# 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships was held at the Ataköy Athletics Arena on 9 and 10 March.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Sanya Richards-Ross United States | Aleksandra Fedoriva Russia | Natasha Hastings United States |

## Records

Standing records prior to the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships :
| World record | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 49.59 | Milan, Italy | 7 March 1982 |
| Championship record | Olesya Forsheva (RUS) | 50.04 | Moscow, Russia | 12 March 2006 |
| World Leading | Sanya Richards-Ross (USA) | 50.71 | Albuquerque, United States | 26 February 2012 |
| African record | Charity Opara (NGR) | 50.73 | Stuttgart, Germany | 1 February 1998 |
| Asian record | Li Yajun (CHN) | 52.27 | Beijing, China | 24 February 1996 |
| European record | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 49.59 | Milan, Italy | 7 March 1982 |
| North and Central American and Caribbean record | Christine Amertil (BAH) | 50.34 | Moscow, Russia | 12 March 2006 |
| Oceanian Record | Maree Holland (AUS) | 52.17 | Budapest, Hungary | 4 March 1989 |
| South American record | Aliann Pompey (GUY) | 51.83 | New York City, United States | 26 February 2010 |

## Qualification standards

| Indoor | Outdoor |
| 53.25 | 51.25 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Round |
| March 9, 2012 | 9:35 | Heats |
| March 9, 2012 | 19:50 | Semifinals |
| March 10, 2012 | 18:40 | Final |

## Results
### Heats

Qualification: First 2 in each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) advance to the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 52.02 | Q, SB |
| 2 | 3 | Sanya Richards-Ross | United States | 52.81 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Denisa Rosolová | Czech Republic | 52.95 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria | 52.97 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Patricia Hall | Jamaica | 52.99 | Q |
| 6 | 6 | Shana Cox | Great Britain | 53.24 | Q |
| 7 | 4 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 53.26 | Q |
| 8 | 4 | Dominique Blake | Jamaica | 53.39 | Q |
| 9 | 4 | Muizat Ajoke Odumosu | Nigeria | 53.47 | q |
| 10 | 2 | Meliz Redif | Turkey | 53.55 | q |
| 11 | 3 | Nadine Okyere | Great Britain | 53.56 | Q |
| 12 | 6 | Irina Davydova | Russia | 53.58 | Q |
| 13 | 5 | Natasha Hastings | United States | 53.64 | Q |
| 14 | 1 | Maria Enrica Spacca | Italy | 53.74 | q |
| 14 | 3 | Tiandra Ponteen | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 53.74 | q |
| 16 | 5 | Moa Hjelmer | Sweden | 54.01 | Q |
| DQ | 3 | Bimbo Miel Ayedou | Benin | 54.44 | q, NR † |
| 17 | 5 | Aliann Pompey | Guyana | 54.63 | q |
| 18 | 6 | Ambwene Simukonda | Malawi | 55.51 | |
| 19 | 6 | Kineke Alexander | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 55.88 | |
| 20 | 2 | Amaliya Sharoyan | Armenia | 56.41 | |
| 21 | 1 | Déborah Rodríguez | Uruguay | 57.08 | |
| 22 | 4 | Natacha Ngoye | Congo | 58.21 | |
| 23 | 1 | Sharon Kwarula | Papua New Guinea | 59.56 | |
| 24 | 5 | Graciela Martins | Guinea-Bissau | 59.83 | |
| 25 | 2 | Danielle Alakija | Fiji | 1:00.00 | |
| 26 | 5 | Vladislava Ovcharenko | Tajikistan | 1:00.33 | NR |
| 27 | 6 | Gaiane Ustiane | Georgia | 1:01.38 | |
| 28 | 6 | Maziah Mahusin | Brunei | 1:03.69 | NR |
| 29 | 2 | Amy Atkinson | Guam | 1:05.99 | NR |
| | 3 | Geisa Aparecida Coutinho | Brazil | DQ | |
| | 4 | Munguntuya Batgerel | Mongolia | DQ | |

### Semifinals

Qualification: First 2 of each heat qualified (Q).
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Sanya Richards-Ross | United States | 50.99 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 51.79 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Natasha Hastings | United States | 51.87 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria | 51.87 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 51.98 | SB |
| 6 | 1 | Moa Hjelmer | Sweden | 52.29 | NR |
| 7 | 2 | Shana Cox | Great Britain | 52.69 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Denisa Rosolová | Czech Republic | 52.78 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | Dominique Blake | Jamaica | 53.00 | |
| 10 | 2 | Irina Davydova | Russia | 53.02 | |
| 11 | 3 | Patricia Hall | Jamaica | 53.21 | |
| 12 | 3 | Nadine Okyere | Great Britain | 53.66 | |
| 13 | 2 | Maria Enrica Spacca | Italy | 53.71 | |
| 14 | 1 | Muizat Ajoke Odumosu | Nigeria | 54.06 | |
| DQ | 3 | Bimbo Miel Ayedou | Benin | 54.26 | NR, † |
| 15 | 3 | Meliz Redif | Turkey | 54.48 | |
| | 1 | Aliann Pompey | Guyana | DNF | |
| | 2 | Tiandra Ponteen | Saint Kitts and Nevis | DNF | |
* † = Bimbo Miel Ayedou's sample later tested positive for banned substances and she was disqualified.

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | Sanya Richards-Ross | United States | 50.79 | |
| | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 51.76 | |
| | Natasha Hastings | United States | 51.82 | |
| 4 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria | 51.99 | |
| 5 | Shana Cox | Great Britain | 52.13 | PB |
| 6 | Denisa Rosolová | Czech Republic | 52.48 | |