The women's 400 metres

400 metres

The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...

 at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

 was held at the Olympic Stadium on 15, 16 and 18 August. The world-leader prior to the competition, Sanya Richards

Sanya Richards

Sanya Richards-Ross is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, an individual bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics for the 400 m, and a gold medal in the 2009...

, was regarded as the favourite in the event, although her previous failure to convert circuit dominance to major championship success raised some doubts. Reigning Olympic and world champion Christine Ohuruogu

Christine Ohuruogu

Christine Ijeoma Ohuruogu MBE is an English athlete, who specialises in the 400 metres; the event for which she is the current Olympic and former World and Commonwealth Champion...

 entered the championships as only the 25th fastest in the world that year, although a low-key run up also preceded her previous victories. Jamaicans Shericka Williams

Shericka Williams

Shericka Williams is a Jamaican sprinter and former student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School....

 and Novlene Williams-Mills were predicted as possible medallists, while Russian Antonina Krivoshapka

Antonina Krivoshapka

Antonina Vladimirovna Krivoshapka is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres...

 held the second fastest time in the world prior to the tournament.

All the favoured athletes made it through the heats and Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

n Amantle Montsho

Amantle Montsho

Amantle Montsho is a female sprinter from Botswana who specializes in the 400 metres. She represented her country at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the final at the latter edition...

, a 2008 Olympic finalist, had the fastest time of the day with 50.65 seconds. Unusually, two of the race favourites, Richards and Ohuruogu, faced each other in the first round, with the Richards taking first place. The two faced each other again in the semi-finals, and Richards again beating the defending champion. The other two semi-finals were much faster, however, with five athletes breaking 50 seconds. Shericka Williams and Debbie Dunn

Debbie Dunn

Debbie Dunn is an American sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. Originally from Jamaica, she attended Fairmont Heights High School in Maryland, then Norfolk State University, and became an American citizen in 2004....

 set personal bests to qualify in the second final, and Montsho and Williams-Mills had ran season's best to qualify – Aliann Pompey

Aliann Pompey

Aliann Pompey is a Guyanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 meters.Aliann graduated from Cohoes High School and received her bachelor's degree from Manhattan College in 1999....

's national record was not enough to reach the final.

In the final, Richards started the race quickly, leading the first 100 m. Krivoshapka pulled slightly ahead of her at the halfway, but Richards regained the lead on the final bend. She remained in front through the home straight and won in a world-leading 49 seconds flat. Williams overtook Krivoshapka on the final stretch to take silver with a personal best of 49.32 seconds, and the Russian

Russia at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

Russia competes at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15–23 August. A team of over 100 athletes was announced in preparation for the competition, one of the largest squads in the competition. Selected athletes have achieved one of the competition's qualifying standards...

 retained third place for the bronze. Williams-Mills was close behind for fourth place, but it was Ohuruogu's fifth place finish that drew more attention.

Richards, often the fastest 400 m runner on the athletics circuit, won her first major gold medal of her career with the 38th sub-50 clocking of her career – the most of any athlete. After a lacklustre season, the 2007 World Champion

2007 World Championships in Athletics

The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...

 Ohuruogu could not repeat the performance that had made her Olympic champion the previous year. Shericka Williams had twice lowered her personal best, and her silver medal winning performance was 0.02 seconds outside of Lorraine Fenton

Lorraine Fenton

Lorraine Fenton is a retired Jamaican athlete who specialized in the 400 metres....

's Jamaican record. Krivoshapka's bronze was Russia's first medal in the event in the post-Soviet era.

Medalists

Gold	Silver	Bronze
Sanya Richards Sanya Richards Sanya Richards-Ross is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, an individual bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics for the 400 m, and a gold medal in the 2009... '	Shericka Williams Shericka Williams Shericka Williams is a Jamaican sprinter and former student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School.... '	Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Vladimirovna Krivoshapka is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres...   '

Records

World record		47.60	Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	6 October 1985
Championship record		47.99	Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...	10 August 1983
World Leading		49.23	Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...	3 July 2009
African record		49.10	Atlanta, United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	29 July 1996
Asian record		49.81	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	11 September 1993
North American record		48.70	Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....	16 September 2006
South American record		49.64	Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	5 August 1992
European record		47.60	Canberra, Australia	6 October 1985
Oceanian Record		48.63	Atlanta, United States	29 July 1996

Qualification standards

A time	B time
51.50	52.30

Schedule

Date	Time	Round
August 15, 2009	13:05	Heats
August 16, 2009	19:40	Semifinals
August 18, 2009	19:35	Final

Heats

Qualification: First 3 in each heat(Q) and the next 6 fastest(q) advance to the semifinals.

Rank	Heat	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	3	Amantle Montsho Amantle Montsho Amantle Montsho is a female sprinter from Botswana who specializes in the 400 metres. She represented her country at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the final at the latter edition...		50.65	Q
	6	Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Vladimirovna Krivoshapka is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres...		51.03	Q
	5	Sanya Richards Sanya Richards Sanya Richards-Ross is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, an individual bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics for the 400 m, and a gold medal in the 2009...		51.06	Q
	4	Debbie Dunn Debbie Dunn Debbie Dunn is an American sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. Originally from Jamaica, she attended Fairmont Heights High School in Maryland, then Norfolk State University, and became an American citizen in 2004....		51.13	Q
	4	Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Anastasiya Alexandrovna Kapachinskaya is a sprint athlete.At the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2004 she won the 200 m, but was stripped of the title after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol...		51.17	Q
	3	Shericka Williams Shericka Williams Shericka Williams is a Jamaican sprinter and former student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School....		51.23	Q
	5	Christine Ohuruogu Christine Ohuruogu Christine Ijeoma Ohuruogu MBE is an English athlete, who specialises in the 400 metres; the event for which she is the current Olympic and former World and Commonwealth Champion...		51.30	Q
	1	Lyudmila Litvinova Lyudmila Litvinova Lyudmila Litvinova is a Russian sprint athlete.Litvinova won the silver medal in the 4x400m Women's relay for Russia at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.-External links:*...		51.31	Q
	5	Aliann Pompey Aliann Pompey Aliann Pompey is a Guyanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 meters.Aliann graduated from Cohoes High School and received her bachelor's degree from Manhattan College in 1999....		51.38	Q
10	1	Libania Grenot Libania Grenot Libania Grenot Martinez Scafetti is a Cuban born Italian female athlete.Born in Santiago de Cuba on 12 July 1983, she started her sports career in track and field athletics. In 2006 she married an Italian man and relocated to Casalpalocco, a borough in Rome. She acquired Italian citizenship in...		51.45	Q
11	2	Novlene Williams-Mills		51.55	Q
12	3	Solen Désert-Mariller Solen Désert-Mariller Solen Désert-Mariller is a French sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.She was born in Brest. She competed in the 200 metres at the 2003 World Indoor Championships, and then in the 400 metres at the 2003 World Championships, the 2005 World Championships, the 2006 European Championships, the...		51.63	Q, SB
13	6	Nicola Sanders Nicola Sanders Nicola Clare Sanders is a British sprinter and hurdler.-Early achievements:Nicola won a bronze medal in the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships in Riga at 400 m hurdles. That same year she was 4th in the 400 m hurdles at the World Youth Championships...		51.64	Q
14	3	Folasade Abugan		51.70	q
15	2	Jessica Beard Jessica Beard Jessica Beard is an American sprinter who qualified for the 2009 IAAF World Championships in the 4x400-meter relay and 400 meters. She won the gold medal with the relay team...		51.72	Q
16	2	Sorina Nwachukwu		51.74	Q
17	5	Norma González		51.86	q, PB
18	1	Indira Terrero Indira Terrero Indira Terrero Letuce is a Cuban sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. Her personal best time is 51.00 seconds, achieved in May 2007 in Havana.-Achievements:-References:...		51.98	Q
19	2	Kineke Alexander		52.44	q, SB
20	1	Tiandra Ponteen Tiandra Ponteen Tiandra Ponteen is a Saint Kitts and Nevis sprinter who specializes in the 200 metres and the 400 metres.She won the 400 metres silver medal at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships...		52.54	q
21	6	Amy Mbacke Thiam Amy Mbacke Thiam Amy Mbacke Thiam is a Senegalese athlete competing in the 400 metres. She has won medals in two World Championships, but at the 2004 Olympics she was knocked out in the heats...		52.79	Q
22	4	Amaka Ogoegbunam		52.85	Q
23	2	Joy Nakhumicha Sakari		52.88	q
24	1	Christine Day		53.13	q
25	3	Racheal Nachula Racheal Nachula Racheal Nachula is a Zambian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.She won the bronze medal at the 2008 African Championships, in a personal best time of 51.39 seconds. She competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 2006 World Junior Championships, the 2008 World Indoor Championships, and...		53.21
25	6	Esther Akinsulie		53.21
27	6	Asami Tanno Asami Tanno née Tanno is a Japanese sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. She is the Japanese record holder in the event, and has also broken the national record in the 4×400 metres relay on multiple occasions...		53.30
28	4	Chandrika Rasnayake		53.68
29	1	Marina Maslenko		54.38
30	4	Fatou Bintou Fall Fatou Bintou Fall Fatou Bintou Fall is a female track and field athlete from Senegal, who mainly competes in the 400 metres. She set her personal best at the 2004 African Championships, claiming the gold medal: 50.62 seconds.- Achievements :...		54.46
31	5	Makelesi Bulikiobo Makelesi Bulikiobo Makelesi Bulikiobo Batimala is a Fiji Islands sprinter.- Biography :Nicknamed the "Sprint Queen" by the Fiji Times and Fiji Village, she has represented her country in several international competitions, including the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She won four gold medals at the 2003 South...		54.65	SB
32	5	Trish Bartholomew		54.89
33	6	Sharolyn Scott		55.63	PB
34	2	Kia Davis		56.85
35	5	Claudine Yemalin		58.82
36	1	Khin Phyo Thet		1:00.35	PB
37	4	Rozina Shafqat		1:00.72	SB
38	6	Rania Alqebali		1:00.90	SB

} || 3 ||align=left| Nawal El Jack

Nawal El Jack

Nawal El Jack is a Sudanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*200 metres - 23.97 s *400 metres - 51.19 s *400 metres hurdles - 57.86 s -References:...

 ||align=left| || || DNF
|-
| || 2 ||align=left| Khoury Keita ||align=left| || || DQ
|-
| || 4 ||align=left| Christine Amertil

Christine Amertil

Christine Amertil is a Bahamian athlete competing mainly in the 400 metres. She graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University.- Achievements :*2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships - bronze medal...

 ||align=left| || || DQ
|-
| || 3 ||align=left| Evodie Lydie Saramandji ||align=left| || || DNS
|}

Key: PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Semifinals

Qualification: First 2 in each semifinal(Q) and the next 2 fastest(q) advance to the final.

Rank	Heat	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	2	Shericka Williams Shericka Williams Shericka Williams is a Jamaican sprinter and former student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School....		49.51	Q, PB
	2	Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Vladimirovna Krivoshapka is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres...		49.67	Q
	1	Novlene Williams-Mills		49.88	Q, SB
	1	Amantle Montsho Amantle Montsho Amantle Montsho is a female sprinter from Botswana who specializes in the 400 metres. She represented her country at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the final at the latter edition...		49.89	Q, SB
	2	Debbie Dunn Debbie Dunn Debbie Dunn is an American sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. Originally from Jamaica, she attended Fairmont Heights High School in Maryland, then Norfolk State University, and became an American citizen in 2004....		49.95	q, PB
	3	Sanya Richards Sanya Richards Sanya Richards-Ross is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, an individual bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics for the 400 m, and a gold medal in the 2009...		50.21	Q
	1	Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Anastasiya Alexandrovna Kapachinskaya is a sprint athlete.At the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2004 she won the 200 m, but was stripped of the title after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol...		50.30	q
	3	Christine Ohuruogu Christine Ohuruogu Christine Ijeoma Ohuruogu MBE is an English athlete, who specialises in the 400 metres; the event for which she is the current Olympic and former World and Commonwealth Champion...		50.35	Q, SB
	2	Nicola Sanders Nicola Sanders Nicola Clare Sanders is a British sprinter and hurdler.-Early achievements:Nicola won a bronze medal in the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships in Riga at 400 m hurdles. That same year she was 4th in the 400 m hurdles at the World Youth Championships...		50.45	SB
10	3	Lyudmila Litvinova Lyudmila Litvinova Lyudmila Litvinova is a Russian sprint athlete.Litvinova won the silver medal in the 4x400m Women's relay for Russia at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.-External links:*...		50.52
11	1	Aliann Pompey Aliann Pompey Aliann Pompey is a Guyanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 meters.Aliann graduated from Cohoes High School and received her bachelor's degree from Manhattan College in 1999....		50.71	NR Guyanese records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Guyana maintained by its national athletics federation: Athletics Association of Guyana .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:ht = hand timingA = affected by altitude-External links:...
12	3	Libania Grenot Libania Grenot Libania Grenot Martinez Scafetti is a Cuban born Italian female athlete.Born in Santiago de Cuba on 12 July 1983, she started her sports career in track and field athletics. In 2006 she married an Italian man and relocated to Casalpalocco, a borough in Rome. She acquired Italian citizenship in...		50.85
13	1	Jessica Beard Jessica Beard Jessica Beard is an American sprinter who qualified for the 2009 IAAF World Championships in the 4x400-meter relay and 400 meters. She won the gold medal with the relay team...		51.20
14	2	Amy Mbacke Thiam Amy Mbacke Thiam Amy Mbacke Thiam is a Senegalese athlete competing in the 400 metres. She has won medals in two World Championships, but at the 2004 Olympics she was knocked out in the heats...		51.70
15	2	Folasade Abugan		51.75
16	3	Indira Terrero Indira Terrero Indira Terrero Letuce is a Cuban sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. Her personal best time is 51.00 seconds, achieved in May 2007 in Havana.-Achievements:-References:...		51.87
17	1	Norma González		51.91
18	3	Sorina Nwachukwu		51.98
19	2	Joy Nakhumicha Sakari		52.69
20	3	Tiandra Ponteen Tiandra Ponteen Tiandra Ponteen is a Saint Kitts and Nevis sprinter who specializes in the 200 metres and the 400 metres.She won the 400 metres silver medal at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships...		53.22
21	2	Solen Désert-Mariller Solen Désert-Mariller Solen Désert-Mariller is a French sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.She was born in Brest. She competed in the 200 metres at the 2003 World Indoor Championships, and then in the 400 metres at the 2003 World Championships, the 2005 World Championships, the 2006 European Championships, the...		53.26
22	1	Kineke Alexander		53.43
23	1	Christine Day		53.46

} || 1 ||align=left| Amaka Ogoegbunam ||align=left| || || DNF
|}

Key: DNF = Did not finish, NR = National record, PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Final

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	Sanya Richards Sanya Richards Sanya Richards-Ross is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, an individual bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics for the 400 m, and a gold medal in the 2009...		49.00	WL
	Shericka Williams Shericka Williams Shericka Williams is a Jamaican sprinter and former student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School....		49.32	PB
	Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Krivoshapka Antonina Vladimirovna Krivoshapka is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres...		49.71
4	Novlene Williams-Mills		49.77	SB
5	Christine Ohuruogu Christine Ohuruogu Christine Ijeoma Ohuruogu MBE is an English athlete, who specialises in the 400 metres; the event for which she is the current Olympic and former World and Commonwealth Champion...		50.21	SB
6	Debbie Dunn Debbie Dunn Debbie Dunn is an American sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. Originally from Jamaica, she attended Fairmont Heights High School in Maryland, then Norfolk State University, and became an American citizen in 2004....		50.35
7	Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Anastasiya Alexandrovna Kapachinskaya is a sprint athlete.At the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2004 she won the 200 m, but was stripped of the title after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol...		50.53
8	Amantle Montsho Amantle Montsho Amantle Montsho is a female sprinter from Botswana who specializes in the 400 metres. She represented her country at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the final at the latter edition...		50.65

Key: PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season)