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| Event type

400 metres, Women

Date26 – 29 July 1996
StatusOlympic
LocationCentennial Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Participants49 from 35 countries

The favorite was the defending champion, Marie-José Pérec, who had also won the 1991 and 1995 World Championships and the 1994 Europeans. In Atlanta she was trying to win the 200/400 double, which had only been done before at the Olympics by Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984, but in a boycotted Olympics. On the men’s side, Michael Johnson was favored to win the same double, and would succeed in dramatic fashion. The 400 was first for Pérec. She led thru the first 200 metres, even at that point with Pauline Davis of the Bahamas, Australia’s Cathy Freeman a stride to the rear. Pérec pushed the turn but Freeman was even stronger, pulling even at the top of the stretch. They were still even with 40 metres to go, but Pérec had a bit more in reserve and won by three metres. Freeman, an Aboriginal Australian, won the silver medal, with the bronze going to Nigeria’s Falilat Ogunkoya. A few days later Pérec would win the 200, completing the rare double.

PosNrAthleteNOCR1QFSFFinal
13298Marie-José PérecFRA51.82 (3 h4)51.00 (1 h2)49.19 (1 h2)48.25 (1)GoldOR
23025Cathy FreemanAUS51.99 (2 h7)50.43 (1 h1)50.32 (1 h1)48.63 (2)Silver
33595Falilat OgunkoyaNGR52.65 (2 h6)50.65 (1 h3)49.57 (2 h2)49.10 (3)Bronze
43056Pauline DavisBAH51.00 (1 h1)51.08 (2 h2)49.85 (3 h2)49.28 (4)
53857Jearl MilesUSA51.96 (1 h5)50.84 (2 h3)50.21 (4 h2)49.55 (5)
63603Fatima YusufNGR52.25 (3 h3)51.27 (2 h4)50.36 (2 h1)49.77 (6)
73480Sandie RichardsJAM51.79 (2 h4)51.22 (3 h3)50.74 (3 h1)50.45 (7)
83344Grit BreuerGER52.20 (2 h5)50.57 (2 h1)50.75 (4 h1)50.71 (8)
5 h1 r3/43836Kim GrahamUSA51.70 (1 h3)50.96 (3 h1)51.13 (5 h1)
5 h2 r3/43681Svetlana GoncharenkoRUS51.07 (2 h1)51.35 (4 h2)50.84 (5 h2)
6 h1 r3/43856Maicel MaloneUSA51.28 (1 h2)51.16 (1 h4)51.16 (6 h1)
6 h2 r3/43242Sandy MyersESP52.54 (1 h6)51.53 (3 h4)51.42 (6 h2)
7 h1 r3/43469Merlene FrazerJAM52.20 (3 h5)51.57 (4 h4)51.18 (7 h1)
7 h2 r3/43042Renée PoetschkaAUS51.55 (4 h1)51.33 (4 h3)51.49 (7 h2)
8 h1 r3/43587Bisi AfolabiNGR51.80 (1 h7)51.07 (4 h1)51.40 (8 h1)
8 h2 r3/43467Juliet CampbellJAM51.57 (2 h2)51.17 (3 h2)51.65 (8 h2)
5 h1 r2/43204Hana BenešováCZE52.28 (5 h2)51.30 (5 h1)
5 h2 r2/43101Magnólia FigueiredoBRA52.41 (4 h5)51.98 (5 h2)
5 h3 r2/43442Virna De AngeliITA51.68 (1 h4)51.77 (5 h3)
5 h4 r2/43206Helena FuchsováCZE51.71 (2 h3)51.70 (5 h4)
6 h1 r2/43692Olga KotlyarovaRUS51.90 (4 h2)51.36 (6 h1)
6 h2 r2/43125LaDonna AntoineCAN51.99 (4 h4)52.03 (6 h2)
6 h3 r2/43082Hanna KazakBLR52.39 (3 h7)52.14 (6 h3)
6 h4 r2/43333Phylis SmithGBR51.29 (3 h1)52.16 (6 h4)
7 h1 r2/43307Donna FraserGBR52.78 (3 h6)51.58 (7 h1)
7 h2 r2/43534Grace Ann DinkinsLBR51.83 (3 h2)52.53 (7 h2)
7 h3 r2/43728Diane FrancisSKN52.48 (5 h5)52.24 (7 h3)
7 h4 r2/43461Patrizia SpuriITA52.45 (4 h7)52.78 (7 h4)
8 h1 r2/43203Dora KyriakouCYP52.09 (5 h1)52.26 (8 h1)
8 h2 r2/43801Yana ManuylovaUKR52.51 (6 h2)52.82 (8 h2)
8 h3 r2/43208Naděžda KoštovalováCZE53.03 (4 h6)53.21 (8 h3)
8 h4 r2/43040Lee NaylorAUS52.53 (4 h3)53.75 (8 h4)
5 h3 r1/43808Olena RurakUKR52.92 (5 h3)
5 h4 r1/43896Ngozi MwanamwambwaZAM54.12 (5 h4)
5 h6 r1/43500Svetlana BodritskayaKAZ53.24 (5 h6)
5 h7 r1/43178Zoila StewartCRC52.66 (5 h7)
6 h1 r1/43787Grace BirungiUGA53.12 (6 h1)
6 h3 r1/43895Marina ŽivkovićSCG53.10 (6 h3)
6 h4 r1/43385Mercy AddyGHA54.92 (6 h4)
6 h5 r1/43064Melissa StrakerBAR52.92 (6 h5)
6 h6 r1/43144Du XiujieCHN53.95 (6 h6)
6 h7 r1/43760Corinne SimasotchiSUI53.69 (6 h7)
7 h1 r1/43176Ahamada HaoulataCOM1:03.44 (7 h1)
7 h2 r1/43429Ameerah BelloISV53.40 (7 h2)
7 h3 r1/43735Melrose MansaraySLE54.37 (7 h3)
7 h5 r1/43006Guilhermina da CruzANG55.42 (7 h5)
7 h6 r1/43221Arely FrancoESA1:01.38 (7 h6)
7 h7 r1/43121Denise OuabanguiCAF55.74 (7 h7)
AC h4 r1/43174Ximena RestrepoCOL– (DNF h4)

Round One (26 July 1996)

Top four in each heat and next four fastest advanced to the quarter-finals.

Heat #1 (12:00)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
13Pauline DavisBAH51.000.308Q
21Svetlana GoncharenkoRUS51.070.270Q
38Phylis SmithGBR51.290.225Q
45Renée PoetschkaAUS51.550.292Q
54Dora KyriakouCYP52.090.322q
62Grace BirungiUGA53.12
77Ahamada HaoulataCOM1:03.44

Heat #2 (12:06)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
13Maicel MaloneUSA51.280.241Q
22Juliet CampbellJAM51.570.251Q
31Grace Ann DinkinsLBR51.830.248Q
44Olga KotlyarovaRUS51.900.361Q
56Hana BenešováCZE52.28q
65Yana ManuylovaUKR52.510.327q
78Ameerah BelloISV53.400.428

Heat #3 (12:12)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
15Kim GrahamUSA51.70Q
27Helena FuchsováCZE51.710.354Q
32Fatima YusufNGR52.250.294Q
41Lee NaylorAUS52.53Q
53Olena RurakUKR52.920.268
66Marina ŽivkovićSCG53.10
74Melrose MansaraySLE54.370.307

Heat #4 (12:18)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
15Virna De AngeliITA51.68Q
27Sandie RichardsJAM51.790.366Q
33Marie-José PérecFRA51.820.271Q
46LaDonna AntoineCAN51.990.323Q
52Ngozi MwanamwambwaZAM54.120.209
61Mercy AddyGHA54.920.189
DNF4Ximena RestrepoCOL0.273

Heat #5 (12:24)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
12Jearl MilesUSA51.960.345Q
26Grit BreuerGER52.200.314Q
31Merlene FrazerJAM52.200.229Q
47Magnólia FigueiredoBRA52.410.335Q
55Diane FrancisSKN52.480.390q
63Melissa StrakerBAR52.920.355
78Guilhermina da CruzANG55.420.398

Heat #6 (12:30)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
15Sandy MyersESP52.540.295Q
22Falilat OgunkoyaNGR52.650.232Q
33Donna FraserGBR52.780.234Q
48Naděžda KoštovalováCZE53.030.441Q
51Svetlana BodritskayaKAZ53.240.154
64Du XiujieCHN53.950.264
77Arely FrancoESA1:01.380.394

Heat #7 (12:36)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
18Bisi AfolabiNGR51.800.344Q
24Cathy FreemanAUS51.990.327Q
36Hanna KazakBLR52.39Q
41Patrizia SpuriITA52.450.245Q
53Zoila StewartCRC52.660.263
62Corinne SimasotchiSUI53.690.206
77Denise OuabanguiCAF55.74

Quarter-Finals (27 July 1996)

Top four in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat #1 (11:00)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
13Cathy FreemanAUS50.430.281Q
24Grit BreuerGER50.570.268Q
36Kim GrahamUSA50.96Q
45Bisi AfolabiNGR51.070.319Q
57Hana BenešováCZE51.300.254
62Olga KotlyarovaRUS51.360.234
78Donna FraserGBR51.580.222
81Dora KyriakouCYP52.260.226

Heat #2 (11:06)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
13Marie-José PérecFRA51.000.170Q
25Pauline DavisBAH51.080.306Q
34Juliet CampbellJAM51.170.261Q
46Svetlana GoncharenkoRUS51.35Q
52Magnólia FigueiredoBRA51.980.213
68LaDonna AntoineCAN52.030.296
77Grace Ann DinkinsLBR52.53
81Yana ManuylovaUKR52.820.214

Heat #3 (11:12)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
15Falilat OgunkoyaNGR50.650.198Q
26Jearl MilesUSA50.840.219Q
34Sandie RichardsJAM51.220.283Q
42Renée PoetschkaAUS51.330.176Q
53Virna De AngeliITA51.77
68Hanna KazakBLR52.140.342
77Diane FrancisSKN52.240.338
81Naděžda KoštovalováCZE53.21

Heat #4 (11:18)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
16Maicel MaloneUSA51.16Q
21Fatima YusufNGR51.270.209Q
33Sandy MyersESP51.530.198Q
47Merlene FrazerJAM51.570.382Q
55Helena FuchsováCZE51.700.314
64Phylis SmithGBR52.160.187
78Patrizia SpuriITA52.78
82Lee NaylorAUS53.750.250

Semi-Finals (28 July 1996)

Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat #1 (20:10)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
13Cathy FreemanAUS50.320.326Q
26Fatima YusufNGR50.360.285Q
38Sandie RichardsJAM50.740.364Q
44Grit BreuerGER50.750.275Q
52Kim GrahamUSA51.130.202
65Maicel MaloneUSA51.160.464
71Merlene FrazerJAM51.180.221
87Bisi AfolabiNGR51.400.352

Heat #2 (20:20)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
15Marie-José PérecFRA49.190.308Q
24Falilat OgunkoyaNGR49.570.249Q
33Pauline DavisBAH49.850.278Q
46Jearl MilesUSA50.210.268Q
57Svetlana GoncharenkoRUS50.840.335
68Sandy MyersESP51.420.258
72Renée PoetschkaAUS51.490.194
81Juliet CampbellJAM51.650.196

Final (29 July 1996 — 19:35)

PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (A)Reaction Time
13Marie-José PérecFRA48.250.209OR
24Cathy FreemanAUS48.630.320
35Falilat OgunkoyaNGR49.100.288
42Pauline DavisBAH49.280.222
58Jearl MilesUSA49.550.320
66Fatima YusufNGR49.770.319
77Sandie RichardsJAM50.450.341
81Grit BreuerGER50.710.219