2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 15, 16 and 18 August. The world-leader prior to the competition, Sanya Richards, 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 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 and Novlene Williams-Mills were predicted as possible medallists, while Russian Antonina Krivoshapka held the second fastest time in the world prior to the tournament.[1]

All the favoured athletes made it through the heats and Motswana Amantle Montsho, 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.[2] The two faced each other again in the semi-finals, and Richards again beat the defending champion. The other two semi-finals were much faster, however, with five athletes breaking 50 seconds. Shericka Williams and Debbie Dunn set personal bests to qualify in the second final, and Montsho and Williams-Mills had run season's best to qualify – Aliann Pompey's national record was not enough to reach the final.[3]

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 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.[4]

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.[5] After a lacklustre season, the 2007 World Champion Ohuruogu could not repeat the performance that had made her Olympic champion the previous year.[6] Shericka Williams had twice lowered her personal best, and her silver medal winning performance was 0.02 seconds outside of Lorraine Fenton's Jamaican record.[7] Krivoshapka's bronze was Russia's first medal in the event in the post-Soviet era.[4]

Medalists

GoldSilverBronze
Sanya Richards
 United States (USA)
Shericka Williams
 Jamaica (JAM)
Antonina Krivoshapka
 Russia (RUS)

Records

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  Sanya Richards (USA) 49.23 Oslo, Norway 3 July 2009
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
North American record  Sanya Richards (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

Qualification standards

A time B time
51.50 52.30

Schedule

Date Time Round
August 15, 200913:05Heats
August 16, 200919:40Semifinals
August 18, 200919:35Final

Results

Heats

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

RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
13Amantle Montsho Botswana (BOT)50.65Q
26Antonina Krivoshapka Russia (RUS)51.03Q
35Sanya Richards United States (USA)51.06Q
44Debbie Dunn United States (USA)51.13Q
54Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Russia (RUS)51.17Q
63Shericka Williams Jamaica (JAM)51.23Q
75Christine Ohuruogu Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)51.30Q
81Lyudmila Litvinova Russia (RUS)51.31Q
95Aliann Pompey Guyana (GUY)51.38Q
101Libania Grenot Italy (ITA)51.45Q
112Novlene Williams-Mills Jamaica (JAM)51.55Q
123Solen Désert-Mariller France (FRA)51.63Q, SB
136Nicola Sanders Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)51.64Q
143Folasade Abugan Nigeria (NGR)51.70q
152Jessica Beard United States (USA)51.72Q
162Sorina Nwachukwu Nigeria (NGR)51.74Q
175Norma González Colombia (COL)51.86q, PB
181Indira Terrero Cuba (CUB)51.98Q
192Kineke Alexander Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN)52.44q, SB
201Tiandra Ponteen Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN)52.54q
216Amy Mbacke Thiam Senegal (SEN)52.79Q
224Amaka Ogoegbunam Nigeria (NGR)52.85Q
232Joy Nakhumicha Sakari Kenya (KEN)52.88q
241Christine Day Jamaica (JAM)53.13q
253Racheal Nachula Zambia (ZAM)53.21
256Esther Akinsulie Canada (CAN)53.21
276Asami Tanno Japan (JPN)53.30
284Chandrika Rasnayake Sri Lanka (SRI)53.68
291Marina Maslenko Kazakhstan (KAZ)54.38
304Fatou Bintou Fall Senegal (SEN)54.46
315Makelesi Bulikiobo Fiji (FIJ)54.65SB
325Trish Bartholomew Grenada (GRN)54.89
336Sharolyn Scott Costa Rica (CRC)55.63PB
342Kia Davis Liberia (LBR)56.85
355Claudine Yemalin Benin (BEN)58.82
361Khin Phyo Thet Myanmar (MYA)1:00.35PB
374Rozina Shafqat Pakistan (PAK)1:00.72SB
386Rania Alqebali Jordan (JOR)1:00.90SB
2Khoury Keita Mauritania (MTN)DQ
4Christine Amertil Bahamas (BAH)DQ
3Nawal El Jack Sudan (SUD)DNF
3Evodie Lydie Saramandji Central African Republic (CAF)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.

RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
12Shericka Williams Jamaica (JAM)49.51Q, PB
22Antonina Krivoshapka Russia (RUS)49.67Q
31Novlene Williams-Mills Jamaica (JAM)49.88Q, SB
41Amantle Montsho Botswana (BOT)49.89Q, SB
52Debbie Dunn United States (USA)49.95q, PB
63Sanya Richards United States (USA)50.21Q
71Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Russia (RUS)50.30q
83Christine Ohuruogu Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)50.35Q, SB
92Nicola Sanders Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)50.45SB
103Lyudmila Litvinova Russia (RUS)50.52
111Aliann Pompey Guyana (GUY)50.71NR
123Libania Grenot Italy (ITA)50.85
131Jessica Beard United States (USA)51.20
142Amy Mbacke Thiam Senegal (SEN)51.70
152Folasade Abugan Nigeria (NGR)51.75
163Indira Terrero Cuba (CUB)51.87
171Norma González Colombia (COL)51.91
183Sorina Nwachukwu Nigeria (NGR)51.98
192Joy Nakhumicha Sakari Kenya (KEN)52.69
203Tiandra Ponteen Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN)53.22
212Solen Désert-Mariller France (FRA)53.26
221Kineke Alexander Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN)53.43
231Christine Day Jamaica (JAM)53.46
1Amaka Ogoegbunam Nigeria (NGR)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

Sanya Richards won her first major championships in Berlin
RankNameNationalityTimeNotes
Sanya Richards United States (USA)49.00WL
Shericka Williams Jamaica (JAM)49.32PB
Antonina Krivoshapka Russia (RUS)49.71
4Novlene Williams-Mills Jamaica (JAM)49.77SB
5Christine Ohuruogu Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)50.21SB
6Debbie Dunn United States (USA)50.35
7Anastasiya Kapachinskaya Russia (RUS)50.53
8Amantle Montsho Botswana (BOT)50.65

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

References

General
Specific
  1. Landells, Steve (2009-08-09). Women's 400m - PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-16. Archived 2009-09-08.
  2. Landells, Steve (2009-08-15). Event Report - Women's 400m - Heats Archived 2009-08-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  3. Landells, Steve (2009-08-16). Event Report - Women's 400 Metres - Semi-Final Archived 2012-04-07 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  4. Landells, Steve (2009-08-18). Event Report - Women's 400m - Final Archived 2009-09-21 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  5. Brown, Matthew (2009-08-18). Richards – ‘I enjoyed every step of my race’ Archived 2009-08-21 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  6. Kessel, Anna (2009-08-18). No miracle for Christine Ohuruogu as Sanya Richards takes gold. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-08-20.
  7. Reid, Paul A. (2009-08-19). Former coach lauds Williams' silver at World Championships Archived 2009-08-22 at the Wayback Machine. Jamaica Observer. Retrieved on 2009-08-20.
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