title: 1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles
text: # 1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles
  
  These are the official results of the Women's 400 metres Hurdles event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 31 participating athletes, with four qualifying heats, two semi-finals and the final held on Wednesday 1983-08-10.
  
  ## Medalists
  
  | Gold | Yekaterina Fesenko Soviet Union (URS) |
  | - | - |
  | Silver | Ana Ambrazienė Soviet Union (URS) |
  | Bronze | Ellen Fiedler East Germany (GDR) |
  
  ## Records
  
  Existing records at the start of the event.
  
  | World Record | Ana Ambrazienė (URS) | 54.02 | Moscow, USSR | June 11, 1983 |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Championship Record | New event | New event | New event | New event |
  
  ## Final
  
  | RANK | FINAL | TIME |
  | - | - | - |
  | | Yekaterina Fesenko (URS) | 54.12 |
  | | Ana Ambrazienė (URS) | 54.15 |
  | | Ellen Fiedler (GDR) | 54.55 |
  | 4. | Petra Pfaff (GDR) | 54.64 |
  | 5. | Petra Krug (GDR) | 54.76 |
  | 6. | Ann-Louise Skoglund (SWE) | 54.80 |
  | 7. | Susan Morley (GBR) | 56.04 |
  | 8. | Cristieana Cojocaru (ROU) | 56.26 |
  
  ## Semi-finals
  
  * Held on Tuesday 1983-08-09
  
  | RANK | HEAT 1 | TIME |
  | - | - | - |
  | 1. | Petra Pfaff (GDR) | 55.77 |
  | 2. | Yekaterina Fesenko (URS) | 55.99 |
  | 3. | Ann-Louise Skoglund (SWE) | 56.01 |
  | 4. | Susan Morley (GBR) | 56.09 |
  | 5. | Debbie Flintoff (AUS) | 56.63 |
  | 6. | Gwen Wall (CAN) | 56.68 |
  | 7. | Judi Brown (USA) | 57.98 |
  | — | Hilde Fredriksen (NOR) | DNS |
  | RANK | HEAT 2 | TIME |
  | 1. | Ana Ambrazienė (URS) | 55.18 |
  | 2. | Ellen Fiedler (GDR) | 55.23 |
  | 3. | Petra Krug (GDR) | 55.98 |
  | 4. | Cristieana Cojocaru (ROU) | 56.71 |
  | 5. | Sharrieffa Barksdale (USA) | 56.81 |
  | 6. | Nawal El Moutawakil (MAR) | 57.10 |
  | 7. | Anna Filicková (TCH) | 57.64 |
  | 8. | Christine Slythe (CAN) | 58.53 |
  
  ## Qualifying heats
  
  * Held on Monday 1983-08-08
  
  | RANK | HEAT 1 | TIME |
  | - | - | - |
  | 1. | Yekaterina Fesenko (URS) | 56.43 |
  | 2. | Ann-Louise Skoglund (SWE) | 56.80 |
  | 3. | Gwen Wall (CAN) | 57.14 |
  | 4. | Judi Brown (USA) | 57.14 |
  | 5. | Giuseppina Cirulli (ITA) | 57.43 |
  | 6. | Rose Tata-Muya (KEN) | 58.09 |
  | 7. | Liu Guihua (CHN) | 59.39 |
  | 8. | Felicia Candelario (DOM) | 1:00.72 |
  | RANK | HEAT 2 | TIME |
  | 1. | Ana Ambrazienė (URS) | 56.30 |
  | 2. | Susan Morley (GBR) | 56.58 |
  | 3. | Petra Krug (GDR) | 56.87 |
  | 4. | Anna Filicková (TCH) | 57.09 |
  | 5. | Ruth Kyalisima (UGA) | 57.58 |
  | 6. | Helle Sichlau (DEN) | 57.90 |
  | 7. | Tonja Brown (USA) | 58.00 |
  | 8. | Ovrill Dwyer-Brown (JAM) | 58.40 |
  | RANK | HEAT 3 | TIME |
  | 1. | Nawal El Moutawakil (MAR) | 56.52 |
  | 2. | Petra Pfaff (GDR) | 56.56 |
  | 3. | Hilde Fredriksen (NOR) | 56.66 |
  | 4. | Christine Slythe (CAN) | 57.40 |
  | 5. | Sandra Farmer (JAM) | 57.97 |
  | 6. | Verona Elder (GBR) | 58.74 |
  | 7. | Tuija Helander (FIN) | 59.43 |
  | — | Mary Wagner (FRG) | DNF |
  | RANK | HEAT 4 | TIME |
  | 1. | Debbie Flintoff (AUS) | 56.47 |
  | 2. | Cristieana Cojocaru (ROU) | 56.49 |
  | 3. | Ellen Fiedler (GDR) | 56.58 |
  | 4. | Sharrieffa Barksdale (USA) | 56.60 |
  | 5. | Gladys Taylor (GBR) | 58.25 |
  | 6. | Andrea Page (CAN) | 58.55 |
  | 7. | Marcela Sevcikova (TCH) | 1:00.34 |
  