# 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships took place in three rounds at the Arena Toruń in Toruń, Poland, on 5 and 6 March 2021.
The seven heats of round 1 were held on 5 March in the morning. Eighteen of thirty-nine athletes advanced to compete in the semi-finals. The three heats of the semi-finals were held on 5 March in the evening. Six athletes qualified for the final, that was held on 6 March in the evening.
The final was won by Femke Bol of the Netherlands in 50.63 seconds, followed by Justyna Święty-Ersetic of Poland in 51.41 seconds, and Jodie Williams of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 51.73 seconds.

## Background

Having run 50.64 earlier in the winter, the fastest time by a European woman since 2009, Femke Bol entered the Championships as the overwhelming favorite. Her Dutch teammate, Lieke Klaver, was the second-fastest European woman of the indoor season with 51.21, a top 5 time by a European woman in the last ten years and over half a second faster than the third fastest woman of the season. Other contenders who ran under 52 seconds prior to the Championships included 2019 European indoor and world outdoor finalist Justyna Święty-Ersetic, 2016 European Youth Champion and 2019 European U23 bronze medallist Andrea Miklos and the Irish 100m and 200m outdoor national record holder Phil Healy. The defending 2019 champion Léa Sprunger was the 13th fastest European woman of the indoor season going into the Championships.
Records before the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships :
| Record | Athlete (nation) | Time | Location | Date |
| World record | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 49.59 | Milan, Italy | 7 March 1982 |
| European record | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 49.59 | Milan, Italy | 7 March 1982 |
| Championship record | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 49.59 | Milan, Italy | 7 March 1982 |
| World Leading | Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) | 50.21 | New York City, New York, United States | 13 February 2021 |
| European Leading | Femke Bol (NED) | 50.64 | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 21 February 2021 |

## Qualification

The qualification period for this event was from 1 May 2019 to 24 February 2021. Athletes could qualify by achieving the entry standard of 52.00 s outdoor or 53.75 s indoor. A maximum of four athletes per nation could be entered, of whom three could participate. There was a target number of thirty athletes.

## Rounds
### Round 1

The seven heats of the first round were held on 5 March in the morning, starting at 11:22 (UTC+1). The first two athletes in each heat (Q) and the next four fastest athletes (q) qualified for the semi-finals.
Results of round 1 :
| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Note |
| 1 | 5 | Phil Healy | Ireland | 52.00 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Justyna Święty-Ersetic | Poland | 52.06 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Jessie Knight | Great Britain | 52.17 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 5 | Léa Sprunger | Switzerland | 52.25 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo | Belgium | 52.27 | q, SB |
| 6 | 4 | Jodie Williams | Great Britain | 52.35 | Q |
| 7 | 5 | Modesta Justė Morauskaitė | Lithuania | 52.52 | q, PB |
| 8 | 4 | Andrea Miklós | Romania | 52.57 | Q |
| 9 | 6 | Ama Pipi | Great Britain | 52.63 | Q, SB |
| 10 | 3 | Kateryna Klymyuk | Ukraine | 52.70 | q, PB |
| 11 | 5 | Rebecca Borga | Italy | 52.72 | q |
| 12 | 4 | Alice Mangione | Italy | 52.73 | PB |
| 13 | 2 | Lieke Klaver | Netherlands | 52.74 | Q |
| 14 | 7 | Irini Vasiliou | Greece | 52.76 | Q, PB |
| 15 | 2 | Anna Ryzhykova | Ukraine | 52.76 | Q |
| 16 | 1 | Femke Bol | Netherlands | 52.77 | Q |
| 17 | 6 | Lisanne de Witte | Netherlands | 52.82 | Q, =SB |
| 18 | 6 | Lada Vondrová | Czech Republic | 52.83 | |
| 19 | 1 | Hanna Mikhailava | Belarus | 52.96 | Q |
| 20 | 7 | Agnė Šerkšnienė | Lithuania | 53.00 | Q |
| 21 | 1 | Laura Müller | Germany | 53.03 | |
| 22 | 6 | Corinna Schwab | Germany | 53.06 | |
| 23 | 7 | Amandine Brossier | France | 53.23 | |
| 24 | 3 | Cátia Azevedo | Portugal | 53.28 | SB |
| 25 | 3 | Maja Ćirić | Serbia | 53.28 | SB |
| 26 | 2 | Sophie Becker | Ireland | 53.31 | |
| 27 | 4 | Susanne Walli | Austria | 53.41 | PB |
| 28 | 1 | Tereza Petržilková | Czech Republic | 53.46 | |
| 29 | 7 | Anastasiia Bryzgina | Ukraine | 53.50 | |
| 30 | 5 | Hanne Maudens | Belgium | 53.63 | |
| 31 | 4 | Aauri Lorena Bokesa | Spain | 53.64 | |
| 32 | 2 | Camille Laus | Belgium | 53.68 | |
| 33 | 7 | Sharlene Mawdsley | Ireland | 53.68 | |
| 34 | 4 | Iveta Putalová | Slovakia | 53.69 | SB |
| 35 | 2 | Eleonora Marchiando | Italy | 53.70 | |
| 36 | 2 | Krystsina Muliarchik | Belarus | 53.93 | |
| 37 | 1 | Andrea Jiménez | Spain | 54.34 | |
| 38 | 1 | Silke Lemmens | Switzerland | 54.48 | |
| 39 | 6 | Evelin Nádházy | Hungary | 55.11 | |

### Semi-finals

The three heats of the semi-finals were held on 5 March in the evening, starting at 19:33 (UTC+1). The first two athletes in each heat (Q) qualified to the final. All five women who ran under 52 seconds prior to the Championships made the final. The sixth spot went the British 200 m specialist Jodie Williams, who was contesting her first 400 m at a major Championships.
Results of the semi-finals :
| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Note |
| 1 | 3 | Femke Bol | Netherlands | 51.17 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Justyna Święty-Ersetic | Poland | 51.34 | Q, NR |
| 3 | 2 | Lieke Klaver | Netherlands | 52.09 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Jodie Williams | Great Britain | 52.09 | Q, PB |
| 5 | 2 | Anna Ryzhykova | Ukraine | 52.11 | PB |
| 6 | 2 | Jessie Knight | Great Britain | 52.22 | |
| 7 | 1 | Phil Healy | Ireland | 52.41 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | Andrea Miklós | Romania | 52.41 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Amarachi Pipi | Great Britain | 52.54 | SB |
| 10 | 3 | Léa Sprunger | Switzerland | 52.64 | |
| 11 | 2 | Agnė Šerkšnienė | Lithuania | 53.09 | |
| 12 | 1 | Lisanne de Witte | Netherlands | 53.10 | |
| 13 | 1 | Kateryna Klymyuk | Ukraine | 53.10 | |
| 14 | 1 | Hanna Mikhailava | Belarus | 53.10 | |
| 15 | 3 | Modesta Justė Morauskaitė | Lithuania | 53.20 | |
| 16 | 3 | Irini Vasiliou | Greece | 53.31 | |
| 17 | 3 | Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo | Belgium | 53.74 | |
| 18 | 2 | Rebecca Borga | Italy | 54.23 | |

### Final

The final was on 6 March in the evening, starting at 20:25 (UTC+1). Starting in lane 6, Femke Bol of the Netherlands took her first 100 m conservatively, and her Dutch teammate Lieke Klaver was the first one at the break. Bol took the lead at the back straight of the second lap, and by the 300 m mark it was Bol, followed by Klaver and Justyna Święty-Ersetic of Poland. The last 50 m saw Klaver tie up, with Święty-Ersetic moving into second place and Jodie Williams of Great Britain into third. Bol's winning time of 50.63 s was a 0.01 s improvement of her own national record (NR) and the fastest winning time at the European Indoor Championships since 2007. It was Bol's first international senior individual medal. Three finalists set personal bests in the final.
Results of the final :
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Note |
| | 6 | Femke Bol | Netherlands | 50.63 | EL, NR |
| | 5 | Justyna Święty-Ersetic | Poland | 51.41 | |
| | 1 | Jodie Williams | Great Britain | 51.73 | PB |
| 4 | 4 | Phil Healy | Ireland | 51.94 | PB |
| 5 | 3 | Lieke Klaver | Netherlands | 52.03 | |
| 6 | 2 | Andrea Miklós | Romania | 52.10 | |