2015_World_Championships_in_Athletics_–_Women's_400_metres
The women's 400 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Beijing National Stadium on 24, 25 and 27 August.[1] Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain entered the competition as the defending champion.[2][3]
| Women's 400 metres at the 2015 World Championships | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Allyson Felix shortly after winning the title. | ||||||||||
| Venue | Beijing National Stadium | |||||||||
| Dates | 24 August (heats) 25 August (semifinals) 27 August (final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 42 from 24 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 49.26 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Allyson Felix is known as a 200 metres specialist, but two years earlier her string of 200 meter championships was snapped along with her hamstring in the final. Based on winning the 2014 Diamond League, Felix was qualified to enter the 200 metres here but chose to forgo that opportunity to put all her eggs in this basket. This was her bid to win the one title she didn't have under her belt, the same event she narrowly lost to Amantle Montsho of Botswana four years prior at 2011 IAAF World Championships. With world leader Francena McCorory unable to qualify to run here at the American Championships, Felix was the name to beat. The defending champion Christine Ohuruogu, known for her late rush, also made the final.
With high expectations, Felix took off strongly running her first 200 metres in the dominant fashion one would expect of a 200 metres specialist. She kept building on her lead coming off the final turn several steps ahead of Shericka Jackson the next out of the turn. The question was if she would have the strength to finish, or would her legs turn to jello as happened to Sanya Richards-Ross with the same kind of aggressive start on this same track seven years earlier.[4] The answer was no. While Felix didn't advance her lead, she kept her margin on Jackson for a clear win.[5] Shaunae Miller made a powerful rush to the finish, passing Jackson for the silver and gaining on Felix down the home stretch. Jackson beat three other Jamaican teammates for the bronze.[6]
Prior to the competition, the records were as follows:[7]
| World record |  Marita Koch (GDR) |
47.60 | Canberra, Australia | 6 October 1985 |
| Championship record |  Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) |
47.99 | Helsinki, Finland | 10 August 1983 |
| World leading |  Francena McCorory (USA) |
49.83 | Fontvieille, Monaco | 17 July 2015 |
| African record |  Falilat Ogunkoya (NGR) |
49.10 | Atlanta, United States | 29 July 1996 |
| Asian record |  Ma Yuqin (CHN) |
49.81 | Beijing, China | 11 September 1993 |
| NACAC record | Sanya Richards-Ross (USA) |
48.70 | Athens, Greece | 16 September 2006 |
| South American record |  Ximena Restrepo (COL) |
49.64 | Barcelona, Spain | 5 August 1992 |
| European record | Marita Koch (GDR) |
47.60 | Canberra, Australia | 6 October 1985 |
| Oceanian record |  Cathy Freeman (AUS) |
48.63 | Atlanta, United States | 29 July 1996 |
| The following records were established during the competition: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World leading | Allyson Felix (USA) |
49.26 | Beijing, China | 27 August 2015 |
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 24 August 2015 | 10:45 | Heats |
| 25 August 2015 | 19:05 | Semifinals |
| 27 August 2015 | 20:40 | Final |
All times are local times (UTC+8)
| KEY: | Q | Qualified | q | Fastest non-qualifiers | NR | National record | PB | Personal best | SB | Seasonal best |
Heats
Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) advanced to the semifinals.[9]
Semifinals
Qualification: First 2 in each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) advanced to the final.[10]
Final
The final was held at 20:40.[12]
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 6 | Allyson Felix |  United States (USA) | 49.26 | WL |
 | 5 | Shaunae Miller |  Bahamas (BAH) | 49.67 | PB |
 | 4 | Shericka Jackson |  Jamaica (JAM) | 49.99 | PB |
| 4 | 8 | Christine Day | Jamaica (JAM) | 50.14 | PB |
| 5 | 9 | Stephenie Ann McPherson | Jamaica (JAM) | 50.42 | |
| 6 | 2 | Novlene Williams-Mills | Jamaica (JAM) | 50.47 | SB |
| 7 | 3 | Phyllis Francis | United States (USA) | 50.51 | |
| 8 | 7 | Christine Ohuruogu |  Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 50.63 |
- "Beijing 2015: Timetable". Beijing 2015. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- Ennis-Hill named in British team for IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015. IAAF (2015-07-28). Retrieved on 2015-08-16.
- "Start list" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- "Christine Ohuruogu outgunned by flying Allyson Felix at World Championships". Daily Telegraph. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- "Allyson Felix finally clinches first major 400m title at world championships". Guardian. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- "REPORT: WOMEN'S 400M FINAL – IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEIJING 2015". iaaf.org. 27 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- "Records & Lists – 400 meters". IAAF. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 – Standards (PDF), IAAF, 2014, retrieved 17 August 2015
- "Semifinals results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- "Two Kenyan sprinters fail doping test in Beijing". Archived from the original on 28 August 2015.