1958 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres

None March 2025 Women's 400 metres European Athletics Championships Olympiastadion Stockholm, Sweden 19 August 1958 (round 1) 21 August 1958 (final) 12 8 53.7 s CR Mariya Itkina URS Yekaterina Parlyuk URS Moyra Hiscox GBR 1962 The women's 400 metres at the 1958 European Athletics Championships was held over two rounds at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, on 19 and 21 August 1958. It was the first time that this women's event was contested at the European Athletics Championships, while the men's 400 metres had been part of the program since the first championships in 1934. Twelve athletes from eight nations competed in the first round on 19 August, from where six athletes advanced to the final on 21 August. World-record holder Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union set a championship record of 54.0 seconds in round 1, which she improved in the final, where she won the gold medal in a time of 53.7 s. Yekaterina Parlyuk of the Soviet Union finished second in 54.8 s and Moyra Hiscox of Great Britain was third in 55.7 s. Background At the International Amateur Athletic Federation congress of 1956, the women's 400 metres was newly added to the program of the European Athletics Championships for the 1958 edition, at the request of the Soviet delegation."Atletiek-wereldrecords erkend" (in Dutch), De Waarheid, 7 December 1956. Retrieved 26 March 2025. The men's 400 metres had already been contested five times at the European Athletics Championships before 1958, since the first edition in 1934."European Athletics Championships Munich 2022 – Statistics Handbook – Athletics", European Athletics, pp. 732, 745. Retrieved 25 March 2025. At the start of the 1958 championships, the world and European record was 53.6 s, set a year earlier by Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union."World Record Progression of 400 Metres – Female – Senior", World Athletics. Retrieved 26 March 2025. Itkina was seen as the favourite to win based on her performances from 1958."Prognoses voor Stockholm" (in Dutch), Eindhovensch Dagblad, 19 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025. Being contested for the first time at the European Athletics Championships, there was no championship record for this event yet. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. The stadium from 1912 had been renovated before these championships; the stands were moved back in order to change the track from 382 metres to the international standard of 400 metres."Elektrische installaties zullen in Stockholm feilloos Europese kampioenen aanwijzen" (in Dutch), Het Binnenhof, 18 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025. All races were hand-timed (h). + Record before the 1958 European Athletics Championships Record Time Time in seconds Athlete (nation) Location Date World record 53.6 h Mariya Itkina URS Moscow, Soviet Union 6 July 1957 European record Championship record Vacant Results Round 1 Twelve athletes from eight nations competed in two heats of round 1 on 19 August."Stockholm European Championships – 19–24 AUG 1958 – Women's 400 Metres", World Athletics. Retrieved 26 March 2025. The three fastest athletes of each heat qualified for the final (Q)."Europees record voor Dana Zatopkova" (in Dutch), Het Vaderland, 20 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025. In the first heat, the fastest time of 54.0 s by Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union was the first championship record (CR) for the event. + Results of round 1 Rank Heat Athlete Nation Time Time in seconds Notes 1 1 Mariya Itkina URS 1955 54.0 h CR, Q 2 2 Yekaterina Parlyuk URS 1955 55.4 h Q 3 2 Vera Mukhanova URS 1955 55.7 h Q 4 2 Moyra Hiscox GBR 55.7 h Q 5 2 Maria Jeibmann FRG 55.9 h 6 1 Shirley Pirie GBR 56.2 h Q 7 1 Ida Németh HUN 1957 56.8 h Q 8 2 Beata Żbikowska POL 57.2 h 9 1 Bärbel Reinnagel GDR 1949 57.7 h 10 2 Jytte Kort DEN 57.9 h 11 1 Lesley MacKinnon GBR 58.2 h 12 1 Gül Çiray TUR 60.8 h Final Six athletes from three nations competed in the final on 21 August. The race was won by Mariya Itkina of the Soviet Union who improved her championship record (CR) from two days earlier to 53.7 s, followed by Yekaterina Parlyuk of the Soviet Union in second place in 54.8 s and Moyra Hiscox of Great Britain in third place in 55.7 s. Being exhausted after the race, Hiscox was treated by a physician and missed the medal ceremony."Gediskwalificeerde Michael Rawson kreeg na protest toch nog gouden medaille" (in Dutch), Het Binnenhof, 22 August 1958. Retrieved 26 March 2025. Itkina's performance was 0.1 s slower than her world record from a year earlier. Itkina's obituary by World Athletics recalled that she "dominated the event" being over a second faster than the number two."Former world record-holder Itkina dies", World Athletics, 2 December 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2025. The Dutch newspaper Het Binnenhof reported that "the superiority of the Russians was astonishing", referring to Itkina, Vasili Kuznetsov, and Galina Bystrova of the Soviet Union, as all three won gold medals that day. + Results of the final Rank Athlete Nation Time Time in seconds Notes Mariya Itkina URS 1955 53.7 h CR Yekaterina Parlyuk URS 1955 54.8 h Moyra Hiscox GBR 55.7 h 4 Shirley Pirie GBR 55.7 h 5 Vera Mukhanova URS 1955 56.3 h 6 Ida Németh HUN 1957 56.3 h References Category:400 metres at the European Athletics Championships Category:Women's events at the 1958 European Athletics Championships