# Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres hurdles

The women's 100 metres hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 22 to 24.
The top two runners in each of the initial five heats automatically qualified for the semifinals. The next six fastest runners from across the heats also qualified. There were two semifinal heats, and only the top four from each heat advanced to the final. Two time Olympic 100 meter gold medalist and defending world champion at 100 meter hurdles Gail Devers continued her run of Olympic misfortune in the hurdles, falling with a calf injury at the first hurdle of her first-round heat.
Joanna Hayes led through all the rounds, her closest competitor, Perdita Felicien. In the final, Felicien crashed the first hurdle with her lead leg, falling to her right and taking out Irina Shevchenko along with her. In the lane to her left, Hayes zoomed away from the field unabated, challenged by American teammate Melissa Morrison through the first four hurdles, which Morrison clipped, almost turned sideways to keep her balance and slowing through the next two hurdles. Lacena Golding-Clarke and Olena Krasovska battled on the inside of the track. As Krasovska began to edge ahead for the silver, Clarke slowed over the last four hurdles while Morrison battled back to take the bronze.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows.
| World record | Yordanka Donkova (BUL) | 12.21 s | Stara Zagora, Bulgaria | 20 August 1988 |
| Olympic record | Yordanka Donkova (BUL) | 12.38 s | Seoul, South Korea | 30 September 1988 |
| World Leading | Perdita Felicien (CAN) | 12.46 s | Eugene, Oregon, United States | 19 June 2004 |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Athlete | Nation | Time | Record |
| 24 August | Final | Joanna Hayes | United States | 12.37 | OR |

## Qualification

The qualification period for athletics was 1 January 2003 to 9 August 2004. For the women's 100 metres hurdles, each National Olympic Committee was permitted to enter up to three athletes that had run the race in 12.96 seconds or faster during the qualification period. If an NOC had no athletes that qualified under that standard, one athlete that had run the race in 13.11 seconds or faster could be entered.

## Schedule

All times are Greece Standard Time (UTC+2)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Sunday, 22 August 2004 | 19:35 | Round 1 |
| Monday, 23 August 2004 | 19:00 | Semifinals |
| Tuesday, 24 August 2004 | 22:30 | Final |

## Results
### Round 1

Qualification rule: The first two finishers in each heat (Q) plus the next six fastest overall runners (q) advanced to the semifinals.

#### Heat 1

Wind: −1.2 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Melissa Morrison | United States | 0.154 | 12.76 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Delloreen Ennis-London | Jamaica | 0.157 | 12.77 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Nadine Faustin | Haiti | 0.191 | 12.94 | q |
| 4 | 7 | Aliuska López | Spain | 0.210 | 13.21 | |
| 5 | 2 | Anay Tejeda | Cuba | 0.157 | 13.24 | |
| 6 | 5 | Juliane Sprenger-Afflerbach | Germany | 0.202 | 13.28 | |
| 7 | 1 | Irina Lenskiy | Israel | 0.248 | 13.75 | |
| 8 | 8 | Céline Laporte | Seychelles | 0.172 | 13.92 | |

#### Heat 2

Wind: −0.9 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Brigitte Foster | Jamaica | 0.154 | 12.83 | Q |
| 2 | 7 | Glory Alozie | Spain | 0.279 | 12.92 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Angela Whyte | Canada | 0.245 | 13.01 | q |
| 4 | 8 | Linda Ferga-Khodadin | France | 0.279 | 13.02 | |
| 5 | 4 | Jenny Kallur | Sweden | 0.233 | 13.11 | |
| 6 | 1 | Nadine Hentschke | Germany | 0.176 | 13.36 | |
| 7 | 3 | Rosa Rakotozafy | Madagascar | 0.179 | 13.67 | |
| 8 | 5 | Trecia Roberts | Thailand | 0.202 | 13.80 | |

#### Heat 3

Wind: 0.0 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Mariya Koroteyeva | Russia | 0.194 | 12.72 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Perdita Felicien | Canada | 0.173 | 12.73 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Lacena Golding-Clarke | Jamaica | 0.165 | 12.86 | q |
| 4 | 3 | Susanna Kallur | Sweden | 0.242 | 12.89 | q, SB |
| 5 | 2 | Flora Redoumi | Greece | 0.184 | 13.14 | |
| 6 | 7 | Maíla Machado | Brazil | 0.226 | 13.35 | |
| 7 | 8 | Su Yiping | China | 0.230 | 13.53 | |

#### Heat 4

Wind: −1.4 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Joanna Hayes | United States | 0.175 | 12.71 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Natalia Rusakova | Russia | 0.201 | 12.90 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | Aurelia Trywiańska | Poland | 0.184 | 13.01 | |
| 4 | 2 | Nicole Ramalalanirina | France | 0.185 | 13.07 | |
| 5 | 6 | Priscilla Lopes | Canada | 0.205 | 13.08 | |
| 6 | 7 | Sarah Claxton | Great Britain | 0.241 | 13.14 | |
| 7 | 5 | Derval O'Rourke | Ireland | 0.198 | 13.46 | |
| 8 | 8 | Maria-Joëlle Conjungo | Central African Republic | 0.183 | 14.24 | |

#### Heat 5

Wind: −0.9 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Reïna-Flor Okori | France | 0.186 | 12.81 | Q, PB |
| 2 | 3 | Irina Shevchenko | Russia | 0.180 | 12.82 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Olena Krasovska | Ukraine | 0.201 | 12.84 | q |
| 4 | 7 | Kirsten Bolm | Germany | 0.170 | 12.85 | q |
| 5 | 8 | Lucie Martincová | Czech Republic | 0.189 | 13.51 | |
| | 6 | Gail Devers | United States | 0.170 | DNF | |
| | 4 | Svetla Pishtikova | Bulgaria | | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Qualification rule: The first four finishers in each heat (Q) moved on to the final.

#### Semifinal 1

Wind: +1.7 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Perdita Felicien | Canada | 0.171 | 12.49 | Q |
| 2 | 6 | Melissa Morrison | United States | 0.156 | 12.53 | Q, =PB |
| 3 | 1 | Olena Krasovska | Ukraine | 0.145 | 12.58 | Q, PB |
| 4 | 5 | Mariya Koroteyeva | Russia | 0.166 | 12.60 | Q, PB |
| 5 | 3 | Delloreen Ennis-London | Jamaica | 0.167 | 12.60 | |
| 6 | 8 | Glory Alozie | Spain | 0.165 | 12.62 | |
| 7 | 7 | Susanna Kallur | Sweden | 0.173 | 12.67 | PB |
| 8 | 2 | Nadine Faustin | Haiti | 0.170 | 12.74 | NR |

#### Semifinal 2

Wind: +1.9 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Joanna Hayes | United States | 0.190 | 12.48 | Q, PB |
| 2 | 3 | Irina Shevchenko | Russia | 0.160 | 12.67 | Q, =PB |
| 3 | 2 | Lacena Golding-Clarke | Jamaica | 0.153 | 12.69 | Q, =PB |
| 4 | 7 | Angela Whyte | Canada | 0.117 | 12.69 | Q, PB |
| 5 | 1 | Natalia Rusakova | Russia | 0.178 | 12.76 | |
| 6 | 6 | Reïna-Flor Okori | France | 0.187 | 12.81 | =PB |
| | 8 | Kirsten Bolm | Germany | 0.194 | DNF | |
| | 4 | Brigitte Foster | Jamaica | | DNS | |

### Final

Wind: +1.5 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Joanna Hayes | United States | 0.169 | 12.37 | OR |
| | 1 | Olena Krasovska | Ukraine | 0.151 | 12.45 | PB |
| | 3 | Melissa Morrison | United States | 0.145 | 12.56 | |
| 4 | 7 | Mariya Koroteyeva | Russia | 0.195 | 12.72 | |
| 5 | 2 | Lacena Golding-Clarke | Jamaica | 0.149 | 12.73 | |
| 6 | 8 | Angela Whyte | Canada | 0.155 | 12.81 | |
| | 5 | Perdita Felicien | Canada | 0.167 | DNF | |
| | 6 | Irina Shevchenko | Russia | 0.155 | DNF | |