Athletics (running and walking) world records
World records in athletics (track, road running and race walking), as ratified by World Athletics, men and women. Times run from Usain Bolt's 9.58 for 100 m to the marathon, where Sabastian Sawe became the first to break two hours in a record race in 2026.
| Event | Time | Record holder | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m Men | 9.58 | Usain Bolt (JAM) Wind +0.9 | Aug 16, 2009 Berlin, Germany source | Race it |
| 200 m Men | 19.19 | Usain Bolt (JAM) Wind -0.3 | Aug 20, 2009 Berlin, Germany source | Race it |
| 400 m Men | 43.03 | Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) | Aug 14, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil source | Race it |
| 800 m Men | 1:40.91 | David Rudisha (KEN) | Aug 9, 2012 London, United Kingdom source | Race it |
| 1500 m Men | 3:26.00 | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) | Jul 14, 1998 Rome, Italy source | Race it |
| Mile Men | 3:42.66 pending | Josh Kerr (GBR) Pending ratification; ratified record is 3:43.13 by Hicham El Guerrouj (Rome, 1999) | Jul 18, 2026 London, United Kingdom source | Race it |
| 3000 m Men | 7:17.55 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) | Aug 25, 2024 Chorzów, Poland source | Race it |
| 5000 m Men | 12:35.36 | Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) | Aug 14, 2020 Monaco source | Race it |
| 10,000 m Men | 26:11.00 | Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) | Oct 7, 2020 Valencia, Spain source | Race it |
| Half marathon Men | 56:51 pending | Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) Pending ratification; ratified record is 57:20 by Jacob Kiplimo (Lisbon, 8 Mar 2026). Kiplimo's 56:42 (Barcelona 2025) was never ratified | Aug 23, 2026 Buenos Aires, Argentina source | Race it |
| Marathon Men | 1:59:30 new | Sabastian Sawe (KEN) Ratified July 2026; first sub-2 in a record-eligible race | Apr 26, 2026 London, United Kingdom source | Race it |
| 110 m hurdles Men | 12.75 new | Ja'Kobe Tharp (USA) Wind +1.0; ratified Sep 2026 (previous 12.80 Aries Merritt, 2012) | Jun 10, 2026 Eugene, USA source | Race it |
| 400 m hurdles Men | 45.80 pending | Alison dos Santos (BRA) Pending ratification; ratified record is 45.94 by Karsten Warholm (Tokyo, 2021) | Aug 27, 2026 Zürich, Switzerland source | Race it |
| 3000 m steeplechase Men | 7:52.11 | Lamecha Girma (ETH) | Jun 9, 2023 Paris, France source | Race it |
| 4 x 100 m relay Men | 36.84 | Jamaica (Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt) (JAM) | Aug 11, 2012 London, United Kingdom source | Race it |
| 4 x 400 m relay Men | 2:54.29 | United States (Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Butch Reynolds, Michael Johnson) (USA) | Aug 22, 1993 Stuttgart, Germany source | Race it |
| 20 km race walk Men | 1:16:10 new | Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN) | Feb 16, 2025 Kobe, Japan source | Race it |
| 35 km race walk Men | 2:20:43 new | Massimo Stano (ITA) | May 18, 2025 Poděbrady, Czech Republic source | Race it |
| 100 m Women | 10.49 | Florence Griffith Joyner (USA) Wind 0.0 | Jul 16, 1988 Indianapolis, USA source | Race it |
| 200 m Women | 21.34 | Florence Griffith Joyner (USA) Wind +1.3 | Sep 29, 1988 Seoul, South Korea source | Race it |
| 400 m Women | 47.60 | Marita Koch (GDR) | Oct 6, 1985 Canberra, Australia source | Race it |
| 800 m Women | 1:53.28 | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | Jul 26, 1983 Munich, West Germany source | Race it |
| 1500 m Women | 3:48.68 new | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | Jul 5, 2025 Eugene, USA source | Race it |
| Mile Women | 4:07.64 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Her 4:06.42 at Nike's Breaking4 (Paris, 2025) was an exhibition, not record-eligible | Jul 21, 2023 Monaco source | Race it |
| 3000 m Women | 8:06.11 | Wang Junxia (CHN) | Sep 13, 1993 Beijing, China source | Race it |
| 5000 m Women | 13:58.06 new | Beatrice Chebet (KEN) | Jul 5, 2025 Eugene, USA source | Race it |
| 10,000 m Women | 28:54.14 | Beatrice Chebet (KEN) | May 25, 2024 Eugene, USA source | Race it |
| Half marathon (mixed race) Women | 1:02:52 | Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) Set in a mixed-sex race | Oct 24, 2021 Valencia, Spain source | Race it |
| Half marathon (women-only race) Women | 1:05:15 pending | Agnes Ngetich (KEN) Pending ratification; World Road Running Championships. Ratified women-only record is 1:05:16 by Peres Jepchirchir (Gdynia, 2020) | Sep 20, 2026 Copenhagen, Denmark source | Race it |
| Marathon (mixed race) Women | 2:09:56 | Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) Set in a mixed-sex race; record stands despite her 2025 three-year doping ban (offence postdates the record) | Oct 13, 2024 Chicago, USA source | Race it |
| Marathon (women-only race) Women | 2:15:41 new | Tigst Assefa (ETH) Ratified July 2026 | Apr 26, 2026 London, United Kingdom source | Race it |
| 100 m hurdles Women | 12.09 pending | Masai Russell (USA) Pending ratification; ratified record is 12.12 by Tobi Amusan (Eugene, 2022) | Aug 27, 2026 Zürich, Switzerland source | Race it |
| 400 m hurdles Women | 50.37 | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) | Aug 8, 2024 Saint-Denis (Paris), France source | Race it |
| 3000 m steeplechase Women | 8:44.32 | Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN) | Jul 20, 2018 Monaco source | Race it |
| 4 x 100 m relay Women | 40.82 | United States (Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter) (USA) | Aug 10, 2012 London, United Kingdom source | Race it |
| 4 x 400 m relay Women | 3:15.17 | Soviet Union (Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina) (URS) | Oct 1, 1988 Seoul, South Korea source | Race it |
| 20 km race walk Women | 1:23:49 | Yang Jiayu (CHN) | Mar 20, 2021 Huangshan, China source | Race it |
| 35 km race walk Women | 2:37:15 | María Pérez (ESP) | May 21, 2023 Poděbrady, Czech Republic source | Race it |
| 4 x 400 m relay Mixed | 3:07.41 | United States (Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown) (USA) Mixed-sex relay | Aug 2, 2024 Saint-Denis (Paris), France source | Race it |
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How we keep these up to date
Records are checked against the governing bodies (World Athletics, World Aquatics, ISU, UCI, World Rowing, the World Cube Association, AIDA and Guinness World Records) and news reports of new marks. A record marked pending has been set but not yet ratified; the note shows the record it would replace. new marks a record set since January 2025. We re-check every record at the start of each month. Last checked: Oct 21, 2026. Spotted a newer record? Tell us.
Developers: the full list is available as world-records.json.
Questions people ask
Who holds the most athletics world records?
Usain Bolt holds the 100 m and 200 m records and ran the anchor leg of Jamaica's 4×100 m relay record. Joshua Cheptegei and Beatrice Chebet each hold the 5000 m and 10,000 m records, Florence Griffith Joyner the women's 100 m and 200 m, and Faith Kipyegon the women's 1500 m and mile.
Why are there two women's marathon records?
World Athletics keeps a record for mixed races (with male pacemakers) and a separate women-only record.
How often is this list updated?
We check every record at the start of each month and whenever a new record is reported. Last checked Oct 21, 2026.
Other sports
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.