The 4 × 400 metres relay at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Stadio Olimpico on September 5 and September 6.
Medals edit
Note: * Indicates athletes who ran in preliminary rounds.
Results edit
All times shown are in minutes.
| AR area record | CR championship record | GR games record | NR national record | OR Olympic record | PB personal best | SB season best | WL world leading (in a given season) |
| DNS = did not start | DQ = disqualification | NM = no mark (i.e. no valid result) | Q = qualification by place in heat | q = qualification by overall place |
Final edit
| Rank | Team | Name | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
 East Germany
|
Dagmar Neubauer, Kirsten Emmelmann, Petra Muller, Sabine Busch | 3:18.63 | CR |
|
 Soviet Union
|
Aelita Yurchenko, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina | 3:19.50 | |
|
 United States
|
Diane Dixon, Denean Howard, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Lillie Leatherwood | 3:21.04 | |
| 4 |  Canada
|
Charmaine Crooks, Molly Killingbeck, Marita Payne-Wiggins, Jillian Richardson | 3:24.11 | |
| 5 |  West Germany
|
Ute Thimm, Helga Arendt, Gudrun Abt, Gisela Kinzel | 3:24.94 | |
| 6 |  Jamaica
|
Cathy Rattray-Williams, Sandra Farmer, Ilrey Oliver, Sandie Richards | 3:27.51 | |
| 7 |  France
|
Nathalie Simon, Nadine Debois, Hélène Huart, Fabienne Ficher | 3:27.60 | |
| 8 |  Bulgaria
|
Tsvetanka Ilieva, Rositsa Stamenova, Pepa Pavlova, Yuliana Marinova | 3:30.24 |
Heats edit
Heat 1 edit
| Rank | Team | Name | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union
|
Aelita Yurchenko, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina | 3:20.75 | Q |
| 2 | United States
|
Diane Dixon, Denean Howard, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Lillie Leatherwood | 3:22.32 | Q |
| 3 | Canada
|
Charmaine Crooks, Molly Killingbeck, Marita Payne-Wiggins, Jillian Richardson | 3:24.50 | Q |
| 4 | France
|
Nathalie Simon, Nadine Debois, Hélène Huart, Fabienne Ficher | 3:27.76 | q |
| 5 |  Cuba
|
Ester Petitón, Odalys Hernandez, Tania Fernández, Ana Fidelia Quirot | 3:29.78 | |
| 6 |  Kenya
|
Geraldine Shitandayi, Florence Wanjiru, Esther Kavaya, Francisca Chepkurui | 3:30.16 | |
| 7 |  Brazil
|
Suzete Montalvão, Maria do Carmo Fialho, Soraya Vieira Telles, Maria Magnólia Souza Figueiredo | 3:30.91 | AR |
| 8 |  India
|
Vandana Shanbag, Vandana Rao, Shiny Wilson, P.T. Usha | 3:31.55 | AR |
Heat 2 edit
| Rank | Team | Name | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Germany
|
Kirsten Emmelmann, Dagmar Neubauer, Cornelia Ullrich, Petra Muller | 3:22.97 | Q |
| 2 | Bulgaria
|
Malena Andonova, Rositsa Stamenova, Pepa Pavlova, Yuliana Marinova | 3:25.85 | Q |
| 3 | West Germany
|
Karin Lix, Helga Arendt, Gudrun Abt, Gisela Kinzel | 3:26.75 | Q |
| 4 | Jamaica
|
Cathy Rattray-Williams, Sandie Richards, Sandra Farmer, Ilrey Oliver | 3:27.13 | q |
| 5 |  Hungary
|
Erzsebet Szabo, Erika Szopori, Noémi Bátori, Judit Forgács | 3:31.56 | |
| 6 |  Italy
|
Rossana Morabito, Cosetta Campana, Nevia Pistrino, Erica Rossi | 3:31.72 | |
| 7 |  Spain
|
Rosa Colorado, Cristina Pérez, Montserrat Pujol, Blanca Lacambra | 3:32.01 | |
| 8 |  Ireland
|
Michelle Walsh-Carroll, Barbara Johnson, Patricia Walsh, Patricia Amond | 3:32.56 |
References edit