# 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres event at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics was held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, at Zawisza Stadium on 8, 9 and 10 July.

## Medalists

| Gold | Shade Abugan Nigeria |
| Silver | Jessica Beard United States |
| Bronze | Susana Clement Cuba |

## Results
### Final

10 July
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Shade Abugan | Nigeria | 51.84 |
| | Jessica Beard | United States | 52.09 |
| | Susana Clement | Cuba | 52.36 |
| 4 | Racheal Nachula | Zambia | 52.44 |
| 5 | Yuliya Baraley | Ukraine | 53.18 |
| 6 | Angeline Blackburn | Australia | 53.43 |
| 7 | Lanie Whittaker | United States | 53.98 |
| 8 | Fabienne Kohlmann | Germany | 54.12 |

### Semifinals

9 July

#### Semifinal 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Shade Abugan | Nigeria | 51.92 | Q |
| 2 | Angeline Blackburn | Australia | 52.90 | Q |
| 3 | Lanie Whittaker | United States | 53.61 | q |
| 4 | Moa Hjelmer | Sweden | 54.12 | |
| 5 | Latoya McDermott | Jamaica | 54.15 | |
| 6 | Aleksandra Bulanova | Russia | 54.18 | |
| 7 | Alyssa Johnson | Canada | 55.86 | |
| | Britney St. Louis | Trinidad and Tobago | DQ | IAAF rule 163.3 |

#### Semifinal 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Susana Clement | Cuba | 52.90 | Q |
| 2 | Racheal Nachula | Zambia | 52.95 | Q |
| 3 | Fabienne Kohlmann | Germany | 53.78 | q |
| 4 | Natália Zsigovics | Hungary | 54.15 | |
| 5 | Meliz Redif | Turkey | 54.29 | |
| 6 | Natalie Geiger | Canada | 54.50 | |
| 7 | Olha Zemlyak | Ukraine | 54.66 | |
| 8 | Mara Weekes | Barbados | 55.61 | |

#### Semifinal 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Jessica Beard | United States | 52.59 | Q |
| 2 | Yuliya Baraley | Ukraine | 53.48 | Q |
| 3 | Olesea Cojuhari | Moldova | 53.80 | |
| 4 | Berenice Manimba | France | 53.85 | |
| 5 | Liliya Gafiyatullina | Russia | 54.17 | |
| 6 | Chantel Malone | British Virgin Islands | 54.98 | |
| 7 | Josefin Magnusson | Sweden | 55.34 | |
| | Karla Dueñas | Mexico | DQ | IAAF rule 163.3 |

### Heats

8 July

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Yuliya Baraley | Ukraine | 54.61 | Q |
| 2 | Lanie Whittaker | United States | 54.74 | Q |
| 3 | Moa Hjelmer | Sweden | 55.32 | Q |
| 4 | Mara Weekes | Barbados | 55.34 | Q |
| 5 | Antonique Campbell | Jamaica | 56.27 | |
| 6 | Alexandra Štuková | Slovakia | 56.33 | |
| 7 | Joceline Monteiro | Portugal | 56.57 | |
| 8 | Martina Xuereb | Malta | 56.84 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Shade Abugan | Nigeria | 53.71 | Q |
| 2 | Fabienne Kohlmann | Germany | 53.85 | Q |
| 3 | Natália Zsigovics | Hungary | 54.67 | Q |
| 4 | Karla Dueñas | Mexico | 54.90 | Q |
| 5 | Josefin Magnusson | Sweden | 54.93 | q |
| 6 | Olha Zemlyak | Ukraine | 55.12 | q |
| 7 | Mihaela Nunu | Romania | 56.01 | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Racheal Nachula | Zambia | 52.65 | Q |
| 2 | Susana Clement | Cuba | 53.85 | Q |
| 3 | Berenice Manimba | France | 54.16 | Q |
| 4 | Aleksandra Bulanova | Russia | 54.38 | Q |
| 5 | Latoya McDermott | Jamaica | 54.62 | q |
| 6 | Alyssa Johnson | Canada | 55.66 | q |
| 7 | Julia Müller-Foell | Germany | 55.99 | |
| 8 | Francesca Xuereb | Malta | 56.33 | |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Jessica Beard | United States | 53.65 | Q |
| 2 | Olesea Cojuhari | Moldova | 54.56 | Q |
| 3 | Meliz Redif | Turkey | 54.91 | Q |
| 4 | Natalie Geiger | Canada | 55.13 | Q |
| 5 | Valeria Palacios | Mexico | 56.07 | |
| 6 | Benedikte Hauge | Norway | 56.08 | |
| 7 | Yen Tai-Ting | Chinese Taipei | 57.52 | |
| 8 | Machettira Poovamma | India | 57.94 | |

#### Heat 5

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Angeline Blackburn | Australia | 53.82 | Q |
| 2 | Britney St. Louis | Trinidad and Tobago | 54.67 | Q |
| 3 | Liliya Gafiyatullina | Russia | 54.95 | Q |
| 4 | Chantel Malone | British Virgin Islands | 55.38 | Q |
| 5 | Floria Gueï | France | 55.74 | |
| 6 | Florina Rusu | Romania | 57.12 | |
| 7 | Oslyn Collins | Guyana | 61.20 | |
| | Rania Al-Qebali | Jordan | DQ | IAAF rule 163.3 |

## Participation

According to an unofficial count, 39 athletes from 28 countries participated in the event.
* Australia (1)
* Barbados (1)
* British Virgin Islands (1)
* Canada (2)
* Chinese Taipei (1)
* Cuba (1)
* France (2)
* Germany (2)
* Guyana (1)
* Hungary (1)
* India (1)
* Jamaica (2)
* Jordan (1)
* Malta (2)
* Mexico (2)
* Moldova (1)
* Nigeria (1)
* Norway (1)
* Portugal (1)
* Romania (2)
* Russia (2)
* Slovakia (1)
* Sweden (2)
* Trinidad and Tobago (1)
* Turkey (1)
* Ukraine (2)
* United States (2)
* Zambia (1)