1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres
These are the results of the Men's 400 metres event at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens, Greece.
Medalists
Results
Heats
First 4 of each Heat and the next 4 fastest qualified for the [|quarterfinals].| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 6 | Jerome Young | 45.34 | Q | ||
| 3 | Sanderlei Claro Parrela | 45.35 | Q | ||
| 3 | Tyree Washington | 45.35 | Q | ||
| 6 | Mark Richardson | 45.44 | Q | ||
| 3 | Sugath Tillakeratne | 45.58 | Q, NR | ||
| 3 | Ibrahima Wade | 45.61 | Q | ||
| 4 | Iwan Thomas | 45.62 | Q | ||
| 5 | Michael Johnson | 45.66 | Q | ||
| 3 | Matthias Rusterholz | 45.76 | q, SB | ||
| 10 | 4 | Davian Clarke | 45.77 | Q | |
| 11 | 5 | Eswort Coombs | 45.78 | Q | |
| 12 | 6 | Sunday Bada | 45.79 | Q | |
| 13 | 4 | Tomasz Czubak | 45.82 | Q | |
| 14 | 5 | Hachim Ndiaye | 45.84 | Q | |
| 14 | 7 | Štefan Balošák | 45.84 | Q | |
| 16 | 1 | Jamie Baulch | 45.85 | Q | |
| 16 | 3 | Jean-Louis Rapnouil | 45.85 | q | |
| 18 | 5 | Kennedy Ochieng | 45.88 | Q | |
| 18 | 6 | Ibrahim Ismail Muftah | 45.88 | Q | |
| 20 | 2 | Michael McDonald | 45.89 | Q | |
| 21 | 5 | Marco Vaccari | 46.00 | q | |
| 22 | 1 | Roxbert Martin | 46.04 | Q | |
| 23 | 4 | Arnaud Malherbe | 46.08 | Q | |
| 24 | 1 | Tawanda Chiwira | 46.09 | Q | |
| 25 | 7 | Clement Chukwu | 46.10 | Q | |
| 26 | 7 | Robert Maćkowiak | 46.15 | Q | |
| 27 | 2 | Davis Kamoga | 46.17 | Q | |
| 28 | 4 | Samir-Adel Louahla | 46.22 | q | |
| 29 | 2 | Alejandro Cardenas | 46.26 | Q | |
| 30 | 5 | Odair da Costa | 46.48 | PB | |
| 31 | 6 | Soloveni Nakaunicina | 46.51 | ||
| 32 | 5 | Jan Poděbradský | 46.52 | ||
| 33 | 1 | Benjamin Youla | 46.62 | Q, NR | |
| 34 | 4 | Konstantinos Moumoulidis | 46.64 | ||
| 35 | 1 | Roman Galkin | 46.82 | ||
| 36 | 1 | Antonio Andrés | 46.94 | ||
| 37 | 7 | Rafik Elouardi | 46.95 | ||
| 38 | 6 | Shigekazu Omori | 47.09 | ||
| 39 | 3 | Kenmore Hughes | 47.11 | SB | |
| 40 | 2 | Shon Ju-Il | 47.47 | Q | |
| 41 | 4 | Evripides Demosthenous | 47.57 | ||
| 42 | 2 | Liod Kgopong | 47.66 | ||
| 43 | 2 | Kendon Maynard | 47.83 | ||
| 44 | 7 | Dennis Darling | 47.96 | ||
| 45 | 6 | Eugene Farrell | 48.20 | SB | |
| 46 | 7 | Angelo Ignatius | 49.01 | ||
| 47 | 2 | Mohsin Munir | 49.61 | ||
| 48 | 6 | Bashir Mohamed Al Khewani | 50.96 | ||
| 7 | Antonio Pettigrew | Q | |||
| 1 | Neil de Silva | ||||
| 2 | Jude Monye |
Quarterfinals
First 3 of each Heat and the next 4 fastest qualified for the [|semifinals].| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 4 | Jerome Young | 44.87 | Q | ||
| 1 | Iwan Thomas | 44.98 | Q | ||
| 4 | Mark Richardson | 45.05 | Q | ||
| 2 | Jamie Baulch | 45.06 | Q | ||
| 3 | Clement Chukwu | 45.06 | Q | ||
| 3 | Tyree Washington | 45.09 | Q | ||
| 4 | Michael McDonald | 45.16 | Q | ||
| 2 | Davis Kamoga | 45.25 | Q | ||
| 1 | Robert Maćkowiak | 45.26 | Q, NR | ||
| 10 | 3 | Davian Clarke | 45.27 | Q | |
| 11 | 1 | Roxbert Martin | 45.37 | q | |
| 11 | 4 | Sunday Bada | 45.37 | q, SB | |
| 13 | 2 | Ibrahima Wade | 45.38 | Q | |
| 14 | 2 | Michael Johnson | 45.39 | q | |
| 15 | 4 | Tomasz Czubak | 45.41 | q, PB | |
| 16 | 3 | Hachim Ndiaye | 45.44 | PB | |
| 17 | 2 | Eswort Coombs | 45.47 | ||
| 18 | 1 | Štefan Balošák | 45.48 | ||
| 19 | 1 | Matthias Rusterholz | 45.89 | ||
| 20 | 3 | Sugath Tillakeratne | 46.11 | ||
| 21 | 4 | Ibrahim Ismail Muftah | 46.12 | ||
| 22 | 2 | Jean-Louis Rapnouil | 46.14 | ||
| 23 | 2 | Tawanda Chiwira | 46.22 | ||
| 24 | 4 | Samir-Adel Louahla | 46.23 | ||
| 25 | 3 | Kennedy Ochieng | 46.28 | ||
| 26 | 2 | Benjamin Youla | 46.29 | NR | |
| 27 | 3 | Marco Vaccari | 46.32 | ||
| 28 | 1 | Alejandro Cardenas | 46.63 | ||
| 29 | 4 | Arnaud Malherbe | 46.73 | ||
| 30 | 1 | Shon Ju-Il | 47.36 | ||
| 1 | Antonio Pettigrew | Q | |||
| 3 | Sanderlei Claro Parrela |
Semifinals
First 4 of each Semifinal qualified directly for the [|final].| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 2 | Michael Johnson | 44.37 | Q | ||
| 2 | Jerome Young | 44.50 | Q, SB | ||
| 2 | Davis Kamoga | 44.57 | Q, SB | ||
| 1 | Tyree Washington | 44.61 | Q | ||
| 2 | Iwan Thomas | 44.61 | Q | ||
| 1 | Mark Richardson | 44.62 | Q, SB | ||
| 1 | Jamie Baulch | 44.69 | Q, SB | ||
| 1 | Davian Clarke | 45.07 | |||
| 2 | Clement Chukwu | 45.26 | |||
| 10 | 1 | Ibrahima Wade | 45.47 | ||
| 11 | 2 | Roxbert Martin | 45.49 | ||
| 12 | 2 | Tomasz Czubak | 45.51 | ||
| 13 | 2 | Michael McDonald | 45.74 | ||
| 14 | 1 | Sunday Bada | 45.96 | ||
| 1 | Antonio Pettigrew | Q | |||
| 1 | Robert Maćkowiak |