# 2013 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles

The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 12–15 August.
Running on home soil, reigning Olympic Champion Natalya Antyukh might have been expected to be the favorite. Instead she made a quick exit, finishing sixth in her semifinal. The Olympic silver medalist from that close Olympic final is the returning champion Lashinda Demus, but having a bye, she has raced sparingly. She ran her season best to qualify in that same semi. The distant bronze medalist Zuzana Hejnová in 2012 was the 2013 world leader. She won the first semi, almost half a second faster than the other qualifiers. Perri Shakes-Drayton won the second semi passing a fading Demus.
In the final, Hejnová in lane 3 was first to the first hurdle but backed off. It was Demus took off in lane 4 and was the leader down the back stretch, with training partner Dalilah Muhammad almost on the same pace. Both are trained by Demus' mom. Shakes-Drayton between them tried to keep up with the two Americans. Hejnová was gaining steadily on Demus and Muhammad through the turn. Demus, who still holds the American high school record in the 300 hurdles did that distance well, but Hejnová, who set the world best in that race just two weeks earlier, passed her over the 8th hurdle at 290 meters. Demus' arm carry noticeably dropped, she had played her best card and Hejnová had trumped it. Hejnová continued ahead to victory with Demus fighting to stay with her. Muhammad caught Demus with 10 meters to go for silver. Demus a step back for bronze. Shakes-Drayton disappeared back through the field, nobody else was in contention with the three clear winners. Hejnová's 52.83 is the Czech national record and makes her the number 12 performer of all time (Demus already number 3).

## Records

Prior to the competition, the records were as follows:
| World record | Yuliya Pechonkina (RUS) | 52.34 | Tula, Russia | 8 August 2003 |
| Championship record | Melaine Walker (JAM) | 52.42 | Berlin, Germany | 20 August 2009 |
| World Leading | Zuzana Hejnová (CZE) | 53.07 | London, United Kingdom | 26 July 2013 |
| African Record | Nezha Bidouane (MAR) | 52.90 | Seville, Spain | 25 August 1999 |
| Asian Record | Qing Han (CHN) | 53.96 | Beijing, People's Republic of China | 9 September 1993 |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record | Melaine Walker (JAM) | 52.42 | Berlin, Germany | 20 August 2009 |
| South American Record | Lucimar Teodoro (BRA) | 55.84 | Belém, Brazil | 24 May 2009 |
| European Record | Yuliya Pechonkina (RUS) | 52.34 | Tula, Russia | 8 August 2003 |
| Oceanian record | Debbie Flintoff-King (AUS) | 53.17 | Seoul, South Korea | 27 September 1988 |

## Qualification standards

| A time | B time |
| 55.40 | 56.55 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Round |
| 12 August 2013 | 11:50 | Heats |
| 13 August 2013 | 19:05 | Semifinals |
| 15 August 2013 | 21:45 | Final |
All times are local times (UTC+4)

## Results

| KEY: | q | Fastest non-qualifiers | Q | Qualified | NR | National record | PB | Personal best | SB | Seasonal best |

### Heats

Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) advanced to the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | 2 | Perri Shakes-Drayton | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 54.42 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | 5 | Dalilah Muhammad | United States (USA) | 54.90 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | Lashinda Demus | United States (USA) | 54.94 | Q |
| 4 | 4 | 1 | Eilidh Child | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 55.17 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | 8 | Zuzana Hejnová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 55.25 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | Natalya Antyukh | Russia (RUS) | 55.29 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | Lauren Boden | Australia (AUS) | 55.37 | q |
| 8 | 1 | 2 | Denisa Rosolová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 55.44 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | 8 | Meghan Beesley | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 55.45 | Q |
| 9 | 4 | 7 | Irina Davydova | Russia (RUS) | 55.45 | Q |
| 11 | 2 | 5 | Hanna Titimets | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.50 | Q |
| 12 | 4 | 4 | Hanna Yaroshchuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.73 | q |
| 13 | 2 | 7 | Nickiesha Wilson | Jamaica (JAM) | 55.75 | Q |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 55.91 | Q |
| 15 | 3 | 6 | Ristananna Tracey | Jamaica (JAM) | 55.94 | q |
| 16 | 2 | 6 | Christine Spence | United States (USA) | 55.96 | q |
| 17 | 1 | 7 | Satomi Kubokura | Japan (JPN) | 56.33 | SB |
| 18 | 2 | 3 | Anastasiya Ott | Russia (RUS) | 56.39 | |
| 19 | 4 | 3 | Jennifer Rockwell-Grossarth | Italy (ITA) | 56.53 | |
| 20 | 3 | 7 | Phara Anacharsis | France (FRA) | 56.73 | |
| 21 | 1 | 5 | Axelle Dauwens | Belgium (BEL) | 56.85 | |
| 22 | 4 | 6 | Danielle Dowie | Jamaica (JAM) | 57.03 | |
| 23 | 4 | 8 | Ugonna Ndu | Nigeria (NGR) | 57.27 | |
| 24 | 4 | 2 | Noelle Montcalm | Canada (CAN) | 57.50 | |
| 25 | 2 | 4 | Anneri Ebersohn | South Africa (RSA) | 57.90 | |
| 26 | 2 | 2 | Amaliya Sharoyan | Armenia (ARM) | 57.97 | NR |
| 27 | 1 | 3 | Hayat Lambarki | Morocco (MAR) | 58.00 | |
| 28 | 3 | 8 | Sparkle McKnight | Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 58.85 | |
| 29 | 1 | 4 | Georganne Moline | United States (USA) | 59.05 | |
| | 1 | 6 | Kaliese Spencer | Jamaica (JAM) | DQ | |
| | 2 | 1 | Muizat Ajoke Odumosu | Nigeria (NGR) | DQ | |
| | 3 | 5 | Christine Sonali Merrill | Sri Lanka (SRI) | DQ | |

### Semifinals

Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) advanced to the final.
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Zuzana Hejnová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 53.52 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | 5 | Perri Shakes-Drayton | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 53.92 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | 5 | Dalilah Muhammad | United States (USA) | 54.08 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | 4 | Lashinda Demus | United States (USA) | 54.22 | Q, SB |
| 5 | 1 | 6 | Eilidh Child | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 54.32 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | Hanna Titimets | Ukraine (UKR) | 54.63 | Q, PB |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | Hanna Yaroshchuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 54.92 | q |
| 8 | 1 | 7 | Nickiesha Wilson | Jamaica (JAM) | 54.94 | q, SB |
| 9 | 1 | 3 | Meghan Beesley | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 54.97 | PB |
| 10 | 1 | 8 | Irina Davydova | Russia (RUS) | 55.05 | |
| 11 | 2 | 6 | Denisa Rosolová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 55.14 | |
| 12 | 2 | 2 | Ristananna Tracey | Jamaica (JAM) | 55.43 | |
| 13 | 2 | 8 | Natalya Antyukh | Russia (RUS) | 55.55 | |
| 14 | 2 | 1 | Lauren Boden | Australia (AUS) | 55.75 | |
| 15 | 2 | 7 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 56.58 | |
| 16 | 1 | 2 | Christine Spence | United States (USA) | 58.35 | |

### Final

The final was started at 20:45.
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 3 | Zuzana Hejnová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 52.83 | WL, NR |
| | 4 | Dalilah Muhammad | United States (USA) | 54.09 | |
| | 6 | Lashinda Demus | United States (USA) | 54.27 | |
| 4 | 7 | Hanna Titimets | Ukraine (UKR) | 54.72 | |
| 5 | 8 | Eilidh Child | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 54.86 | |
| 6 | 1 | Hanna Yaroshchuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 55.01 | |
| 7 | 5 | Perri Shakes-Drayton | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 56.25 | |
| 8 | 2 | Nickiesha Wilson | Jamaica (JAM) | 57.34 | |