| Final 14:45 | time | L | | 1. Calvin Smith |  USA | 20.14s | 3 | | 2. Elliott Quow | USA | 20.41s | 6 | | 3. Pietro Mennea |  ITA | 20.51s | 5 | | 4. Allan Wells |  GBR | 20.52s | 4 | | 5. Frank Emmelmann |  GDR | 20.55s | 7 | | 6. Innocent Egbunike |  NGR | 20.63s | 2 | | 7. Carlo Simionato | ITA | 20.69s | 1 | | 8. Joao Batista Da Silva |  BRA | 20.80s | 8 |
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Carl Lewis would have been an outstanding favourite after winning the 1983 US title with a near world record 19.75. He opted out of this event, but the United States still claimed gold and silver. This was despite the early elimination of Myricks, nursing a hamstring injury. The final saw Calvin Smith go one better than his 100m silver with an easy win. Running from lane 3, he came into the straight with Emmelmann. As the GDR runner faded, so Smith forged ahead taking with him Quow. Mennea ou tdipped Wells for the bronze.
| Semi 1 | time | L | | 1. Joao Batista Da Silva | BRA | 20.56s | | 2. Frank Emmelmann | GDR | 20.63s | | 3. Pietro Mennea | ITA | 20.68s | | 4. Elliott Quow | USA | 20.69s | | 5. Cameron Sharp | GBR | 20.69s | | 6. Desai Williams |  CAN | 20.71s | | 7. Leroy Reid |  JAM | 20.89s | | 8. Sergey Sokolov |  URS | 20.89s |
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| Semi 2 | time | L | | 1. Calvin Smith | USA | 20.29s | | 2. Carlo Simionato | ITA | 20.60s | | 3. Innocent Egbunike | NGR | 20.63s | | 4. Allan Wells | GBR | 20.63s | | 5. Vladimir Muravyov | URS | 20.71s | | 6. Jean-Jacques Boussemart |  FRA | 20.76s | | 7. Bruce Frayne |  AUS | 20.94s | | 8. Boubacar Diallo |  SEN | 20.96s |
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| Quarter 1 | time | L | | 1. Calvin Smith | USA | 20.60s | | 2. Joao Batista Da Silva | BRA | 20.65s | | 3. Allan Wells | GBR | 20.81s | | 4. Jean-Jacques Boussemart | FRA | 20.86s | | 5. Angel Heras |  ESP | 21.25s | | 6. Earl Haley |  GUY | 21.39s | | 7. Luis Schneider |  CHI | 21.39s | | -. Jae-Keun Chang |  KOR | DNS |
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| Quarter 2 | time | L | | 1. Carlo Simionato | ITA | 20.75s | | 2. Desai Williams | CAN | 20.87s | | 3. Boubacar Diallo | SEN | 20.97s | | 4. Cameron Sharp | GBR | 20.99s | | 5. Patrick Barre | FRA | 21.12s | | 6. Paul Narracott | AUS | 21.34s | | 7. Alfred Nyambane |  KEN | 21.55s | | 8. Christopher Madzokere |  ZIM | 21.55s |
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| Quarter 3 | time | L | | 1. Frank Emmelmann | GDR | 20.78s | | 2. Leroy Reid | JAM | 20.88s | | 3. Innocent Egbunike | NGR | 20.91s | | 4. Sergey Sokolov | URS | 20.93s | | 5. Atlee Mahorn | CAN | 21.13s | | 6. Christopher Brathwaite |  TRI | 21.14s | | 7. Andreas Rizzi |  FRG | 21.37s | | 8. Istvan Nagy |  HUN | 21.52s |
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| Quarter 4 | time | L | | 1. Pietro Mennea | ITA | 20.68s | | 2. Vladimir Muravyov | URS | 20.70s | | 3. Elliott Quow | USA | 20.80s | | 4. Bruce Frayne | AUS | 20.97s | | 5. Luke Watson | GBR | 20.99s | | 6. Roland Jokl |  AUT | 21.24s | | 7. Neville Hodge |  ISV | 21.38s | | -. Hector Daley |  PAN | DNS |
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| Heat 1 | time | L | | 1. Frank Emmelmann | GDR | 20.95s | | 2. Cameron Sharp | GBR | 21.07s | | 3. Bruce Frayne | AUS | 21.15s | | 4. Christopher Brathwaite | TRI | 21.24s | | 5. Hector Daley | PAN | 21.49s | | 6. Earl Haley | GUY | 21.55s | | 7. Moussa Savadogo |  MLI | 22.33s | | 8. Awudu Nuhu |  GHA | 22.93s |
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| Heat 2 | time | L | | 1. Pietro Mennea | ITA | 20.80s | | 2. Sergey Sokolov | URS | 20.94s | | 3. Paul Narracott | AUS | 21.08s | | 4. Luis Schneider | CHI | 21.23s | | 5. Batuello Giorgio Mautino |  PER | 21.78s | | 6. Hoa Nguyen Truong |  VIE | 22.68s | | 7. Gervais Kirolo |  CAF | 23.10s |
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| Heat 3 | time | L | | 1. Joao Batista Da Silva | BRA | 20.93s | | 2. Vladimir Muravyov | URS | 21.12s | | 3. Desai Williams | CAN | 21.36s | | 4. Mohamed Yudi Purnomo |  INA | 21.88s | | 5. Joseph Leota |  SAM | 22.33s | | 6. Nagib Salem Ahmed |  YEM | 23.22s | | 7. Colin Bradford | JAM | 24.15s |
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| Heat 4 | time | L | | 1. Carlo Simionato | ITA | 20.76s | | 2. Elliott Quow | USA | 21.01s | | 3. Atlee Mahorn | CAN | 21.14s | | 4. Angel Heras | ESP | 21.29s | | 5. Roland Jokl | AUT | 21.30s | | 6. David Sawyerr |  SLE | 22.23s | | 7. John Albertie |  STL | 22.53s |
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| Heat 5 | time | L | | 1. Allan Wells | GBR | 21.14s | | 2. Boubacar Diallo | SEN | 21.17s | | 3. Christopher Madzokere | ZIM | 21.68s | | 4. Dean Greenaway |  BVI | 22.24s | | -. Juan Nunez |  DOM | DNS | | -. Pierfrancesco Pavoni | ITA | DNS | | -. Tony Sharpe | CAN | DNS |
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| Heat 6 | time | L | | 1. Calvin Smith | USA | 21.10s | | 2. Leroy Reid | JAM | 21.13s | | 3. Patrick Barre | FRA | 21.34s | | 4. Jae-Keun Chang | KOR | 21.39s | | 5. Gustavo Capart |  ARG | 21.66s | | 6. Ruben Inacio |  ANO | 22.33s | | 7. Trevor Davis |  ANG | 22.80s |
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| Heat 7 | time | L | | 1. Innocent Egbunike | NGR | 21.28s | | 2. Istvan Nagy | HUN | 21.50s | | 3. Andreas Rizzi | FRG | 21.51s | | 4. Oumar Fye |  GAM | 22.30s | | 5. Sikendar Iqbal |  PAK | 22.91s | | -. Peni Bati |  FIJ | DNS | | -. Donald Quarrie | JAM | DNS |
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| Heat 8 | time | L | | 1. Jean-Jacques Boussemart | FRA | 20.99s | | 2. Luke Watson | GBR | 21.20s | | 3. Alfred Nyambane | KEN | 21.21s | | 4. Neville Hodge | ISV | 21.38s | | 5. Larry Myricks | USA | 21.74s | | 6. Georges Taniel |  VAN | 22.28s | | 7. Jose Flores |  HON | 22.94s |
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