2023 World Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres hurdles
| Women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships | ||||||||||
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| Venue | National Athletics Centre | |||||||||
| Location | Budapest, Hungary | |||||||||
| Dates | 21 August 2023 (round 1) 22 August 2023 (semi-finals) 24 August 2023 (final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 41 from 30 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 51.70 s | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
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The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held over three rounds at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, from 21 to 24 August 2023. It was the twentieth time that this event was contested at the World Athletics Championships. Athletes could qualify by running the entry standard of 54.90 seconds or faster, by winning selected competitions, or by their position on the World Athletics Rankings.
Forty-one athletes of thirty nations competed in round 1, where twenty-four athletes advanced to the semi-finals and Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain set an Asian record of 53.56 s. In the semi-finals, eight athletes advanced to the final, Adekoya improved her Asian record to 53.39 s, and Ayomide Folorunso of Italy set a national record of 53.89 s.
In the final, Femke Bol of the Netherlands "dominated"[1] the race and finished first with a "wide lead"[2] in 51.70 s, winning her first global title. She was followed by Shamier Little of the United States in second place in 52.80 s and Rushell Clayton of Jamaica in third place in 52.81 s. Outside the medals, Adekoya further improved her Asian record to 53.09 s.
Background
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In the 400 metres hurdles, athletes run one lap on a 400-metre track while jumping over ten hurdles.[3] The women's world championship in this event was introduced in 1980 and the event had been contested nineteen times at the World Athletics Championships before 2023.[4] The world championships had been two years apart since 1991, but the 2021 edition was postponed one year due to the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics to 2021, so there were world championships in consecutive years in 2022 and 2023.[4][5]
The track events of the 2023 World Athletics Championships were held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, that had a capacity of 35,000 seats.[6] At the start of the 2023 edition, the world record and championship record in the women's 400 metres hurdles was 50.68 s, set by Sydney McLaughlin of the United States at the 2022 World Athletics Championships on 22 July 2022, and the world leading performance of 2023 was 51.45 s, run by Femke Bol of the Netherlands at the 2023 London Athletics Meet on 23 July 2023.[7] McLaughlin-Levrone chose not to defend her 2022 title.[7][8]
| Record | Athlete (nation) | Time | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World record |  Sydney McLaughlin (USA)
|
50.68 | Eugene, Oregon, United States | 22 July 2022 |
| Championship record | ||||
| World leading |  Femke Bol (NED)
|
51.45 | London, United Kingdom | 23 July 2023 |
| Record | Athlete (nation) | Time | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African record |  Nezha Bidouane (MAR)
|
52.90 | Seville, Spain | 25 August 1999 |
| Asian record |  Han Qing (CHN)
|
53.96 | Beijing, China | 9 September 1993 |
| Song Yinglan (CHN)
|
Guangzhou, China | 17 November 2001 | ||
| European record | Femke Bol (NED)
|
51.45 | London, United Kingdom | 23 July 2023 |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record | Sydney McLaughlin (USA)
|
50.68 WR | Eugene, Oregon, United States | 22 July 2022 |
| Oceanian record | .svg.png){kind=small} Debbie Flintoff-King (AUS)
|
53.17 | Seoul, South Korea | 28 September 1988 |
| South American record |  Gianna Woodruff (PAN)
|
53.69 | Eugene, Oregon, United States | 20 July 2022 |
Qualification
For this event, athletes could qualify by achieving the entry standard of 54.90 seconds during the qualification period from 31 July 2022 to 30 July 2023, by winning the area championship of their continent in 2021–2023, by wild card for winning the 2022 World Championships or the 2022 Diamond League, and by their position on the World Athletics Rankings on 30 July 2023. There was a target number of 40 athletes with a maximum of three athletes per nation, or four athletes per nation in case of a wild card.[10] A final entry list with forty-four athletes from thirty nations was issued on 10 August 2023.[11]
Results
Round 1
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Forty-one athletes from thirty nations competed in the five heats of the first round on 21 August in the evening, starting at 18:50 (UTC+2). The first four athletes in each heat (Q) and the next four fastest athletes overall (q) qualified for the semi-finals. In the first heat, Rebecca Sartori of Italy set a personal best time (PB). In the third heat, Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain set an Asian record (AR) of 53.56 s. And in the fourth heat, Eileen Demes of Germany also set a person best time.[7]
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Semi-finals
Twenty-four athletes from sixteen nations competed in the three heats of the semi-finals on 22 August in the evening, starting at 20:25 (UTC+2). The first two athletes in each heat (Q) and the next two fastest athletes overall (q) qualified for the final. In the first heat, Rushell Clayton of Jamaica and Anna Cockrell of the United States set personal best times (PB). In the third heat, Kemi Adekoya set an Asian record (AR), her second of these championships, of 53.39 s and Ayomide Folorunso set an Italian record (NR) of 53.89 s.[12]
Final
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Eight athletes from five nations competed in the final on 24 August in the evening, starting at 21:49 (UTC+2).[13] Femke Bol of the Netherlands started to move ahead of the other athletes from around 200 metres into the race, until she was several metres ahead of the rest of the field at the finish line.[14] Bol won the gold medal in 51.70 s, Shamier Little of the United States won the silver medal in a season's best (SB) of 52.80 s, and Rushell Clayton won the bronze medal in a personal best time (PB) of 52.81 seconds. Outside the medals, Kemi Adekoya set an Asian record (AR), her third of these championships, of 53.09 s and Anna Cockrell set a personal best of 53.34 s.[13]
Euan Crumley of Athletics Weekly wrote that Bol "dominated her way to the first global title of her career".[1] Pat Graham of the Associated Press reported that "The Dutch standout opened a wide lead and never looked back for a runaway win" and that it was "the second-fastest time of her career".[2] Lori Ewing of Reuters wrote that "It was a hugely satisfying win for Bol, who was in tears after falling metres from the line when racing for gold in the 4x400m mixed relay on the opening night of the championships."[15]
The three medalists were interviewed after the race. Bol said: "I took the first few hurdles fast and then I could run my rhythm. I think I have just had the best first 200 metres ever. Then I just needed to finish the race which I could do easily."[15] Little said: "I feel as if the hard work has paid off. This will really boost my confidence because I know that I am medal-worthy."[2] Clayton said: "It was the best run of my life. When I won the bronze medal in Doha that was an easier run, I can tell you. Now all the ladies were on fire. I knew Femke would be in front of us but the others would be close to each other so I just focused on myself. I needed that medal."[1]
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
6 | Femke Bol | Netherlands (NED) |
51.70 | |
 |
5 | Shamier Little | United States (USA) |
52.80 | SB |
 |
8 | Rushell Clayton |  Jamaica (JAM) |
52.81 | PB |
| 4 | 7 | Kemi Adekoya |  Bahrain (BHR) |
53.09 | AR |
| 5 | 9 | Anna Cockrell | United States (USA) |
53.34 | PB |
| 6 | 2 | Ayomide Folorunso |  Italy (ITA) |
54.19 | |
| 7 | 3 | Janieve Russell | Jamaica (JAM) |
54.28 | |
| 8 | 4 | Andrenette Knight | Jamaica (JAM) |
55.20 |
References
- ^ a b c Euan Crumley, "Femke Bol banishes memories of her fall to land a golden moment", Athletics Weekly, 18 February 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ a b c Pat Graham, "Femke Bol of the Netherlands cruises to gold in women's 400 hurdles at worlds", Associated Press, 25 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "400 Metres Hurdles", World Athletics. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ a b "World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 Statistical Booklet", p. 13, World Athletics, 10 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "Dates confirmed for World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022", World Athletics, 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "National Athletics Centre", World Athletics. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "400 Metres Hurdles Women – Round 1 – Summary" (PDF). World Athletics. 21 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone passes on defending world title in the 400 hurdles to focus on 400", Associated Press, 8 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "400 Metres Hurdles Women − Records". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Qualification System and Entry Standards" (PDF). World Athletics. 19 August 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- ^ "Athletes by Event and Country", pp. 60–61, World Athletics, 10 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ a b "400 Metres Hurdles Women – Semi-Final – Summary" (PDF). World Athletics. 22 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Results 400 Metres Hurdles Women – Final – Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 24 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Women's 400m hurdles Final | World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023", World Athletics on YouTube, 29 July 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ a b Lori Ewing, "Dutchwoman Bol wins long-awaited gold in 400m hurdles", Reuters, 24 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
External links
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