The men's 400 metres event at the 1961 Summer Universiade was held at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria, in September 1961.[1]
Medalists[edit]
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
Josef Trousil Czechoslovakia
|
Jacques Pennewaert Belgium
|
Otto Grasshoff West Germany
|
Results[edit]
Heats[edit]
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Carl-Gustaf Johansson |  Sweden |
48.28 | Q |
| 2 | 1 | Bogusław Gierajewski |  Poland |
48.31 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Peter Hoppe | West Germany |
48.73 | |
| 4 | 1 | Ming Campbell |  Great Britain |
49.3 | |
| 5 | 1 | Georgi Latchev |  Bulgaria |
50.5 | |
| 1 | 2 | Jacques Pennewaert | Belgium |
47.78 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Bruno Bianchi |  Italy |
48.84 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Anton Antonov | Bulgaria |
50.2 | |
| 1 | 3 | Josef Trousil | Czechoslovakia |
47.46 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Otto Grasshoff | West Germany |
48.06 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Hirotada Hayase |  Japan |
48.59 | |
| 4 | 3 | Janusz Ludka | Poland |
49.33 | |
| 5 | 3 | Hubert Figeys | Belgium |
50.4 |
Final[edit]
| Rank | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Josef Trousil | Czechoslovakia |
47.51 | |
 |
Jacques Pennewaert | Belgium |
48.06 | |
 |
Otto Grasshoff | West Germany |
48.53 | |
| 4 | Carl-Gustaf Johansson | Sweden |
48.61 | |
| 5 | Bogusław Gierajewski | Poland |
48.74 | |
| 6 | Bruno Bianchi | Italy |
49.30 |