The 200 metres straight is a

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

outdoor event of

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

on a straight track. In the 1960s, the straight 200 metres was a separate world record event for men until

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...

deleted this variation from its list of official records. The race was more common during the early to mid 20th century, when panhandle tracks, with 200 metre straightaways, were common. The United States Olympic Trials held the event on a straight until 1932. Interest in the event was revived around 2009. Several street events, primarily in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

have constructed special tracks to hold the races, inviting elite sprinters.

Record progression

Men

Women

All-time top 25

*h = hand timing *NWI = no wind measurement

Men

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 20.71: * Steven Gardiner also ran 20.49 (2019). * Zharnel Hughes also ran 20.00 (2019).

Women

*Correct as of June 2021.

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 25.25: * Shaunae Miller-Uibo also ran 22.08 (2021). *

TyNia Gaither Tynia Gaither (born 16 March 1993) is a Bahamas, Bahamian athlete competing in Sprint (running), sprinting events. Gaither has represented the Bahamas at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. Career She won the silver medal i ...

also ran 22.96 (2021). *

Anastasia Le-Roy Anastasia Le-Roy (born 11 September 1987) is a Jamaican track and field athlete, who specializes in the 400 metres. Le-Roy, in recent times has positioned herself as a key member of Jamaica's 4 x 400 metres women team and helped them in setting ...

also ran 23.12 (2019). * Shakima Wimbley also ran 23.40 (2019).

References

{{Athletics events Events in track and field Sprint (running)