Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres
| Men's 400 metres at the Games of the XVII Olympiad
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| Venue | Olympic Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 3–6 September | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 59 from 44 nations | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Otis Davis |
 United States
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Carl Kaufmann |
 United Team of Germany
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Malcolm Spence |
 South Africa
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These are the official results of the Men's 400 metres event at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. The competition was held on September 3, 1960 and to on September 6, 1960. 59 competitors from 44 nations entered, but participated 54 competitors from 41 nations.
This race was settled via photo finish using one of the first experimental attempts at fully automatic timing. Carl Kaufmann made a diving lunge at the finish line, his head crossing the line first. But it is the torso that counts and Otis Davis, running upright had his body ahead of Kaufmann. After a suspenseful pause, Davis was ruled the winner. The photo made further famous after being published in Life Magazine. In fourth place, Milkha Singh ran the Indian national record that lasted 44 years until the 2004 Olympics.
There is potential confusion with two athletes in the competition named , both qualifying to the second semifinal. The (one year) younger Malcolm Spence representing South Africa eventually netted the Bronze medal, while the senior Malcolm Spence from Jamaica, shortened his name to "Mal" while representing the British West Indies, achieved a Bronze as part of their 4x400 metres relay, one second ahead of the 4th place South African team.
In the final, South African Malcolm Spence took off hard from the gun, making up the stagger and passing Milkha Singh to his outside before the second turn. Through the second turn, Otis Davis gained ground strongly, passing Spence to his outside halfway through the turn, emerging onto the home straight with the lead, two lanes inside of him Carl Kaufmann also gained on the turn and emerged slightly ahead of Spence. Kaufmann gained steadily on Davis but never caught him, desperately diving at the finish line from a half meter back but unable to get more than his head ahead of Davis. Singh was the best of the rest, holding his own the second half of the race against the initial lead of Spence, but unable to gain much ground. Ultimately Spence held on for bronze.
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