| | Event type

400 metres, Women

Date	4 – 6 August 1984
Status	Olympic
Location	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Participants	28 from 18 countries

The top 400 metre runners in the world were the 1980 gold medalist, Marita Koch (GDR), who had also won the 1978 and 1982 European titles, and Czechoslovakian Jarmila Kratochvílová, who had won the 1983 World Championship. But the Soviet-led boycott kept them from competing and the field was much weaker as a result. In their absence the favorites were Americans Valerie Brisco-Hooks and Chandra Cheeseborough, who had won the US Olympic Trials, with Briscoe-Hooks second. In the final, the early leader was Britain’s Kathy Smallwood-Cook, but Brisco-Hooks took over at 250 metres, and maintained her lead to become the first woman from a non-East European nation to break 49 seconds. The Soviets sponsored a competing meet at around the time of the Los Angeles Olympics and Koch won that in 48.16, with the first five runners breaking 50.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	364	Valerie Brisco-Hooks	USA	51.42 (1 h4)	51.14 (1 h1)	48.83 (1)	Gold	OR
2	370	Chandra Cheeseborough	USA	50.94 (1 h1)	50.32 (1 h2)	49.05 (2)	Silver
3	153	Kathy Cook	GBR	52.64 (2 h2)	51.49 (2 h1)	49.43 (3)	Bronze
4	54	Marita Payne	CAN	52.89 (2 h3)	50.94 (3 h2)	49.91 (4)
5	389	Lillie Leatherwood	USA	52.05 (1 h3)	50.83 (2 h2)	50.25 (5)
6	139	Ute Thimm	FRG	52.53 (3 h4)	51.03 (4 h2)	50.37 (6)
7	41	Charmaine Crooks	CAN	52.04 (2 h1)	51.53 (3 h1)	50.45 (7)
8	264	Ruth Waithera	KEN	52.53 (2 h4)	52.21 (4 h1)	51.56 (8)
5 h1 r2/3	195	June Griffith	GUY	52.27 (4 h1)	52.39 (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r2/3	48	Molly Killingbeck	CAN	52.77 (3 h2)	51.72 (5 h2)	–
6 h1 r2/3	247	Cathy Rattray	JAM	52.78 (4 h2)	53.23 (6 h1)	–
6 h2 r2/3	173	Michelle Scutt	GBR	52.89 (4 h4)	52.07 (6 h2)	–
7 h1 r2/3	308	Marie Mathieu	PUR	53.27 (4 h3)	53.69 (7 h1)	–
7 h2 r2/3	245	Ilrey Oliver	JAM	52.19 (3 h1)	52.14 (7 h2)	–
8 h2 r2/3	148	Helen Barnett	GBR	52.94 (3 h3)	52.26 (8 h2)	–
1 h2 r1/3	117	Gaby Bußmann	FRG	52.42 (1 h2)	– (DNS h1)	–
5 h1 r1/3	135	Heike Schulte-Mattler	FRG	52.77 (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r1/3	439	Gail Emmanuel	TTO	54.07 (5 h2)	–	–
5 h3 r1/3	206	Emma Tahapary	INA	55.82 (5 h3)	–	–
5 h4 r1/3	241	Cynthia Green	JAM	53.61 (5 h4)	–	–
6 h1 r1/3	234	Erica Rossi	ITA	53.04 (6 h1)	–	–
6 h2 r1/3	282	Elanga Buala	PNG	56.82 (6 h2)	–	–
6 h3 r1/3	342	Rewadee Srithoa	THA	58.11 (6 h3)	–	–
6 h4 r1/3	26	Carlon Blackman	BAR	54.26 (6 h4)	–	–
7 h1 r1/3	5	Jocelyn Joseph	ANT	53.63 (7 h1)	–	–
7 h2 r1/3	183	Mercy Addy	GHA	58.91 (7 h2)	–	–
7 h4 r1/3	269	Zeina Mina	LBN	59.56 (7 h4)	–	–
8 h1 r1/3	193	Patricia Meigham	GUA	55.64 (8 h1)	–	–

Round One

Date	4 August 1984 — 11:00
Format	Top four in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)
1	370	Chandra Cheeseborough	USA	50.94	Q
2	364	Valerie Brisco-Hooks	USA	51.42	Q
3	41	Charmaine Crooks	CAN	52.04	Q
4	389	Lillie Leatherwood	USA	52.05	Q
5	245	Ilrey Oliver	JAM	52.19	Q
6	195	June Griffith	GUY	52.27	Q
7	117	Gaby Bußmann	FRG	52.42	Q
8	264	Ruth Waithera	KEN	52.53	Q
9	139	Ute Thimm	FRG	52.53	Q
10	153	Kathy Cook	GBR	52.64	Q
=11	135	Heike Schulte-Mattler	FRG	52.77
=11	48	Molly Killingbeck	CAN	52.77	Q
13	247	Cathy Rattray	JAM	52.78	Q
=14	54	Marita Payne	CAN	52.89	Q
=14	173	Michelle Scutt	GBR	52.89	Q
16	148	Helen Barnett	GBR	52.94	Q
17	234	Erica Rossi	ITA	53.04
18	308	Marie Mathieu	PUR	53.27	Q
19	241	Cynthia Green	JAM	53.61
20	5	Jocelyn Joseph	ANT	53.63
21	439	Gail Emmanuel	TTO	54.07
22	26	Carlon Blackman	BAR	54.26
23	193	Patricia Meigham	GUA	55.64
24	206	Emma Tahapary	INA	55.82
25	282	Elanga Buala	PNG	56.82
26	342	Rewadee Srithoa	THA	58.11
27	183	Mercy Addy	GHA	58.91
28	269	Zeina Mina	LBN	59.56

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	370	Chandra Cheeseborough	USA	50.94	Q
2	41	Charmaine Crooks	CAN	52.04	Q
3	245	Ilrey Oliver	JAM	52.19	Q
4	195	June Griffith	GUY	52.27	Q
5	135	Heike Schulte-Mattler	FRG	52.77
6	234	Erica Rossi	ITA	53.04
7	5	Jocelyn Joseph	ANT	53.63
8	193	Patricia Meigham	GUA	55.64

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	117	Gaby Bußmann	FRG	52.42	Q
2	153	Kathy Cook	GBR	52.64	Q
3	48	Molly Killingbeck	CAN	52.77	Q
4	247	Cathy Rattray	JAM	52.78	Q
5	439	Gail Emmanuel	TTO	54.07
6	282	Elanga Buala	PNG	56.82
7	183	Mercy Addy	GHA	58.91

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	389	Lillie Leatherwood	USA	52.05	Q
2	54	Marita Payne	CAN	52.89	Q
3	148	Helen Barnett	GBR	52.94	Q
4	308	Marie Mathieu	PUR	53.27	Q
5	206	Emma Tahapary	INA	55.82
6	342	Rewadee Srithoa	THA	58.11

Heat #4

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	364	Valerie Brisco-Hooks	USA	51.42	Q
2	264	Ruth Waithera	KEN	52.53	Q
3	139	Ute Thimm	FRG	52.53	Q
4	173	Michelle Scutt	GBR	52.89	Q
5	241	Cynthia Green	JAM	53.61
6	26	Carlon Blackman	BAR	54.26
7	269	Zeina Mina	LBN	59.56

Semi-Finals

Date	5 August 1984 — 17:35
Format	Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)
1	370	Chandra Cheeseborough	USA	50.32	Q
2	389	Lillie Leatherwood	USA	50.83	Q
3	54	Marita Payne	CAN	50.94	Q
4	139	Ute Thimm	FRG	51.03	Q
5	364	Valerie Brisco-Hooks	USA	51.14	Q
6	153	Kathy Cook	GBR	51.49	Q
7	41	Charmaine Crooks	CAN	51.53	Q
8	48	Molly Killingbeck	CAN	51.72
9	173	Michelle Scutt	GBR	52.07
10	245	Ilrey Oliver	JAM	52.14
11	264	Ruth Waithera	KEN	52.21	Q
12	148	Helen Barnett	GBR	52.26
13	195	June Griffith	GUY	52.39
14	247	Cathy Rattray	JAM	53.23
15	308	Marie Mathieu	PUR	53.69
DNS	117	Gaby Bußmann	FRG	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	364	Valerie Brisco-Hooks	USA	51.14	Q
2	153	Kathy Cook	GBR	51.49	Q
3	41	Charmaine Crooks	CAN	51.53	Q
4	264	Ruth Waithera	KEN	52.21	Q
5	195	June Griffith	GUY	52.39
6	247	Cathy Rattray	JAM	53.23
7	308	Marie Mathieu	PUR	53.69
DNS	117	Gaby Bußmann	FRG	–

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	370	Chandra Cheeseborough	USA	50.32	Q
2	389	Lillie Leatherwood	USA	50.83	Q
3	54	Marita Payne	CAN	50.94	Q
4	139	Ute Thimm	FRG	51.03	Q
5	48	Molly Killingbeck	CAN	51.72
6	173	Michelle Scutt	GBR	52.07
7	245	Ilrey Oliver	JAM	52.14
8	148	Helen Barnett	GBR	52.26

Final Round

Date	6 August 1984 — 17:20

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time
1	364	Valerie Brisco-Hooks	USA	48.83	0.182	OR
2	370	Chandra Cheeseborough	USA	49.05	0.212
3	153	Kathy Cook	GBR	49.43	0.208
4	54	Marita Payne	CAN	49.91	0.251
5	389	Lillie Leatherwood	USA	50.25	0.260
6	139	Ute Thimm	FRG	50.37	0.215
7	41	Charmaine Crooks	CAN	50.45	0.239
8	264	Ruth Waithera	KEN	51.56	0.334