World Athletics Championships

The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Olympic Games, they represent the highest level championships of senior international outdoor athletics competition for track and field athletics globally, including marathon running and race walking. Separate World Championships are held by World Athletics for certain other outdoor events, including cross-country running and half-marathon, as well as indoor and age-group championships.

World Athletics Championships
StatusActive
GenreWorld championships
Athletics
Date(s)varying
Frequencybiennial
Countryvarying
Inaugurated1983 (1983)
Previous event2023
Next event2025
Organised byWorld Athletics
Websiteworldathletics.org

The World Championships were started in 1976 in response to the International Olympic Committee dropping the men's 50 km walk from the Olympic programme for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, despite its constant presence at the games since 1932. The IAAF chose to host its own world championship event instead, a month and a half after the Olympics.[1][2] It was the first World Championships that the IAAF had hosted separately from the Olympic Games (traditionally the main championship for the sport).

A second limited event was held in 1980, and the inaugural championships in 1983, with all the events, is considered the official start of the competition. Until 1980, the Olympic champions were also considered as reigning World champions.[citation needed]

The championships were sponsored by Qatari Airways, owned by the Qatari government as part of Qatar's soft power policy.[3][4]

At their debut, these championships were then held every four years, until 1991 when they switched to a two-year cycle.[5]

History edit

The idea of having an Athletics World Championships was around well before the competition's first event in 1983. In 1913, the IAAF decided that the Olympic Games would serve as the World Championships for athletics. This was considered suitable for over 50 years until in the late 1960s the desire of many IAAF members to have their own World Championships began to grow. In 1976 at the IAAF Council Meeting in Puerto Rico an Athletics World Championships separate from the Olympic Games was approved.

Following bids from both Stuttgart, West Germany and Helsinki, Finland, the IAAF Council awarded the inaugural competition to Helsinki, to take place in 1983 and be held in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium (where the 1952 Summer Olympics had been held).

Two IAAF world championship events preceded the inaugural edition of the World Championships in Athletics in 1983. The 1976 World Championships had just one event – the men's 50 kilometres walk which was dropped from the Olympic programme for the 1976 Summer Olympics and the IAAF responded by setting up their own contest. Four years later, the 1980 World Championships contained only two newly approved women's events, (400 metres hurdles and 3000 metres), neither of which featured on the programme for the 1980 Summer Olympics.[6][7]

Over the years the competition has grown in size. In 1983 1,333 athletes from 153 countries participated.[8] By the 2003 competition, in Paris, it had grown to 1,679 athletes from 198 countries with coverage being transmitted to 179 countries.

There has also been a change in composition over the years, with several new events, all for women, being added. By 2005, the only differences were men's competition in the 50 km walk, and equivalent events in women's 100 m hurdles and heptathlon to men's 110 m hurdles and decathlon.

The following list shows when new events were added for the first time.

Championships edit

Edition Year City Country Date Venue Capacity Events Nations Athletes Top of the medal table
1976 Malmö   Sweden 18 Sep Malmö Stadion 30,000 1 20 42   Soviet Union
1980 Sittard   Netherlands 14 – 16 Aug De Baandert 22,000 2 22 42   East Germany
1st 1983 Helsinki   Finland 7 – 14 Aug Olympiastadion 50,000 41 153 1,333   East Germany
2nd 1987 Rome   Italy 28 Aug – 6 Sep Stadio Olimpico 60,000 43 156 1,419   East Germany
3rd 1991 Tokyo   Japan 23 Aug – 1 Sep National Stadium 48,000 43 162 1,491   United States
4th 1993 Stuttgart   Germany 13 – 22 Aug Neckarstadion 70,000 44 187 1,630   United States
5th 1995 Gothenburg   Sweden 5 – 13 Aug Ullevi 42,000 44 190 1,755   United States
6th 1997 Athens   Greece 1 – 10 Aug Olympiako Stadio 75,000 44 197 1,785   United States
7th 1999 Seville   Spain 20 – 29 Aug Estadio de La Cartuja 70,000 46 200 1,750   United States
8th 2001 Edmonton   Canada 3 – 12 Aug Commonwealth Stadium 60,000 46 189 1,602   Russia
9th 2003 Paris   France 23 – 31 Aug Stade de France 78,000 46 198 1,679   United States
10th 2005 Helsinki   Finland 6 – 14 Aug Olympiastadion 45,000 47 191 1,687   United States
11th 2007 Osaka   Japan 24 Aug – 2 Sep Yanmar Stadium Nagai 45,000 47 197 1,800   United States
12th 2009 Berlin   Germany 15 – 23 Aug Olympiastadion 74,000 47 200 1,895   United States
13th 2011 Daegu   South Korea 27 Aug – 4 Sep Daegu Stadium 65,000 47 199 1,742   United States
14th 2013 Moscow   Russia 10 – 18 Aug Luzhniki Stadium 78,000 47 203 1,784   United States
15th 2015 Beijing   China 22 – 30 Aug Beijing National Stadium 80,000 47 205 1,761   Kenya
16th 2017 London   Great Britain 4 – 13 Aug London Stadium 60,000 48 199 1,857   United States
17th 2019 Doha   Qatar 27 Sep – 6 Oct Khalifa International Stadium 48,000 49 206 1,775   United States
18th 2022 Eugene   United States 15 – 24 Jul Hayward Field 25,000 49 180 1,705   United States
19th 2023 Budapest   Hungary 19 – 27 Aug National Athletics Centre 36,000 49 202 2,187   United States
20th 2025 Tokyo   Japan 13 – 21 Sep Japan National Stadium 68,000
21st 2027 Beijing   China

All-time medal table edit

Updated after the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  United States195134114443
2  Kenya655848171
3  Russia425248142
4  Jamaica406148149
5  Germany393648123
6  Ethiopia353831104
7  Great Britain334048121
8  Soviet Union23272878
9  China22262775
10  Cuba22251663
11  East Germany21191656
12  Poland20202565
13  Australia15161445
14  Czech Republic155828
15  France14192356
16  Italy13182051
17  Ukraine12151643
18  Morocco1212933
19  South Africa127827
  Sweden127827
21  Norway126624
22  Spain11191646
23  Canada11181746
24  Belarus10111233
25  Bahamas99826
26  Japan891835
27  Bahrain83314
28  Netherlands791228
29  Finland78823
30  Portugal77923
31  Uganda72413
32  Greece671225
33  Algeria62311
34  New Zealand6118
35  Romania581225
36  Bulgaria53816
37  Qatar52411
38  Czechoslovakia44311
39  Croatia44210
40  Colombia4329
41  Dominican Republic4217
42  Ireland4206
43  Switzerland4059
44  Venezuela4015
  Authorised Neutral Athletes[1]38112
45  West Germany36312
46  Trinidad and Tobago35715
47  Mexico34714
48  Lithuania3339
49  Ecuador3216
50  Grenada3126
51  Mozambique3115
52  Denmark3014
53  Brazil26816
54  Estonia26210
55  Belgium22711
56  Slovenia2237
57  Peru2103
  Tajikistan2103
59  Nigeria15511
60  Namibia1416
61  Kazakhstan1359
62  Turkey1304
63  Botswana1214
64  Zambia1203
65  Burkina Faso1113
  India1113
  Tunisia1113
68  Eritrea1102
  Panama1102
70  Saint Kitts and Nevis1045
71  Serbia1034
  Slovakia1034
73  Barbados1023
  Syria1023
75  Senegal1012
  Somalia1012
77  North Korea1001
78  Hungary07815
79  Ivory Coast0415
80  Israel0325
81  Puerto Rico0314
82  Burundi0213
  Djibouti0213
84  Cameroon0202
85  Austria0134
86  Bosnia and Herzegovina0112
  Cyprus0112
  Ghana0112
  Latvia0112
  Philippines0112
  South Korea0112
  Sri Lanka0112
  Suriname0112
  Tanzania0112
95  Bermuda0101
  British Virgin Islands0101
  Egypt0101
  Pakistan0101
  Sudan0101
100  American Samoa0011
  Cayman Islands0011
  Dominica0011
  Haiti0011
  Iran0011
  Saudi Arabia0011
  Zimbabwe0011
Totals (106 entries)8788848802642
Notes

^[1]   ANA is the name under which Russian athletes competed in the 2017 and 2019 Championships. Their medals were not included in the official medal table.[9][10]

All-time placing table edit

In the IAAF placing table the total score is obtained from assigning eight points to the first place and so on to one point for the eight placed finalists. Points are shared in situations where a tie occurs. However, the IAAF site shows all points rounded to the nearest integer.

Updated after the 2022 Championships[11]

Rank Country       4 5 6 7 8 Medals Points
1   United States 183 125+1= 103+2= 77+5= 90+3= 84+3= 74+2= 80+4= 414 4240.5
2   Germany[a] 63 61 65+2= 78+2= 66+2= 61+2= 53+5= 45+1= 191 2347.5
3   Russia[b] 45 54+6= 47+2= 56+2= 39+3= 43+2= 35+1= 40+1= 154 1771.5
4   Kenya 62 55 44 48 40 28 47 21 161 1744
5   Jamaica 37 56 43+1= 34 31 29 31 24 137 1418.5
6   Great Britain 31 37 43 43+2= 50+1= 34+1= 31+1= 21 111 1381
7   Ethiopia 33 34 28 26 21 18 20 20 95 998
8   China 22 25+1= 25 20 34+1= 21+1= 21 24+1= 73 879
9   France 14 18 21+2= 27 28+2= 31+1= 24+1= 32+1= 55 804.1
10   Poland 20 17+1= 21+4= 23+1= 24 22+2= 27 21+2= 63 794.8
11   Soviet Union 23 25+2= 28 21+1= 17 12 11 17+1= 78 793
12   Cuba 22 23+1= 13+1= 33 10+2= 17+1= 23 19 60 757.5
13   Italy 12 15+1= 19 15 17+2= 24+1= 32+2= 30+2= 47 642.5
14   Spain 7 17+1= 15+1 19 20 24 18 20 41 580
15   Ukraine 11 12+2= 16 19 21 16+1= 21+1= 9 41 561.6
Notes

Multiple winners edit

Boldface denotes active athletes and highest medal count among all athletes (including these who not included in these tables) per type.

Men edit

All events edit

Rank Athlete Country Events From To Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Usain Bolt   Jamaica 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay 2007 2017 11 2 1 14
2 LaShawn Merritt   United States 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 2005 2015 * 8 * 3 * 11 *
3 Carl Lewis   United States 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay / Long jump 1983 1993 8 1 1 10
4 Michael Johnson   United States 200 m / 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 1991 1999 8 8
5 Mo Farah   Great Britain 5000 m / 10,000 m 2011 2017 6 2 8
6 Noah Lyles   United States 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay 2019 2023 6 1 7
7 Sergey Bubka   Soviet Union
  Ukraine
Pole vault 1983 1997 6 6
8 Jeremy Wariner   United States 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 2005 2009 5 1 6
9 Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia 5000 m / 10,000 m 2003 2009 5 1 6
Lars Riedel   Germany Discus throw 1991 2001 5 1 6

* including one medal in the relay event in which he participated in the heats only

Individual events edit

Rank Athlete Country Events From To Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Usain Bolt   Jamaica 100 m / 200 m 2007 2017 7 1 1 9
2 Mo Farah   Great Britain 5000 m / 10,000 m 2011 2017 6 2 8
3 Sergey Bubka   Soviet Union
  Ukraine
Pole vault 1983 1997 6 6
Michael Johnson   United States 200 m / 400 m 1991 1999 6 6
5 Carl Lewis   United States 100 m / 200 m / Long jump 1983 1993 5 1 1 7
6 Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia 5000 m / 10,000 m 2003 2009 5 1 6
Lars Riedel   Germany Discus throw 1991 2001 5 1 6
8 Paweł Fajdek   Poland Hammer throw 2013 2022 5 5
9 Ezekiel Kemboi   Kenya 3000 m steeplechase 2003 2015 4 3 7
10 Haile Gebrselassie   Ethiopia 5000 m / 10,000 m 1993 2003 4 2 1 7

Women edit

All events edit

Rank Athlete Country Events From To Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Allyson Felix   United States 200 m / 400 m / 4 × 100 m relay /
4 × 400 m relay / 4 × 400 m mixed relay
2005 2022 ** 14 ** 3 3 ** 20 **
2 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce   Jamaica 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay 2007 2023 10 * 5 * 1 * 16 *
3 Gail Devers   United States 100 m / 100 m hurdles / 4 × 100 m relay 1991 2001 5 3 8
4 Sanya Richards-Ross   United States 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 2003 2015 5 2 7
5 Jessica Beard   United States 4 × 400 m relay / 4 × 400 m mixed relay 2009 2019 *** 5 *** * 1 * **** 6 ****
Tirunesh Dibaba   Ethiopia 5000 m / 10,000 m 2003 2017 5 1 6
Natasha Hastings   United States 4 × 400 m relay 2007 2017 **** 5 **** 1 **** 6 ****
8 Shericka Jackson   Jamaica 100 m / 200 m / 400 m /
4 × 100 m relay / 4 × 400 m relay
2015 2023 4 4 3 11
9 Jearl Miles Clark   United States 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 1991 2003 4 3 2 9
10 Faith Kipyegon   Kenya 1500 m / 5000 m 2015 2023 4 2 6

* including one medal in the relay event in which she participated in the heats only
** including two medals in the relay events in which she participated in the heats only
*** including three medals in the relay events in which she participated in the heats only
**** including four medals in the relay events in which she participated in the heats only

Individual events edit

Rank Athlete Country Events From To Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce   Jamaica 100 m / 200 m 2009 2023 6 1 1 8
2 Tirunesh Dibaba   Ethiopia 5000 m / 10,000 m 2003 2017 5 1 6
3 Gail Devers   United States 100 m / 100 m hurdles 1991 2001 4 2 6
Faith Kipyegon   Kenya 1500 m / 5000 m 2015 2023 4 2 6
5 Allyson Felix   United States 200 m / 400 m 2005 2017 4 1 2 7
6 Valerie Adams (Vili)   New Zealand Shot put 2005 2013 4 1 5
Vivian Cheruiyot   Kenya 5000 m / 10,000 m 2007 2015 4 1 5
Liu Hong   China 20 km walk 2009 2019 4 1 5
9 Jackie Joyner-Kersee   United States Heptathlon / Long jump 1987 1993 4 4
Brittney Reese   United States Long jump 2009 2017 4 4
Yulimar Rojas   Venezuela Triple jump 2017 2023 4 4
Anita Włodarczyk   Poland Hammer throw 2009 2017 4 4

Multiple medalists edit

There are 44 athletes (18 men and 26 women) that have won at least 6 medals.[11]

Athletes with most appearances edit

There are 71 athletes (37 men and 34 women) that have competed in at least eight editions.[11]

App. Name Country Years contested Events
13 Jesús Ángel García Bragado   Spain 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19 50 km walk
João Vieira   Portugal 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 20 km walk / 35 km walk / 50 km walk
11 Susana Feitor   Portugal 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 10 km walk / 20 km walk
Inês Henriques   Portugal 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 20 km walk / 35 km walk / 50 km walk
Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od   Mongolia 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 Marathon
10 Franka Dietzsch   Germany 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 Discus throw
Nicoleta Grasu   Romania 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 Discus throw
Virgilijus Alekna   Lithuania 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 Discus throw
Kim Collins   Saint Kitts and Nevis 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 15 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Mélina Robert-Michon   France 01, 03, 07, 09, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 Discus throw
Allyson Felix   United States 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22 200 m / 400 m / 4x100 m / 4x400 m / 4x400 m mixed
9 Laverne Eve   Bahamas 87, 91, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 Javelin throw
Tim Berrett   Canada 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 20 km walk / 50 km walk
Jackie Edwards   Bahamas 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 Long jump / Triple jump
Maria Mutola   Mozambique 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 800 m
Elisângela Adriano   Brazil 91, 93, 97, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 Shot put / Discus throw
Venelina Veneva-Mateeva   Bulgaria 91, 95, 99, 01, 03, 05, 09, 11, 15 High jump
Danny McFarlane   Jamaica 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 400 m / 400 m hurdles / 4x400 m
Hatem Ghoula   Tunisia 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 13 20 km walk
Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie   Bahamas 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 07, 09, 11, 13 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Nicola Vizzoni   Italy 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 Hammer throw
Chris Brown   Bahamas 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15 400 m / 4x400 m
Zhang Wenxiu   China 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 Hammer throw
Andrés Chocho   Ecuador 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 20 km walk / 35 km walk / 50 km walk
Gong Lijiao   China 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 Shot put
Donald Thomas   Bahamas 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 High jump
8 Merlene Ottey   Jamaica /   Slovenia 83, 87, 91, 93, 95, 97, 03, 07 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Jan Železný   Czechoslovakia /   Czech Republic 87, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03 Javelin throw
Yelena Nikolayeva   Soviet Union /   Russia 87, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 10 km walk / 20 km walk
Fiona May   Great Britain /   Italy 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 Long jump
Beverly McDonald   Jamaica 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Lars Riedel   Germany 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 Discus throw
Dragutin Topić   SFR Yugoslavia / IWP * /
  FR Yugoslavia /   Serbia and Montenegro /   Serbia
91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 05, 07, 09 High jump
Iryna Yatchenko   Soviet Union /   Belarus 91, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 07, 09 Discus throw
Eunice Barber   Sierra Leone /   France 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 Heptathlon / Long jump / 100 m hurdles
Kevin Sullivan   Canada 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 1500 m
Manuel Martínez   Spain 93, 95, 97, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 Shot put
Steffi Nerius   Germany 93, 95, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 Javelin throw
Amy Acuff   United States 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 High jump
Chandra Sturrup   Bahamas 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Aleksander Tammert   Estonia 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 Discus throw
María Vasco   Spain 95, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 10 km walk / 20 km walk
Koji Murofushi   Japan 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 07, 11, 13 Hammer throw
Szymon Ziółkowski   Poland 95, 99, 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 Hammer throw
Marlon Devonish   Great Britain 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Nadine Kleinert   Germany 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 Shot put
Sergey Makarov   Russia 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 Javelin throw
Ēriks Rags   Latvia 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 Javelin throw
Roman Šebrle   Czech Republic 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 Decathlon
Omar Zepeda   Mexico 97, 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 17 20 km walk / 50 km walk
Mario Pestano   Spain 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 Discus throw
Félix Sánchez   Dominican Republic 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 400 m hurdles / 4x400 m
Bouabdellah Tahri   France 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 1500 m / 3000 m steeplechase
Zoltán Kővágó   Hungary 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 15, 17 Discus throw
Ruth Beitia   Spain 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 High jump / 4x100 m
Gerd Kanter   Estonia 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 Discus throw
Ezekiel Kemboi   Kenya 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 3000 m steeplechase
Churandy Martina   Netherlands Antilles /   Netherlands 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Zuzana Hejnová   Czech Republic 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 400 m hurdles / 4x400 m
Horacio Nava   Mexico 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 20 km walk / 50 km walk
Krisztián Pars   Hungary 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 Hammer throw
Martyn Rooney   Great Britain 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 400 m / 4x400 m / 4x400 m mixed
Levern Spencer   Saint Lucia 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 High jump
Dragana Tomašević   Serbia and Montenegro /   Serbia 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 Discus throw
Renny Quow   Trinidad and Tobago 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 23 400 m / 4x400 m
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce   Jamaica 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19, 22, 23 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m
Liu Hong   China 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19, 22, 23 20 km walk
Bianca Ghelber (Perie)   Romania 07, 09, 11, 13, 17, 19, 22, 23 Hammer throw
Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal   Norway 07, 09, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 1500 m / 5000 m / 3000 m steeplechase
Andriy Protsenko   Ukraine 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 High jump
Kimberly Williams   Jamaica 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 Triple jump

* At the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart, Germany, Dragutin Topić competed as an Individual World Championship Participant (IWP) as Athletic Federation of Yugoslavia was suspended by IAAF due to United Nations sanctions stemming from the Yugoslav wars.

World records edit

A total of 36 world records have been set or equalled at the competition: 18 by men, 15 by women, and 3 in the mixed relay.

The first world record to be set at the World Championships was by Jarmila Kratochvílová of Czechoslovakia, who ran 47.99 seconds to win the 1983 women's 400 m final.

A peak of five world records came at the 1993 Championships.

The most recent world record was in the Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay in 2023, when the US team set a time of 3:08.80. World records have become less common as the history of the event has expanded, with no world records set in the 1997, 2001, 2007 or 2013 editions.

American athletes have been the most successful with fifteen world records, followed by Jamaica and Great Britain on four each. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has broken the most world records at the competition, at four, while American Carl Lewis set three. Jonathan Edwards holds the distinction of breaking the world record twice in one championships: improving upon his own newly-set world record in the 1995 men's triple jump final. The men's 4 × 100 metres relay has yielded the most world records, with five set between 1983 and 2011.

Ben Johnson's time of 9.83 seconds at the 1987 World Championships men's 100 m final was initially considered to be a world record, but this was rescinded in 1989 after Johnson admitted to steroid use between 1981 and 1988.

Also, the 2009 Jamaican men's 4 × 100 metres relay team time of 37.31 seconds was retrospectively recognised to as the world record after the team's time of 37.10 at the 2008 Olympics was rescinded after the disqualification of Nesta Carter (who was not present in the World Championships team).

Sex Event Record Athlete Nation Date Year
Men 4 × 100 metres relay 37.86 Emmit King
Willie Gault
Calvin Smith
Carl Lewis
  United States (USA) 10 August 1983
Women 400 metres 47.99 Jarmila Kratochvílová   Czechoslovakia (TCH) 10 August 1983
Women High jump 2.09 m Stefka Kostadinova   Bulgaria (BUL) 30 August 1987
Men 100 metres 9.86 Carl Lewis   United States (USA) 25 August 1991
Men Long jump 8.95 m Mike Powell   United States (USA) 30 August 1991
Men 4 × 100 metres relay 37.50 Andre Cason
Leroy Burrell
Dennis Mitchell
Carl Lewis
  United States (USA) 1 September 1991
Men 110 metres hurdles 12.91 Colin Jackson   Great Britain (GBR) 20 August 1993
Men 4 × 100 metres relay 37.40 Jon Drummond
Andre Cason
Dennis Mitchell
Leroy Burrell
  United States (USA) 21 August 1993
Men 4 × 400 metres relay 2:54.29 Andrew Valmon
Quincy Watts
Butch Reynolds
Michael Johnson
  United States (USA) 22 August 1993
Women 400 metres hurdles 52.74 Sally Gunnell   Great Britain (GBR) 19 August 1993
Women Triple jump 15.09 m Anna Biryukova   Russia (RUS) 21 August 1993
Men Triple jump 18.16 m Jonathan Edwards   Great Britain (GBR) 7 August 1995
Men Triple jump 18.29 m Jonathan Edwards   Great Britain (GBR) 7 August 1995
Women 400 metres hurdles 52.61 Kim Batten   United States (USA) 11 August 1995
Women Triple jump 15.50 m Inessa Kravets   Ukraine (UKR) 10 August 1995
Men 400 metres 43.18 Michael Johnson   United States (USA) 26 August 1999
Women Pole vault 4.60 m Stacy Dragila   United States (USA) 21 August 1999
Men 20 kilometres race walk 1:17:21 Jefferson Pérez   Ecuador (ECU) 23 August 2003
Men 50 kilometres race walk 3:36:03 Robert Korzeniowski   Poland (POL) 27 August 2003
Women Pole vault 5.01 m Yelena Isinbaeva   Russia (RUS) 12 August 2005
Women Javelin throw 71.70 m Osleidys Menéndez   Cuba (CUB) 14 August 2005
Women 20 kilometres race walk 1:25:41 Olimpiada Ivanova   Russia (RUS) 7 August 2005
Men 100 metres 9.58 Usain Bolt   Jamaica (JAM) 16 August 2009
Men 200 metres 19.19 Usain Bolt   Jamaica (JAM) 20 August 2009
Men 4 × 100 metres relay 37.31 Steve Mullings
Michael Frater
Usain Bolt
Asafa Powell
  Jamaica (JAM) 22 August 2009
Women Hammer throw 77.96 m Anita Włodarczyk   Poland (POL) 22 August 2009
Men 4 × 100 metres relay 37.04 Nesta Carter
Michael Frater
Yohan Blake
Usain Bolt
  Jamaica (JAM) 4 September 2011
Men Decathlon 9,045 pts Ashton Eaton   United States (USA) 29 August 2015
Women 50 kilometres race walk 4:05:56 Inês Henriques   Portugal (POR) 13 August 2017
Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay 3:12.42 Tyrell Richard
Jessica Beard
Jasmine Blocker
Obi Igbokwe
  United States (USA) 28 September 2019
Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay 3:09.34 Wilbert London III
Allyson Felix
Courtney Okolo
Michael Cherry
  United States (USA) 29 September 2019
Women 400 metres hurdles 52.16 Dalilah Muhammad   United States (USA) 4 October 2019
Women 400 metres hurdles 50.68 Sydney McLaughlin   United States (USA) 22 July 2022
Women 100 metres hurdles 12.12 Tobi Amusan   Nigeria (NGR) 24 July 2022
Men Pole vault 6.21 m Armand Duplantis   Sweden (SWE) 24 July 2022
Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay 3:08.80 Justin Robinson
Rosey Effiong
Matthew Boling
Alexis Holmes
  United States (USA) 19 August 2023

See also edit

Notes and references edit

  1. ^ Matthews, Peter (2012). Historical Dictionary of Track and Field (pg. 217). Scarecrow Press (eBook). Retrieved on 8 September 2013.
  2. ^ IAAF Statistics Book Moscow 2013 Archived 9 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine (pg. 179). IAAF/AFTS (2013). Edited by Mark Butler. Retrieved on 9 September 2013.
  3. ^ "A global map of Qatar's sponsorships in sports". www.playthegame.org. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  4. ^ "How Qatar Became a World Leader in Sportswashing". Journal of Democracy. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Two years from now, in 2025, the next heated battle will take place in Tokyo | News | Tokyo 25 | World Athletics Championships". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  6. ^ IAAF World Championships in Athletics. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 8 September 2013.
  7. ^ Archive of Past Events. IAAF. Retrieved on 8 September 2013.
  8. ^ "First World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki a landmark for track & field." Usatf.org. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  9. ^ "IAAF World Championships London 2017 Medal Table". worldathletics.org.
  10. ^ "IAAF World Championships DOHA 2019 Medal Table". worldathletics.org.
  11. ^ a b c "World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 – Statistical Booklet". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 10 August 2023.

External links edit