1986 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres event at the 1986 European Athletics Championships was held in Stuttgart, then West Germany, at Neckarstadion on 26, 27, and 28 August 1986.^[1]

Medalists

28 August

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time
	Marita Koch	East Germany	48.22
	Olga Vladykina	Soviet Union	49.67
	Petra Müller	East Germany	49.88
4	Kirsten Emmelmann	East Germany	50.43
5	Ute Thimm	West Germany	51.15
6	Taťána Kocembová	Czechoslovakia	51.50
7	Fabienne Ficher	France	51.91
8	Karin Lix	West Germany	52.89

27 August

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Petra Müller	East Germany	49.84	Q
2	Olga Vladykina	Soviet Union	50.23	Q
3	Kirsten Emmelmann	East Germany	50.79	Q
4	Ute Thimm	West Germany	51.60	Q
5	Olga Nazarova	Soviet Union	52.11
6	Marzena Wojdecka	Poland	53.26
7	Cosetta Campana	Italy	53.89
8	Anne Gundersen	Norway	53.98

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Marita Koch	East Germany	50.74	Q
2	Taťána Kocembová	Czechoslovakia	51.91	Q
3	Fabienne Ficher	France	52.14	Q
4	Karin Lix	West Germany	52.46	Q
5	Helen Barnett	United Kingdom	52.47
6	Erika Rossi	Italy	53.22
	Gisela Kinzel	West Germany	DQ
	Mariya Pinigina	Soviet Union	DNS

26 August

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Marita Koch	East Germany	52.34	Q
2	Mariya Pinigina	Soviet Union	52.43	Q
3	Karin Lix	West Germany	52.86	Q
4	Fabienne Ficher	France	52.91	Q
5	Blanca Lacambra	Spain	54.51
6	Patricia Walsh	Ireland	54.65

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Marzena Wojdecka	Poland	52.79	Q
2	Kirsten Emmelmann	East Germany	52.81	Q
3	Olga Vladykina	Soviet Union	52.92	Q
4	Gisela Kinzel	West Germany	53.02	Q
5	Cosetta Campana	Italy	53.30	q
6	Anne Gundersen	Norway	54.35	q

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	Olga Nazarova	Soviet Union	52.26	Q
2	Petra Müller	East Germany	52.36	Q
3	Taťána Kocembová	Czechoslovakia	52.39	Q
4	Ute Thimm	West Germany	52.39	Q
5	Helen Barnett	United Kingdom	52.46	q
6	Erika Rossi	Italy	53.31	q

According to an unofficial count, 18 athletes from 11 countries participated in the event.