| | Event type
400 metres Hurdles, Women
| Date | 25 – 28 September 1988 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Ol-lim-pik Ju-gyeong-gi-jang, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul |
| Participants | 35 from 25 countries |
In 1987 Sabine Busch (GDR) had won the World Championships, defeating Debbie Flintoff-King (AUS), who placed second. The world record holder and 1986 European Champion was Soviet Marina Stepanova, but she was injured and did not compete in Seoul. In the final, the early leader was East Germany’s Ellen Fiedler who led through the first four hurdles. The lead was then taken by Tatyana Ledovskaya (USSR). At the halfway mark, Flintoff-King was no better than fifth, but she began closing the gap and caught Ledovskaya only in the last few metres, winning the gold by 1/100th of a second. Fiedler held on for the bronze, edging out Busch.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Debbie Flintoff-King |  AUS | 54.99 (1 h4) | 54.00 (1 h1) | 53.17 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 532 | Tatsiana Ledauskaya |  URS | 55.91 (2 h1) | 54.01 (2 h1) | 53.18 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 264 | Ellen Fiedler |  GDR | 54.58 (1 h3) | 54.28 (1 h2) | 53.63 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 259 | Sabine Busch | GDR | 55.96 (1 h2) | 54.71 (4 h2) | 53.69 (4) | |||
| 5 | 219 | Sally Gunnell |  GBR | 55.44 (3 h4) | 54.48 (4 h1) | 54.03 (5) | |||
| 6 | 182 | Gudrun Abt |  FRG | 55.72 (1 h5) | 54.52 (3 h2) | 54.04 (6) | |||
| 7 | 530 | Tatsiana Kurochkina | URS | 55.04 (3 h3) | 54.46 (2 h2) | 54.39 (7) | |||
| 8 | 595 | LaTanya Sheffield |  USA | 55.61 (4 h3) | 54.36 (3 h1) | 55.32 (8) | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | 481 | Anita Protti |  SUI | 54.81 (2 h3) | 54.56 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | 138 | Cristina Pérez |  ESP | 55.29 (2 h4) | 55.23 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | 276 | Susanne Losch | GDR | 55.90 (1 h1) | 55.56 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | 233 | Elaine McLaughlin | GBR | 56.11 (3 h1) | 55.91 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | 447 | Genowefa Błaszak |  POL | 56.18 (3 h2) | 56.76 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r2/3 | 601 | Schowonda Williams | USA | 55.98 (2 h5) | 56.71 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 8 h1 r2/3 | 320 | Gretha Tromp |  NED | 56.11 (2 h2) | 57.57 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 8 h2 r2/3 | 159 | Chantal Beaugeant |  FRA | 56.03 (3 h5) | 56.94 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/3 | 384 | Rose Tata-Muya |  KEN | 56.18 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/3 | 16 | Jenny Laurendet | AUS | 56.44 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 4 h4 r1/3 | 361 | Irmgard Trojer |  ITA | 55.74 (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| 4 h5 r1/3 | 13 | Sally Hamilton-Fleming | AUS | 56.08 (4 h5) | – | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | 116 | Marie Womplou |  CIV | 57.35 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | 69 | Rosey Edeh |  CAN | 56.59 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | 430 | Maria Usifo |  NGR | 55.99 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | 586 | Leslie Maxie | USA | 57.60 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 5 h5 r1/3 | 131 | Liliana Chalá |  ECU | 57.15 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/3 | 84 | Christine Wynn | CAN | 58.00 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | 507 | Ruth Kyalisima |  UGA | 59.62 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | 345 | Helga Halldórsdóttir |  ISL | 58.99 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | 339 | Barbara Johnson |  IRL | 58.61 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 6 h5 r1/3 | 502 | Semra Aksu |  TUR | 57.20 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 7 h1 r1/3 | 336 | P. T. Usha |  IND | 59.55 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | 443 | Nenita Adan |  PHI | 1:01.92 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | 394 | Kim Sun-Ja |  KOR | 59.78 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 7 h4 r1/3 | 495 | Chang Feng-Hua |  TPE | 1:00.16 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 7 h5 r1/3 | 229 | Simone Laidlaw | GBR | 59.28 (7 h5) | – | – |
Round One (25 September 1988)
Top three in each heat and next fastest advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One (10:30)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Susanne Losch | GDR | 55.90 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Tatsiana Ledauskaya | URS | 55.91 | |||
| 3 | 4 | Elaine McLaughlin | GBR | 56.11 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Rose Tata-Muya | KEN | 56.18 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Marie Womplou | CIV | 57.35 | |||
| 6 | 6 | Christine Wynn | CAN | 58.00 | |||
| 7 | 7 | P. T. Usha | IND | 59.55 |
Heat Two (10:35)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Sabine Busch | GDR | 55.96 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Gretha Tromp | NED | 56.11 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Genowefa Błaszak | POL | 56.18 | |||
| 4 | 7 | Jenny Laurendet | AUS | 56.44 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Rosey Edeh | CAN | 56.59 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Ruth Kyalisima | UGA | 59.62 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Nenita Adan | PHI | 1:01.92 |
Heat Three (10:40)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Ellen Fiedler | GDR | 54.58 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Anita Protti | SUI | 54.81 | |||
| 3 | 2 | Tatsiana Kurochkina | URS | 55.04 | |||
| 4 | 3 | LaTanya Sheffield | USA | 55.61 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Maria Usifo | NGR | 55.99 | |||
| 6 | 4 | Helga Halldórsdóttir | ISL | 58.99 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Kim Sun-Ja | KOR | 59.78 |
Heat Four (10:45)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Debbie Flintoff-King | AUS | 54.99 | |||
| 2 | 8 | Cristina Pérez | ESP | 55.29 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Sally Gunnell | GBR | 55.44 | |||
| 4 | 7 | Irmgard Trojer | ITA | 55.74 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Leslie Maxie | USA | 57.60 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Barbara Johnson | IRL | 58.61 | |||
| 7 | 4 | Chang Feng-Hua | TPE | 1:00.16 |
Heat Five (10:50)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Gudrun Abt | FRG | 55.72 | |||
| 2 | 2 | Schowonda Williams | USA | 55.98 | |||
| 3 | 4 | Chantal Beaugeant | FRA | 56.03 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Sally Hamilton-Fleming | AUS | 56.08 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Liliana Chalá | ECU | 57.15 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Semra Aksu | TUR | 57.20 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Simone Laidlaw | GBR | 59.28 |
Semi-Finals (26 September 1988)
Top four in each heat advanced to the final.
Heat One (12:30)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Debbie Flintoff-King | AUS | 54.00 | |||
| 2 | 2 | Tatsiana Ledauskaya | URS | 54.01 | |||
| 3 | 3 | LaTanya Sheffield | USA | 54.36 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Sally Gunnell | GBR | 54.48 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Anita Protti | SUI | 54.56 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Susanne Losch | GDR | 55.56 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Genowefa Błaszak | POL | 56.76 | |||
| 8 | 1 | Gretha Tromp | NED | 57.57 |
Heat Two (12:35)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Ellen Fiedler | GDR | 54.28 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Tatsiana Kurochkina | URS | 54.46 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Gudrun Abt | FRG | 54.52 | |||
| 4 | 7 | Sabine Busch | GDR | 54.71 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Cristina Pérez | ESP | 55.23 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Elaine McLaughlin | GBR | 55.91 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Schowonda Williams | USA | 56.71 | |||
| 8 | 1 | Chantal Beaugeant | FRA | 56.94 |
Final (28 September 1988 — 12:35)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | Reaction Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Debbie Flintoff-King | AUS | 53.17 | 0.251 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Tatsiana Ledauskaya | URS | 53.18 | 0.245 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Ellen Fiedler | GDR | 53.63 | 0.172 | |||
| 4 | 7 | Sabine Busch | GDR | 53.69 | 0.283 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Sally Gunnell | GBR | 54.03 | 0.188 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Gudrun Abt | FRG | 54.04 | 0.316 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Tatsiana Kurochkina | URS | 54.39 | 0.231 | |||
| 8 | 4 | LaTanya Sheffield | USA | 55.32 | 0.201 |