Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay

Did You Know?

• Poland's 3:20.53 became their new national record.
• For Felix, it became her eleventh and final Olympic medal.

Qualification

To qualify a relay team of five athletes for this event, a National Olympic Committee had one of three paths. Sixteen NOCs ultimately earned spots. The top eight NOCs from the 2019 World Athletics Championships secured qualification, as did the top eight from the 2021 World Athletics Relays. If an NOC finished in the top eight at both competitions, its quota was reassigned to the world ranking list as of 29 June 2021. Because four NOCs achieved this double qualification, four places became available through those rankings. The original qualifying window ran from 1 May 2019 to 29 June 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a suspension from 6 April 2020 to 30 November 2020, pushing the final deadline to 29 June 2021. Athletes could meet the qualifying time standards at any IAAF-approved meet during this period, whether held indoors or outdoors. The most recent Area Championships also counted toward rankings, even if they fell outside the official qualifying window.