Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 m. at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium.

Medalists

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Heats

All times shown are in seconds.
Q denotes automatic qualification.
q denotes fastest losers.
DNS denotes did not start.
DNF denotes did not finish.
NR denotes national record.
PB denotes personal best.
SB denotes seasons best.

In the initial six heats the first three from each plus the six fastest losers progressed through to the three semi-finals. Here the first two from each went to the final along with the two fastest losers.

Round 1

Heat 1

# , 50.93s Q
# , 51.19 Q
# , 51.29 Q PB
# , 51.87 q
# , 52.11
# , 52.94
# , 1:03.57 NR

Heat 2

# 51.02 Q
# , 51.29 Q
# , 51.50 Q
# , 52.04
# , 52.10
# , 52.53
# , 56.01

Heat 3

# , 50.82 Q
# , Great Britain, 51.19s Q
# , 51.66 Q
# , 51.89 q
# , Senegal, 52.44
# , 53.77 NR
# 54.43

Heat 4

# , Russia, 50.54 Q
# , United States, 50.56 Q
# , Jamaica, 50.59 Q PB
# , 51.33 q
# , 51.91 q NR
# , 53.35
# , 1:00.92 NR

Heat 5

# , 51.20 Q
# 51.37 Q
# , 51.53 Q
# , Cameroon 51.90 q
# , Jamaica 52.85
# , 52.87
# , 54.58

Heat 6

# , United States, 50.11 Q
# , Bahamas, 50.23 Q PB
# , Great Britain, 50.50 Q PB
# , 51.17 - q
# , Brazil, 52.18
# , 53.58
# , 1:03.28 NR

emi-finals

emi-final 1

# Ana Guevara, Mexico, 50.15 Q
# Christine Amertil, Bahamas, 50.17 Q PB
# Sanya Richards, United States, 50.54 q
# Christine Ohurougu, Great Britain, 51.00
# Tiandra Ponteen, St. Kitts and Nevis, 51.33
# Svetlana Usovich, Belarus, 51.42
# Hazel-Ann Regis, Grenada, 51.47
# Egle Uljas, Estonia, 53.13

Richards was the quickest away but was caught by Guevara at the 300 m. mark who was then joined by Amertil who in chasing the leader improved her personal best for the second time in two days. Guevara eased comfortably through the last fifty just doing enough to ensure Amertil wouldn't cross the line first. Richards held on to third from Ohurougu who could not reproduce her round one, personal best, form and cost herself a fastest losers place in the final by easing off considerably with 20 metres to go.

emi-final 2

# Tonique Williams-Darling, Bahamas, 50.00 Q
# DeeDee Trotter, United States, 50.14 Q PB
# Natalya Nazarova, Russia, 50.63 q
# Fatou Bintou Fall, Senegal, 51.21
# Kaltouma Nadjina, Chad, 51.57
# Estie Wittstock, South Africa, 51.77
# Donna Fraser, Great Britain, 51.94
# Grazyna Prokopek, Poland, 51.96

The Bahamian, Williams-Darling, was always in control and easily kept in front of the below her best Nazarova who was fighting hard to run her down. This helped the Russian claim a fastest losers place as she was overtaken in the home straight by a fast finishing DeeDee Trotter.

emi-final 3

# Monique Hennagan, United States, 49.88 Q
# Natalya Antyukh, Russia, 50.04 Q
# Novlene Williams, Jamaica, 50.85
# Mariyana Dimitrova, Bulgaria, 51.20 PB
# Aliann Pompey, Guyana, 51.61
# Antonina Yefremova, Ukraine, 51.90
# Mireille Nguimgo, Cameroon, 52.21
# Lee McConnell, Great Britain, 52.63

The easiest of the semis for Hennagan and Antyukh who were in a different class from the rest though the Jamaican, Williams, may have got closer to them if she had not left all her running until the last hundred metres.

Final

#Tonique Williams-Darling, Bahamas 49.42s
#Ana Guevara, Mexico 49.56s SB
#Natalya Antyukh, Russia 49.89s
#Monique Hennagan, United States 49.97s
#DeeDee Trotter, United States 50.00s PB
#Sanya Richards, United States 50.19s
#Christine Amertil, Bahamas 50.37s
#Natalya Nazarova, Russia 50.65s