In round 1 on 17 August, twelve out of twenty-four athletes qualified for the semi-finals, where they were joined by the twelve highest-ranking athletes who had a bye in the first round. In the semi-finals on 18 August, eight out of twenty-four athletes qualified for the final and Viivi Lehikoinen set a Finnish record of 54.50 seconds. In the final on 19 August, Femke Bol of the Netherlands won in a new championship record of 52.67s, followed by Viktoriya Tkachuk of Ukraine in 54.30s and Anna Ryzhykova of Ukraine in 54.86s.
For the women's 400 metres hurdles, the qualification period was from 27 July 2021 to 26 July 2022. Athletes could qualify during that time by running the entry standard of 55.85seconds or faster, by a receiving a wild card as defending European 400 metres hurdles champion, or by their position on the World Athletics Rankings for the event.[10] A final entry list of thirty-nine athletes from twenty-one nations was compiled on 8 August 2022.[11]
Rounds
Round 1
Twenty-four athletes from nineteen nations competed in three heats (preliminary rounds) of round 1 on 17 August, starting at 11:40 (UTC+2). The first three athletes in each heat (Q) and the next three fastest athletes overall (q) advanced to the semi-finals.[8] The twelve highest-ranked athletes received a bye into the semi-finals.[12] Three athletes set a personal best (PB) in this round, whilst one set a seasons best (SB).[8]
Twenty-four athletes from fourteen nations competed in three heats of the semi-finals held on 18 August, starting at 11:55 (UTC+2). The first two athletes in each heat (Q) and the next two fastest athletes overall (q) advanced to the final. Viivi Lehikoinen set a Finnish record (NR) of 54.50 seconds and another three athletes set personal bests (PB) in this round. Camille Seri of France did not finish (DNF) the race.[13]
Eight athletes from seven nations competed in the final on 19 August, starting at 21:45 (UTC+2) in the evening.[14]Femke Bol of the Netherlands moved into the first position between 200 and 300 metres,[12] and won in a new championship record (CR) of 52.67seconds, improving the 12-year-old record of Natalya Antyukh by 0.25 seconds.[14]Viktoriya Tkachuk of Ukraine finished in second place in 54.30 seconds and Anna Ryzhykova of Ukraine in third place in 54.86 seconds.[14]
Steve Smythe from Athletics Weekly wrote that Bol finished "with a huge winning margin (...) by a staggering 1.63 seconds".[15] Bol said about the race: "I don't have to do crazy things, just had to produce a decent race. But there is also a little bit of relief. I run my second-best time of this season."[16] Two days earlier, Bol had also won the women's 400 metres; this double victory was unprecedented at the European Athletics Championships.[16] Bol said about the double: "I am so proud to achieve the double. I will never do the double again. Well, maybe. Never say never!"[17]
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