2013 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres
The women's 400 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 10–12 August.
Heats started with Christine Ohuruogu leading 6 others under 51 with an exceptionally fast 50.20. 50 seconds was the order of the semifinal day. Six finalists dipped under 50, and Kseniya Ryzhova was lucky Amantle Montsho had gapped the first semi with the leading qualifier of 49.56. Ryzhova cruised in with a 50.48 to be the second automatic qualifier. Five others ran personal bests attempting to qualify.
The fast [|semifinals] slowed the majority of the field. Only the medalists improved their times. From the gun Natasha Hastings and defending champion Amantle Montsho took it out, Hastings in lane 3 making up the stagger on Christine Ohuruogu in 4. Francena McCorory held her own and came off the [|final] turn with Montsho but as Montsho aimed at the finish, the others went backward. With 50 metres to go, Christine Ohuruogu had worked her way from several metres down in the turn and had pulled even, looking like a good bet for silver. But she had other ideas. A steady stretch run put both a diving Ohuruogu and Montsho on the line at the same time. And that was what was posted 49.41, the same time for both.
It took a look at the photo finish to determine that Ohuruogu had won by 4 thousandths of a second.
Running a more even pace Russian Antonina Krivoshapka came off the turn even with Ohuruogu and made a stretch run of her own, overtaking the Americans and Stephanie McPherson to get the bronze.
In the process of running a personal best to win the championship, Ohuruogu also got Kathy Smallwood-Cook's 29-year-old British national record that had so far evaded her through her career, a career that had included two Olympic medals, including the gold in 2008, and a previous World Championship.
Records
Prior to the competition, the records were as follows:| World record | 47.60 | Canberra, Australia | 6 October 1985 | |
| Championship record | 47.99 | Helsinki, Finland | 10 August 1983 | |
| World Leading | 49.33 | Monaco | 19 July 2013 | |
| African Record | 49.10 | Atlanta, GA, United States | 29 July 1996 | |
| Asian Record | 49.81 | Beijing, China | 11 September 1993 | |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record | 48.70 | Athens, Greece | 16 September 2006 | |
| South American record | 49.64 | Barcelona, Spain | 5 August 1992 | |
| European Record | 47.60 | Canberra, Australia | 6 October 1985 | |
| Oceanian record | 48.63 | Atlanta, GA, United States | 29 July 1996 |
Qualification standards
Schedule
Results
Heats
Qualification: First 4 in each heat and the next 4 fastest advanced to the semifinals.| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | 6 | Christine Ohuruogu | 50.20 | Q | |
| 2 | 3 | 7 | Francena McCorory | 50.56 | Q | |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | Natasha Hastings | 50.64 | Q | |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | Kseniya Ryzhova | 50.69 | Q | |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | Amantle Montsho | 50.75 | Q | |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | Novlene Williams-Mills | 50.83 | Q | |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | Stephanie McPherson | 50.98 | Q | |
| 8 | 5 | 2 | Regina George | 51.01 | Q | |
| 9 | 4 | 3 | Nataliya Pyhyda | 51.17 | Q, SB | |
| 10 | 1 | 3 | Antonina Krivoshapka | 51.27 | Q | |
| 11 | 3 | 2 | Libania Grenot | 51.43 | Q, SB | |
| 12 | 1 | 5 | Ashley Spencer | 51.48 | Q | |
| 13 | 4 | 6 | Bianca Răzor | 51.51 | Q, PB | |
| 14 | 1 | 4 | Kineke Alexander | 51.62 | Q, SB | |
| 15 | 3 | 8 | Floria Guei | 51.75 | Q | |
| 16 | 2 | 1 | Marie Gayot | 51.83 | Q | |
| 17 | 1 | 6 | Omolara Omotoso | 51.98 | Q | |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | Tjipekapora Herunga | 52.01 | q, SB | |
| 19 | 4 | 8 | Chiara Bazzoni | 52.14 | q | |
| 20 | 4 | 7 | Esther Cremer | 52.17 | q | |
| 21 | 5 | 6 | Patricia Hall | 52.20 | Q | |
| 22 | 2 | 2 | Amy Mbacké Thiam | 52.24 | Q | |
| 23 | 1 | 8 | Agne Šerkšnienė | 52.28 | q, PB | |
| 24 | 2 | 4 | Moa Hjelmer | 52.39 | ||
| 25 | 5 | 7 | Aauri Bokesa | 52.44 | Q | |
| 26 | 1 | 7 | Olesea Cojuhari | 52.45 | ||
| 27 | 5 | 4 | Jennifer Carey | 52.62 | ||
| 28 | 5 | 8 | Caitlin Sargent | 52.63 | ||
| 29 | 2 | 8 | Joelma Sousa | 53.01 | ||
| 30 | 3 | 5 | Alicia Brown | 53.26 | ||
| 31 | 1 | 2 | Kadecia Baird | 53.73 | ||
| 32 | 3 | 6 | Zhao Yanmin | 54.03 | ||
| 33 | 2 | 7 | Gretta Taslakian | 54.56 | ||
| 34 | 3 | 3 | Sade Sealy | 55.45 | ||
| 35 | 2 | 5 | Phumlile Ndzinisa | 56.36 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Maureen Jelagat Maiyo | 163.3 |
Semifinals
Qualification: First 2 in each heat and the next 2 fastest advanced to the final.| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | 5 | Amantle Montsho | 49.56 | Q | |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | Christine Ohuruogu | 49.75 | Q, SB | |
| 3 | 3 | 5 | Francena McCorory | 49.86 | Q, PB | |
| 4 | 2 | 5 | Natasha Hastings | 49.94 | Q, SB | |
| 5 | 3 | 4 | Antonina Krivoshapka | 49.99 | Q | |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | Stephanie McPherson | 49.99 | q | |
| 7 | 2 | 6 | Novlene Williams-Mills | 50.34 | q | |
| 8 | 2 | 3 | Libania Grenot | 50.47 | SB | |
| 9 | 1 | 3 | Kseniya Ryzhova | 50.48 | Q | |
| 10 | 1 | 6 | Regina George | 50.84 | PB | |
| 11 | 3 | 6 | Nataliya Pyhyda | 51.02 | PB | |
| 12 | 2 | 7 | Floria Guei | 51.42 | PB | |
| 13 | 1 | 7 | Bianca Răzor | 51.49 | PB | |
| 14 | 3 | 7 | Marie Gayot | 51.54 | PB | |
| 15 | 2 | 8 | Kineke Alexander | 51.64 | ||
| 16 | 1 | 4 | Ashley Spencer | 51.80 | ||
| 17 | 3 | 1 | Aauri Bokesa | 51.94 | ||
| 18 | 1 | 2 | Chiara Bazzoni | 52.11 | ||
| 19 | 1 | 1 | Tjipekapora Herunga | 52.28 | ||
| 20 | 2 | 1 | Amy Mbacké Thiam | 52.37 | ||
| 21 | 3 | 8 | Omolara Omotoso | 52.38 | ||
| 22 | 3 | 2 | Esther Cremer | 52.42 | ||
| 23 | 2 | 2 | Agne Šerkšnienė | 52.48 | ||
| 24 | 1 | 8 | Patricia Hall | 52.62 |
Final
The final was held at 21:15.| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 4 | Christine Ohuruogu | 49.41 | NR | ||
| 5 | Amantle Montsho | 49.41 | |||
| 2 | Stephanie McPherson | 49.99 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Natasha Hastings | 50.30 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Francena McCorory | 50.68 | ||
| 6 | 7 | Kseniya Ryzhova | 50.98 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Novlene Williams-Mills | 51.49 | ||
| 8 | Antonina Krivoshapka | 49.78 |