The women's 400 metres at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships took place in three rounds at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, on 3 and 4 March 2023. This was the 37th time the women's 400 metres was contested at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. Athletes could qualify by achieving the entry standard or by their World Athletics Ranking for the event.

Twenty-seven athletes from sixteen nations competed in the first round on 3 March in the morning. In twenty-sixth place, Duna Viñals set an Andorran record of 57.71 s. Twelve athletes advanced to the semi-finals on 3 March in the evening, where Viivi Lehikoinen of Finland was disqualified for obstruction and six athletes qualified to compete in the final race on 4 March.

In the final, the gold medal was won by world record holder Femke Bol of the Netherlands in a time of 49.85 s, successfully defending her 2021 title, silver by Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands in 50.57 s, and bronze by Anna Kiełbasińska of Poland in 51.25 s. In fourth place, Susanne Gogl-Walli set an Austrian record of 51.73 s.

Background The women's 400 metres was contested at every previous edition of the European Athletics Indoor Championships (1970–2021), 36 times in total before 2023: every year from 1970 until 1990, and every other year since then until 2021, with a three-year gap between 2002 and 2005 for synchronisation with other international athletics championships.András Szabó, "Statistics Handbook", pp. 6 and 322–323, European Athletics. Retrieved 3 November 2024.

The 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships was held in the Ataköy Athletics Arena in the Ataköy quarter in Bakırköy, Istanbul, Turkey."Istanbul awarded 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships", European Athletics, 11 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2024. This indoor track and field arena was originally built for the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships and has a capacity of 7,450 spectators."2012 Dünya Salon Atletizm Şampiyonası" (in Turkish), Turkish Athletic Federation, 19 April 2010. Archived from the original 28 June 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2025.

On 19 February 2023, less than two weeks before the championships, Femke Bol of the Netherlands broke Jarmila Kratochvílová's 1982 world record of the 400 metres indoor in a time of 49.26 s."Bol breaks world indoor 400m record with 49.26 in Apeldoorn", World Athletics, 19 February 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2024. At the start of the 2023 championships, this was also the European record and the leading time in Europe and the world. Kratochvílová's former world record of 49.59 s was still standing as the championship record."European Athletics Indoor Championships – 400m Women – Round 1 Heat 1/5 – Results", European Athletics, 3 March 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2024. Bol was the defending champion after winning this event in a time of 50.63 s in 2021.

+Records before the 2023 European Athletics Indoor ChampionshipsRecordAthlete (nation)LocationDateWorld record"All time Top lists – Senior – 400 Metres Short Track women – World", World Athletics. Retrieved 21 December 2024.49.26Apeldoorn, Netherlands19 February 2023European record"All time Top lists – Senior – 400 Metres Short Track women – Europe", World Athletics. Retrieved 21 December 2024.World leading"All time Top lists – Senior – 400 Metres Short Track women – 2023 – World", World Athletics. Retrieved 21 December 2024.European leading"All time Top lists – Senior – 400 Metres Short Track women – 2023 – Europe", World Athletics. Retrieved 21 December 2024.Championship record49.59Milan, Italy7 March 1982

Qualification For the women's 400 metres at these championships, the qualification period was from 20 February 2022 to 19 February 2023."Qualification System and Entry Standards", European Athletics, September 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2024. Athletes could qualify by achieving the entry standard of 52.20 s for 400 metres indoor or 50.80 s for 400 metres outdoor. Athletes who did not achieve the entry standard could still qualify by their position on the World Athletics Ranking for this event. There was a target number of thirty athletes in total, with a maximum of three athletes per nation. A final entry list with twenty-seven athletes from sixteen nations was published on 23 February 2023."Final Entries – Athletes List by event – European Athletics Indoor Championships 2023, Istanbul (TUR)", European Athletics, 23 February 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2024.

Rounds Round 1

The five heats of round 1 were held on 3 March 2023, starting at 10:40 (UTC+3) in the morning. Of the twenty-seven competing athletes from sixteen nations, the first two athletes in each heat () and the next two fastest () advanced to the semi-finals."European Athletics Indoor Championships – 400m Women – Round 1 – Results Summary", European Athletics, 3 March 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2024. In the first heat, Duna Viñals of Andorra set a national record () of 57.71 s. In the fifth heat, Tereza Petržilková of Czech Republic, Helena Ponette of Belgium, and Cliodhna Manning of Ireland ran personal best times ().

+Results of round 1RankHeatAthleteNationalityNote 1 5 51.77 2 5 52.14 , 3 5 52.31 , 4 4 52.34 5 2 52.35 6 4 52.59 7 3 52.72 8 1 52.77 9 4 52.85 , 10 2 52.88 11 3 52.99 12 3 53.10 13 1 53.27 14 4 53.30 15 2 53.38 16 1 53.43 17 1 53.52 18 5 53.61 19 3 53.71 20 2 53.89 21 2 54.04 22 5 54.21 23 4 55.29 24 3 55.82 25 1 55.86 26 1 57.71 27 4

Semi-finals

The two heats of the semi-finals were held on 3 March 2023, starting at 19:55 (UTC+3) in the evening."European Athletics Indoor Championships – 400m Women – Semi-Final 1/2 – Results", European Athletics, 3 March 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2024. Of the twelve competing athletes from ten nations, the first three athletes in each heat () advanced to the final. Viivi Lehikoinen of Finland was disqualified () for breaking technical rule 17.2.2 about jostling and obstruction (TR17.2.2)."European Athletics Indoor Championships – 400m Women – Semi-Finals – Results Summary", European Athletics, 3 March 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2024.

+Results of the semi-finalsRankHeatAthleteNationalityNote 1 1 51.43 2 1 51.67 3 1 52.12 4 2 52.19 5 2 52.40 6 2 52.93 7 2 53.07 8 2 53.08 9 2 53.37 10 1 53.57 11 1 53.66 12 1 TR17.2.2

Final

The final with the six remaining athletes from four nations was held on 4 March 2023 at 20:30 (UTC+3) in the evening."European Athletics Indoor Championships – 400m Women – Final – Results ", European Athletics, 4 March 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2024. Femke Bol of the Netherlands was leading the race after about 100 metres and she completed the first lap of 200 metres in 23.78 s."Bol Successfully Defends Title | Women's 400m Final | Full Race Replay | Istanbul 2023", European Athletics/YouTube, 7 March 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2024. Bol went on to win the gold medal after finishing the race in 49.85 s, successfully defending her title from 2021 with her third 400 metres indoor race under 50 seconds of 2023.Cathal Dennehy, "Bol and Warholm claim European indoor 400m crowns in Istanbul", World Athletics, 4 March 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2024."Season Top Lists – Senior 2023 – 400 Metres Short Track women", World Athletics. Retrieved 3 November 2024. Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands won silver in 50.57 s and Anna Kiełbasińska of Poland won bronze in 51.25 s. Outside the medals, Susanne Gogl-Walli of Austria set a national record () of 51.73 s.

After the race, Bol and Klaver celebrated with Dutch flags with the texts and meaning printed on them, a call to donate money to the Dutch Cooperating Aid Organizations for humanitarian aid to the victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes a month earlier."Bol en Klaver lopen ereronde in Istanbul met vlag voor Giro555" (in Dutch), RTL, 4 March 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2024."Help slachtoffers aardbeving" (in Dutch), Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties. Retrieved 21 December 2024.

+Results of the finalRankLaneAthleteNationalityNote 5 49.85 6 50.57 3 51.25 4 4 51.73 5 2 51.73 6 1 52.81

References

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