| Event: | Women's 400 metres |
| Competition: | 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships |
| Venue: | Oregon Convention Center |
| Dates: | March 18 (heats, semifinals) March 19 (final) |
| Competitors: | 18 |
| Nations: | 15 |
| Win Value: | 51.45 |
| Gold: | Oluwakemi Adekoya |
| Goldnoc: | BHR |
| Silver: | Ashley Spencer |
| Silvernoc: | USA |
| Bronze: | Quanera Hayes |
| Bronzenoc: | USA |
| Prev: | 2014 |
| Next: | 2018 |
The women's 400 metres at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships took place on March 18 and 19, 2016.[1] [2]
Nigerian born Oluwakemi Adekoya, a mercenary runner for Bahrain,[3] came into these championships as only the seventh fastest in the world this year, but she made her mark with the fastest times in each round. In the final, she was about even with Quanera Hayes at the break, but as Hayes broke for lane 1, Adekoya made a beeline for the apex of the next turn, effectively closing the door and relegating Hayes and the rest of the field to run behind her. Hayes gathered herself and made one big push coming around the final turn, but Adekoya was able to hold her off. Hayes tried again coming off the turn but couldn't make any progress. As Hayes strained for the finish, she made a second strategic mistake and allowed Ashley Spencer to pass on her inside, Spencer pipping her for the silver medal at the line.
| Standing records prior to the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World record | 49.59 | Milan, Italy | 7 March 1982 | ||
| Championship record | 50.04 | Moscow, Russia | 12 March 2006 | ||
| World Leading | 50.69 | Birmingham, United States | 12 March 2016 | ||
| African record | 50.73 | Stuttgart, Germany | 1 February 1998 | ||
| Asian record | 51.67 | Doha, Qatar | 20 February 2016 | ||
| European record | 49.59 | Milan, Italy | 7 March 1982 | ||
| North and Central American and Caribbean record | 50.34 | Moscow, Russia | 12 March 2006 | ||
| Oceanian Record | 52.17 | Budapest, Hungary | 4 March 1989 | ||
| South American record | 51.83 | New York City, United States | 26 February 2010 | ||
| Date | Time | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 March 2016 | 12:25 | Heats | |
| 18 March 2016 | 19:25 | Semifinals | |
| 19 March 2016 | 18:47 | Final |
Qualification: First 2 (Q) and next 4 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.[4]
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 52.27 | Q | |||
| 2 | 1 | 52.56 | Q | |||
| 3 | 1 | 52.72 | q | |||
| 4 | 2 | 52.96 | Q | |||
| 5 | 4 | 52.98 | Q | |||
| 6 | 4 | 53.15 | Q | |||
| 7 | 2 | 53.19 | Q | |||
| 8 | 4 | 53.27 | q | |||
| 9 | 1 | 53.70 | q | |||
| 10 | 2 | 53.97 | q | |||
| 11 | 3 | 54.25 | Q | |||
| 12 | 3 | 54.53 | Q | |||
| 13 | 3 | 54.95 | ||||
| 14 | 1 | 55.13 | SB | |||
| 15 | 4 | 55.76 | ||||
| 16 | 2 | 1:00.08 | ||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | R163.3(b)[5] | |||||
| 2 |
Qualification: First 3 (Q) qualified directly for the final.[6]
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 51.47 | Q, AR | |||
| 2 | 2 | 51.54 | Q | |||
| 3 | 2 | 51.91 | Q, SB | |||
| 4 | 1 | 52.39 | Q | |||
| 5 | 2 | 52.68 | NR | |||
| 6 | 2 | 52.73 | SB | |||
| 7 | 1 | 53.00 | Q | |||
| 8 | 1 | 53.13 | Q, SB | |||
| 9 | 1 | 53.34 | ||||
| 10 | 1 | 53.35 | ||||
| 11 | 2 | 53.67 | ||||
| 12 | 1 | 54.67 |
The final was started on March 19 at 18:47.[7]
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 51.45 | AR | ||||
| 6 | 51.72 | |||||
| 4 | 51.76 | |||||
| 4 | 2 | 52.20 | ||||
| 5 | 3 | 52.46 | ||||
| 6 | 1 | 54.39 |