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 slightly shorter race, called the '' stadion'' and run on a straight track, was the first recorded event at the
ancient Olympic Games
The ancient Olympic Games (, ''ta Olympia''.), or the ancient Olympics, were a series of Athletics (sport), athletic competitions among representatives of polis, city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of ancient Greece. They were held at ...
. The 200 m places more emphasis on speed endurance than shorter sprint distances as athletes predominantly rely on anaerobic energy system during the 200 m sprint. Similarly to other sprint distances, the 200 m begins from the
starting blocks
Starting blocks are a device used in the sport of track and field by Sprint (running), sprint athletes to brace their feet against at the start of a race so they do not slip as they stride forward at the sound of the starter's pistol. The blocks ...
. When the sprinters adopt the 'set' position in the blocks they are able to adopt a more efficient starting posture and isometrically preload their muscles. This enables them to stride forwards more powerfully when the race begins and start faster.
In the United States and elsewhere, athletes previously ran the 220-yard dash (201.168 m) instead of the 200 m (218.723 yards), though the distance is now obsolete. The standard adjustment used for the conversion from times recorded over 220 yards to 200 m times is to subtract 0.1 seconds, but other conversion methods exist. Another obsolete version of this race is the
200 metres straight
The 200 metres straight is a track and field outdoor event of 200 metres on a straight track.
In the 1960s, the straight 200 metres was a separate world record event for men until IAAF deleted this variation from its list of official records. Th ...
, which was run on tracks that contained such a straight. Initially, when the International Amateur Athletic Association (now known as the
International Association of Athletics Federations
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, coverin ...
) started to ratify world records in 1912, only records set on a straight track were eligible for consideration. In 1951, the IAAF started to recognise records set on a curved track. In 1976, the straight record was discarded.
The event has been on the Olympic
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
programme since
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
for men and since
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
for women. The race attracts runners from other events, primarily the
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
, wishing to double up and claim both titles. This feat has been achieved by men eleven times at the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
Ralph Craig
Ralph Cook Craig (June 21, 1889 – July 21, 1972) was an American track and field athlete. He was the winner of the sprint double at the 1912 Summer Olympics.Percy Williams in 1928,
Eddie Tolan
Thomas Edward Tolan (September 29, 1908 – January 30, 1967), nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who competed in sprints. He set world records in the 100-yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic recor ...
in 1932,
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who made history at the Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first person to win four gold meda ...
in 1936,
Bobby Morrow
Bobby Joe Morrow (October 15, 1935May 30, 2020) was an American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics. He has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his ...
in 1956,
Valeriy Borzov
Valeriy Pylypovych Borzov (; ; born 20 October 1949) is a Soviet-Ukrainian former sprinter and politician. He is a two-time Olympian, a former president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and Minister for Youth and Sports of Ukraine ...
in 1972,
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. Lewis was a dominant sprinter and lo ...
in 1984, and most recently by Jamaica's
Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
in 2008, 2012, and 2016. The double has been accomplished by women eight times: by
Fanny Blankers-Koen
Francina Elsje "Fanny" Blankers-Koen (; 26 April 191825 January 2004) was a Dutch track and field athlete, best known for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She competed there as a 30-year-old mother of two, earning ...
Betty Cuthbert
Elizabeth Alyse Cuthbert (20 April 1938 – 6 August 2017), was an Australian athlete and a four-time Olympic champion. She was nicknamed Australia's "Golden Girl". During her career, she set world records for 60 metres, 100 yards, 200 metres ...
in 1956,
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Glodean Rudolph (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) was an American sprinter who overcame polio as a child and went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her succes ...
in 1960,
Renate Stecher
Renate Stecher (, ; née Meißner, born 12 May 1950) is a German (former East German) sprint runner and a triple Olympic champion. She held 34 world records and was the first woman to run 100 metres within 11 seconds.
Biography
Born as Renate ...
in 1972,
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (born Florence Delorez Griffith; December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded. She was married to Al Joyner, a 198 ...
in 1988, and
Elaine Thompson-Herah
Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson-Herah (born 28 June 1992) is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champion, the fastest wom ...
in 2016 and 2021.
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track-and-field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 ...
finished first in both races in 2000 but was later disqualified and stripped of her medals after admitting to taking
performance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans.
Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...
Marie-José Pérec
Marie-José Pérec (; born 9 May 1968) is a retired French track and field sprinter who specialised in the 200 and 400 metres and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. She was born in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and moved to ...
of France both in 1996.
Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
is the only man to repeat as Olympic champion,
Bärbel Wöckel
Bärbel Wöckel ( Eckert; born 21 March 1955) is a former East German sprinter. She never ran a world record in the individual disciplines. However, she ran several world records as part of relay teams with Doris Maletzki, Renate Ste ...
Elaine Thompson-Herah
Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson-Herah (born 28 June 1992) is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champion, the fastest wom ...
are the three women who have repeated as Olympic champion.
The men's world record holder is
Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (born Florence Delorez Griffith; December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded. She was married to Al Joyner, a 198 ...
of the United States, who ran 21.34 s at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
. The reigning Olympic champions are
Letsile Tebogo
Letsile Tebogo (; born 7 June 2003) is a Botswana sprinter. He won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 200 metres event, with his win earning the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Botswana. He also won the silver medal at th ...
(BOT) and Gabrielle Thomas (USA). The reigning World Champions are
Noah Lyles
Noah Lyles (born July 18, 1997) is an American track and field Sprint (running), sprinter who competes in the 60 meters, 100 metres, 100 meters and 200 metres, 200 meters events. His personal best of 19.31 seconds in the 200 m is the List of Un ...
(USA) and
Shericka Jackson
Shericka Jackson (born 16 July 1994) is a Jamaican Sprint (running), sprinter competing in the 60 metres, 60 m, 100 metres, 100 m, 200 metres, 200 m, and 400 metres. In the 100 m, she’s the fifth fastest woman of all time, ...
(JAM).
Races run with an aiding wind measured over 2.0 metres per second are not acceptable for record purposes.
Continental records
*Updated 7 December 2024.
Notes
* Represents a mark set at a
high altitude
Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometry, geographical s ...
.
All-time top 25
Men (outdoor)
*Updated September 2024
Assisted marks
Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list of wind-assisted times (equal or superior to 19.70). Only times that are superior to legal bests are shown:
* Kenny Bednarek ran 19.49 (+6.1 m/s) in
Hobbs, New Mexico
Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 40,508 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, increasing from 34,122 in 2010.
Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico micropolitan statistical area ...
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
on 12 June 2015.
* Tarsis Orogot ran 19.60 (+2.9 m/s) in
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
on 14 April 2023.
* Robert Gregory ran 19.60 (+4.8 m/s) in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
on 26 May 2023.
*
Leroy Burrell
Leroy Russel Burrell (born February 21, 1967) is an American former track and field athlete, who twice set the world record for the 100 m sprint.
Early life
Burrell grew up in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, and attended Penn Wood High School ...
ran 19.61 (+4.1 m/s) in
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States, situated in East-Central Texas in the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin, ...
on 19 May 1990. Until 1 August 1996, it was the best performance in any condition.
* Terrance Laird ran 19.64 (+5.6 m/s) in Hobbs, New Mexico on 17 May 2019.
Women (outdoor)
*Updated June 2024
Assisted marks
Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list of wind-assisted times (equal or superior to 21.80). Only times that are superior to legal bests are shown:
*
Sha'Carri Richardson
Sha'Carri Richardson ( ; born March 25, 2000) is an American track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. Richardson rose to fame in 2019 as a freshman at Louisiana State University, running 10.75 seconds to break th ...
ran 21.61 (+2.6 m/s) in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
on 8 July 2023.
* Tamara Clark ran 21.72 (+3.1 m/s) in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
on 26 March 2022.
*
Julien Alfred
Julien Alfred (born 10 June 2001) is a Saint Lucian Sprint (running), sprinter. She won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres, 100 metres event, setting a new List of Saint ...
ran 21.73 (+2.5 m/s) in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
on 23 June 2013.
Men (indoor)
*Updated March 2025.
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 20.27:
*
Frankie Fredericks
Frank "Frankie" Fredericks (born 2 October 1967) is a former track and field athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games (two in 1992 and two in 1996), making him Namibia's o ...
also ran 20.10 (1999), 20.18 (1999) and 20.26 (1995).
* Wallace Spearmon also ran 20.10 (2005), 20.19 (2008) and 20.21 (2005).
* Divine Oduduru also ran 20.18 (2018) and 20.21 (2018).
* Matthew Boling also ran 20.19 (2021) and 20.27 (2022).
* Tarsis Orogot also ran 20.20 (2023 x 2).
*
Trayvon Bromell
Trayvon Jaquez Bromell (born July 10, 1995) is an American professional track and field athlete specializing in sprinting events. He won bronze medals in the 100 meters at the 2015 and 2022 World Championships. Bromell was the 2016 World indo ...
also ran 20.23 (2015).
*
Terrence Jones
Terrence Alexander Jones (born January 9, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
High sc ...
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 22.45:
* Irina Privalova also ran 22.15 (1993), 22.16 (1994), 22.26 (1992), 22.32 (1995), 22.36 (1992), 22.41 (1991) and 22.45 (1991).
*
Abby Steiner
Abby Kathryn Steiner (born November 24, 1999) is an American track and field sprinter. She is the U.S. indoor record holder in the 200 m and 300 m, and the NCAA record holder in the 200 m. Steiner holds personal bests of 10.9 ...
also ran 22.16 (2022), 22.37 (2022), 22.38 (2021), 22.41 (2021) and 22.45 (2022).
*
Julien Alfred
Julien Alfred (born 10 June 2001) is a Saint Lucian Sprint (running), sprinter. She won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres, 100 metres event, setting a new List of Saint ...
also ran 22.16 (2024), 22.26 (2023), 22.28 (2024).
* Favour Ofili also ran 22.20 (2023), 22.36 (2023)
*
Merlene Ottey
Merlene Joyce Ottey (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican-Slovenian former track and field sprint (running), sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978 and continued to do so for 24 years before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 20 ...
also twice ran 22.24 (1991), 22.34 (1989) and 22.37 (1991).
* JaMeesia Ford also ran 22.34 (2025), 22.36 (2024), 22.41 (2025), 22.42 (2025), 22.45 (2024).
* Indya Mayberry also ran 22.41 (2025), 22.42 (2025).
* Veronica Campbell-Brown also ran 22.43 (2004).
* Autumn Wilson also ran 22.45 (2023).