 (46.07) | ||
| [Jack Yerman (USA) 6th in semi] | ||||
| [Davis 45.9 (46.02) OR {quarter}, 45.5 (45.62) OR {semi}, 44.9 | ||||
| WR, OR; Kaufmann 44.9 =WR, =OR] | ||||
| 1956 | ||||
| 1 | Charlie Jenkins (USA) | 46.7 (46.85) | ||
| 2 | Karl‑Friedrich Haas (West Germany) | 46.8 (47.12) | ||
| =3 | Voitto Hellsten (Finland) | 47.0 (47.15) | ||
| =3 | Ardalion Ignatyev (Soviet Union) | 47.0 (47.15) | ||
| 5 | Lou Jones (USA) | 48.1 (48.35) | ||
| 6 | Mal Spence (South Africa) | 48.3 (48.40) | ||
| [Jim Lea (USA) 5th in quarter] | ||||
| 1952 | ||||
| 1 | George Rhoden (Jamaica) | 45.9 (46.09) | ||
| 2 | Herb McKenley (Jamaica) | 45.9 (46.20) | ||
| 3 | Ollie Matson (USA) | 46.8 (46.94) | ||
| 4 | Karl-Friedrich Haas (West Germany) | 47.0 (47.22) | ||
| 5 | Arthur Wint (Jamaica) | 47.0 (47.24) | ||
| 6 | Mal Whitfield (USA) | 47.1 (47.30) | ||
| [Eugene Cole (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [Rhoden 45.9 OR, McKenley 45.9 =OR] | ||||
| 1948 | ||||
| 1 | Arthur Wint (Jamaica) | 46.2 | ||
| 2 | Herb McKenley (Jamaica) | 46.4 (0.23 behind) | ||
| 3 | Mal Whitfield (USA) | 46.9 (0.66) | ||
| 4 | David Bolen (USA) | 47.2 (0.90) | ||
| 5 | Morris Curotta (Australia) | 47.9 (1.77) | ||
| 6 | George Guida (USA) | 50.2 (4.50) | ||
| [Wint 46.2 OR] | ||||
| 1936 | ||||
| 1 | Archie Williams (USA) | 46.5 (46.66) | ||
| 2 | Godfrey Brown (Great Britain) | 46.7 (46.68) | ||
| 3 | Jimmy LuValle (USA) | 46.8 (46.84) | ||
| 4 | William Roberts (Great Britain) | 46.8 (46.87) | ||
| 5 | William Fritz (Canada) | 47.8 | ||
| 6 | John Loaring (Canada) | 48.2 | ||
| [Harold Smallwood (USA) DNC in semi] | ||||
| 1932 | ||||
| 1 | Bill Carr (USA) | 46.2 (46.28) | ||
| 2 | Ben Eastman (USA) | 46.4 (46.50) | ||
| 3 | Alex Wilson (Canada) | 47.4 | ||
| 4 | William Walters (South Africa) | 48.2 | ||
| 5 | James Gordon (USA) | 48.2 | ||
| 6 | George Golding (Australia) | 48.8 | ||
| [Carr 47.2 (47.25) OR {semi}, 46.2 WR, OR] | ||||
| 1928 | ||||
| 1 | Ray Barbuti (USA) | 47.8 | ||
| 2 | Jim Ball (Canada) | 48.0 | ||
| 3 | Joachim Büchner (Germany) | 48.2 | ||
| 4 | John Rinkel (Great Britain) | 48.4 | ||
| 5 | Harry Storz (Germany) | 48.8 | ||
| 6 | Hermon Phillips (USA) | 49.0 | ||
| [Snitz Snyder (USA) 3rd in quarter] | ||||
| [Joe Tierney (USA) 4th in quarter] | ||||
| 1924 | ||||
| 1 | Eric Liddell (Great Britain) | 47.6 | ||
| 2 | Horatio Fitch (USA) | 48.4 | ||
| 3 | Guy Butler (Great Britain) | 48.6 | ||
| 4 | David Johnson (Canada) | 48.8 | ||
| 5 | John Taylor (USA) | nt | ||
| DNF—Joseph Imbach (Switzerland) | ||||
| [Ray Robertson (USA) 3rd in semi] | ||||
| [Eric Wilson (USA) 3rd in semi] | ||||
| [Imbach 48.0 OR {quarter}; Fitch 47.8 OR {semi}; Liddell 47.6 | ||||
| OR] | ||||
| 1920 | ||||
| 1 | Bevil Rudd (South Africa) | 49.6 | ||
| 2 | Guy Butler (Great Britain) | 49.9 | ||
| 3 | Nils Engdahl (Sweden) | 50.0 | ||
| 4 | Frank Shea (USA) | c50.2 | ||
| 5 | John Ainsworth-Davis (Great Britain) | c50.4 | ||
| 6 | Harry Davel (South Africa) | c50.4 | ||
| [Robert Emory (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [George Schiller (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Ted Meredith (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| 1912 | ||||
| 1 | Charlie Reidpath (USA) | 48.2 | ||
| 2 | Hanns Braun (Germany) | 48.3 | ||
| 3 | Edward Lindberg (USA) | 48.4 | ||
| 4 | Ted Meredith (USA) | 49.2 | ||
| 5 | Carroll Haff (USA) | 49.5 | ||
| [Hec Edmundson (USA) 2nd in semi] | ||||
| [Mel Sheppard (USA) 2nd in semi] | ||||
| [James Rosenberger (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Ira Davenport (USA) 2nd in semi] | ||||
| [Donnell Young (USA) DQ in semi] | ||||
| [Reidpath 48.2 OR] | ||||
| 1908 | ||||
| 1 | Wyndham Halswelle (Great Britain) | 50.0 | ||
| DNC—John Taylor (USA) | ||||
| DNC—William Robbins (USA) | ||||
| [John Carpenter (USA) DQ in first running final] | ||||
| [Ned Merriam (USA) 3rd in semi] | ||||
| [William Prout (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [Horace Ramey (USA) 2nd in semi] | ||||
| [John Atlee (USA) 3rd in semi] | ||||
| [Paul Pilgrim (USA) 2nd in heat] | ||||
| [Halswelle 48.4 OR {quarter}] | ||||
| 1904 | ||||
| 1 | Harry Hillman (USA) | 49.2 | ||
| 2 | Frank Waller (USA) | 49.9 | ||
| 3 | Herman Groman (USA) | 50.0 | ||
| 4 | Joseph Fleming (USA) | nt | ||
| 5 | Meyer Prinstein (USA) | nt | ||
| 6 | George Poage (USA) | nt | ||
| [Clyde Blair (USA) also ran] | ||||
| [Paul Pilgrim (USA) also ran] | ||||
| [George Underwod (USA) also ran] | ||||
| [Howard Valentine (USA) also ran] | ||||
| [Hillman 49.2 OR] | ||||
| 1900 | ||||
| 1 | Maxie Long (USA) | 49.4 | ||
| 2 | William Holland (USA) | c49.6 | ||
| 3 | Ernst Schultz (Denmark) | c52.4 | ||
| [Harvey Lord (USA) 3rd in heat] | ||||
| [Walter Drumheller (USA) 4th or 5th in heat] | ||||
| [Henry Berry Slack (USA) 3rd in heat] | ||||
| [Long 50.4 OR {heat}, 49.4 OR] | ||||
| 1896 | ||||
| 1 | Thomas Burke (USA) | 54.2 | ||
| 2 | Herbert Jamison (USA) | c55.2 | ||
| 3 | Fritz Hofmann (Germany) | c55.6 | ||
| 4 | Charles Gmelin (Great Britain) | c55.6 | ||
| [Jamison 56.8 OR {heat}; Burke 54.2 OR] | ||||