| 2021 | ||||
| (Tokyo, August 6) | ||||
| 1. | Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas) | 48.36 | ||
| 2. | Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic) | 49.20 | ||
| 3. | Allyson Felix (USA) | 49.46 | ||
| 4. | Stephenie Ann McPherson (Jamaica) | 49.61 | ||
| 5. | Candice McLeod (Jamaica) | 49.87 | ||
| 6. | Jodie Williams (Great Britain) | 49.97 | ||
| 7. | Quanera Hayes (USA) | 50.88 | ||
| dnf. | Roxana Gómez (Cuba) | |||
| [Wadeline Jonathas (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
| (Rio de Janeiro, August 15) | ||||
| 1 | Shaunae Miller (Bahamas) | 49.44 | ||
| 2 | Allyson Felix (USA) | 49.51 | ||
| 3 | Shericka Jackson (Jamaica) | 49.85 | ||
| 4 | Natasha Hastings (USA) | 50.34 | ||
| 5 | Phyllis Francis (USA) | 50.41 | ||
| 6 | Stephenie Ann McPherson (Jamaica) | 50.97 | ||
| 7 | Olha Zemlyak (Ukraine) | 51.24 | ||
| 8 | Libania Grenot (Italy) | 51.25 | ||
| 2012 | ||||
| (London, August 5) | ||||
| 1 | Sanya Richards-Ross (USA) | 49.55 | ||
| 2 | Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain) | 49.70 | ||
| 3 | DeeDee Trotter (USA) | 49.72 | ||
| 4 | Amantle Montsho (Botswana) | 49.75 | ||
| 5 | Novlene Williams-Mills (Jamaica) | 50.11 | ||
| 6 | Antonina Krivoshapka (Russia) | 50.17 | ||
| 7 | Francena McCorory (USA) | 50.33 | ||
| 8 | Rosemarie Whyte (Jamaica) | 50.79 | ||
| 2008 | ||||
| 1 | Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain) | 49.62 | ||
| 2 | Shericka Williams (Jamaica) | 49.69 | ||
| 3 | Sanya Richards-Ross (USA) | 49.93 | ||
| 4 | Yuliya Gushchina (Russia) | 50.01 | ||
| 5 | Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (Russia) | 50.03 | ||
| 6 | Tatyana Firova (Russia) | 50.11 | ||
| 7 | Rosemarie Whyte (Jamaica) | 50.68 | ||
| 8 | Amantle Montsho (Botswana) | 51.18 | ||
| [Mary Wineberg (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Deedee Trotter (USA) 7th in semi] | ||||
| 2004 | ||||
| 1 | Tonique Williams-Darling (Bahamas) | 49.41 | ||
| 2 | Ana Guevara (Mexico) | 49.56 | ||
| 3 | Natalya Antyukh (Russia) | 49.89 | ||
| 4 | Monique Hennagan (USA) | 49.97 | ||
| 5 | Deedee Trotter (USA) | 50.00 | ||
| 6 | Sanya Richards-Ross (USA) | 50.19 | ||
| 7 | Christine Amertil (Bahamas) | 50.37 | ||
| 8 | Natalya Nazarova (Russia) | 50.65 | ||
| 2000 | ||||
| 1 | Cathy Freeman (Australia) | 49.11 | ||
| 2 | Lorraine Graham (Jamaica) | 49.58 | ||
| 3 | Katharine Merry (Great Britain) | 49.72 | ||
| 4 | Donna Fraser (Great Britain) | 49.79 | ||
| 5 | Ana Guevara (Mexico) | 49.96 | ||
| 6 | Heide Seyerling (South Africa) | 50.05 | ||
| 7 | Fali Ogunkoya (Nigeria) | 50.12 | ||
| 8 | Olga Kotlyarova (Russia) | 51.04 | ||
| [Monique Hennagan (USA) 6th in quarter] | ||||
| [LaTasha Colander (USA) 5th in quarter] | ||||
| [Michelle Collins (USA) 4th in heat] | ||||
| 1996 | ||||
| 1 | Marie-José Pérec (France) | 48.25 | ||
| 2 | Cathy Freeman (Australia) | 48.63 | ||
| 3 | Fali Ogunkoya (Nigeria) | 49.10 | ||
| 4 | Pauline Davis (Bahamas) | 49.28 | ||
| 5 | Jearl Miles Clark (USA) | 49.55 | ||
| 6 | Fatima Yusuf (Nigeria) | 49.77 | ||
| 7 | Sandie Richards (Jamaica) | 50.45 | ||
| 8 | Grit Beuer (Germany) | 50.71 | ||
| [Kim Graham (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Maicel Malone (USA) 6th in semi] | ||||
| [Pérec 48.25 OR] | ||||
| 1992 | ||||
| 1 | Marie-José Pérec (France) | 48.83 | ||
| 2 | Olga Bryzgina (Ukraine) | 49.05 | ||
| 3 | Ximena Restrepo (Colombia) | 49.64 | ||
| 4 | Olga Nazarova II (Russia) | 49.69 | ||
| 5 | Jillian Richardson (Canada) | 49.93 | ||
| 6 | Rochelle Stevens (USA) | 50.11 | ||
| 7 | Sandie Richards (Jamaica) | 50.19 | ||
| 8 | Phylis Smith (Great Britain) | 50.87 | ||
| [Jearl Miles Clark (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Natasha Kaiser-Brown (USA) 6th in semi] | ||||
| 1988 | ||||
| 1 | Olga Bryzgina (Soviet Union) | 48.65 | ||
| 2 | Petra Müller (East Germany) | 49.45 | ||
| 3 | Olga Nazarova II (Soviet Union) | 49.90 | ||
| 4 | Valerie Brisco (USA) | 50.16 | ||
| 5 | Diane Dixon (USA) | 50.72 | ||
| 6 | Denean Howard (USA) | 51.12 | ||
| 7 | Helga Arendt (West Germany) | 51.17 | ||
| 8 | Maree Holland (Australia) | 51.25 | ||
| [Bryzgina 48.65 OR] | ||||
| 1984 | ||||
| 1 | Valerie Brisco (USA) | 48.83 | ||
| 2 | Chandra Cheeseborough (USA) | 49.05 | ||
| 3 | Kathy Cook (Great Britain) | 49.43 | ||
| 4 | Marita Payne (Canada) | 49.91 | ||
| 5 | Lillie Leatherwood (USA) | 50.25 | ||
| 6 | Ute Thimm (West Germany) | 50.45 | ||
| 7 | Charmaine Crooks (Canada) | 50.45 | ||
| 8 | Ruth Waithera (Kenya) | 51.56 | ||
| [Brisco 48.83 OR] | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| 1 | Marita Koch (East Germany) | 48.88 | ||
| 2 | Jarmila Kratochvílová (Czechoslovakia) | 49.46 | ||
| 3 | Christina Lathan (East Germany) | 49.66 | ||
| 4 | Irina Bagryantseva (Soviet Union) | 50.07 | ||
| 5 | Nina Zyuskova (Soviet Union) | 50.17 | ||
| 6 | Gabriele Löwe (East Germany) | 51.33 | ||
| 7 | Pirjo Häggman (Finland) | 51.35 | ||
| 8 | Linsey Macdonald (Great Britain) | 52.40 | ||
| [Koch 48.88 OR] | ||||
| 1976 | ||||
| 1 | Irena Szewińska (Poland) | 49.28 | ||
| 2 | Christina Lathan (East Germany) | 50.51 | ||
| 3 | Ellen Streidt (East Germany) | 50.55 | ||
| 4 | Pirjo Häggman (Finland) | 50.56 | ||
| 5 | Rosalyn Bryant (USA) | 50.65 | ||
| 6 | Sheila Ingram (USA) | 50.90 | ||
| 7 | Riita Salin (Finland) | 50.98 | ||
| 8 | Debra Sapenter (USA) | 51.66 | ||
| [Szewinska 50.48 OR {semi}, 49.28 WR, OR] | ||||
| 1972 | ||||
| 1 | Monika Zehrt (East Germany) | 51.08 | ||
| 2 | Rita Wilden (West Germany) | 51.21 | ||
| 3 | Kathy Hammond (USA) | 51.64 | ||
| 4 | Helga Seidler (East Germany) | 51.86 | ||
| 5 | Mable Fergerson (USA) | 51.96 | ||
| 6 | Charlene Rendina (Australia) | 51.99 | ||
| 7 | Dagmar Käsling (East Germany) | 52.19 | ||
| 8 | Györgyi Balogh (Hungary) | 52.39 | ||
| [Debra Edwards (USA) 5th in heat] | ||||
| [Rendina 51.94 OR {heat}; Balogh 51.71 OR {quarter}; Zehrt | ||||
| 51.47 OR {semi}, 51.08 OR] | ||||
| 1968 | ||||
| 1 | Colette Besson (France) | 52.0(A) | (52.03) | |
| 2 | Lillian Board (Great Britain) | 52.1 | (52.12) | |
| 3 | Natalya Chistyakova (Soviet Union) | 52.2 | (52.25) | |
| 4 | Janet Simpson (Great Britain) | 52.5 | (52.27) | |
| 5 | Aurelia Penton (Cuba) | 52.7 | (52.75) | |
| 6 | Jarvis Scott (USA) | 52.7 | (52.79) | |
| 7 | Helga Henning (West Germany) | 52.8 | (52.89) | |
| 8 | Hermina van der Hoeven (Holland) | 53.0 | (53.02) | |
| [Esther Stroy (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Lois Drinkwater (USA) 8th in semi] | ||||
| [Besson 52.0 =OR] | ||||
| 1964 | ||||
| 1 | Betty Cuthbert (Australia) | 52.0 | (52.01) | |
| 2 | Ann Packer (Great Britain) | 52.2 | (52.20) | |
| 3 | Judy Amoore (Australia) | 53.4 | ||
| 4 | Antónia Munkácsi (Hungary) | 54.4 | ||
| 5 | Mariya Itkina (Soviet Union) | 54.6 | ||
| 6 | Tilly van der Zwaard (Holland) | 55.2 | ||
| 7 | Gertrud Schmidt (East Germany) | 55.4 | ||
| 8 | Evelyne Lebret (France) | 55.5 | ||
| [Janell Smith (USA) 6th in semi; only U.S. entrant] | ||||
| [Munkácsi 54.4 (54.42) OR {heat}; Packer 53.1 (53.18) OR | ||||
| {heat}, 52.7 (52.77) OR {semi}; Cuthbert 52.0 OR] | ||||
| 1960 | ||||
| (not contested before 1964) |
