| | Event type
400 metres, Women
| Date | 25 – 28 July 1980 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Bolshaya arena, Tsentralny stadion imeni V.I. Lenina, Moskva |
| Participants | 38 from 22 countries |
The American boycott had little effect on this event as the top one lappers were Soviets and East Germans, led by Marita Koch, the prohibitive favorite. Between 1978 and 1979 she had bettered the world record five times, and had won the 1978 European Championship. In that meet she became the first woman to better 49 seconds. The final in Moskva was an easy victory for her, winning by 5-6 metres. The first three women in this race ran under 50 seconds, the first time that had been accomplished.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 120 | Marita Koch |  GDR | 51.06 (2 h5) | 50.57 (1 h1) | 48.88 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 254 | Jarmila Kratochvílová |  TCH | 51.04 (1 h5) | 50.79 (3 h2) | 49.46 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 123 | Christina Lathan | GDR | 51.33 (1 h1) | 50.16 (1 h2) | 49.66 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 280 | Irina Nazarova |  URS | 51.66 (1 h3) | 50.18 (2 h2) | 50.07 (4) | |||
| 5 | 291 | Nina Zyuskova | URS | 51.42 (1 h2) | 51.12 (4 h1) | 50.17 (5) | |||
| 6 | 126 | Gabriele Löwe | GDR | 52.43 (2 h4) | 50.85 (2 h1) | 51.33 (6) | |||
| 7 | 63 | Pirjo Häggman |  FIN | 52.56 (2 h3) | 51.02 (3 h1) | 51.35 (7) | |||
| 8 | 94 | Linsey MacDonald |  GBR | 52.57 (2 h2) | 51.60 (4 h2) | 52.40 (8) | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | 264 | Lyudmila Chernova | URS | 51.51 (3 h5) | 51.30 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | 98 | Michelle Probert | GBR | 52.16 (3 h1) | 51.89 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | 87 | Joslyn Hoyte-Smith | GBR | 52.24 (1 h4) | 51.47 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | 157 | Ilona Pál |  HUN | 51.99 (2 h1) | 51.99 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | 199 | Małgorzata Dunecka |  POL | 51.81 (4 h5) | 51.93 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r2/3 | 206 | Grażyna Oliszewska | POL | 52.62 (3 h4) | 52.36 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 8 h1 r2/3 | 42 | Rositsa Stamenova |  BUL | 52.71 (3 h2) | 52.96 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 8 h2 r2/3 | 209 | Irena Szewińska | POL | 52.57 (3 h3) | 53.13 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/3 | 27 | Svobodka Damyanova | BUL | 52.23 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/3 | 222 | Maria Samungi |  ROU | 52.89 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/3 | 9 | Karoline Käfer |  AUT | 52.82 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| 4 h4 r1/3 | 298 | Mary Akinyemi |  NGR | 52.64 (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | 214 | Niculina Lazarciuc | ROU | 52.52 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | 74 | Sophie Malbranque |  FRA | 53.46 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | 174 | Erica Rossi |  ITA | 52.98 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | 225 | Elena Tărîță | ROU | 52.96 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 5 h5 r1/3 | 17 | Rosine Wallez |  BEL | 52.00 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/3 | 243 | Ann-Louise Skoglund |  SWE | 52.78 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | 244 | Hala El-Moughrabi |  SYR | 59.33 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | 151 | Judit Forgács | HUN | 53.06 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | 20 | Malena Andonova | BUL | 53.30 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 6 h5 r1/3 | 303 | Gloria Ayanlaja | NGR | 53.55 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 7 h1 r1/3 | 299 | Kehinde Vaughan | NGR | 53.54 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | 192 | Xiomara Larios |  NCA | 1:01.50 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | 227 | Marième Boye |  SEN | 55.16 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 7 h4 r1/3 | 13 | Anne Michel | BEL | 54.22 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 7 h5 r1/3 | 184 | Ruth Simpson |  JAM | 55.59 (7 h5) | – | – | |||
| 8 h1 r1/3 | 232 | Eugenia Osho-Williams |  SLE | 1:00.44 (8 h1) | – | – | |||
| 8 h4 r1/3 | 191 | Acacia Mate |  MOZ | 1:00.90 (8 h4) | – | – | |||
| 8 h5 r1/3 | 294 | Trần Thị Ngọc Anh |  VIE | 1:00.62 (8 h5) | – | – | |||
| 166 | Rita Bottiglieri | ITA | – (DNS h2) | – | – |
Round One (25 July 1980 — 12:50)
Top three in each heat and next fastest advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Christina Lathan | GDR | 51.33 | |||
| 2 | 7 | Ilona Pál | HUN | 51.99 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Michelle Probert | GBR | 52.16 | |||
| 4 | 1 | Svobodka Damyanova | BUL | 52.23 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Niculina Lazarciuc | ROU | 52.52 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Ann-Louise Skoglund | SWE | 52.78 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Kehinde Vaughan | NGR | 53.54 | |||
| 8 | 4 | Eugenia Osho-Williams | SLE | 1:00.44 |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Nina Zyuskova | URS | 51.42 | |||
| 2 | 8 | Linsey MacDonald | GBR | 52.57 | |||
| 3 | 1 | Rositsa Stamenova | BUL | 52.71 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Maria Samungi | ROU | 52.89 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Sophie Malbranque | FRA | 53.46 | |||
| 6 | 3 | Hala El-Moughrabi | SYR | 59.33 | |||
| 7 | 6 | Xiomara Larios | NCA | 1:01.50 | |||
| 5 | Rita Bottiglieri | ITA | – |
Heat Three
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Irina Nazarova | URS | 51.66 | |||
| 2 | 7 | Pirjo Häggman | FIN | 52.56 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Irena Szewińska | POL | 52.57 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Karoline Käfer | AUT | 52.82 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Erica Rossi | ITA | 52.98 | |||
| 6 | 4 | Judit Forgács | HUN | 53.06 | |||
| 7 | 6 | Marième Boye | SEN | 55.16 |
Heat Four
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Joslyn Hoyte-Smith | GBR | 52.24 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Gabriele Löwe | GDR | 52.43 | |||
| 3 | 1 | Grażyna Oliszewska | POL | 52.62 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Mary Akinyemi | NGR | 52.64 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Elena Tărîță | ROU | 52.96 | |||
| 6 | 4 | Malena Andonova | BUL | 53.30 | |||
| 7 | 2 | Anne Michel | BEL | 54.22 | |||
| 8 | 7 | Acacia Mate | MOZ | 1:00.90 |
Heat Five
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | TCH | 51.04 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Marita Koch | GDR | 51.06 | |||
| 3 | 2 | Lyudmila Chernova | URS | 51.51 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Małgorzata Dunecka | POL | 51.81 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Rosine Wallez | BEL | 52.00 | |||
| 6 | 7 | Gloria Ayanlaja | NGR | 53.55 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Ruth Simpson | JAM | 55.59 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Trần Thị Ngọc Anh | VIE | 1:00.62 |
Semi-Finals (27 July 1980 — 19:15)
Top four in each heat advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Marita Koch | GDR | 50.57 | |||
| 2 | 2 | Gabriele Löwe | GDR | 50.85 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Pirjo Häggman | FIN | 51.02 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Nina Zyuskova | URS | 51.12 | |||
| 5 | 7 | Lyudmila Chernova | URS | 51.30 | |||
| 6 | 6 | Joslyn Hoyte-Smith | GBR | 51.47 | |||
| 7 | 5 | Małgorzata Dunecka | POL | 51.93 | |||
| 8 | 4 | Rositsa Stamenova | BUL | 52.96 |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Christina Lathan | GDR | 50.16 | |||
| 2 | 8 | Irina Nazarova | URS | 50.18 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | TCH | 50.79 | |||
| 4 | 7 | Linsey MacDonald | GBR | 51.60 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Michelle Probert | GBR | 51.89 | |||
| 6 | 4 | Ilona Pál | HUN | 51.99 | |||
| 7 | 2 | Grażyna Oliszewska | POL | 52.36 | |||
| 8 | 1 | Irena Szewińska | POL | 53.13 |
Final (28 July 1980 — 20:20)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Marita Koch | GDR | 48.88 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | TCH | 49.46 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Christina Lathan | GDR | 49.66 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Irina Nazarova | URS | 50.07 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Nina Zyuskova | URS | 50.17 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Gabriele Löwe | GDR | 51.33 | |||
| 7 | 2 | Pirjo Häggman | FIN | 51.35 | |||
| 8 | 7 | Linsey MacDonald | GBR | 52.40 |