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Athletics at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games:
Women's 400 metres
Athletics at the 1968 Summer Games: Previous Summer Games ▪ Next Summer Games
Host City: Ciudad de México, Mexico
Venue(s): University Olympic Stadium, Ciudad de México
Date Started: October 14, 1968
Date Finished: October 16, 1968
| Gold: |  Colette Besson |
| Silver: |  Lillian Board |
| Bronze: |  Nataliya Pechonkina-Chistyakova |
Summary
Great Britainâs [Lillian Board] was favored based on fast times early in the year. The lead in the final was taken by [Jarvis Scott] (USA) but she faded at 300 metres and Board took over. In the last 20 metres, Franceâs [Colette Besson] pulled up to win the gold medal with Board second. Besson was completely unheralded prior to the competition, but would place second in the 400 at the 1969 European Championships. Britainâs press was somewhat critical of Board, but later had cause to regret that. Within 18 months of the 1968 Olympics, she was diagnosed with cancer and died in December 1970, when she was only 22.
Final Standings
| Rank | Athlete | Age | Team | NOC | Medal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colette Besson | 22 | France | FRA | Gold | |
| 2 | Lillian Board | 19 | Great Britain | GBR | Silver | |
| 3 | Nataliya Pechonkina-Chistyakova | 22 | Soviet Union | URS | Bronze | |
| 4 | Janet Simpson | 24 | Great Britain | GBR | ||
| 5 | Aurelia Pentón | 27 | Cuba | CUB | ||
| 6 | Jarvis Scott | 21 | United States | USA | ||
| 7 | Helga Henning | 30 | West Germany | FRG | ||
| 8 | Mirna van der Hoeven-Jansen | 20 | Netherlands | NED | ||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | Esther Stroy | 15 | United States | USA | ||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | Mary Green | 24 | Great Britain | GBR | ||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | Una Morris | 21 | Jamaica | JAM | ||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | Karin Wallgren-Lundgren | 24 | Sweden | SWE | ||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | Ingrīda Verbele | 20 | Soviet Union | URS | ||
| 7 h2 r2/3 | Monique Noirot | 27 | France | FRA | ||
| 8 h1 r2/3 | Joan Fisher | 19 | Canada | CAN | ||
| 8 h2 r2/3 | Lois Drinkwater | 17 | United States | USA | ||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | Enriqueta Basilio | 20 | Mexico | MEX | ||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | Anne Covell | 18 | Canada | CAN | ||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | Tekla Chemabwai | 18 | Kenya | KEN | ||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | Donata Govoni | 24 | Italy | ITA | ||
| 6 h1 r1/3 | Joyce Bennett | 23 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | Anna Chmelková | 24 | Czechoslovakia | TCH | ||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | Sandra Brown | 22 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | Eeva Haimi | 22 | Finland | FIN | ||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | Antónia Munkácsi | 29 | Hungary | HUN | ||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | Channa Shezifi | 24 | Israel | ISR | ||
| 7 h4 r1/3 | Josefa Vicent | 18 | Uruguay | URU | ||
| 8 h2 r1/3 | Jean Robotham | 24 | Costa Rica | CRC | ||
| 8 h4 r1/3 | Olajumoke Bodunrin | 23 | Nigeria | NGR |
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