# 1978 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres hurdles

The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 1978 European Athletics Championships was held in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, at Stadion Evžena Rošického on 1 and 2 September 1978.

## Medalists

| Gold | Tatyana Zelentsova Soviet Union |
| Silver | Silvia Hollmann West Germany |
| Bronze | Karin Roßley East Germany |

## Results
### Final

2 September
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | Tatyana Zelentsova | Soviet Union | 54.89 | WR |
| | Silvia Hollmann | West Germany | 55.14 | NR |
| | Karin Roßley | East Germany | 55.36 | NR |
| 4 | Brigitte Köhn | East Germany | 55.46 | |
| 5 | Krystyna Kacperczyk | Poland | 55.55 | NR |
| 6 | Anita Weiß | East Germany | 55.63 | |
| 7 | Ingrīda Barkāne | Soviet Union | 55.97 | |
| 8 | Genowefa Błaszak | Poland | 57.72 | |

### Semi-finals

2 September

#### Semi-final 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Silvia Hollmann | West Germany | 56.08 | CR Q |
| 2 | Anita Weiß | East Germany | 56.19 | Q |
| 3 | Krystyna Kacperczyk | Poland | 56.20 | Q |
| 4 | Karin Roßley | East Germany | 56.27 | Q |
| 5 | Mary Appleby | Ireland | 57.36 | |
| 6 | Marina Makeyeva | Soviet Union | 57.49 | |
| 7 | Lea Alaerts | Belgium | 57.68 | |
| | Svilenka Filipova | Bulgaria | DNF | |

#### Semi-final 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Tatyana Zelentsova | Soviet Union | 55.89 | CR Q |
| 2 | Ingrīda Barkāne | Soviet Union | 56.32 | Q |
| 3 | Brigitte Köhn | East Germany | 56.55 | Q |
| 4 | Genowefa Błaszak | Poland | 56.67 | Q |
| 5 | Erika Weinstein | West Germany | 57.22 | |
| 6 | Hilde Fredriksen | Norway | 58.35 | |
| 7 | Anne Michel | Belgium | 58.67 | |
| 8 | Liz Sutherland | Great Britain | 62.83 | |

### Heats

1 September

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Brigitte Köhn | East Germany | 56.83 | Q |
| 2 | Krystyna Kacperczyk | Poland | 57.18 | Q |
| 3 | Erika Weinstein | West Germany | 57.56 | Q |
| 4 | Mary Appleby | Ireland | 57.66 | Q |
| 5 | Eva Mohacsi | Hungary | 59.61 | |
| 6 | Rosa-Maria Colorado | Spain | 59.76 | |
| 7 | Kristianne Staut | Belgium | 68.51 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Silvia Hollmann | West Germany | 57.50 | Q |
| 2 | Karin Roßley | East Germany | 58.07 | Q |
| 3 | Hilde Fredriksen | Norway | 58.12 | NJR Q |
| 4 | Ingrīda Barkāne | Soviet Union | 58.29 | Q |
| 5 | Doina Badescu | Romania | 59.72 | |
| 6 | Wilma Hillen | Netherlands | 59.97 | |
| 7 | Kamila Jozefíková | Czechoslovakia | 60.61 | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Liz Sutherland | Great Britain | 57.61 | Q |
| 2 | Marina Makeyeva | Soviet Union | 57.66 | Q |
| 3 | Lea Alaerts | Belgium | 57.74 | Q |
| 4 | Genowefa Błaszak | Poland | 58.11 | Q |
| 5 | Anne Aren | Sweden | 59.32 | |
| 6 | Montserrat Pujol | Spain | 60.21 | |
| 7 | Dana Wildová | Czechoslovakia | 60.97 | |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Anita Weiß | East Germany | 56.19 | CR Q |
| 2 | Tatyana Zelentsova | Soviet Union | 56.44 | Q |
| 3 | Anne Michel | Belgium | 58.19 | Q |
| 4 | Svilenka Filipova | Bulgaria | 58.31 | Q |
| 5 | Danièle Lairloup | France | 58.47 | |
| 6 | Lisbeth Helbling | Switzerland | 58.57 | |
| 7 | Hana Slámová | Czechoslovakia | 60.77 | |

## Participation

According to an unofficial count, 28 athletes from 17 countries participated in the event.
* Belgium (3)
* Bulgaria (1)
* Czechoslovakia (3)
* East Germany (3)
* France (1)
* Hungary (1)
* Ireland (1)
* Netherlands (1)
* Norway (1)
* Poland (2)
* Romania (1)
* Soviet Union (3)
* Spain (2)
* Sweden (1)
* Switzerland (1)
* Great Britain (1)
* West Germany (2)