# Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 48 competitors. The final was run on Monday September 26, 1988, in the Seoul Olympic Stadium.

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 47.60 | Marita Koch | Canberra (AUS) | October 6, 1985 |
| Olympic Record | 48.83 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | Los Angeles (USA) | August 6, 1984 |
The following Olympic record was set during this competition.
| Date | Event | Athlete | Time | OR | WR |
| September 26, 1988 | Final | Olga Bryzgina (URS) | 48.65s | OR | |

## Final

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| | Olga Bryzgina | Soviet Union | 48.65(OR) |
| | Petra Müller | East Germany | 49.45 |
| | Olga Nazarova | Soviet Union | 49.90 |
| 4 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | United States | 50.16 |
| 5 | Diane Dixon | United States | 50.72 |
| 6 | Denean Howard | United States | 51.12 |
| 7 | Helga Arendt | West Germany | 51.17 |
| 8 | Maree Holland | Australia | 51.25 |

## Semifinals

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Olga Nazarova | Soviet Union | 49.11 |
| 2 | Petra Müller | East Germany | 49.50 |
| 3 | Diane Dixon | United States | 49.84 |
| 4 | Denean Howard | United States | 49.87 |
| 5 | Jillian Richardson | Canada | 49.91 |
| 6 | Ute Thimm | West Germany | 50.28 |
| 7 | Marita Payne Wiggins | Canada | 50.29 |
| 8 | Dagmar Neubauer | East Germany | 50.92 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Olga Bryzgina | Soviet Union | 49.33 |
| 2 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | United States | 49.90 |
| 3 | Maree Holland | Australia | 50.24 |
| 4 | Helga Arendt | West Germany | 50.36 |
| 5 | Kirsten Emmelmann | East Germany | 50.39 |
| 6 | Cathy Rattray-Williams | Jamaica | 50.82 |
| 7 | Charmaine Crooks | Canada | 51.63 |
| 8 | Norfalia Carabalí | Colombia | 52.65 |

## Quarter-finals

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Maree Holland | Australia | 50.90 |
| 2 | Kirsten Emmelmann | East Germany | 51.02 |
| 3 | Denean Howard | United States | 51.02 |
| 4 | Ute Thimm | West Germany | 51.18 |
| 5 | Maria Magnólia Figueiredo | Brazil | 51.32 |
| 6 | Airat Bakare | Nigeria | 52.86 |
| 7 | Loreen Hall | Great Britain | 53.42 |
| — | Nathalie Simon | France | DNS |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Olga Bryzgina | Soviet Union | 51.90 |
| 2 | Diane Dixon | United States | 51.98 |
| 3 | Helga Arendt | West Germany | 52.08 |
| 4 | Jillian Richardson | Canada | 52.33 |
| 5 | Sandie Richards | Jamaica | 52.90 |
| 6 | Évelyne Élien | France | 53.36 |
| 7 | Sun Sumei | China | 53.58 |
| 8 | Yolande Straughn | Barbados | 54.22 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Petra Müller | East Germany | 51.45 |
| 2 | Marita Payne Wiggins | Canada | 51.73 |
| 3 | Norfalia Carabalí | Colombia | 51.76 |
| 4 | Cathy Rattray-Williams | Jamaica | 51.81 |
| 5 | Linda Keough | Great Britain | 51.91 |
| 6 | Yvonne van Dorp | Netherlands | 53.50 |
| 7 | Liliana Chalá | Ecuador | 53.83 |
| 8 | Mercy Kuttan-Mathews | India | 53.93 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Olga Nazarova | Soviet Union | 50.26 |
| 2 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | United States | 51.24 |
| 3 | Dagmar Neubauer | East Germany | 51.48 |
| 4 | Charmaine Crooks | Canada | 51.64 |
| 5 | Céléstine N'Drin | Ivory Coast | 52.04 |
| 6 | Aïssatou Tandian | Senegal | 52.33 |
| 7 | Fabienne Ficher | France | 52.95 |
| 8 | Blanca Lacambra | Spain | 53.76 |

## Qualifying heats

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Olga Nazarova | Soviet Union | 52.18 |
| 2 | Blanca Lacambra | Spain | 53.04 |
| 3 | Charmaine Crooks | Canada | 53.58 |
| 4 | Liliana Chalá | Ecuador | 53.74 |
| 5 | Pat Beckford | Great Britain | 54.39 |
| 6 | Yang Gyeong-hui | South Korea | 58.18 |
| 7 | Juliana Obiong | Equatorial Guinea | 1:07.58 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Dagmar Neubauer | East Germany | 52.51 |
| 2 | Marita Payne Wiggins | Canada | 52.70 |
| 3 | Airat Bakare | Nigeria | 52.83 |
| 4 | Fabienne Ficher | France | 53.42 |
| 5 | Farida Kyakutewa | Uganda | 56.00 |
| 6 | Christine Bakombo | Zaire | 57.85 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Maria Magnólia Figueiredo | Brazil | 51.74 |
| 2 | Petra Müller | East Germany | 51.93 |
| 3 | Sandie Richards | Jamaica | 52.19 |
| 4 | Loreen Hall | Great Britain | 53.13 |
| 5 | Sun Sumei | China | 53.46 |
| 6 | Yolande Straughn | Barbados | 53.62 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Diane Dixon | United States | 52.45 |
| 2 | Ute Thimm | West Germany | 52.79 |
| 3 | Yvonne van Dorp | Netherlands | 52.84 |
| 4 | Évelyne Élien | France | 52.90 |
| 5 | Marilyn Dewarder | Guyana | 54.76 |
| 6 | May Sardouk | Lebanon | 1:00.01 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | United States | 51.96 |
| 2 | Maree Holland | Australia | 52.29 |
| 3 | Norfalia Carabalí | Colombia | 53.27 |
| 4 | Kirsten Emmelmann | East Germany | 54.02 |
| 5 | Assumpta Achuo-Bei | Cameroon | 55.22 |
| 6 | Josephine Mary Singarayar | Malaysia | 56.06 |
| 7 | Lasnet Nkouka | Republic of the Congo | 57.19 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Olga Bryzgina | Soviet Union | 51.94 |
| 2 | Linda Keough | Great Britain | 52.26 |
| 3 | Cathy Rattray-Williams | Jamaica | 52.39 |
| 4 | Céléstine N'Drin | Ivory Coast | 52.48 |
| 5 | Mercy Kuttan-Mathews | India | 53.41 |
| 6 | Ruth Morris | Virgin Islands | 55.60 |
| 7 | Barbara Selkridge | Antigua and Barbuda | 55.96 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| 1 | Denean Howard | United States | 52.26 |
| 2 | Helga Arendt | West Germany | 52.69 |
| 3 | Aïssatou Tandian | Senegal | 52.95 |
| 4 | Jillian Richardson | Canada | 53.06 |
| 5 | Nathalie Simon | France | 53.30 |
| 6 | Chang Feng-hua | Chinese Taipei | 56.10 |
| 7 | Agnes Griffith | Grenada | 57.09 |