Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres
Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes
1 2 Sanya Richards United States 49.90 Q
2 1 Christine Ohuruogu Great Britain 50.14 Q , SB
3 1 Shericka Williams Jamaica 50.28 Q , SB
4 2 Anastasia Kapachinskaya Russia 50.30 DSQ
5 1 Tatiana Firova Russia 50.31 DSQ
6 3 Yulia Gushchina Russia 50.48 Q
7 3 Amantle Montsho Botswana 50.54 Q
8 3 Rosemarie Whyte Jamaica 50.63 q
9 3 Nicola Sanders Great Britain 50.71 SB
10 3 Libania Grenot Martinez Italy 50.83 NR
11 1 Aliann Pompey Guyana 50.93 =NR
12 2 Novlene Williams Jamaica 51.06
13 1 Mary Wineberg United States 51.13
14 3 Folashade Abugan Nigeria 51.30
15 2 Christine Amertil Bahamas 51.51
16 1 Indira Terrero Cuba 51.80
17 2 Joy Amechi Eze Nigeria 51.87
17 3 Deedee Trotter United States 51.87
19 2 Lee McConnell Great Britain 52.11
20 2 Carline Muir Canada 52.37
Results -- Semifinals
Qualification : First 2 in each heat ( Q ) and the next 2 fastest { q } advance to the Final .
The Women's 400 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 16-19 August at the Beijing National Stadium. The qualifying standards were 51.55 s (A standard) and 52.35 s (B standard). Favourites for the event included Sanya Richards-Ross and the reigning world champion, Christine Ohuruogu. In the final, Richards-Ross made a rapid start and quickly took the lead, while Ohuruogu ran a more even-paced race, but was well down the field entering the final straight. However, in the last 100 metres Richard-Ross, clearly tired from her earlier effort, began to tie up badly, while Ohuruogu began to surge through the field. At the line, Great Britain's Christine Ohuruogu won in 49.62 seconds to add the Olympic title to her World title, just pipping Shericka Williams by 0.07 seconds to take gold. Richards-Ross faded to third, and bronze, in 49.93.