The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440-yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the "quarter-mile"—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.
The women's 400 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 21 to 24. The winning margin was 0.14 seconds.
Natalya Nikolayevna Antyukh is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles. She won the bronze medal in the 400 metres and a silver for the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Lashinda Demus is a retired American hurdler who specialized in the 400 meter hurdles, an event in which she was the 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, becoming the first woman from the United States to win the Olympic 400 m hurdles title.
Zuzana Hejnová is a retired Czech athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the silver medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. Hejnová is a two-time World Champion, having claimed titles at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics. She won bronze at the 2012 European Championships and silver for the 400 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
Anna Vasylivna Ryzhykova, nee Yaroshchuk is a Ukrainian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. At the European Athletics Championships, she won silver medals in 2012 and 2018, and bronze in 2022. Ryzhykova placed fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Natalia Kaczmarek is a Polish sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. She is the 2024 European champion as well as the European silver medalist from 2022. She also won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Kaczmarek earned several global medals as part of 4 x 400 m relays, including gold in the mixed event and silver in the women's event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The women's 400 metres hurdles event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place between 31 July and 4 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. 39 athletes from 25 nations competed.
Femke Bol is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in hurdling and sprinting. She specialises in the 400 metres hurdles, where she is the 2023 World Champion, and in the 400 metres, where she is the 2024 World Indoor Champion and the short track world record holder. In the 4 × 400 metres relay, she is the 2023 World Champion and the 2024 World Indoor Champion with the Dutch women's team and the 2024 Olympic Champion with the Dutch mixed team.
Lieke Klaver is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in sprinting. She specializes in the 200 metres and in the 400 metres. In the 4 × 400 metres relay, she is the 2023 World Champion and the 2024 World Indoor Champion with the Dutch women's team and the 2024 Olympic Champion with the Dutch mixed team.
The women's 400 metres at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships took place in three rounds at the Arena Toruń in Toruń, Poland, on 5 and 6 March 2021.
The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics Championships was held at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from 19 to 22 July 2022. It was won by Sydney McLaughlin in a world record time of 50.68 seconds. The winning margin was 1.59 seconds which as of 2024 stands as the greatest winning margin for the women's 400 metres hurdles at these championships.
The women's 400 metres at the 2022 European Athletics Championships took place in three rounds at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany, from 15 to 17 August 2022.
The women's 400 metres at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships took place in three rounds at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, on 3 and 4 March 2023. This was the 37th time the women's 400 metres was contested at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. Athletes could qualify by achieving the entry standard or their World Athletics Ranking for the event.
The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships took place in three rounds at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary from 21 to 24 August 2023. On 21 August, forty-one athletes of thirty nations participated in the five heats of round 1. On 22 August, twenty-four athletes competed in the three heats of the semifinals. On 24 August, eight athletes competed in the final, which was won by Femke Bol of the Netherlands in 51.70 seconds, ahead Shamier Little of the United States in 52.80 seconds and Rushell Clayton of Jamaica in 52.81 seconds.
Cathelijn Peeters is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in hurdling and sprinting and previously competed in the combined events and hammer throw. Peeters specializes in the 400 metres hurdles and in the 400 metres. In the 4 × 400 metres relay, she is the 2023 World Champion and the 2024 World Indoor Champion with the Dutch women's team and the 2024 Olympic Champion with the Dutch mixed team.
The women's 400 metres at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships took place in three rounds at the Commonwealth Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, on 1 and 2 March 2024. It was contested by twenty-four athletes from nineteen different nations.
The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 European Athletics Championships took place in three rounds at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, from 9 to 11 June 2024. This was the sixteenth time that the women's 400 metres hurdles was contested at the European Athletics Championships. A total of 37 athletes qualified for the event by entry standard, ranking, or wild card. The startlists contained 35 athletes from 21 nations.
The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in four rounds at the Stade de France in Paris, France, from 4 to 8 August 2024. This was the eleventh time that the women's 400 metres hurdles was contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 40 athletes were able to qualify for the event by entry standard or ranking.
