1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 400 metres
# 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres event at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships was held at the Budapest Sportcsarnok in Budapest on 3 and 4 March.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| - | - | - |
| Helga Arendt West Germany | Diane Dixon United States | Jillian Richardson Canada |

## Results

### Heats

The first 2 of each heat (Q) and next 2 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.

| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Maree Holland | Australia | 52.90 | Q, AR |
| 2 | 3 | Sally Gunnell | Great Britain | 52.91 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Marina Shmonina | Soviet Union | 53.03 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Diane Dixon | United States | 53.15 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Charmaine Crooks | Canada | 53.22 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Helga Arendt | West Germany | 53.31 | q |
| 7 | 1 | Judit Forgács | Hungary | 53.33 | q |
| 8 | 1 | Jearl Miles | United States | 53.33 | q |
| 9 | 2 | Jillian Richardson | Canada | 53.36 | Q |
| 10 | 2 | Erzsébet Szabó | Hungary | 53.41 | q |
| 11 | 3 | Marina Kharlamova | Soviet Union | 53.44 | q |
| 12 | 3 | Iolanda Oanță | Romania | 53.50 | q |
| 13 | 2 | Marcia Tate | Jamaica | 53.53 | |
| 14 | 2 | Angela Piggford | Great Britain | 53.69 | |

### Semifinals

First 3 of each semifinal (Q) qualified directly for the final.

| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Diane Dixon | United States | 52.12 | Q |
| 2 | 1 | Jillian Richardson | Canada | 52.17 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Maree Holland | Australia | 52.21 | Q, AR |
| 4 | 1 | Marina Kharlamova | Soviet Union | 52.23 | PB |
| 5 | 2 | Helga Arendt | West Germany | 52.29 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Marina Shmonina | Soviet Union | 52.33 | Q |
| 7 | 2 | Sally Gunnell | Great Britain | 52.35 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | Charmaine Crooks | Canada | 52.52 | |
| 9 | 2 | Iolanda Oanță | Romania | 52.93 | |
| 10 | 2 | Erzsébet Szabó | Hungary | 52.93 | |
| 11 | 2 | Jearl Miles | United States | 53.28 | |
| 12 | 1 | Judit Forgács | Hungary | 53.86 | |

### Final

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | 3 | Helga Arendt | West Germany | 51.52 | CR |
| | 4 | Diane Dixon | United States | 51.77 | AR |
| | 5 | Jillian Richardson | Canada | 52.02 | |
| 4 | 6 | Maree Holland | Australia | 52.17 | AR |
| 5 | 2 | Marina Shmonina | Soviet Union | 52.44 | |
| 6 | 1 | Sally Gunnell | Great Britain | 52.60 | |
