The 200 metres straight is a

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

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 slight ...

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 and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

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 and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

and

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

have constructed special tracks to hold the races, inviting elite sprinters. The imperial analogue of the 200 m straight is the 220 yards straightheld over which has been contested at the

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...

38 times from 1887 to 1926.

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 Zharnel Hughes (born 13 July 1995) is an Anguilla-born British Sprint (running), sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres. Born and raised in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla, he has competed internationally for Great ...

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 Shaunae Miller-Uibo (born 15 April 1994) is a Bahamian track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. She is a two-time Olympic champion after winning the women's 400 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 ...

also ran 22.08 (2021). * Tynia Gaither also ran 22.96 (2021). * Anastasia Le-Roy also ran 23.12 (2019). * Shakima Wimbley also ran 23.40 (2019).

References

{{Athletics events Events in track and field Sprint running disciplines