| 2022 | |||
| (Eugene, Oregon, July 19) | |||
| 1. | Alison dos Santos (Brazil) | 46.29 | |
| 2. | Rai Benjamin (USA) | 46.89 | |
| 3. | Trevor Bassitt (USA) | 47.39 | |
| 4. | Wilfried Happio (France) | 47.41 | |
| 5. | Khallifah Rosser (USA) | 47.88 | |
| 6. | Jaheel Hyde (Jamaica) | 48.03 | |
| 7. | Karsten Warholm (Norway) | 48.42 | |
| 8. | Rasmus Mägi (Estonia) | 48.92 | |
| 2019 | ||||
| (Doha, Qatar, September 30) | ||||
| 1. | Karsten Warholm (Nor) | 47.42 | ||
| 2. | Rai Benjamin (US) | 47.66 | ||
| 3. | Abderrahmane Samba (Qat) | 48.03 | ||
| 4. | Kyron McMaster (BVI) | 48.10 | ||
| 5. | TJ Holmes (US) | 48.20 | ||
| 6. | Yasmani Copello (Tur) | 48.25 | ||
| 7. | Alison Dos Santos (Bra) | 48.28 | ||
| 8. | Abdelmalik Lahoulou (Alg) | 49.46 | ||
| [Amere Lattin (US) 4th in semi] | ||||
| 2017 | ||||
| (London, August 9) | ||||
| 1 | Karsten Warholm (Norway) | 48.35 | ||
| 2 | Yasmani Copello (Turkey) | 48.49 | ||
| 3 | Kerron Clement (US) | 48.52 | ||
| 4 | Kemar Mowatt (Jamaica) | 48.99 | ||
| 5 | TJ Holmes (US) | 49.00 | ||
| 6 | Juander Santos (Dominican Republic) | 49.04 | ||
| 7 | Abderrahmane Samba (Qatar) | 49.74 | ||
| 8 | Kariem Hussein (Switzerland) | 50.07 | ||
| [Eric Futch (US) 3rd in semi] | ||||
| 2015 | ||||
| (Beijing, August 25) | ||||
| 1 | Nicholas Bett (Kenya) | 47.79 | ||
| 2 | Denis Kudryavtsev (Russia) | 48.05 | ||
| 3 | Jeffery Gibson (Bahamas) | 48.17 | ||
| 4 | Kerron Clement (US) | 48.18 | ||
| 5 | Boniface Tumuti (Kenya) | 48.33 | ||
| 6 | Yasmani Copello (Turkey) | 48.96 | ||
| 7 | Patryk Dobek (Poland) | 49.14 | ||
| 8 | Michael Tinsley (US) | 50.02 | ||
| [Bershawn Jackson (US) 7th in heat] | ||||
| 2013 | ||||
| (Moscow, August 15) | ||||
| 1 | Jehue Gordon (Trinidad) | 47.69 | ||
| 2 | Michael Tinsley (US) | 47.70 | ||
| 3 | Emir Bekrić (Serbia) | 48.05 | ||
| 4 | Omar Cisneros (Cuba) | 48.12 | ||
| 5 | Félix Sánchez (Dominican Republic) | 48.22 | ||
| 6 | Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) | 48.38 | ||
| 7 | Mamadou Kasse Hann (Senegal) | 48.68 | ||
| 8 | Kerron Clement (US) | 49.08 | ||
| [Bershawn Jackson (US) dnf in semi] | ||||
| 2011 | ||||
| 1 | Dai Greene (Great Britain) | 48.26 | ||
| 2 | Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) | 48.44 | ||
| 3 | LJ van Zyl (South Africa) | 48.80 | ||
| 4 | Félix Sánchez (Dominican Republic) | 48.87 | ||
| 5 | Cornel Fredericks (South Africa) | 49.12 | ||
| 6 | Bershawn Jackson (US) | 49.24 | ||
| 7 | Angelo Taylor (US) | 49.31 | ||
| 8 | Aleksandr Derevyagin (Russia) | 49.32 | ||
| [Jeshua Anderson (US) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [Kerron Clement (US) 8th in semi] | ||||
| 2009 | ||||
| 1 | Kerron Clement (US) | 47.91 | ||
| 2 | Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) | 48.09 | ||
| 3 | Bershawn Jackson (US) | 48.23 | ||
| 4 | Jehue Gordon (Trinidad) | 48.26 | ||
| 5 | Perkilís Iakovákis (Greece) | 48.42 | ||
| 6 | Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) | 48.65 | ||
| 7 | Dai Greene (Great Britain) | 48.68 | ||
| 8 | Félix Sánchez (Dominican Republic) | 50.11 | ||
| [Johnny Dutch (US) 6th in semi] | ||||
| [Angelo Taylor (US) 4th in heat] | ||||
| 2007 | ||||
| 1 | Kerron Clement (US) | 47.61 | ||
| 2 | Félix Sánchez (Dominican Republic) | 48.01 | ||
| 3 | Marek Plawgo (Poland) | 48.12 | ||
| 4 | James Carter (US) | 48.40 | ||
| 5 | Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) | 48.59 | ||
| 6 | Perkilís Iakovákis (Greece) | 49.25 | ||
| 7 | Derrick Williams (US) | 52.97 | ||
| dnf—Adam Kunkel (Canada) | ||||
| [Bershawn Jackson (US) 4th in semi] | ||||
| 2005 | ||||
| 1 | Bershawn Jackson (US) | 47.30 | ||
| 2 | James Carter (US) | 47.43 | ||
| 3 | Dai Tamesue (Japan) | 48.10 | ||
| 4 | Kerron Clement (US) | 48.18 | ||
| 5 | Naman Keita (France) | 48.28 | ||
| 6 | LJ van Zyl (South Africa) | 48.54 | ||
| 7 | Bayano Kamani (Panama) | 50.18 | ||
| dnf—Félix Sánchez (Dominican Republic) | ||||
| 2003 | ||||
| 1 | Félix Sánchez (Dominican Republic) | 47.25 | ||
| 2 | Joey Woody (US) | 48.18 | ||
| 3 | Perkilís Iakovákis (Greece) | 48.24 | ||
| 4 | Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) | 48.30 | ||
| 5 | Kemel Thompson (Jamaica) | 48.51 | ||
| 6 | Chris Rawlinson (Great Britain) | 48.90 | ||
| 7 | Mubarak Al-Nubi (Qatar) | 52.64 | ||
| 8 | Llewellyn Herbert (South Africa) | 72.10 | ||
| [Eric Thomas (US) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [Bershawn Jackson (US) dq in heat] | ||||
| 2001 | ||||
| 1 | Félix Sánchez (Dominican Republic) | 47.49 | ||
| 2 | Fabrizio Mori (Italy) | 47.54 | ||
| 3 | Dai Tamesue (Japan) | 47.89 | ||
| 4 | Hadi Al-Somaily (Saudi Arabia) | 47.99 | ||
| 5 | Chris Rawlinson (Great Britain) | 48.54 | ||
| 6 | Paweł Januszewski (Poland) | 48.57 | ||
| 7 | Jiří Mužík (Czech Republic) | 49.07 | ||
| dq[trail leg]—Boris Gorban (Russia) | ||||
| [Angelo Taylor (US) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [Calvin Davis (US) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [James Carter (US) 5th in semi] | ||||
| 1999 | ||||
| 1 | Fabrizio Mori (Italy) | 47.72 | ||
| 2 | Stéphane Diagana (France) | 48.12 | ||
| 3 | Marcel Schelbert (Switzerland) | 48.13 | ||
| 4 | Eronilde de Araújo (Brazil) | 48.13 | ||
| 5 | Paweł Januszewski (Poland) | 48.19 | ||
| 6 | Joey Woody (US) | 48.77 | ||
| 7 | Dinsdale Morgan (Jamaica) | 48.92 | ||
| 8 | Torrance Zellner (US) | 49.06 | ||
| [Angelo Taylor (US) 3rd in heat] | ||||
| 1997 | ||||
| 1 | Stéphane Diagana (France) | 47.70 | ||
| 2 | Llewellyn Herbert (South Africa) | 47.86 | ||
| 3 | Bryan Bronson (US) | 47.88 | ||
| 4 | Fabrizio Mori (Italy) | 48.05 | ||
| 5 | Samuel Matete (Zambia) | 48.11 | ||
| 6 | Ruslan Mashchenko (Russia) | 48.62 | ||
| 7 | Dinsdale Morgan (Jamaica) | 49.06 | ||
| 8 | Jiří Mužík (Czechoslovakia) | 49.51 | ||
| [Joey Woody (US) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Derrick Adkins (US) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Octavius Terry (US) 4th in heat] | ||||
| 1995 | ||||
| 1 | Derrick Adkins (US) | 47.98 | ||
| 2 | Samuel Matete (Zambia) | 48.03 | ||
| 3 | Stéphane Diagana (France) | 48.14 | ||
| 4 | Ruslan Mashchenko (Russia) | 48.83 | ||
| 5 | Sven Nylander (Sweden) | 48.84 | ||
| 6 | Ken Harnden (Zimbabwe) | 48.89 | ||
| 7 | Kazuhiko Yamazaki (Japan) | 49.22 | ||
| 8 | Eronilde de Araújo (Brazil) | 49.86 | ||
| [Octavius Terry (US) 6th in semi] | ||||
| [Ryan Hayden (US) 4th in heat] | ||||
| 1993 | ||||
| 1 | Kevin Young (US) | 47.18 | WCR | |
| 2 | Samuel Matete (Zambia) | 47.60 | ||
| 3 | Winthrop Graham (Jamaica) | 47.62 | ||
| 4 | Stéphane Diagana (France) | 47.64 | ||
| 5 | Erick Keter (Kenya) | 48.40 | ||
| 6 | Oleg Tverdokhleb (Ukraine) | 48.71 | ||
| 7 | Derrick Adkins (US) | 49.07 | ||
| 8 | Barnabas Kinyor (Kenya) | 49.23 | ||
| [David Patrick (US) 4th in heat] | ||||
| 1991 | ||||
| 1 | Samuel Matete (Zambia) | 47.64 | ||
| 2 | Winthrop Graham (Jamaica) | 47.74 | ||
| 3 | Kriss Akabusi (Great Britain) | 47.86 | ||
| 4 | Kevin Young (US) | 48.01 | ||
| 5 | Danny Harris (US) | 48.46 | ||
| 6 | Derrick Adkins (US) | 49.28 | ||
| 7 | Erick Keter (Kenya) | 49.99 | ||
| 8 | Niklas Wallenlind (Sweden) | 50.28 | ||
| 1987 | ||||
| 1 | Edwin Moses (US) | 47.46 | WCR | |
| 2 | Danny Harris (US) | 47.48 | ||
| 3 | Harald Schmid (West Germany) | 47.48 | ||
| 4 | Sven Nylander (Sweden) | 48.37 | ||
| 5 | Amadou Bâ (Senegal) | 48.37 | ||
| 6 | Henry Amike (Nigeria) | 48.63 | ||
| 7 | Kriss Akabusi (Great Britain) | 48.74 | ||
| 8 | José Alonso (Spain) | 49.46 | ||
| [David Patrick (US) 5th in semi] | ||||
| 1983 | ||||
| 1 | Edwin Moses (US) | 47.50 | WCR | |
| 2 | Harald Schmid (West Germany) | 48.61 | ||
| 3 | Aleksandr Kharlov (Soviet Union) | 49.03 | ||
| 4 | Sven Nylander (Sweden) | 49.06 | ||
| 5 | Andre Phillips (US) | 49.24 | ||
| 6 | David Lee (US) | 49.32 | ||
| 7 | Amadou Bâ (Senegal) | 49.61 | ||
| 8 | Ryszard Szparak (Poland) | 49.78 | ||
| [Phillips 50.44 WCR {heat}; Kharlov 50.12 WCR {heat}; Moses 49.54 WCR {heat}, 48.11 WCR {semi}] | ||||