1978 European Athletics Championships – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay

The women's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1978 European Athletics Championships was held in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, at Stadion Evžena Rošického on 2 and 3 September 1978.

Women's 4 x 400 metres relay at the European Athletics Championships

Medalists

Gold	Christiane Marquardt Barbara Krug Christina Brehmer Marita Koch East Germany
Silver	Tatyana Prorochenko Nadezhda Mushta Tatyana Providokhina Mariya Kulchunova Soviet Union
Bronze	Małgorzata Gajewska Krystyna Kacperczyk Genowefa Błaszak Irena Szewińska Poland

Results

Final

3 September

Rank	Nation	Competitors	Time	Notes
	East Germany	Christiane Marquardt Barbara Krug Christina Brehmer Marita Koch	3:21.20	CR
	Soviet Union	Tatyana Prorochenko Nadezhda Mushta Tatyana Providokhina Mariya Kulchunova	3:22.53
	Poland	Małgorzata Gajewska Krystyna Kacperczyk Genowefa Błaszak Irena Szewińska	3:26.76
4	Great Britain	Karen Williams Joslyn Hoyte Verona Elder Donna Murray	3:27.17
5	West Germany	Elke Decker Elke Barth Gaby Bussmann Silvia Hollmann	3:27.96
6	Czechoslovakia	Jarmila Kratochvílová Jindřiška Kubečková Eva Ráková Jozefína Čerchlanová	3:30.4
7	Romania	Maria Samungi Doina Badescu Mariana Suman Elena Tărîță	3:30.7
8	Hungary	Eva Mohacsi Rozalia Halmosi Irén Orosz Ilona Pál	3:32.2

Heats

2 September

Heat 1

Rank	Nation	Competitors	Time	Notes
1	Soviet Union	Tatyana Prorochenko Nadezhda Mushta Tatyana Providokhina Mariya Kulchunova	3:24.2	CR Q
2	Great Britain	Karen Williams Joslyn Hoyte Verona Elder Donna Murray	3:29.0	Q
3	Hungary	Eva Mohacsi Rozalia Halmosi Irén Orosz Ilona Pál	3:30.7	Q
4	Czechoslovakia	Eva Ráková Jindřiška Kubečková Jozefína Čerchlanová Jarmila Kratochvílová	3:31.2	Q
5	France	Catherine Delachanal Martine Jacquemin Danièle Lairloup Patricia Darbonville	3:33.8
6	Netherlands	Tilly Verhoef Truus van Amstel Coby Körmeling Wilma Hillen	3:34.7

Heat 2

Rank	Nation	Competitors	Time	Notes
1	East Germany	Christiane Marquardt Barbara Krug Christina Brehmer Marita Koch	3:27.7	Q
2	West Germany	Elke Decker Elke Barth Gaby Bussmann Silvia Hollmann	3:30.9	Q
3	Poland	Małgorzata Gajewska Genowefa Błaszak Krystyna Kacperczyk Irena Szewińska	3:31.2	Q
4	Romania	Maria Samungi Doina Badescu Mariana Suman Elena Tărîță	3:31.8	Q
5	Finland	Yvonne Hannus Barbro Lindström Mona-Lisa Pursiainen Pirjo Häggman	3:32.2
6	Belgium	Anne Michel Rosine Wallez Anne-Marie Van Nuffel Lea Alaerts	3:33.4

Participation

According to an unofficial count, 48 athletes from 12 countries participated in the event.

• Belgium (4)
• Czechoslovakia (4)
• East Germany (4)
• Finland (4)
• France (4)
• Hungary (4)
• Netherlands (4)
• Poland (4)
• Romania (4)
• Soviet Union (4)
• Great Britain (4)
• West Germany (4)