2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres
Introduction 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.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. 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.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.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. After a lacklustre season, the 2007 World Champion Ohuruogu could not repeat the performance that had made her Olympic champion the previous year. 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. Krivoshapka's bronze was Russia's first medal in the event in the post-Soviet era.
Medalists '''Gold''''''Silver''''''Bronze'''Sanya Richards''''Shericka Williams''''Antonina Krivoshapka ''''
Records '''World record''''''47.60'''Canberra, Australia6 October 1985'''Championship record''''''47.99'''Helsinki, Finland10 August 1983'''World Leading''''''49.23'''Oslo, Norway3 July 2009'''African record''''''49.10'''Atlanta, United States29 July 1996'''Asian record''''''49.81'''Beijing, China11 September 1993'''North American record''''''48.70'''Athens, Greece16 September 2006'''South American record''''''49.64'''Barcelona, Spain5 August 1992'''European record''''''47.60'''Canberra, Australia6 October 1985'''Oceanian Record''''''48.63'''Atlanta, United States29 July 1996
Qualification standards A timeB time 51.50 52.30
Schedule  Date Time RoundAugust 15, 2009  '''13:05'''   '''Heats'''August 16, 2009  '''19:40'''   '''Semifinals'''August 18, 2009  '''19:35'''   '''Final'''
Results ===Heats===Qualification: First 3 in each heat('''Q''') and the next 6 fastest('''q''') advance to the semifinals.Rank  Heat   Name  Nationality  Time  Notes     3  Amantle Montsho    50.65     Q     6  Antonina Krivoshapka    51.03   Q     5  Sanya Richards    51.06  Q     4  Debbie Dunn    51.13  Q      4  Anastasiya Kapachinskaya    51.17  Q     3  Shericka Williams    51.23   Q     5  Christine Ohuruogu    51.30  Q      1  Lyudmila Litvinova    51.31   Q    5  Aliann Pompey    51.38   Q 10   1  Libania Grenot    51.45  Q  11   2  Novlene Williams-Mills    51.55   Q 12   3  Solen Désert-Mariller    51.63   Q, SB 13  6  Nicola Sanders    51.64   Q 14  3  Folasade Abugan    51.70   q 15   2  Jessica Beard    51.72  Q  16   2  Sorina Nwachukwu    51.74   Q 17   5  Norma González    51.86   q, PB 18   1  Indira Terrero    51.98  Q 19   2  Kineke Alexander    52.44  q, SB  20  1  Tiandra Ponteen    52.54  q 21   6  Amy Mbacké Thiam    52.79  Q 22   4  Amaka Ogoegbunam    52.85   Q 23   2  Joy Nakhumicha Sakari    52.88  q   24   1  Christine Day    53.13   q 25   3  Racheal Nachula    53.21    25   6  Esther Akinsulie    53.21     27   6  Asami Tanno    53.30    28   4  Chandrika Rasnayake    53.68    29   1  Marina Maslenko    54.38    30   4  Fatou Bintou Fall    54.46  31  5  Makelesi Bulikiobo    54.65  SB  32  5  Trish Bartholomew    54.89    33   6  Sharolyn Scott    55.63    PB 34   2  Kia Davis    56.85    35   5  Claudine Yemalin    58.82   36   1  Khin Phyo Thet       PB 37   4  Rozina Shafqat       SB 38   6  Rania Alqebali      SB    2  Khoury Keita         4  Christine Amertil         3  Nawal El Jack         3  Evodie Lydie Saramandji     '''Key''':  PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best===Semifinals===Qualification: First 2 in each semifinal('''Q''') and the next 2 fastest('''q''') advance to the final.Rank  Heat   Name  Nationality  Time  Notes   2  Shericka Williams    49.51   Q, PB   2  Antonina Krivoshapka    49.67   Q    1  Novlene Williams-Mills    49.88   Q, SB      1  Amantle Montsho    49.89   Q, SB     2  Debbie Dunn    49.95   q, PB     3  Sanya Richards    50.21  Q     1  Anastasiya Kapachinskaya    50.30  q    3  Christine Ohuruogu    50.35  Q, SB      2  Nicola Sanders    50.45 SB  10   3  Lyudmila Litvinova    50.52      11   1  Aliann Pompey    50.71  '''NR'''  12   3  Libania Grenot    50.85   13    1   Jessica Beard    51.20   14   2  Amy Mbacké Thiam    51.70   15   2  Folasade Abugan    51.75     16   3  Indira Terrero    51.87  17    1   Norma González    51.91   18   3  Sorina Nwachukwu     51.98        19   2  Joy Nakhumicha Sakari    52.69       20  3 Tiandra Ponteen     53.22   21   2  Solen Désert-Mariller    53.26     22   1  Kineke Alexander    53.43  23   1  Christine Day    53.46        1  Amaka Ogoegbunam      '''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===Sanya Richards won her first major championships in BerlinRank  Name  Nationality  Time  Notes   Sanya Richards    49.00   '''WL'''   Shericka Williams    49.32  PB  Antonina Krivoshapka    49.71   4 Novlene Williams-Mills    49.77   SB  5  Christine Ohuruogu     50.21   SB 6 Debbie Dunn    50.35     7 Anastasiya Kapachinskaya    50.53   8  Amantle Montsho     50.65  '''Key''':  PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season)
References ;General* 400 metre results. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-16. *Landells, Steve (2009-08-15). Event Report - Women's 400m - Heats. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-16.;Specific