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.
Women's 400 metres hurdles
at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone celebrates winning the 2024 Olympic 400 meter hurdles in a world record time of 50.37 seconds.
In one of the most anticipated races of these Olympics, returning gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had improved the world record five times, each year at the U.S. Championships while qualifying and then at the major championship. Leading up to these championships, she set the record again at the U.S. Trials. 2023 was the odd year, as McLaughlin-Levrone set her sights on the flat 400 metres, becoming the #11 performer of all time in that event before getting injured. Third in Tokyo behind Dalilah Muhammad #3 of all time, Femke Bol had risen to silver at the 2022 World Championships and in McLaughlin-Levrone's absence won gold in 2023. Earlier in 2024, Bol ran 50.95 at the record-setting track in La Chaux-de-Fonds, becoming the #2 performer in history. She also toyed with the flat 400, setting the indoor world record twice earlier in the season. The rest of the top contenders looked to be racing for bronze. Rushell Clayton and Anna Cockrell had set their best times at their respective trials.
In the Olympic final, McLaughlin-Levrone went out fastest over the first hurdle with Jasmine Jones second. McLaughlin-Levrone continued conservatively for herself down the backstretch, gaining on Bol, who was in her sights immediately to her outside. By the 200, McLaughlin-Levrone had made up the stagger on Bol. Instead of the anticipated surge by Bol, McLaughlin-Levrone just continued to pull ahead to an insurmountable lead and successfully defended her Olympic title. To Bol's outside, Cockrell was not broken. Cockrell took the final hurdle smoothly, passing Bol, and she surged ahead to run in for silver. Bol won her second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in this event.[2]
McLaughlin-Levrone set a new world record at 50.37. Anna Cockrell became the #4 performer with her 51.87, the 13th fastest performance in history (behind 7 by McLaughlin-Levrone, 4 by Bol, and Muhammad's Olympic silver medal). Bol's 52.15 was only her 8th best but was #19 in history. In fourth, Jasmine Jones became the #5 performer in history. Fifth place Rushell Clayton became #13. The top four would have won any Olympics before 2020.
The final was the fastest women's 400-meter hurdles race in Olympic history collectively: five of the eight women ran under 52.7 seconds, with these times ranking among the top 11 in Olympic history.[3] The winning margin was 1.50 seconds - the greatest winning margin for the women's 400 metres hurdles at any Olympics.
The women's 400 metres hurdles was first introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States and was contested ten times at the Summer Olympics before 2024: every four years, although the 2020 edition was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] That year, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from the United States won the event in a world and Olympic record of 51.46 seconds.[6] Since then, McLaughlin-Levrone lowered her world record three times, most recently at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, where she ran a time of 50.65 seconds.[7]
For the women's 400 metres hurdles event, the qualification period was between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024.[10] Forty athletes were able to qualify for the event, with a maximum of three athletes per nation, by running the entry standard of 54.85 seconds or faster or by their World Athletics Ranking for this event.[10]
Athletes in the first bend of the third heat of round 1
The five heats of round 1 were held on 4 August, at 12:35 (UTC+2) in the afternoon.[1] 40 athletes qualified for the event. Qualification rule: First 3 in each heat (Q) and next 3 fastest (q) advance to semi-finals, all others advance to repechage round (except DNS, DNF, DQ).[11]
The repechage round was held on 5 August, starting at 10:50 (UTC+2) in the morning.[1] Qualification rule: first 2 in each repechage heat (Q) advance to the semi-finals.
The semi-finals are scheduled to be held on 6 August, starting at 20:07 (UTC+2) in the evening.[1] Qualification rule: First 2 in each heat (Q) and next 2 fastest (q) advance to final.
