# 1988 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres event at the 1988 World Junior Championships in Athletics was held in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, at Laurentian University Stadium on 27, 28 and 29 July.

## Medalists

| Gold | Grit Breuer East Germany |
| Silver | Maicel Malone United States |
| Bronze | Olga Moroz Soviet Union |

## Results
### Final

29 July
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Grit Breuer | East Germany | 51.24 |
| | Maicel Malone | United States | 52.23 |
| | Olga Moroz | Soviet Union | 53.20 |
| 4 | Viktoria Miloserdova | Soviet Union | 53.64 |
| 5 | Manuela Derr | East Germany | 53.66 |
| 6 | Teri Smith | United States | 53.80 |
| 7 | Nadežda Tomšová | Czechoslovakia | 54.21 |
| 8 | Rossana Morabito | Italy | 55.20 |

### Semifinals

28 July

#### Semifinal 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Teri Smith | United States | 53.20 | Q |
| 2 | Manuela Derr | East Germany | 53.43 | Q |
| 3 | Viktoria Miloserdova | Soviet Union | 53.58 | q |
| 4 | Cheryl Allen | Canada | 53.92 | |
| 5 | Daniela Plescan | Romania | 54.09 | |
| 6 | Daniela Spasova | Bulgaria | 54.63 | |
| 7 | Noemi Batori | Hungary | 56.09 | |
| | Linda Kisabaka | West Germany | DNF | |

#### Semifinal 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Maicel Malone | United States | 52.07 | Q |
| 2 | Olga Moroz | Soviet Union | 52.86 | Q |
| 3 | Nadežda Tomšová | Czechoslovakia | 53.14 | q |
| 4 | Marjana Lužar | Yugoslavia | 54.49 | |
| 5 | Emma Langston | United Kingdom | 54.62 | |
| 6 | Julia Merino | Spain | 55.12 | |
| 7 | Regula Scalabrin | Switzerland | 55.18 | |
| 8 | Felicia Amajali | Nigeria | 55.99 | |

#### Semifinal 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Grit Breuer | East Germany | 53.11 | Q |
| 2 | Rossana Morabito | Italy | 54.03 | Q |
| 3 | Suzana Belac | Yugoslavia | 54.18 | |
| 4 | Tracy Goddard | United Kingdom | 54.63 | |
| 5 | Catherine Chanfreau | France | 55.10 | |
| 6 | Mayelin Lemus | Cuba | 55.59 | |
| 7 | Sue Andrews | Australia | 55.82 | |
| | Ximena Restrepo | Colombia | DQ | |

### Heats

27 July

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Nadežda Tomšová | Czechoslovakia | 54.20 | Q |
| 2 | Daniela Spasova | Bulgaria | 54.21 | Q |
| 3 | Linda Kisabaka | West Germany | 54.88 | Q |
| 4 | Catherine Chanfreau | France | 55.19 | q |
| 5 | Gro Hege Cleveland | Norway | 56.07 | |
| 6 | Anna Cherry | Saint Lucia | 57.30 | |
| 7 | Natasha Stenberg | Australia | 57.82 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Ximena Restrepo | Colombia | 53.48 | Q |
| 2 | Olga Moroz | Soviet Union | 54.15 | Q |
| 3 | Tracy Goddard | United Kingdom | 54.63 | Q |
| 4 | Sue Andrews | Australia | 54.84 | q |
| 5 | Daniela Plescan | Romania | 55.42 | q |
| 6 | Valérie Jaunâtre | France | 56.86 | |
| 7 | Christine Duvergé | Mauritius | 56.95 | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Viktoria Miloserdova | Soviet Union | 54.13 | Q |
| 2 | Regula Scalabrin | Switzerland | 55.93 | Q |
| 3 | Mayelin Lemus | Cuba | 56.15 | Q |
| 4 | Katalin Fogarassy | Hungary | 56.35 | |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Manuela Derr | East Germany | 54.13 | Q |
| 2 | Suzana Belac | Yugoslavia | 54.17 | Q |
| 3 | Rossana Morabito | Italy | 54.19 | Q |
| 4 | Teri Smith | United States | 54.23 | q |
| 5 | Monique Steennis | Netherlands | 55.67 | |
| 6 | Ausa Mwendachabe | Zambia | 58.50 | |
| 7 | Marie-Cecile Rivetta | Monaco | 63.31 | |

#### Heat 5

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Julia Merino | Spain | 54.99 | Q |
| 2 | Grit Breuer | East Germany | 55.12 | Q |
| 3 | Cheryl Allen | Canada | 55.44 | Q |
| 4 | Nancy McLeón | Cuba | 55.47 | |
| 5 | Fatima Yusuf | Nigeria | 56.35 | |
| 6 | Jacqueline Sophia | Netherlands Antilles | 58.92 | |

#### Heat 6

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Maicel Malone | United States | 53.79 | Q |
| 2 | Marjana Lužar | Yugoslavia | 54.77 | Q |
| 3 | Emma Langston | United Kingdom | 54.87 | Q |
| 4 | Noemi Batori | Hungary | 54.97 | q |
| 5 | Felicia Amajali | Nigeria | 55.39 | q |
| 6 | Julieta Kondova | Bulgaria | 56.40 | |
| 7 | Kristen Lundgren | Canada | 56.48 | |

## Participation

According to an unofficial count, 38 athletes from 26 countries participated in the event.
* Australia (2)
* Bulgaria (2)
* Canada (2)
* Colombia (1)
* Cuba (2)
* Czechoslovakia (1)
* East Germany (2)
* France (2)
* Hungary (2)
* Italy (1)
* Mauritius (1)
* Monaco (1)
* Netherlands (1)
* Netherlands Antilles (1)
* Nigeria (2)
* Norway (1)
* Romania (1)
* Saint Lucia (1)
* Soviet Union (2)
* Spain (1)
* Switzerland (1)
* United Kingdom (2)
* United States (2)
* West Germany (1)
* Yugoslavia (2)
* Zambia (1)