2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 15, 16 and 18 August. The world-leader prior to the competition, Sanya Richards, was regarded as the favourite in the event, although her previous failure to convert circuit dominance to major championship success raised some doubts. Reigning Olympic and world champion Christine Ohuruogu entered the championships as only the 25th fastest in the world that year, although a low-key run up also preceded her previous victories. Jamaicans Shericka Williams and Novlene Williams-Mills were predicted as possible medallists, while Russian Antonina Krivoshapka held the second fastest time in the world prior to the tournament.[1]

All the favoured athletes made it through the heats and Motswana Amantle Montsho, a 2008 Olympic finalist, had the fastest time of the day with 50.65 seconds. Unusually, two of the race favourites, Richards and Ohuruogu, faced each other in the first round, with the Richards taking first place.[2] The two faced each other again in the semi-finals, and Richards again beat the defending champion. The other two semi-finals were much faster, however, with five athletes breaking 50 seconds. Shericka Williams and Debbie Dunn set personal bests to qualify in the second final, and Montsho and Williams-Mills had run season's best to qualify – Aliann Pompey's national record was not enough to reach the final.[3]

In the final, Richards started the race quickly, leading the first 100 m. Krivoshapka pulled slightly ahead of her at the halfway, but Richards regained the lead on the final bend. She remained in front through the home straight and won in a world-leading 49 seconds flat. Williams overtook Krivoshapka on the final stretch to take silver with a personal best of 49.32 seconds, and the Russian retained third place for the bronze. Williams-Mills was close behind for fourth place, but it was Ohuruogu's fifth-place finish that drew more attention.[4]

Richards, often the fastest 400 m runner on the athletics circuit, won her first major gold medal of her career with the 38th sub-50 clocking of her career – the most of any athlete.[5] After a lacklustre season, the 2007 World Champion Ohuruogu could not repeat the performance that had made her Olympic champion the previous year.[6] Shericka Williams had twice lowered her personal best, and her silver medal-winning performance was 0.02 seconds outside of Lorraine Fenton's Jamaican record.[7] Krivoshapka's bronze was Russia's first medal in the event in the post-Soviet era.[4]

Medalists edit

Gold Silver Bronze
Sanya Richards
  United States (USA)
Shericka Williams
  Jamaica (JAM)
Antonina Krivoshapka
  Russia (RUS)

Records edit

World record   Marita Koch (GDR) 47.60 Canberra, Australia 6 October 1985
Championship record   Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) 47.99 Helsinki, Finland 10 August 1983
World Leading   Sanya Richards (USA) 49.23 Oslo, Norway 3 July 2009
African record   Falilat Ogunkoya (NGR) 49.10 Atlanta, United States 29 July 1996
Asian record   Ma Yuqin (CHN) 49.81 Beijing, China 11 September 1993
North American record   Sanya Richards (USA) 48.70 Athens, Greece 16 September 2006
South American record   Ximena Restrepo (COL) 49.64 Barcelona, Spain 5 August 1992
European record   Marita Koch (GDR) 47.60 Canberra, Australia 6 October 1985
Oceanian Record   Cathy Freeman (AUS) 48.63 Atlanta, United States 29 July 1996

Qualification standards edit

A time B time
51.50 52.30

Schedule edit

Date Time Round
August 15, 2009 13:05 Heats
August 16, 2009 19:40 Semifinals
August 18, 2009 19:35 Final

Results edit

Heats edit

Qualification: First 3 in each heat(Q) and the next 6 fastest(q) advance to the semifinals.

Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes
1 3 Amantle Montsho   Botswana (BOT) 50.65 Q
2 6 Antonina Krivoshapka   Russia (RUS) 51.03 Q
3 5 Sanya Richards   United States (USA) 51.06 Q
4 4 Debbie Dunn   United States (USA) 51.13 Q
5 4 Anastasiya Kapachinskaya   Russia (RUS) 51.17 Q
6 3 Shericka Williams   Jamaica (JAM) 51.23 Q
7 5 Christine Ohuruogu   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) 51.30 Q
8 1 Lyudmila Litvinova   Russia (RUS) 51.31 Q
9 5 Aliann Pompey   Guyana (GUY) 51.38 Q
10 1 Libania Grenot   Italy (ITA) 51.45 Q
11 2 Novlene Williams-Mills   Jamaica (JAM) 51.55 Q
12 3 Solen Désert-Mariller   France (FRA) 51.63 Q, SB
13 6 Nicola Sanders   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) 51.64 Q
14 3 Folasade Abugan   Nigeria (NGR) 51.70 q
15 2 Jessica Beard   United States (USA) 51.72 Q
16 2 Sorina Nwachukwu   Nigeria (NGR) 51.74 Q
17 5 Norma González   Colombia (COL) 51.86 q, PB
18 1 Indira Terrero   Cuba (CUB) 51.98 Q
19 2 Kineke Alexander   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN) 52.44 q, SB
20 1 Tiandra Ponteen   Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) 52.54 q
21 6 Amy Mbacké Thiam   Senegal (SEN) 52.79 Q
22 4 Amaka Ogoegbunam   Nigeria (NGR) 52.85 Q
23 2 Joy Nakhumicha Sakari   Kenya (KEN) 52.88 q
24 1 Christine Day   Jamaica (JAM) 53.13 q
25 3 Racheal Nachula   Zambia (ZAM) 53.21
25 6 Esther Akinsulie   Canada (CAN) 53.21
27 6 Asami Tanno   Japan (JPN) 53.30
28 4 Chandrika Rasnayake   Sri Lanka (SRI) 53.68
29 1 Marina Maslenko   Kazakhstan (KAZ) 54.38
30 4 Fatou Bintou Fall   Senegal (SEN) 54.46
31 5 Makelesi Bulikiobo   Fiji (FIJ) 54.65 SB
32 5 Trish Bartholomew   Grenada (GRN) 54.89
33 6 Sharolyn Scott   Costa Rica (CRC) 55.63 PB
34 2 Kia Davis   Liberia (LBR) 56.85
35 5 Claudine Yemalin   Benin (BEN) 58.82
36 1 Khin Phyo Thet   Myanmar (MYA) 1:00.35 PB
37 4 Rozina Shafqat   Pakistan (PAK) 1:00.72 SB
38 6 Rania Alqebali   Jordan (JOR) 1:00.90 SB
2 Khoury Keita   Mauritania (MTN) DQ
4 Christine Amertil   Bahamas (BAH) DQ
3 Nawal El Jack   Sudan (SUD) DNF
3 Evodie Lydie Saramandji   Central African Republic (CAF) DNS

Key: PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Semifinals edit

Qualification: First 2 in each semifinal(Q) and the next 2 fastest(q) advance to the final.

Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes
1 2 Shericka Williams   Jamaica (JAM) 49.51 Q, PB
2 2 Antonina Krivoshapka   Russia (RUS) 49.67 Q
3 1 Novlene Williams-Mills   Jamaica (JAM) 49.88 Q, SB
4 1 Amantle Montsho   Botswana (BOT) 49.89 Q, SB
5 2 Debbie Dunn   United States (USA) 49.95 q, PB
6 3 Sanya Richards   United States (USA) 50.21 Q
7 1 Anastasiya Kapachinskaya   Russia (RUS) 50.30 q
8 3 Christine Ohuruogu   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) 50.35 Q, SB
9 2 Nicola Sanders   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) 50.45 SB
10 3 Lyudmila Litvinova   Russia (RUS) 50.52
11 1 Aliann Pompey   Guyana (GUY) 50.71 NR
12 3 Libania Grenot   Italy (ITA) 50.85
13 1 Jessica Beard   United States (USA) 51.20
14 2 Amy Mbacké Thiam   Senegal (SEN) 51.70
15 2 Folasade Abugan   Nigeria (NGR) 51.75
16 3 Indira Terrero   Cuba (CUB) 51.87
17 1 Norma González   Colombia (COL) 51.91
18 3 Sorina Nwachukwu   Nigeria (NGR) 51.98
19 2 Joy Nakhumicha Sakari   Kenya (KEN) 52.69
20 3 Tiandra Ponteen   Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) 53.22
21 2 Solen Désert-Mariller   France (FRA) 53.26
22 1 Kineke Alexander   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN) 53.43
23 1 Christine Day   Jamaica (JAM) 53.46
1 Amaka Ogoegbunam   Nigeria (NGR) DNF

Key: DNF = Did not finish, NR = National record, PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Final edit

 
Sanya Richards won her first major championships in Berlin
Rank Name Nationality Time Notes
  Sanya Richards   United States (USA) 49.00 WL
  Shericka Williams   Jamaica (JAM) 49.32 PB
  Antonina Krivoshapka   Russia (RUS) 49.71
4 Novlene Williams-Mills   Jamaica (JAM) 49.77 SB
5 Christine Ohuruogu   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) 50.21 SB
6 Debbie Dunn   United States (USA) 50.35
7 Anastasiya Kapachinskaya   Russia (RUS) 50.53
8 Amantle Montsho   Botswana (BOT) 50.65

Key: PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season)

References edit

General
Specific
  1. ^ Landells, Steve (2009-08-09). Women's 400m - PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-16. Archived 2009-09-08.
  2. ^ Landells, Steve (2009-08-15). Event Report - Women's 400m - Heats Archived 2009-08-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  3. ^ Landells, Steve (2009-08-16). Event Report - Women's 400 Metres - Semi-Final Archived 2012-04-07 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  4. ^ a b Landells, Steve (2009-08-18). Event Report - Women's 400m - Final Archived 2009-09-21 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  5. ^ Brown, Matthew (2009-08-18). Richards – ‘I enjoyed every step of my race’ Archived 2009-08-21 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-19.
  6. ^ Kessel, Anna (2009-08-18). No miracle for Christine Ohuruogu as Sanya Richards takes gold. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-08-20.
  7. ^ Reid, Paul A. (2009-08-19). Former coach lauds Williams' silver at World Championships Archived 2009-08-22 at the Wayback Machine. Jamaica Observer. Retrieved on 2009-08-20.