# 1986 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres event at the 1986 World Junior Championships in Athletics was held in Athens, Greece, at Olympic Stadium on 16, 17 and 18 July.

## Medalists

| Gold | Susanne Sieger East Germany |
| Silver | Olga Pesnopevtseva Soviet Union |
| Bronze | Sandie Richards Jamaica |

## Results
### Final

18 July
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Susanne Sieger | East Germany | 52.02 |
| | Olga Pesnopevtseva | Soviet Union | 52.17 |
| | Sandie Richards | Jamaica | 52.23 |
| 4 | Janeene Vickers | United States | 52.25 |
| 5 | Tasha Downing | United States | 53.21 |
| 6 | Lacramioara Andrei | Romania | 53.57 |
| 7 | Małgorzata Kurach | Poland | 54.18 |
| 8 | Ulrike Alge | Austria | 54.55 |

### Semifinals

17 July

#### Semifinal 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Olga Pesnopevtseva | Soviet Union | 52.40 | Q |
| 2 | Tasha Downing | United States | 53.38 | Q |
| 3 | Lacramioara Andrei | Romania | 53.71 | Q |
| 4 | Małgorzata Kurach | Poland | 53.87 | Q |
| 5 | Julia Merino | Spain | 54.84 | |
| 6 | Rossana Morabito | Italy | 55.04 | |
| 7 | Noemi Batori | Hungary | 55.17 | |
| 8 | Maxine Scringer | Canada | 55.19 | |

#### Semifinal 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Sandie Richards | Jamaica | 52.53 | Q |
| 2 | Susanne Sieger | East Germany | 52.82 | Q |
| 3 | Janeene Vickers | United States | 53.93 | Q |
| 4 | Ulrike Alge | Austria | 54.70 | Q |
| 5 | Sabine Nolte | West Germany | 55.20 | |
| 6 | Diane Dunrod | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 56.57 | |
| 7 | Cheryl Allen | Canada | 56.92 | |
| 8 | Timea Kovács | Hungary | 57.31 | |

### Heats

16 July

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Lacramioara Andrei | Romania | 54.38 | Q |
| 2 | Cheryl Allen | Canada | 54.58 | Q |
| 3 | Rossana Morabito | Italy | 54.77 | Q |
| 4 | Marina Khripankova | Soviet Union | 55.26 | |
| 5 | Jupira da Graça | Brazil | 56.37 | |
| 6 | Sotiría Mavromáti | Greece | 57.59 | |
| 7 | Guilhermina da Cruz | Angola | 58.20 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Susanne Sieger | East Germany | 52.97 | Q |
| 2 | Sabine Nolte | West Germany | 54.75 | Q |
| 3 | Julia Merino | Spain | 54.76 | Q |
| 4 | Noemi Batori | Hungary | 54.92 | q |
| 5 | Sanja Beckei | Yugoslavia | 55.27 | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Janeene Vickers | United States | 55.23 | Q |
| 2 | Małgorzata Kurach | Poland | 55.86 | Q |
| 3 | Timea Kovács | Hungary | 55.97 | Q |
| 4 | Christine Duvergé | Mauritius | 56.61 | |
| 5 | Chen Ya-Li | Chinese Taipei | 56.83 | |
| 6 | Adriana Martínez | Ecuador | 56.93 | |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Sandie Richards | Jamaica | 53.25 | Q |
| 2 | Ulrike Alge | Austria | 54.89 | Q |
| 3 | Maxine Scringer | Canada | 56.20 | Q |
| 4 | Patricia Serret | Mauritius | 56.50 | |
| 5 | Anna Cherry | Saint Lucia | 59.20 | |
| 6 | Valeria López | Ecuador | 60.70 | |
| 7 | Rose Sisana Dlamini | Swaziland | 62.82 | |

#### Heat 5

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Olga Pesnopevtseva | Soviet Union | 52.73 | Q |
| 2 | Tasha Downing | United States | 53.41 | Q |
| 3 | Diane Dunrod | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 54.90 | Q |
| 4 | Donya Mohamed | Iraq | 55.76 | |
| 5 | Josephine Ikolomi | Nigeria | 57.46 | |
| 6 | Jacinta Kimwetich | Kenya | 58.13 | |
| 7 | Rowan Maynard | Antigua and Barbuda | 60.06 | |
| 8 | Rosanna Browne | Anguilla | 65.32 | |

## Participation

According to an unofficial count, 33 athletes from 27 countries participated in the event.
* Angola (1)
* Anguilla (1)
* Antigua and Barbuda (1)
* Austria (1)
* Brazil (1)
* Canada (2)
* Chinese Taipei (1)
* East Germany (1)
* Ecuador (2)
* Greece (1)
* Hungary (2)
* Iraq (1)
* Italy (1)
* Jamaica (1)
* Kenya (1)
* Mauritius (2)
* Nigeria (1)
* Poland (1)
* Romania (1)
* Saint Kitts and Nevis (1)
* Saint Lucia (1)
* Soviet Union (2)
* Spain (1)
* Swaziland (1)
* United States (2)
* West Germany (1)
* Yugoslavia (1)