2013 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay
The women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 16–17 August.
Summary
After giving up.08 in reaction time at the start, Jessica Beard split 50.79 to give the United States the early lead. By the time Natasha Hastings broke, she had a clear lead of more than 10 meters over the Tatyana Firova from Russia in second place. But after a 49.88 lap by Hastings, the Russian team had pulled even at the handoff. Kseniya Ryzhova went around the outside of Ashley Spencer and into the lead. Ryzhova opened up as much as a 2-meter lead, but by the home stretch, Spencer had gained that back and passed Ryzhova on the inside. But Ryzhova fought back to a slight lead. With the American team in second place coming off the turn, Francena McCorory was waiting in lane 2. Spencer had to cross behind Ryzhova to hand off. It was 400-meter bronze medalist Antonina Krivoshapka against 6th placer Francena McCorory, with Great Britain anchored by gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu a distant third. Krivoshapka opened up about a 5-meter lead on the back stretch, but McCorory looked to run within herself and came back to pass Krivoshapka on the home stretch. But Krivoshapka fought back, retaking the lead and holding it across the finish. Ohuruogu found herself challenged by Floria Guei on the backstretch but ran away from her on the home stretch for a clear third place.In 2016, Russia's anchor runner Antonina Krivoshapka's samples from the 2012 Olympics were retested and found to contain turinabol. In 2017 she was given a two-year ban including this race and Russia was disqualified. All teams advanced one place. The IAAF conducted the medal ceremony at the 2017 World Championships.
Records
Prior to the competition, the records were as follows:| World record | Soviet Union | 3:15.17 | Seoul, South Korea | 1 October 1988 |
| Championship record | United States | 3:16.71 | Stuttgart, Germany | 22 August 1993 |
| World leading | United States Red | 3:22.66 | Philadelphia, United States | 27 April 2013 |
| African record | Nigeria | 3:21.04 | Atlanta, United States | 3 August 1996 |
| Asian record | Hebei Province | 3:24.28 | Beijing, People's Republic of China | 13 September 1993 |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record | United States | 3:15.51 | Seoul, South Korea | 1 October 1988 |
| South American record | BM&F Bovespa | 3:26.68 | São Paulo, Brazil | 7 August 2011 |
| European record | Soviet Union | 3:15.17 | Seoul, South Korea | 1 October 1988 |
| Oceanian record | Australia | 3:23.81 | Sydney | 30 September 2000 |
Qualification standards
Schedule
Results
Heats
Qualification: First 2 of each heat plus the 2 fastest times advance to the [|final].Final
The final was started at 19:30.| Rank | Lane | Nation | Athletes | Time | Notes |
| 5 | Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings, Ashley Spencer, Francena McCorory | 3:20.41 | SB | ||
| 6 | Eilidh Child, Shana Cox, Margaret Adeoye, Christine Ohuruogu | 3:22.61 | SB | ||
| 1 | Marie Gayot, Lénora Guion-Firmin, Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, Floria Guei | 3:24.21 | SB | ||
| 4 | 2 | Daryna Prystupa, Olha Lyakhova, Alina Lohvynenko, Nataliya Pyhyda | 3:27.38 | SB | |
| 5 | 3 | Omolara Omotoso, Patience Okon George, Bukola Abogunloko, Regina George | 3:27.57 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Adelina Pastor, Elena Mirela Lavric, Sanda Belgyan, Bianca Răzor | 3:28.40 | SB | |
| 7 | Chiara Bazzoni, Marta Milani, Maria Enrica Spacca, Libania Grenot | 170.6 | |||
| DSQ | 4 | Yuliya Gushchina, Tatyana Firova, Kseniya Ryzhova, Antonina Krivoshapka | AD 11.1Entire team disqualified on Krivoshapka's failed drug test |