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1980 Olympic Games Moscow - Women's 400 m

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Details: Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics); Category: 1980 Olympic Games Moscow - (Athletics); Last Updated: 30 July 2016; Hits: 1864

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Host City: Moskva, Soviet Union

Format: Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Date Started: July 25, 1980

Format: Top three in each heat and next fastest advanced to the semi-finals.

Date Finished: July 28, 1980

(Competitors: 38; Countries: 22; Finalists: 8)

Venue(s): Grand Arena, Central Lenin Stadium Area, Moskva

Overview by IAAF

Koch had improved the world record five times in 1978-79, and was prohibitive favourite. She was careful before the final, letting Kratochvílová beat her 51.04 to 51.06 in the heats, and winning her semi in a casual 50.57. Lathan won the other semi-final in 50.16 just ahead of Nazarova (50.18) with an injured Szewińska finishing her 16- year Olympic career in last place. Koch started like a rabbit in the final, and was 2m up on Kratochvílová at 100m, and 3m up on the Czech and Lathan by the time the home straight was reached. Koch won with the second fastest time ever, and both Kratochvílová and Lathan set personal bests, as did Nazarova and Zyuskova, with all four athletes running the best ever time for place.

Summary by Sports-reference.com

The American boycott had little effect on this event as the top one lappers were Soviets and East Germans, led by Marita Koch, the prohibitive favorite. Between 1978 and 1979 she had bettered the world record five times, and had won the 1978 European Championship. In that meet she became the first woman to better 49 seconds. The final in Moskva was an easy victory for her, winning by 5-6 metres. The first three women in this race ran under 50 seconds, the first time that had been accomplished.

		Results

*400 m*	Women	Final	28 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	48.88	Marita Koch	East Germany	GDR	18 Feb 57
2	49.46	Jarmila Kratochvílová	Czechoslovakia	TCH	26 Jan 51
3	49.66	Christina Lathan	East Germany	GDR	28 Feb 58
4	50.07	Irina Nazarova	Soviet Union	URS	31 Jul 57
5	50.17	Nina Zyuskova	Soviet Union	URS	15 May 52
6	51.33	Gabriele Löwe	East Germany	GDR	12 Dec 58
7	51.35	Pirjo Häggman	Finland	FIN	8 Jun 51
8	52.40	Linsey MacDonald	Great Britain	GBR	12 Feb 64
*400 m*	Women	Semifinal 1	27 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	50.57	Marita Koch	East Germany	GDR	18 Feb 57
2	50.85	Gabriele Löwe	East Germany	GDR	12 Dec 58
3	51.02	Pirjo Häggman	Finland	FIN	8 Jun 51
4	51.12	Nina Zyuskova	Soviet Union	URS	15 May 52
5	51.30	Lyudmila Chernova	Soviet Union	URS	30 Nov 55
6	51.47	Joslyn Hoyte-Smith	Great Britain	GBR	16 Dec 54
7	51.93	Małgorzata Dunecka	Poland	POL	21 Dec 56
8	52.96	Rositsa Stamenova	Bulgaria	BUL	6 Mar 55
*400 m*	Women	Semifinal 2	27 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	50.16	Christina Lathan	East Germany	GDR	28 Feb 58
2	50.18	Irina Nazarova	Soviet Union	URS	31 Jul 57
3	50.79	Jarmila Kratochvílová	Czechoslovakia	TCH	26 Jan 51
4	51.60	Linsey MacDonald	Great Britain	GBR	12 Feb 64
5	51.89	Michelle Scutt	Great Britain	GBR	17 Jun 60
6	51.99	Ilona Pál	Hungary	HUN	21 Oct 54
7	52.36	Grazyna Oliszewska	Poland	POL	22 Oct 59
8	53.13	Irena Szewinska	Poland	POL	24 May 46
*400 m*	Women	Heat 1	25 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	51.33	Christina Lathan	East Germany	GDR	28 Feb 58
2	51.99	Ilona Pál	Hungary	HUN	21 Oct 54
3	52.16	Michelle Scutt	Great Britain	GBR	17 Jun 60
4	52.23	Svobodka Damyanova	Bulgaria	BUL	13 Jul 55
5	52.52	Niculina Lazarciuc	Romania	ROU	6 Dec 57
6	52.78	Ann-Louise Skoglund	Sweden	SWE	28 Jun 62
7	53.54	Kehinde Vaughan	Nigeria	NGR	19 Dec 61
8	60.44	Eugenia Osho-Williams	Sierra Leone	SLE	19 Jan 61
*400 m*	Women	Heat 2	25 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	51.42	Nina Zyuskova	Soviet Union	URS	15 May 52
2	52.57	Linsey MacDonald	Great Britain	GBR	12 Feb 64
3	52.71	Rositsa Stamenova	Bulgaria	BUL	6 Mar 55
4	52.81	Maria Samungi	Romania	ROU	28 Aug 50
5	53.46	Sophie Malbranque	France	FRA	24 Dec 59
6	59.33	Hala el Moughrabi	Syria	SYR	6 Jun 59
7	61.50	Xiomara Larios	Nicaragua	NCA	15 Nov 58
*400 m*	Women	Heat 3	25 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	51.66	Irina Nazarova	Soviet Union	URS	31 Jul 57
2	52.56	Pirjo Häggman	Finland	FIN	8 Jun 51
3	52.57	Irena Szewinska	Poland	POL	24 May 46
4	52.82	Karoline Käfer	Austria	AUT	31 Oct 54
5	52.98	Erika Rossi	Italy	ITA	20 Nov 55
6	53.06	Judit Forgács	Hungary	HUN	25 May 59
7	55.16	Marième Boye	Senegal	SEN	7 Oct 56
*400 m*	Women	Heat 4	25 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	52.24	Joslyn Hoyte-Smith	Great Britain	GBR	16 Dec 54
2	52.43	Gabriele Löwe	East Germany	GDR	12 Dec 58
3	52.62	Grazyna Oliszewska	Poland	POL	22 Oct 59
4	52.64	Mary Akinyemi	Nigeria	NGR	28 Aug 54
5	52.96	Elena Tarita	Romania	ROU	18 Nov 54
6	53.30	Malena Andonova	Bulgaria	BUL	6 May 57
7	54.22	Anne Michel	Belgium	BEL	3 Oct 59
8	60.90	Acacia Mate	Mozambique	MOZ
*400 m*	Women	Heat 5	25 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	51.04	Jarmila Kratochvílová	Czechoslovakia	TCH	26 Jan 51
2	51.06	Marita Koch	East Germany	GDR	18 Feb 57
3	51.51	Lyudmila Chernova	Soviet Union	URS	30 Nov 55
4	51.81	Małgorzata Dunecka	Poland	POL	21 Dec 56
5	52.00	Rosine Wallez	Belgium	BEL	28 Apr 57
6	53.55	Gloria Ayanlaja	Nigeria	NGR	12 May 56
7	55.59	Ruth Simpson	Jamaica	JAM	19 Oct 49
8	60.62	Ngoc An Thi Tran	Vietnam	VIE	21 Jan 58