On 1 March, round 1 was held in the morning, where a total of 37 athletes of 25 nations competed. Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo of Belgium set a national record of 52.60 seconds and Gunta Vaičule of Latvia set a national record of 52.66 seconds. Eighteen athletes qualified for the semi-finals. On 1 March, the semi-finals were held in the evening. Agnė Šerkšnienė of Lithuania set a national record of 52.33 seconds and Bolingo Mbongo further improved her Belgian record to 52.37 seconds. Six athletes qualified for the final.
On 2 March, the final was held in the evening. The race was won by Léa Sprunger of Switzerland in a world leading time of 51.61 seconds, followed by Bolingo Mbongo in 51.62 seconds, another improvement of her Belgian record, and Lisanne de Witte of the Netherlands in a personal best time of 52.34 seconds.
Background
Records before 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships
Athletes could qualify for the 400 metres from 1 January 2018 to 21 February 2019 by reaching the entry standard of 53.90 s indoor and 52.75 s outdoor. If a nation didn't have any qualified athletes, it could enter one unqualified athlete.[2]
Rounds
Round 1
The seven heats of the first round were held on 1 March, starting at 10:20 in the morning. Of the 37 competitors, the first two athletes in each heat (Q) and the next four fastest (q) qualified for the semi-finals. In the fifth heat, Gunta Vaičule of Latvia set a national record (NR) of 52.66 s. In the seventh heat, Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo of Belgium set a national record of 52.60 s.[1]
The three heats of the semi-finals were held on 1 March, starting at 21:00 in the evening. Of the eighteen competitors, the first two athletes in each heat (Q) advanced to the final. In the second heat, Agnė Šerkšnienė of Lithuania set a national record (NR) of 52.33 s. In the third heat, Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo of Belgium broke her own national record from the first round in a new time of 52.37 s.[3]
The final was held on 2 March at 20:22 in the evening. The race was won by Léa Sprunger of Switzerland in a world leading time (WL) of 51.61 s, followed by silver medalist Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo of Belgium who broke her national record (NR) from the semi-finals in 51.62 s and bronze medalist Lisanne de Witte of the Netherlands in a personal best time (PB) of 52.34 s.[4]