| | Event type

4 × 400 metres Relay, Women

Date	30 – 31 July 1976
Status	Olympic
Location	Stade olympique, Parc olympique, Montréal, Québec
Participants	44 from 11 countries

The GDR women were again favored, having won the 1974 European Championships, and were led by Christina Brehmer and Ellen Streidt, silver and bronze medalists in the 400. The final was almost a walkover as the only question was by how much the East German team would break the world record. Their final three runners posted sub-50 legs, as they ran the first time under 3:20, bringing the record down to 3:19.23. The US was second, over 30 metres down the track.

Pos	Number	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	–	East Germany	GDR	3:23.38 (1 h2)	3:19.23 (1)	Gold	WR
		Doris Maletzki • Brigitte Rohde • Ellen Streidt • Christina Brehmer • Marita Koch (DNS) • Margit Sinzel (DNS)
2	–	United States	USA	3:25.15 (2 h1)	3:22.81 (2)	Silver
		Debra Sapenter • Sheila Ingram • Pam Jiles • Rosalyn Bryant • Debra Armstrong (DNS) • Arthurene Gainer (DNS)
3	–	Soviet Union	URS	3:24.54 (1 h1)	3:24.24 (3)	Bronze
		Inta Kļimoviča • Lyudmila Aksyonova • Nataliya Sokolova • Nadezhda Ilyina • Valentina Gerasimova (DNS) • Svetlana Styrkina (DNS)
4	–	Australia	AUS	3:25.98 (2 h2)	3:25.56 (4)
		Judy Canty • Verna Burnard • Charlene Rendina • Beth Nail • Judy Pollock (DNS) • Terri Wangman (DNS)
5	–	West Germany	FRG	3:26.31 (4 h1)	3:25.71 (5)
		Claudia Steger • Dagmar Fuhrmann • Elke Barth • Rita Wilden • Silvia Hollmann (DNS) • Erika Weinstein (DNS)
6	–	Finland	FIN	3:26.30 (3 h1)	3:25.87 (6)
		Marika Lindholm • Pirjo Häggman • Mona-Lisa Pursiainen • Riitta Salin • Nina Holmén (DNS) • Barbro Lindström (DNS)
7	–	Great Britain	GBR	3:27.09 (3 h2)	3:28.01 (7)
		Liz Barnes • Gladys Taylor • Verona Elder • Donna Murray • Bev Goddard (DNS) • Janette Roscoe (DNS)
8	–	Canada	CAN	3:28.81 (4 h2)	3:28.91 (8)
		Marg Stride • Joyce Yakubowich • Rachelle Campbell • Yvonne Saunders • Marjorie Bailey (DNS) • Joan Wenzel (DNS)
5 h2 r1/2	–	Bulgaria	BUL	3:31.08 (5 h2)	–
		Yordanka Ivanova • Svetla Zlateva • Ivanka Bonova • Lilyana Todorova • Nikolina Shtereva (DNS)
6 h2 r1/2	–	Belgium	BEL	3:32.87 (6 h2)	–
		Lea Alaerts • Regina Berg • Anne-Marie Van Nuffel • Rita Thijs • Rosine Wallez (DNS)
AC h1 r1/2	–	Jamaica	JAM	– (DQ h1)	–
		Helen Blake • Carol Cummings • Jackie Pusey • Ruth Simpson • Rosie Allwood (DNS) • Marilyn Neufville (DNS)
DNS	–	Austria	AUT	–	–
		Johanna Berger • Karoline Käfer • Andrea Mühlbach • Silvia Schinzel • Christiane Wildschek
DNS	–	Poland	POL	–	–
		Danuta Jędrejek • Elżbieta Skowrońska-Katolik • Genowefa Błaszak • Danuta Piecyk • Aniela Szubert • Zofia Zwolińska
DNS	–	Chinese Taipei	TPE	–	–
		Chiu Mei-Tsuey • Huang Chow-Jin • Lee Chiu-Hsia • Lin Mei-Hua • Lin Yueh-Hsiang • Sui Sin-Pei

Round One

Date	30 July 1976 — 15:40
Format	Top three in each heat and next two fastest advanced to the final.

Pos	Team	NOC	Time (automatic)
1	East Germany	GDR	3:23.38	Q
2	Soviet Union	URS	3:24.54	Q
3	United States	USA	3:25.15	Q
4	Australia	AUS	3:25.98	Q
5	Finland	FIN	3:26.30	Q
6	West Germany	FRG	3:26.31	q
7	Great Britain	GBR	3:27.09	Q
8	Canada	CAN	3:28.81	q
9	Bulgaria	BUL	3:31.08
10	Belgium	BEL	3:32.87
DQ	Jamaica	JAM	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	–	Soviet Union	URS	3:24.54	Q
Lead-Off	341	Inta Kļimoviča		–
2nd Leg	325	Lyudmila Aksyonova		–
3rd Leg	351	Nataliya Sokolova		–
Anchor	338	Nadezhda Kolesnikova-Ilyina		–
2	–	United States	USA	3:25.15	Q
Lead-Off	380	Debra Sapenter		–
2nd Leg	369	Sheila Ingram		–
3rd Leg	371	Pam Jiles		–
Anchor	360	Rosalyn Bryant		–
3	–	Finland	FIN	3:26.30	Q
Lead-Off	94	Pirjo Wilmi-Häggman		–
2nd Leg	96	Marika Eklund-Lindholm		–
3rd Leg	98	Mona-Lisa Strandvall-Pursiainen		–
Anchor	99	Riitta Salin		–
4	–	West Germany	FRG	3:26.31	q
Lead-Off	182	Claudia Steger		–
2nd Leg	186	Rita Jahn-Wilden		–
3rd Leg	172	Dagmar Fuhrmann		–
Anchor	169	Elke Barth		–
DQ	–	Jamaica	JAM	–
Lead-Off	230	Helen Blake		–
2nd Leg	232	Carol Cummings		–
3rd Leg	235	Jackie Pusey		–
Anchor	237	Ruth Williams-Simpson		–

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	–	East Germany	GDR	3:23.38	Q
Lead-Off	151	Doris Maletzki		–
2nd Leg	155	Brigitte Rohde		–
3rd Leg	164	Ellen Strophal-Streidt		–
Anchor	137	Christina Brehmer-Lathan		–
2	–	Australia	AUS	3:25.98	Q
Lead-Off	3	Judy Canty		–
2nd Leg	2	Verna Burnard		–
3rd Leg	8	Charlene Rendina		–
Anchor	6	Beth Nail		–
3	–	Great Britain	GBR	3:27.09	Q
Lead-Off	109	Liz Barnes		–
2nd Leg	129	Gladys Taylor		–
3rd Leg	115	Verona Bernard-Elder		–
Anchor	122	Donna Murray-Hartley		–
4	–	Canada	CAN	3:28.81	q
Lead-Off	71	Marg Stride		–
2nd Leg	77	Joyce Sadowick-Yakubowich		–
3rd Leg	61	Rachelle Campbell		–
Anchor	70	Yvonne Saunders		–
5	–	Bulgaria	BUL	3:31.08
Lead-Off	46	Yordanka Ivanova		–
2nd Leg	56	Svetla Zlateva		–
3rd Leg	43	Ivanka Bonova		–
Anchor	53	Lilyana Todorova		–
6	–	Belgium	BEL	3:32.87
Lead-Off	26	Lea Alaerts		–
2nd Leg	27	Regina Berg		–
3rd Leg	31	Anne-Marie Van Nuffel		–
Anchor	30	Rita Thijs		–

Final Round

Date	31 July 1976 — 19:00

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Split	Exchange
1	–	East Germany	GDR	3:19.23	– (–)	– (–)	WR
Lead-Off	151	Doris Maletzki		–	50.0 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	155	Brigitte Rohde		–	49.5 (1)	1:39.5 (1)
3rd Leg	164	Ellen Strophal-Streidt		–	49.5 (1)	2:29.0 (1)
Anchor	137	Christina Brehmer-Lathan		–	49.7 (=1)	– (–)
2	–	United States	USA	3:22.81	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	380	Debra Sapenter		–	51.8 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	369	Sheila Ingram		–	50.0 (2)	1:41.8 (2)
3rd Leg	371	Pam Jiles		–	51.3 (3)	2:33.1 (2)
Anchor	360	Rosalyn Bryant		–	49.7 (=1)	– (–)
3	–	Soviet Union	URS	3:24.24	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	341	Inta Kļimoviča		–	51.4 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	325	Lyudmila Aksyonova		–	50.5 (3)	1:41.9 (3)
3rd Leg	351	Nataliya Sokolova		–	51.5 (=4)	2:33.4 (3)
Anchor	338	Nadezhda Kolesnikova-Ilyina		–	50.8 (7)	– (–)
4	–	Australia	AUS	3:25.56	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	3	Judy Canty		–	52.4 (=4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	2	Verna Burnard		–	51.2 (4)	1:43.6 (4)
3rd Leg	8	Charlene Rendina		–	51.6 (6)	2:35.2 (=4)
Anchor	6	Beth Nail		–	50.4 (4)	– (–)
5	–	West Germany	FRG	3:25.71	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	182	Claudia Steger		–	52.4 (=4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	172	Dagmar Fuhrmann		–	51.3 (5)	1:43.7 (5)
3rd Leg	169	Elke Barth		–	51.5 (=4)	2:35.2 (=4)
Anchor	186	Rita Jahn-Wilden		–	50.5 (5)	– (–)
6	–	Finland	FIN	3:25.87	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	96	Marika Eklund-Lindholm		–	52.8 (7)	– (–)
2nd Leg	94	Pirjo Wilmi-Häggman		–	51.4 (6)	1:44.2 (6)
3rd Leg	98	Mona-Lisa Strandvall-Pursiainen		–	51.0 (2)	2:35.2 (=4)
Anchor	99	Riitta Salin		–	50.6 (6)	– (–)
7	–	Great Britain	GBR	3:28.01	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	109	Liz Barnes		–	52.5 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	129	Gladys Taylor		–	52.6 (8)	1:45.1 (8)
3rd Leg	115	Verona Bernard-Elder		–	52.6 (8)	2:37.7 (8)
Anchor	122	Donna Murray-Hartley		–	50.3 (3)	– (–)
8	–	Canada	CAN	3:28.91	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	71	Marg Stride		–	53.1 (8)	– (–)
2nd Leg	77	Joyce Sadowick-Yakubowich		–	51.6 (7)	1:44.7 (7)
3rd Leg	61	Rachelle Campbell		–	52.5 (7)	2:37.2 (7)
Anchor	70	Yvonne Saunders		–	51.7 (8)	– (–)