| Event: | Women's 4 x 400 metres relay |
| Competition: | European Athletics Championships |
The women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2016 European Athletics Championships took place at the Olympic Stadium on 9 and 10 July. Prior to the event, Great Britain had the 2016 leading European time of 3:28.62,[1] and they kept their form throughout the competition, setting a new leading European time in the heats and the new 2016 world leading time of 3:25.05 in the final.[2] The team that won gold consisted of Emily Diamond, Anyika Onuora, Eilidh Doyle and Seren Bundy-Davies. The silver medal was won by France, and the bronze by Italy, both setting their season's best times.
| Standing records prior to the 2016 European Athletics Championships | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World record | Tatyana Ledovskaya Olga Nazarova Mariya Pinigina Olga Bryzgina | 3:15.17 | Seoul, South Korea | 1 October 1988 | |
| European record | Tatyana Ledovskaya Olga Nazarova Mariya Pinigina Olga Bryzgina | 3:15.17 | Seoul, South Korea | 1 October 1988 | |
| Championship record | Kirsten Emmelmann Sabine Busch Petra Müller Marita Koch | 3:16.87 | Stuttgart, West Germany | 31 August 1986 | |
| World Leading | Damajahnee Birch Daina Harper Monisa Dobbins Ceara Watson | 3:25.48 | Lawrence, Kansas, United States | 28 May 2016 | |
| European Leading | Kelly Massey Laviai Nielsen Perri Shakes-Drayton Emily Diamond | 3:28.62 | Regensburg, Germany | 5 June 2016 | |
| Date | Time | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 July 2016 | 13:55 | Heats | |
| 10 July 2016 | 18:40 | Final |
First 3 in each heat (Q) and 2 best performers (q) advance to the Final.[3] [4]
| Rank | Heat | Nation | Athletes | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 3:26.42 | Q, EL | ||
| 2 | 1 | 3:27.72 | Q, SB | ||
| 3 | 2 | 3:27.75 | Q | ||
| 4 | 2 | 3:28.03 | Q, SB | ||
| 5 | 2 | 3:28.38 | Q, SB | ||
| 6 | 2 | 3:29.08 | q, SB | ||
| 7 | 2 | 3:29.18 | q, NR | ||
| 8 | 1 | 3:29.57 | Q, SB | ||
| 9 | 1 | 3:31.23 | SB | ||
| 10 | 1 | 3:31.66 | NR | ||
| 10 | 2 | 3:31.66 | SB | ||
| 12 | 1 | 3:31.73 | NR | ||
| 13 | 1 | 3:32.48 | SB | ||
| 14 | 2 | 3:33.57 | SB | ||
| 15 | 2 | 3:34.02 | SB | ||
| 16 | 1 | 3:38.47 | |||
| Rank | Lane | Nation | Athletes | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3:25.05 | WL | |||
| 8 | 3:25.96 | SB | |||
| 7 | 3:27.49 | SB | |||
| 4 | 3 | 3:27.60 | SB | ||
| 5 | 4 | 3:27.60 | SB | ||
| 6 | 6 | 3:27.64 | SB | ||
| 7 | 2 | 3:29.23 | |||
| 8 | 1 | 3:30.63 | |||