2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles
# 2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles

The Women's 400 metres hurdles event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on August 29, 30 and September 1.

Kaliese Spencer had the fastest time of the year before the competition and led in the Diamond League rankings. Fellow Jamaican Melaine Walker (the reigning world and Olympic champion) was also present, as was Lashinda Demus, the runner-up in 2009. Czech athlete Zuzana Hejnová was the second fastest entrant and was second in the rankings in the Diamond League. The three medallists from the 2010 European Championships – Natalya Antyukh, Vania Stambolova, and Perri Shakes-Drayton – were the other athletes in contention for a medal.

Lashinda Demus in lane 3, broke quickly from the start, quickly making up the stagger on lane 4 Zuzana Hejnová. In lane 8, defending champion Melaine Walker was also out fast. Demus maintained her advantage as Kaliese Spencer made a run at her, but Spencer faltered. The stretch run was the top two finishers from the previous championship, but the medals were reversed as Demus set a new National Record for the United States and the number three all time mark in the event.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| - | - | - |
| Lashinda Demus United States (USA) | Melaine Walker Jamaica (JAM) | Natalya Antyukh Russia (RUS) |

## Records

| World record | Yuliya Pechonkina (RUS) | 52.34 | Tula, Russia | 8 August 2003 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Championship record | Melaine Walker (JAM) | 52.42 | Berlin, Germany | 20 August 2009 |
| World leading | Kaliese Spencer (JAM) | 52.79 | London, Great Britain | 5 August 2011 |
| African record | Nezha Bidouane (MAR) | 52.90 | Sevilla, Spain | 25 August 1999 |
| Asian record | Qing Han (CHN) | 53.96 | Beijing, China | 9 September 1993 |
| Asian record | Yinglan Song (CHN) | 53.96 | Guangzhou, China | 22 November 2001 |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record | Melaine Walker (JAM) | 52.42 | Berlin, Germany | 20 August 2009 |
| South American record | Lucimar Teodoro (BRA) | 55.84 | Belém, Brazil | 24 May 2009 |
| European record | Yuliya Pechonkina (RUS) | 52.34 | Tula, Russia | 8 August 2003 |
| Oceanian record | Debbie Flintoff-King (AUS) | 53.17 | Seoul, South Korea | 28 September 1988 |

## Qualification standards

| A time | B time |
| - | - |
| 55.40 | 56.55 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Round |
| - | - | - |
| August 29, 2011 | 12:20 | Heats |
| August 30, 2011 | 19:00 | Semifinals |
| September 1, 2011 | 21:15 | Final |

## Results

| KEY: | q | Fastest non-qualifiers | Q | Qualified | NR | National record | PB | Personal best | SB | Seasonal best |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

### Heats

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) advance to the semifinals.

| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Melaine Walker | Jamaica (JAM) | 54.86 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | Natalya Antyukh | Russia (RUS) | 54.88 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Kaliese Spencer | Jamaica (JAM) | 54.93 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Lashinda Demus | United States (USA) | 54.93 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Anastasiya Rabchenyuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.08 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Queen Harrison | United States (USA) | 55.11 | Q |
| 7 | 2 | Zuzana Hejnová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 55.12 | Q |
| 8 | 4 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 55.29 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | Elena Churakova | Russia (RUS) | 55.39 | Q |
| 10 | 2 | Élodie Ouédraogo | Belgium (BEL) | 55.40 | Q, PB |
| 10 | 2 | Hanna Titimets | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.40 | Q |
| 12 | 1 | Lauren Boden | Australia (AUS) | 55.78 | Q, SB |
| 13 | 3 | Perri Shakes-Drayton | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 55.90 | Q |
| 14 | 4 | Ristananna Tracey | Jamaica (JAM) | 55.96 | Q |
| 15 | 3 | Hanna Yaroshchuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.99 | Q |
| 16 | 3 | Nickiesha Wilson | Jamaica (JAM) | 56.08 | Q |
| 17 | 5 | Wenda Theron | South Africa (RSA) | 56.13 | Q, PB |
| 18 | 4 | Eilidh Child | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 56.18 | Q |
| 19 | 4 | Muizat Ajoke Odumosu | Nigeria (NGR) | 56.23 | Q, SB |
| 20 | 5 | Jasmine Chaney | United States (USA) | 56.28 | Q |
| 21 | 1 | Vera Barbosa | Portugal (POR) | 56.31 | q |
| 22 | 2 | Sara Petersen | Denmark (DEN) | 56.32 | q, NR |
| 23 | 2 | Nikolina Horvat | Croatia (CRO) | 56.60 | q |
| 24 | 5 | Satomi Kubokura | Japan (JPN) | 56.66 | q |
| 25 | 5 | Manuela Gentili | Italy (ITA) | 56.71 | |
| 26 | 4 | Nagihan Karadere | Turkey (TUR) | 56.76 | |
| 27 | 1 | Christine Merrill | Sri Lanka (SRI) | 57.05 | |
| 28 | 3 | Jailma de Lima | Brazil (BRA) | 57.21 | |
| 29 | 3 | Birsen Engin | Turkey (TUR) | 57.22 | |
| 30 | 2 | Hanitrasoa Olga Razanamalala | Madagascar (MAD) | 57.25 | PB |
| 31 | 4 | Stine Meland Tomb | Norway (NOR) | 57.51 | |
| 32 | 5 | Amaliya Sharoyan | Armenia (ARM) | 58.54 | NR |
| 33 | 3 | Sharolyn Scott | Costa Rica (CRC) | 58.78 | |
| 34 | 1 | Bimbo Miel Ayedou | Benin (BEN) | 58.80 | |
| 35 | 4 | Déborah Rodríguez | Uruguay (URU) | 59.52 | |
| 36 | 5 | Son Kyeong-mi | South Korea (KOR) | 1:00.21 | |
| 37 | 4 | Jessica Aguilera | Nicaragua (NCA) | 1:02.78 | |
| 38 | 3 | Fatima Sulaiman Dahman | Yemen (YEM) | 1:11.49 | PB |

### Semifinals

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

| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | Lashinda Demus | United States (USA) | 53.82 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Natalya Antyukh | Russia (RUS) | 54.51 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 54.72 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Zuzana Hejnová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 54.76 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Melaine Walker | Jamaica (JAM) | 54.97 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Elena Churakova | Russia (RUS) | 55.02 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Kaliese Spencer | Jamaica (JAM) | 55.02 | q |
| 8 | 2 | Anastasiya Rabchenyuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.06 | q |
| 9 | 3 | Perri Shakes-Drayton | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 55.07 | |
| 10 | 1 | Hanna Yaroshchuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.09 | |
| 11 | 1 | Élodie Ouédraogo | Belgium (BEL) | 55.29 | PB |
| 12 | 2 | Queen Harrison | United States (USA) | 55.44 | |
| 13 | 3 | Ristananna Tracey | Jamaica (JAM) | 55.55 | |
| 14 | 3 | Hanna Titimets | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.82 | |
| 15 | 1 | Eilidh Child | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 55.89 | |
| 16 | 1 | Jasmine Chaney | United States (USA) | 55.97 | |
| 17 | 2 | Muizat Ajoke Odumosu | Nigeria (NGR) | 56.41 | |
| 18 | 3 | Sara Petersen | Denmark (DEN) | 56.49 | |
| 19 | 2 | Nickiesha Wilson | Jamaica (JAM) | 56.58 | |
| 20 | 3 | Lauren Boden | Australia (AUS) | 56.68 | |
| 21 | 2 | Satomi Kubokura | Japan (JPN) | 56.87 | |
| 22 | 1 | Nikolina Horvat | Croatia (CRO) | 57.02 | |
| 23 | 2 | Wenda Theron | South Africa (RSA) | 57.06 | |
| 24 | 3 | Vera Barbosa | Portugal (POR) | 57.70 | |

### Final

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | 3 | Lashinda Demus | United States (USA) | 52.47 | WL, NR |
| | 8 | Melaine Walker | Jamaica (JAM) | 52.73 | SB |
| | 5 | Natalya Antyukh | Russia (RUS) | 53.85 | |
| 4 | 2 | Kaliese Spencer | Jamaica (JAM) | 54.01 | |
| 5 | 1 | Anastasiya Rabchenyuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 54.18 | SB |
| 6 | 6 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 54.23 | |
| 7 | 4 | Zuzana Hejnová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 54.23 | |
| 8 | 7 | Elena Churakova | Russia (RUS) | 55.17 | |
