2023_World_Athletics_Championships_-_Women's_400_metres
The women's 400 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary from 20 to 23 August 2023.[1]
| Women's 400 metres at the 2023 World Championships | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | National Athletics Centre | |||||||||
| Dates | 20 August (heats) 21 August (semi-finals) 23 August (final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 48 from 36 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 48.76 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
2025 → | ||||||||||
The buildup to the event was very hectic, as world leader Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone withdrew just a few weeks before the championships started, citing a minor knee injury. 2019 champion and #3 all time Salwa Eid Naser also withdrew, just days before the heats started. Aside from the withdrawals, some big names also failed to make it past the first round. Defending champion and #6 all time Shaunae Miller-Uibo was not back in full form, as she returned to the track just four months after giving birth to her first child. Another big name that failed to make it to the semi final round was world number three Britton Wilson, who finished last in her opening heat. All of the semi-finalists had sub-50 credentials, six of them broke 50 in the semi final round. That also meant they all had a sub-50 recently in their legs.
In the final, Lieke Klaver was out fast, making up the stagger on Natalia Kaczmarek to her outside down the backstretch. After the half way mark, returning silver medalist Marileidy Paulino began to make up ground on returning bronze medalist Sada Williams to her outside. When Paulino hit the 100 metre start line, she had a step on Klaver and two more on her next pursuers Williams, Rhasidat Adeleke and Kaczmarek. Down the stretch, Klaver was gritting her teeth but was moving backward relative to Kaczmarek, Adeleke and Williams, but Paulino was so far this was clearly a battle just for silver. Kaczmarek emerged as the next best, holding a step on Williams as Adeleke faded. Paulino finished 6 metres up on Kaczmarek with Williams taking a second bronze in a row.
Paulino's 48.76 National Record makes her the eleventh fastest in history. Only the three medalists were able to break 50 in the final.
Before the competition records were as follows:[2]
| Record | Athlete & Nat. | Perf. | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |  Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) |
48.74 | Eugene, United States | 8 July 2023 |
| African Record |  Falilat Ogunkoya (NGR) |
49.10 | Atlanta, United States | 29 July 1996 |
| Asian Record |  Salwa Eid Naser (BHR) |
48.14 | Doha, Qatar | 3 October 2019 |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record |  Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) |
48.36 | Tokyo, Japan | 6 August 2021 |
| 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 standard to qualify automatically for entry was 51.00.[3]
The event schedule, in local time (UTC+2), was as follows:[1]
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 20 August | 9:35 | Heats |
| 21 August | 21:12 | Semi-finals |
| 23 August | 21:35 | Final |
Heats
The first 3 athletes in each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) qualify for the semi-finals.[4]
Semi-finals
The first 2 athletes in each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualify for the final.[5]
Final
The final was held on Wednesday 23 August 2023.[6][7]
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Marileidy Paulino |  Dominican Republic (DOM) | 48.76 | NR |
 | Natalia Kaczmarek |  Poland (POL) | 49.57 | |
 | Sada Williams |  Barbados (BAR) | 49.60 | |
| 4 | Rhasidat Adeleke |  Ireland (IRL) | 50.13 | |
| 5 | Cynthia Bolingo |  Belgium (BEL) | 50.33 | |
| 6 | Lieke Klaver |  Netherlands (NED) | 50.33 | |
| 7 | Candice McLeod |  Jamaica (JAM) | 51.08 | |
| 8 | Talitha Diggs |  United States (USA) | 51.25 |
- "Women 400 Metres Timetable". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- "400 Metres Women − Records". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- "Qualification System and Entry Standards" (PDF). World Athletics. 19 August 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- "Summary - 400 Metres Women - Round 1" (PDF). World Athletics. 20 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- "Summary - 400 Metres Women - Semi-finals" (PDF). World Athletics. 21 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- "IAAF World Outdoor Championship Athletic Results". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- "Results 400 Metres Women - Final" (PDF). World Athletics. 23 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.