# 1978 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres at the 1978 European Athletics Championships was held in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, at Stadion Evžena Rošického on 29, 30, and 31 August 1978.

## Medalists

| Gold | Marita Koch East Germany |
| Silver | Christina Brehmer East Germany |
| Bronze | Irena Szewińska Poland |

## Results
### Final

31 August
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | Marita Koch | East Germany | 48.94 | WR |
| | Christina Brehmer | East Germany | 50.38 | |
| | Irena Szewińska | Poland | 50.40 | |
| 4 | Mariya Kulchunova | Soviet Union | 51.25 | |
| 5 | Christiane Marquardt | East Germany | 51.99 | |
| 6 | Donna Hartley | Great Britain | 52.31 | |
| 7 | Pirjo Häggman | Finland | 52.46 | |
| 8 | Verona Elder | Great Britain | 52.53 | |

### Semi-finals

30 August

#### Semi-final 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Marita Koch | East Germany | 51.76 | Q |
| 2 | Mariya Kulchunova | Soviet Union | 51.88 | Q |
| 3 | Donna Hartley | Great Britain | 52.14 | Q |
| 4 | Pirjo Häggman | Finland | 52.24 | Q |
| 5 | Elke Decker | West Germany | 52.92 | |
| 6 | Joslyn Hoyte | Great Britain | 52.95 | |
| 7 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia | 53.93 | |
| 8 | Patricia Darbonville | France | 54.47 | |

#### Semi-final 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Christina Brehmer | East Germany | 52.01 | Q |
| 2 | Christiane Marquardt | East Germany | 52.29 | Q |
| 3 | Irena Szewińska | Poland | 52.37 | Q |
| 4 | Verona Elder | Great Britain | 52.65 | Q |
| 5 | Gaby Bussmann | West Germany | 52.66 | |
| 6 | Dagmar Fuhrmann | West Germany | 53.23 | |
| 7 | Ilona Pál | Hungary | 53.50 | |
| 8 | Marina Sidorova | Soviet Union | 54.08 | |

### Heats

29 August

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Marita Koch | East Germany | 52.95 | Q |
| 2 | Irena Szewińska | Poland | 53.14 | Q |
| 3 | Ilona Pál | Hungary | 53.42 | Q |
| 4 | Patricia Darbonville | France | 53.50 | q |
| 5 | Rosine Wallez | Belgium | 53.99 | |
| 6 | Anne Aren | Sweden | 54.37 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Christiane Marquardt | East Germany | 52.12 | Q |
| 2 | Joslyn Hoyte | Great Britain | 52.29 | Q |
| 3 | Gaby Bussmann | West Germany | 52.92 | Q |
| 4 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia | 53.33 | q |
| 5 | Marina Sidorova | Soviet Union | 53.72 | q |
| 6 | Yvonne Hannus | Finland | 53.98 | |
| 7 | Ibolya Petrika | Hungary | 54.01 | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Christina Brehmer | East Germany | 51.71 | Q |
| 2 | Verona Elder | Great Britain | 52.64 | Q |
| 3 | Pirjo Häggman | Finland | 52.68 | Q |
| 4 | Elke Decker | West Germany | 52.97 | q |
| 5 | Catherine Delachanal | France | 53.81 | |
| 6 | Truus van Amstel | Netherlands | 54.37 | |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Mariya Kulchunova | Soviet Union | 51.55 | Q |
| 2 | Dagmar Fuhrmann | West Germany | 53.45 | Q |
| 3 | Donna Hartley | Great Britain | 53.61 | Q |
| 4 | Silvia Schinzel | Austria | 53.80 | |
| 5 | Rozalia Halmosi | Hungary | 53.93 | |
| 6 | Eva Ráková | Czechoslovakia | 54.00 | |

## Participation

According to an unofficial count, 25 athletes from 13 countries participated in the event.
* Austria (1)
* Belgium (1)
* Czechoslovakia (2)
* East Germany (3)
* Finland (2)
* France (2)
* Hungary (3)
* Netherlands (1)
* Poland (1)
* Soviet Union (2)
* Sweden (1)
* Great Britain (3)
* West Germany (3)