2022 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres

The women's 400 metres at the 2022 European Athletics Championships took place in three rounds at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany, from 15 to 17 August 2022.

The three heats of round 1 were held on 15 August. The twelve fastest athletes joined the twelve highest-ranking athletes, who had a bye, in the semifinals. Janet Richard set a Maltese record of 53.49 seconds. The three heats of the semifinals were held on 16 August. The two fastest in each heat and the two fastest of the rest advanced to the final.

The final was held on 17 August. Femke Bol won the final in a Dutch record of 49.44 seconds. Natalia Kaczmarek finished second in 49.94 seconds and Anna Kiełbasińska finished third in 50.29 seconds.

Background
At the start of the 2022 European Athletics Championships, Marita Koch of Germany held the world and European record of 47.60 seconds and the championship record of 48.16 seconds. Femke Bol of the Netherlands set the European leading mark of 49.75 seconds and Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas set the world lead of 49.12 seconds.

Round 1
The three heats of round 1 were held on 15 August, starting at 19:35 (UTC+2). The first three athletes in each heat (Q) and the next three fastest of the rest (q) advanced to the semifinals. The twelve highest-ranked athletes received a bye into the semifinals. Janet Richard improved the Maltese record to 53.49 seconds, although she didn't advance to the next round.

Semifinals
The three heats of the semifinals were held on 16 August, starting at 13:00 (UTC+2) in the afternoon. The first two athletes in each semifinal (Q) and the next two fastest athletes of the rest (q) advance to the final. Victoria Ohuruogu, Amandine Brossier, and Gunta Vaičule set personal bests in this round, although only Ohuruogu advanced to the next round.

Final
The final was held on 17 August, starting at 22:02 (UTC+2). The race was won by Femke Bol of the Netherlands, winning in a new Dutch record of 49.44 seconds. Two days later, she would also win the women's 400 metres hurdles in an unprecedented double at the European Athletics Championships. In the 400 metres final, Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland won a silver medal finishing 0.5 seconds after Bol in 49.94 seconds followed by Anna Kiełbasińska of Poland who won bronze in 50.29 seconds.