World Rankings — Men’s 400 Rio featured a clash among 3 men who have won 8 No. 1s among them: Merritt 4, van Niekerk 3 & James 2 © VICTOR SAILER/PHOTO RUN 1947 1948 1 .....................Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 1 .....................Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 2 .................................... Dave Bolen (US) 2 ...........................Arthur Wint (Jamaica) 3 ................................George Guida (US) 3 ................................. Mal Whitfield (US) 4 ...................Denis Shore (South Africa) 4 .................................... Dave Bolen (US) 5 ..............................Jack Hammack (US) 5 .....................Morris Curotta (Australia) 6 ............................Reggie Pearman (US) 6 ................................George Guida (US) 7 ...................... Bob McFarlane (Canada) 7 ...................................Art Harnden (US) 8 ......................... Harold McDonnell (US) 8 .............................. Norman Rucks (US) 9 ................................. Mal Whitfield (US) 9 ....................George Rhoden (Jamaica) 10 ............................. John Wachtler (US) 10 .................Denis Shore (South Africa) © Track & Field News 2020 — 1 — World Rankings — Men’s 400 1949 1953 1 ................................. Mal Whitfield (US) 1 ................................. Mal Whitfield (US) 2 ....................George Rhoden (Jamaica) 2 .............................. J.W. Mashburn (US) 3 .....................Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 3 ...Karl-Friedrich Haas (West Germany) 4 ...........................Arthur Wint (Jamaica) 4 .......................................... Jim Lea (US) 5 ................................Charlie Moore (US) 5 .........Ardalion Ignatyev (Soviet Union) 6 .................................... Dave Bolen (US) 6 .....................Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 7 ...................................... Frank Fox (US) 7 ............................Reggie Pearman (US) 8 .............................. Antonio Siddi (Italy) 8 .................................. Thane Baker (US) 9 .......................... Edwin Carr (Australia) 9 ......................Wilbur Cunningham (US) 10 ..........................Reggie Pearman (US) 10 ............Hans Geister (West Germany) 1950 1954 1 ....................George Rhoden (Jamaica) 1 .........Ardalion Ignatyev (Soviet Union) 2 .....................Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 2 .......................................... Jim Lea (US) 3 ................................. Mal Whitfield (US) 3 ......................................Lou Jones (US) 4 ........................................ Tom Cox (US) 4 .............................. J.W. Mashburn (US) 5 ......................................Bill Parker (US) 5 ...Karl-Friedrich Haas (West Germany) 6 .......................... Edwin Carr (Australia) 6 ..................... Kevan Gosper (Australia) 7 ................................Charlie Moore (US) 7 ....................... Voitto Hellsten (Finland) 8 ................................. Eddie Macon (US) 8 .......................... Ralph Fessenden (US) 9 ...................... Bob McFarlane (Canada) 9 .................................. Ben Youtsey (US) 10 .........................Arthur Wint (Jamaica) 10 ..................George Rhoden (Jamaica) 1951 1955 1 ....................George Rhoden (Jamaica) 1 .............................. J.W. Mashburn (US) 2 .....................Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 2 .........Ardalion Ignatyev (Soviet Union) 3 ...........................Arthur Wint (Jamaica) 3 ......................................Lou Jones (US) 4 ................................. Mal Whitfield (US) 4 .......................................... Jim Lea (US) 5 ................................Charlie Moore (US) 5 ............................. Charlie Jenkins (US) 6 .................................Dick Maiocco (US) 6 ....................... Voitto Hellsten (Finland) 7 ..............Hans Geister (West Germany) 7 ..................... Kevan Gosper (Australia) 8 ............Schalk Booysen (South Africa) 8 ...................................... Russ Ellis (US) 9 ...Karl-Friedrich Haas (West Germany) 9 .................................Dick Maiocco (US) 10 ...............................John Bradley (US) 10 ............................. Mike Larrabee (US) 1952 1956 1 ....................George Rhoden (Jamaica) 1 ......................................Lou Jones (US) 2 .....................Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 2 .......................................... Jim Lea (US) 3 ................................. Mal Whitfield (US) 3 ............................. Charlie Jenkins (US) 4 .................................. Ollie Matson (US) 4 ................................Tom Courtney (US) 5 ...........................Arthur Wint (Jamaica) 5 ...Karl-Friedrich Haas (West Germany) 6 ...Karl-Friedrich Haas (West Germany) 6 ....................... Voitto Hellsten (Finland) 7 .............................. J.W. Mashburn (US) 7 .........Ardalion Ignatyev (Soviet Union) 8 ..............Hans Geister (West Germany) 8 .............................. J.W. Mashburn (US) 9 ......................................Gene Cole (US) 9 ..................... Kevan Gosper (Australia) 10 ..........................Reggie Pearman (US) 10 ................................ John Haines (US) © Track & Field News 2020 — 2 — World Rankings — Men’s 400 1957 1961 1 ................................Tom Courtney (US) 1 ............ Adrian Metcalfe (Great Britain) 2 ............................... Mike Larrabee (US) 2 ................................. Ulis Williams (US) 3 ...............................Bob McMurray (US) 3 ......................................Otis Davis (US) 4 ............................. Charlie Jenkins (US) 4 .........Robbie Brightwell (Great Britain) 5 ............Malcolm Spence (South Africa) 5 ........................... Adolph Plummer (US) 6 ............. Stanisław Swatowski (Poland) 6 .....................................Earl Young (US) 7 ..................... Kevan Gosper (Australia) 7 ..........Manfred Kinder (West Germany) 8 ............................Reggie Pearman (US) 8 ..........................George Kerr (Jamaica) 9 ........................Terry Tobacco (Canada) 9 ................................ Walt Johnson (US) 10 ..................... Voitto Hellsten (Finland) 10 ..................................Rex Cawley (US) 1958 1962 1 ...................................Glenn Davis (US) 1 ................................. Ulis Williams (US) 2 ............................. Eddie Southern (US) 2 .........Robbie Brightwell (Great Britain) 3 ............Malcolm Spence (South Africa) 3 ..........................George Kerr (Jamaica) 4 ................................ Milka Singh (India) 4 ...................................Ray Saddler (US) 5 ........................Terry Tobacco (Canada) 5 ..........Manfred Kinder (West Germany) 6 ..............John Wrighton (Great Britain) 6 .. Hans-Joachim Reske (West Germany) 7 ............................. Charlie Jenkins (US) 7 ..............................Dave Archibald (US) 8 ............. John Salisbury (Great Britain) 8 ........................... Adolph Plummer (US) 9 ..................................Jack Yerman (US) 9 ................................ Milka Singh (India) 10 .............................. Bobby Staten (US) 10 .................. Peter Laeng (Switzerland) 1959 1963 1 ............................. Eddie Southern (US) 1 ................................. Ulis Williams (US) 2 ..........................George Kerr (Jamaica) 2 ........................... Adolph Plummer (US) 3 .............................. Chuck Carlson (US) 3 ...................Andrzej Badeński (Poland) 4 ...................................Glenn Davis (US) 4 ....................................Rex Cawley (US) 5 ......................................Otis Davis (US) 5 .....................................Henry Carr (US) 6 ............................... Mike Larrabee (US) 6 ..........Manfred Kinder (West Germany) 7 ............................ Abdou Seye (France) 7 ........Vadim Arkhipchuk (Soviet Union) 8 ..............................Basil Ince (Trinidad) 8 ............ Adrian Metcalfe (Great Britain) 9 .......... Carl Kaufmann (West Germany) 9 ...............................Lester Milburn (US) 10 .........................Mal Spence (Jamaica) 10 .......Robbie Brightwell (Great Britain) 1960 1964 1 .......... Carl Kaufmann (West Germany) 1 ............................... Mike Larrabee (US) 2 ......................................Otis Davis (US) 2 ....................Wendell Mottley (Trinidad) 3 ............Malcolm Spence (South Africa) 3 ...................Andrzej Badeński (Poland) 4 ................................ Milka Singh (India) 4 .........Robbie Brightwell (Great Britain) 5 ...................................Glenn Davis (US) 5 ................................. Ulis Williams (US) 6 ..........................George Kerr (Jamaica) 6 ................................. Ollan Cassell (US) 7 ..........Manfred Kinder (West Germany) 7 ............Josef Trousil (Czechoslovakia) 8 .....................................Earl Young (US) 8 .....................................Bob Tobler (US) 9 ............................ Abdou Seye (France) 9 .................. Tim Graham (Great Britain) 10 ...................................Ted Woods (US) 10 ......................Kent Bernard (Trinidad) © Track & Field News 2020 — 3 — World Rankings — Men’s 400 1965 1969 1 ...................Andrzej Badeński (Poland) 1 .................................... Curtis Mills (US) 2 .....................................