Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres hurdles

The women's 400 metres hurdles competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom was held at the Olympic Stadium on 5–8 August.[1]

Women's 400 metres hurdles
at the Games of the XXX Olympiad
VenueOlympic Stadium
Date5–8 August
Competitors43 from 35 nations
Winning time52.77
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Lashinda Demus  United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Zuzana Hejnová  Czech Republic
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Kaliese Spencer  Jamaica
← 2008
2016 →
Official Video

Summary

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The opening round went largely to form, except 2012 world #7 Vania Stambolova took herself out crashing the first hurdle. Vera Barbosa set the national record for Portugal in advancing.

The first semi final loaded up Natalya Antyukh and Zuzana Hejnová who pushed each other to the finish and the top two qualifying times, plus taking T'erea Brown to the top time qualifier. In the second semi Lashinda Demus had a clear lead, slowing on the way home to just exert enough effort to finish first. The final semi was the slowest led by Muizat Ajoke Odumosu's Nigerian national record, Georganne Moline and Denisa Rosolova battled for second, with Rosolova taking the other time qualifier in the process.

In the final, Demus was first over the first two hurdles, then Antyukh steadily built her lead to a full stride at hurdle 9, with Demus the closest challenger. Antyukh stuttered the tenth hurdle, opening the door for Demus to chase her to the finish line, but Antyukh held on for gold, Demus disappointed with silver and Hejnová clearly in the bronze medal position.[2]

Antyukh's time brought her to the number 6 athlete of all time, defeating Demus who already held number 3.[3]

In 2020, Antyukh was among four Russian track and field athletes charged with doping offences, facing charges of using a prohibited substance or method. The Athletics Integrity Unit said the cases were based on an investigation into Russian doping for the World Anti-Doping Agency presented in 2016 by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren.[4] Her ban was confirmed on 7 April 2021 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport when she was banned from athletics for 4 years with all her results from 30 June 2013 onwards disqualified. Initially, her Olympic gold was not in danger.[5] However, in October 2022, over 10 years and two months after the medals were awarded, her results from July 2012 to June 2013 were disqualified for a doping violation, stripping her of the gold medal. American silver medalist Lashinda Demus could potentially receive the gold medal, which was pending reallocation by the International Olympic Committee as of 24 October 2022.[6] On 21 December 2022, World Athletics upgraded Demus to first place, while the IOC had not yet done so.[7]

Competition format

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The women's 400 m hurdles competition consisted of heats (Round 1), semifinals and a final.[8] The fastest competitors from each race in the heats qualified for the semifinals along with the fastest overall competitors not already qualified that were required to fill the available spaces in the semifinals. 24 competitors qualified from the heats for the semifinals. A total of eight competitors qualified for the final from the semifinals.[9]

Records

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Prior to the competition, the existing world record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows:

World record   Yuliya Pechonkina (RUS) 52.34 s Tula, Russia 8 August 2003
Olympic record   Melaine Walker (JAM) 52.64 s Beijing, China 20 August 2008
World Leading   Natalya Antyukh (RUS) 53.40 s Cheboksary, Russia 4 July 2012

Schedule

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All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

Date Time Round
Sunday, 5 August 2012 19:00 Round 1
Monday, 6 August 2012 20:15 Semifinals
Wednesday, 8 August 2012 20:45 Finals

Results

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Heats

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Official video of First Round

Qual. rule: first 4 of each heat (Q) plus the 4 fastest times (q) qualified.

Heat 1

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Zuzana Hejnová   Czech Republic 53.96 Q, SB
2 T'erea Brown   United States 54.72 Q, PB
3 Eilidh Child   Great Britain 56.14 Q
4 Sarah Wells   Canada 56.47 Q
5 Eglė Staišiūnaitė   Lithuania 57.79
6 Tatyana Azarova   Kazakhstan 58.53
7 Maureen Jelagat Maiyo   Kenya 1:02.16
Vania Stambolova   Bulgaria DNF

Heat 2

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Kaliese Spencer   Jamaica 54.02 Q
2 Muizat Ajoke Odumosu   Nigeria 54.93 Q
3 Anna Jesień   Poland 55.44 Q, SB
4 Lauren Boden   Australia 56.27 q
5 Raasin McIntosh   Liberia 57.39
6 Natalya Asanova   Uzbekistan 58.05
7 Noraseela Mohd Khalid   Malaysia 1:00.16
- Natalya Antyukh   Russia DQ (53.90) Doping
Ghfran Almouhamad   Syria DQ (58.09) Doping
  • Ghfran Almouhamad originally finished in eighth place with a time of 58.09, but was later disqualified for testing positive for methylhexaneamine.
  • Raasin McIntosh was originally disqualified for unknown reasons. It was later overturned.

Heat 3

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Lashinda Demus   United States 54.60 Q
2 Hanna Titimets   Ukraine 55.08 Q
3 Vera Barbosa   Portugal 55.22 Q, NR
4 Elena Churakova   Russia 55.26 Q
5 Denisa Rosolová   Czech Republic 55.42 q
6 Sara Petersen   Denmark 56.01 q
7 Lucy Jaramillo   Ecuador 57.74
8 Princesa Oliveros   Colombia 58.95

Heat 4

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Georganne Moline   United States 54.31 Q, PB
2 Nickiesha Wilson   Jamaica 55.53 Q
3 Irina Davydova   Russia 55.55 Q
4 Elodie Ouédraogo   Belgium 55.89 Q
5 Angela Moroșanu   Romania 56.64
6 Sharolyn Scott   Costa Rica 57.03
7 Janeil Bellille   Trinidad and Tobago 57.27
8 Nikolina Horvat   Croatia 58.49
Nagihan Karadere   Turkey DQ R 162.7[10]
  • Nagihan Karadere was disqualified for false starting.

Heat 5

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Perri Shakes-Drayton   Great Britain 54.62 Q
2 Melaine Walker   Jamaica 54.78 Q
3 Hanna Yaroshchuk   Ukraine 54.81 Q
4 Hayat Lambarki   Morocco 55.58 Q
5 Satomi Kubokura   Japan 55.85 q, SB
6 Huang Xiaoxiao   China 56.29
7 Déborah Rodríguez   Uruguay 57.04 NR
8 Jailma de Lima   Brazil 57.05
9 Christine Sonali Merrill   Sri Lanka 57.15 SB

Semifinals

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Qual. rule: first 2 of each heat (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) qualified.

Heat 1

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Zuzana Hejnová   Czech Republic 53.62 Q, SB
2 T'erea Brown   United States 54.21 q, PB
3 Elodie Ouedraogo   Belgium 55.20 PB
4 Nickiesha Wilson   Jamaica 55.77
5 Hayat Lambarki   Morocco 56.18
6 Vera Barbosa   Portugal 56.27
7 Lauren Boden   Australia 56.66
- Natalya Antyukh   Russia DQ (53.30) Doping
  • Lauren Boden was originally disqualified for unknown reasons, but it was later overturned.

Heat 2

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Lashinda Demus   United States 54.08 Q
2 Kaliese Spencer   Jamaica 54.20 Q
3 Perri Shakes-Drayton   Great Britain 55.19
4 Hanna Yaroshchuk   Ukraine 55.51
5 Irina Davydova   Russia 55.86
6 Sara Petersen   Denmark 56.21
7 Anna Jesień   Poland 56.28
8 Sarah Wells   Canada 56.71

Heat 3

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Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Muizat Ajoke Odumosu   Nigeria 54.40 Q, NR
2 Georganne Moline   United States 54.74 Q
3 Denisa Rosolová   Czech Republic 54.87 q
4 Hanna Titimets   Ukraine 55.10
5 Elena Churakova   Russia 55.70
6 Melaine Walker   Jamaica 55.74
7 Eilidh Child   Great Britain 56.03
8 Satomi Kubokura   Japan 56.25
  • Denisa Rosolová and Hanna Titimets were originally disqualified for unknown reasons, but they were overturned. Denisa Rosolová therefore qualified for the final.

Final

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Time Notes
  7 Lashinda Demus   United States 52.77 SB WL
  4 Zuzana Hejnová   Czech Republic 53.38 SB
  9 Kaliese Spencer   Jamaica 53.66 SB
4 8 Georganne Moline   United States 53.92 PB
5 2 T'erea Brown   United States 55.07
6 3 Denisa Rosolová   Czech Republic 55.27
7 6 Muizat Ajoke Odumosu   Nigeria 55.31
5 Natalya Antyukh   Russia DQ (52.70) Doping

References

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  1. ^ "Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics". Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  2. ^ "World Athletics".
  3. ^ "100 Metres - women - senior - outdoor - 2021".
  4. ^ Two Olympic champions among four Russians with new doping charges from Associated Press, via Sky Sports.
  5. ^ CAS Media Release (tas-cas.org)
  6. ^ "Lashinda Demus in line for 2012 Olympics gold after Russian DQ'd". ESPN. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Lashinda Demus upgraded to Olympic champ by World Athletics, 10 years after race". NBC Sports. 21 Dec 2022. Retrieved 25 Dec 2022.
  8. ^ "Women's 400m Hurdles". London 2012 Organising Committee. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  9. ^ "Women's 400m competition format". London 2012 Organising Committee. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  10. ^ False start