List of Olympic records in athletics

Athletics records in the Summer Olympic Games have been recorded since 1896.

The modern Summer Olympic Games have been held every four years since the first Games in 1896 (except 1916 due to the First World War, 1940 and 1944 due to the Second World War, and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and Olympic records are recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in each event. The athletics events, which take place at each Games, are divided into four groups: track events (including sprints, middle- and long-distance running, hurdling and relays), field events (including javelin, discus, hammer, pole vault, long and triple jumps), road events (such as walks and the marathon) and combined events (the heptathlon and the decathlon).[1] Women compete in 23 athletics events during the Games,[2] and men compete in 24; while 21 of the events are the same for both men and women, men exclusively compete in the 50 km walk, the women's combined event is the heptathlon while the men compete in the decathlon, and the short distance hurdles for women is contested over 100 m, ten metres shorter than the men's event.[1]

Some Olympic records have been broken but later rescinded by the IOC. In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson broke the Olympic and World record in the 100 metres sprint, but was subsequently disqualified after it was discovered that he had used anabolic steroids to enhance his performance. His record was expunged and the gold medal was instead awarded to original silver medalist American Carl Lewis.[3] Hungarian athlete Róbert Fazekas broke the Olympic record in the men's discus in 2004 but was later stripped of both his gold medal and the record after it was deemed that he had "committed an anti-doping rule violation".[4][5]

The longest standing modern Olympic athletics record is Bob Beamon's achievement in the men's long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[6] The jump, at 8.90 m (29 ft 2 in), also broke the existing world record by 55 cm (22 in), and stood as the world record for 23 years until Beamon's compatriot, Mike Powell, jumped farther in the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo.[7]

Note, only those events currently competed for and recognised by the IOC as Summer Olympic events are listed.[8]

Key

  No longer contested at the Summer Olympics

Men's records

Usain Bolt in a yellow running vest and green shorts just completing a race
Usain Bolt currently holds three Olympic records; two individually in the 100m & 200m, and one with the Jamaican 4 × 100 m relay team.
Ethiopian long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele holds the Olympic record in the 5,000 m.

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of August 5, 2024.

List of men's Olympic records in athletics
Event Record Athlete(s) Nation Games Date Ref(s)
100 metres 9.63  Usain Bolt  Jamaica (JAM) 2012 London August 5, 2012 [9]
200 metres 19.30  Usain Bolt  Jamaica (JAM) 2008 Beijing August 20, 2008 [10]
400 metres ♦43.03  Wayde van Niekerk  South Africa (RSA) 2016 Rio de Janeiro August 14, 2016 [11]
800 metres ♦1:40.91  David Rudisha  Kenya (KEN) 2012 London August 9, 2012 [12]
1,500 metres 3:27.65  Cole Hocker  United States (USA) 2024 Paris August 6, 2024 [13]
5,000 metres 12:57.82  Kenenisa Bekele  Ethiopia (ETH) 2008 Beijing August 23, 2008 [14]
10,000 metres 26:43.14 Joshua Cheptegei  Uganda (UGA) 2024 Paris August 2, 2024 [15][16]
Marathon 2:06:26  Tamirat Tola  Ethiopia (ETH) 2024 Paris August 10, 2024 [17]
110 metres hurdles 12.91  Liu Xiang  China (CHN) 2004 Athens August 27, 2004 [18]
400 metres hurdles ♦45.94  Karsten Warholm  Norway (NOR) 2020 Tokyo August 3, 2021 [19]
3,000 m steeplechase 8:03.28  Conseslus Kipruto  Kenya (KEN) 2016 Rio de Janeiro August 17, 2016 [20]
4×100 m relay ♦36.84  Nesta Carter
Michael Frater
Yohan Blake
Usain Bolt 		 Jamaica (JAM) 2012 London August 11, 2012 [21]
4×400 m relay 2:54.43  Christopher Bailey
Vernon Norwood
Bryce Deadmon
Rai Benjamin 		 United States (USA) 2024 Paris August 10, 2024 [22]
20 km walk 1:18:46  Chen Ding  China (CHN) 2012 London August 4, 2012 [23]
50 km walk 3:36:53  Jared Tallent  Australia (AUS) 2012 London August 11, 2012 [24]
High jump 2.39 m  Charles Austin  United States (USA) 1996 Atlanta July 28, 1996 [25]
Long jump 8.90 m  Bob Beamon  United States (USA) 1968 Mexico City October 18, 1968 [6]
Pole vault 6.25 m  Armand Duplantis  Sweden (SWE) 2024 Paris August 5, 2024 [26]
Triple jump 18.09 m  Kenny Harrison  United States (USA) 1996 Atlanta July 27, 1996 [27]
Shot put 23.30 m  Ryan Crouser  United States (USA) 2020 Tokyo August 5, 2021 [28]
Discus throw 70.00 m  Rojé Stona  Jamaica (JAM) 2024 Paris August 7, 2024 [29]
Hammer throw 84.80 m  Sergey Litvinov  Soviet Union (URS) 1988 Seoul September 26, 1988 [30]
Javelin throw 92.97 m  Arshad Nadeem  Pakistan (PAK) 2024 Paris August 8, 2024 [31]
Decathlon 9018 pts  Damian Warner  Canada (CAN) 2020 Tokyo August 5, 2021 [32]

Women's records

Russian athlete Yelena Isinbayeva set the Olympic record in the pole vault in Beijing in 2008.

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of August 9, 2024.

List of women's Olympic records in athletics
Event Record Athlete(s) Nation Games Date Ref(s)
100 metres 10.61  Elaine Thompson Herah  Jamaica (JAM) 2020 Tokyo July 31, 2021 [33]
200 metres ♦21.34  Florence Griffith Joyner  United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 29, 1988 [34][35]
400 metres 48.17  Marileidy Paulino  Dominican Republic (DOM) 2024 Paris August 9, 2024 [36]
800 metres 1:53.43  Nadezhda Olizarenko  Soviet Union (URS) 1980 Moscow July 27, 1980 [37]
1,500 metres 3:51.29  Faith Kipyegon  Kenya (KEN) 2024 Paris August 10, 2024 [38]
5,000 metres 14:26.17  Vivian Cheruiyot  Kenya (KEN) 2016 Rio de Janeiro August 19, 2016 [39]
10,000 metres 29:17.45  Almaz Ayana  Ethiopia (ETH) 2016 Rio de Janeiro August 12, 2016 [40]
Marathon 2:22:55  Sifan Hassan  Netherlands (NED) 2024 Paris August 11, 2024 [41]
100 metres hurdles 12.26 Jasmine Camacho-Quinn  Puerto Rico (PUR) 2020 Tokyo August 1, 2021 [42]
400 metres hurdles ♦50.37 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone  United States (USA) 2024 Paris August 8, 2024 [43]
3,000 m steeplechase 8:52.76  Winfred Yavi  Bahrain (BRN) 2024 Paris August 6, 2024 [44]
4 × 100 m relay ♦40.82  Tianna Madison
Allyson Felix
Bianca Knight
Carmelita Jeter 		 United States (USA) 2012 London August 10, 2012 [45]
4 × 400 m relay ♦3:15.17  Tatyana Ledovskaya
Olga Nazarova
Mariya Pinigina
Olga Bryzgina 		 Soviet Union (URS) 1988 Seoul October 1, 1988 [46]
20 km walk 1:25:16  Qieyang Shijie  China (CHN) 2012 London August 11, 2012 [47]
High jump 2.06 m  Yelena Slesarenko  Russia (RUS) 2004 Athens August 28, 2004 [25]
Long jump 7.40 m  Jackie Joyner-Kersee  United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 29, 1988 [48]
Pole vault 5.05 m  Yelena Isinbayeva  Russia (RUS) 2008 Beijing August 18, 2008 [49][50]
Triple jump 15.67 m  Yulimar Rojas  Venezuela (VEN) 2020 Tokyo August 1, 2021 [51]
Shot put 22.41 m  Ilona Slupianek  East Germany (GDR) 1980 Moscow July 24, 1980 [52]
Discus throw 72.30 m  Martina Hellmann  East Germany (GDR) 1988 Seoul September 29, 1988 [29]
Hammer throw 82.29 m  Anita Włodarczyk  Poland (POL) 2016 Rio de Janeiro August 15, 2016 [53]
Javelin throw 71.53 m  Osleidys Menéndez  Cuba (CUB) 2004 Athens August 27, 2004 [37]
Heptathlon ♦7291 pts  Jackie Joyner-Kersee  United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 24, 1988 [37]

Mixed records

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of August 7, 2024.

List of mixed Olympic records in athletics
Event Record Athlete(s) Nation Games Date Ref(s)
4 × 400 m relay ♦3:07.41  Vernon Norwood
Shamier Little
Bryce Deadmon
Kaylyn Brown 		 United States (USA) 2024 Paris August 2, 2024 [54]

Combined event bests

The International Olympic Committee maintains a list of the best Olympic results in each decathlon and heptathlon discipline.[55]

List of men's Olympic decathlon bests
Event Record Athlete(s) Nation Games Date Ref(s)
100 metres 10.12  Damian Warner  Canada (CAN) 2020 Tokyo August 3, 2021 [55]
Long jump 8.24 m  Damian Warner  Canada (CAN) 2020 Tokyo August 3, 2021 [55]
Shot put 16.97 m  Michael Smith  Canada (CAN) 1996 Atlanta July 30, 1996 [55]
High jump 2.27 m  Christian Schenk  East Germany (GDR) 1988 Seoul September 27, 1988 [55]
400 metres 45.68  Bill Toomey  United States (USA) 1968 Mexico City October 17, 1968 [55]
110 metre hurdles 13.46  Damian Warner  Canada (CAN) 2020 Tokyo August 4, 2021 [55]
Discus throw 53.91 m  Lindon Victor  Grenada (GRN) 2024 Paris August 3, 2024 [56]
Pole vault 5.70 m  Tim Bright  United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 28, 1988 [55]
Javelin throw 77.78 m  Niklas Kaul  Germany (GER) 2024 Paris August 3, 2024 [57]
1500 metres 4:05.90  Leonid Lytvynenko  Soviet Union (URS) 1972 Munich September 8, 1972 [58]
List of women's Olympic heptathlon bests
Event Record Athlete(s) Nation Games Date Ref(s)
100 metre hurdles 12.54  Jessica Ennis-Hill  Great Britain (GBR) 2012 London August 2, 2012 [55]
High jump 1.98 m  Katarina Johnson-Thompson
Nafissatou Thiam 		 Great Britain (GBR)
 Belgium (BEL) 		2016 Rio de Janeiro August 11, 2016 [55]
Shot put 17.31 m  Austra Skujyte  Lithuania (LTU) 2012 London August 2, 2012 [55]
200 metres 22.56  Jackie Joyner-Kersee  United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 22, 1988 [55]
Long jump 7.27 m  Jackie Joyner-Kersee  United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 23, 1988 [55]
Javelin throw 56.96 m  Sofia Ifantidou  Greece (GRE) 2012 London August 3, 2012 [55]
800 metres 2:03.60  Olga Nemogayeva  Soviet Union (URS) 1980 Moscow[a] July 23, 1980 [55]
  1. ^ Before 1984, women competed in the pentathlon instead of the heptathlon.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Athletics". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  2. ^ Mel Watman (25 July 2008). "Evolution of Olympic Women's Athletics, 1928 to the present day". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  3. ^ "1988: Johnson stripped of Olympic gold". BBC. 27 September 1988. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  4. ^ "Fazekas takes discus gold". BBC Sport. 23 August 2004. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  5. ^ "International Olympic Committee Executive Board Decision regarding Mr Robert Fazekas, born on 18 August 1975, athlete, Hungary, Men's Discus Throw" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  6. ^ a b Parker Morse (23 August 2008). "Beijing 2008 – Day Nine Summary – 23 Aug". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  7. ^ Gerald Eskenazi (31 August 1991). "Track and field; Back in Miami, Beamon Remains Down to Earth". New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
  8. ^ "Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  9. ^ "London 2012 Olympics: Day Nine evening session". BBC Sport. 5 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  10. ^ "Bolt grabs third gold and record". BBC Sport. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  11. ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Wayde van Niekerk breaks world record to win Olympic gold". BBC Sport. 14 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  12. ^ "800 Metres Results". IAAF. 9 August 2012. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  13. ^ "1500 Metres Result | The XXXIII Olympic Games". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Bekele storms to Olympic double". BBC Sport. 23 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 August 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  15. ^ Sam Peene (2 August 2024). "PARIS 2024 ATHLETICS: IN RECORD-BREAKING FINAL, UGANDA'S JOSHUA CHEPTEGEI CLINCHES GOLD WITH OLYMPIC RECORD IN MEN'S 10,000M". olympics.com. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Men's 10,000m Final Result" (PDF). olympics.com. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  17. ^ LetsRun.com (10 August 2024). "A Late Injury Substitution, Tamirat Tola Conquers Paris' Hills, Wins 2024 Olympic Marathon In Spectacular 2:06:26 OR". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Athletics – 110m Hurdles – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  19. ^ "Current Records - Men's 400m Hurdles". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Conseslus Kipruto breaks Olympic record as he wins gold". BBC Sport. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  21. ^ "4x100 Metres Relay Results". IAAF. 11 August 2012. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  22. ^ "U.S. men, women take gold in 4x400m relays". ESPN.com. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  23. ^ "London 2012 20km walk results". Official website of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  24. ^ "Jared Tallent finally gets his gold medal for London Olympics 50k walk". ABC News. 17 June 2016. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Athletics – High jump – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  26. ^ Liew, Jonathan (5 August 2024). "Duplantis achieves new heights after pole vault world record adds to gold". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Athletics – Triple jump – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  28. ^ "Men's shot put official results (Tokyo 2020)". olympics.com. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  29. ^ a b "Men's Discus Throw Final Results Paris 2024" (PDF). olympics.com. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  30. ^ "Athletics – Hammer throw OR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  31. ^ "Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem smashes men's javelin Olympic record". The Official Website of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Decathlon Summary Points (Tokyo 2020)". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  33. ^ "Athletics Women's 100m Final Results" (PDF). Olympics. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  34. ^ "Athletics – 200 metres OR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  35. ^ "Athletics – 200 metres WR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  36. ^ "Women's 400m Final - Athletics Paris 2024 Olympics". IOC. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  37. ^ a b c "Olympic Games Records – Women". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  38. ^ "Women's 1500m Final - Athletics Paris 2024 Olympics". IOC. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  39. ^ "Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot wins 5000m gold". BBC Sport. 19 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  40. ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Ethiopia's Ayana smashes world record for 10,000m gold". BBC Sport. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  41. ^ "Women's Marathon - Athletics Paris 2024 Olympics". IOC. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  42. ^ "Women's 100 Metres Hurdles Results". Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  43. ^ "Women's 400m Hurdles Final Results" (PDF). olympics.com. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  44. ^ "Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final Results" (PDF). olympics.com. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  45. ^ "4 × 100m Relay Results". IAAF. 10 August 2012. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  46. ^ "Records by event – 4x400m Relay". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  47. ^ "20km Race Walk Results". IAAF. 11 August 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  48. ^ "Athletics – Long jump OR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  49. ^ "Olympic Records". International Herald Tribune. The Associated Press. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  50. ^ Andy Bull (19 August 2008). "Olympics: Isinbayeva raises the bar and the Bird's Nest roof". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  51. ^ "Women's Triple Jump Results". Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  52. ^ "USA's Ryan Crouser breaks 28-year record to win shot put gold". BBC Sport. 19 August 2016. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  53. ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Hitchon wins historic GB hammer bronze". BBC Sport. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  54. ^ Harvey, Coley. "Team USA sets new world record in 4x400m mixed relay". ESPN. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  55. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Athletics Records". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  56. ^ "Canada's Damian Warner 2nd in Olympic men's decathlon with 3 events remaining". CBC. 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  57. ^ "Athletics: Niklas Kaul breaks javelin Olympic decathlon best". Olympics.com. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  58. ^ "Men's Decathlon 1500m - Heat 1" (PDF). World Athletics. Retrieved 3 August 2024.