1958 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres

Women's 400 metres at the European Athletics Championships
Venue	Olympiastadion
Location	Stockholm, Sweden
Dates	19 August 1958 (round 1) 21 August 1958 (final)
Competitors	12 from 8 nations
Winning time	53.7 s CR
Medalists
Mariya Itkina    Soviet Union   Yekaterina Parlyuk    Soviet Union   Moyra Hiscox    Great Britain
1962  →

The women's 400 metres at the 1958 European Athletics Championships was held in two rounds at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, on 19 and 21 August 1958. It was the first time that the women's 400 metres was contested at the European Athletics Championships, while the men's 400 metres had been part of the program since the first championships in 1934.

Twelve athletes from eight nations competed in the first round on 19 August, from where six athletes advanced to the final on 21 August. World-record holder Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union set a championship record of 54.0 seconds in round 1, which she improved in the final, where she won the gold medal in a time of 53.7 seconds. Yekaterina Parlyuk of the Soviet Union finished second in 54.8 seconds and Moyra Hiscox of Great Britain was third in 55.7 seconds.

Background

At the International Amateur Athletic Federation congress of 1956, the women's 400 metres was added to the program of the 1958 European Athletics Championships, at the request of the Soviet delegation. ^[1] The men's 400 metres had already been contested five times at the European Athletics Championships before 1958, since the first edition in 1934. ^[2]

At the start of the 1958 championships, the world and European record was 53.6 s, set a year earlier by Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union. ^[3] Itkina was seen as the favourite to win based on her performances from 1958. ^[4] Being contested for the first time at the European Athletics Championships, there was no championship record for this event yet. ^[2]

The event was held at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. ^[2] The stadium from 1912 had been renovated before these championships, the stands were moved back in order to change the track from 382 metres to the international standard of 400 metres. ^[5] All races were hand-timed (h). ^[2]

Record before the 1958 European Athletics Championships ^[3]

Record	Time	Athlete (nation)	Location	Date
World record	53.6  h	Mariya Itkina  (URS)	Moscow, Soviet Union	6 July 1957
European record
Championship record	Vacant

Results

Round 1

Twelve athletes from eight nations competed in two heats of round 1 on 19 August. ^[6] The three fastest athletes of each heat qualified for the final (Q). ^[7] In the first heat, the fastest time of 54.0 s by Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union was the first championship record (CR) for the event. ^[2]

Results of round 1 ^[2]

Rank	Heat	Athlete	Nation	Time	Notes
1	1	Mariya Itkina	Soviet Union	54.0 h	CR, Q
2	2	Yekaterina Parlyuk	Soviet Union	55.4 h	Q
3	2	Vera Mukhanova	Soviet Union	55.7 h	Q
4	2	Moyra Hiscox	Great Britain	55.7 h	Q
5	2	Maria Jeibmann	West Germany	55.9 h
6	1	Shirley Pirie	Great Britain	56.2 h	Q
7	1	Ida Németh	Hungary	56.8 h	Q
8	2	Beata Żbikowska	Poland	57.2 h
9	1	Bärbel Reinnagel	East Germany	57.7 h
10	2	Jytte Kort	Denmark	57.9 h
11	1	Lesley MacKinnon	Great Britain	58.2 h
12	1	Gül Çiray	Turkey	60.8 h

Final

Six athletes from three nations competed in the final on 21 August. ^[2] The race was won by Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union who improved her championship record (CR) from two days earlier to 53.7 s, followed by Yekaterina Parlyuk of the Soviet Union in second place in 54.8 s and Moyra Hiscox of Great Britain in third place in 55.7 s. ^[2] Being exhausted after the race, Hiscox was treated by a physician and missed the medal ceremony. ^[8]

Results of the final ^[2]

Rank	Athlete	Nation	Time	Notes
	Mariya Itkina	Soviet Union	53.7 h	CR
	Yekaterina Parlyuk	Soviet Union	54.8 h
	Moyra Hiscox	Great Britain	55.7 h
4	Shirley Pirie	Great Britain	55.7 h
5	Vera Mukhanova	Soviet Union	56.3 h
6	Ida Németh	Hungary	56.3 h

References

1. "Atletiek-wereldrecords erkend" (in Dutch), De Waarheid , 7 December 1956. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
2. "European Athletics Championships Munich 2022 – Statistics Handbook – Athletics", European Athletics. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
3. "World Record Progression of 400 Metres – Female – Senior", World Athletics. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
4. "Prognoses voor Stockholm" (in Dutch), Eindhovensch Dagblad , 19 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
5. "Elektrische installaties zullen in Stockholm feilloos Europese kampioenen aanwijzen" (in Dutch), Het Binnenhof , 18 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
6. "Stockholm European Championships – 19–24 AUG 1958 – Women's 400 Metres", World Athletics. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
7. "Europees record voor Dana Zatopkova" (in Dutch), Het Vaderland , 20 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
8. "Gediskwalificeerde Michael Rawson kreeg na protest toch nog gouden medaille" (in Dutch), Het Binnenhof , 22 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025.