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 slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first recorded event at the ancient Olympic Games. 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. 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 instead of the 200 m, 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, which was run on tracks that contained such a straight. Initially, when the International Amateur Athletic Association 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 programme since 1900 for men and since 1948 for women. The race attracts runners from other events, primarily the 100 metres, wishing to double up and claim both titles. This feat has been achieved by men eleven times at the Olympic Games: by Archie Hahn in 1904, Ralph Craig in 1912, Percy Williams in 1928, Eddie Tolan in 1932, Jesse Owens in 1936, Bobby Morrow in 1956, Valeriy Borzov in 1972, Carl Lewis in 1984, and most recently by Jamaica's Usain Bolt in 2008, 2012, and 2016. The double has been accomplished by women eight times: by Fanny Blankers-Koen in 1948, Marjorie Jackson in 1952, Betty Cuthbert in 1956, Wilma Rudolph in 1960, Renate Stecher in 1972, Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988, and Elaine Thompson-Herah in 2016 and 2021. Marion Jones finished first in both races in 2000 but was later disqualified and stripped of her medals after admitting to taking performance-enhancing drugs. An Olympic double of 200 m and 400 m was first achieved by Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984, and later by Michael Johnson from the United States and Marie-José Pérec of France both in 1996. Usain Bolt is the only man to repeat as Olympic champion, Bärbel Wöckel, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Elaine Thompson-Herah are the three women who have repeated as Olympic champion.
The men's world record holder is Usain Bolt of Jamaica, who ran 19.19 s at the 2009 World Championships. The women's world record holder is Florence Griffith-Joyner of the United States, who ran 21.34 s at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The reigning Olympic champions are Letsile Tebogo and Gabrielle Thomas. The reigning World Champions are Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
Races run with an aiding wind measured over 2.0 metres per second are not acceptable for record purposes.

Continental records

Men (outdoor)

  • Updated September 2025
Time Wind Reaction AthleteNationDatePlace
1119.19−0.30.133Usain Bolt20 August 2009Berlin
2219.26+0.70.269Yohan Blake16 September 2011Brussels
319.30−0.90.182Bolt #220 August 2008Beijing
3419.31+0.40.141Noah Lyles21 July 2022Eugene
4519.32+0.40.161Michael Johnson1 August 1996Atlanta
619.32+0.40.180Bolt #39 August 2012London
719.40+0.80.193Bolt #43 September 2011Daegu
819.44+0.40.172Blake #29 August 2012London
919.46+0.80.199Lyles #210 August 2022Monaco
51019.46+0.40.162Letsile Tebogo8 August 2024Saint-Denis
1119.47+1.60.157Lyles #323 July 2023London
61219.49+1.4Erriyon Knighton30 April 2022Baton Rouge
1319.50+1.60.170Tebogo #223 July 2023London
1319.50−0.10.147Lyles #45 July 2019Lausanne
1519.51+1.00.181Lyles #518 September 2025Tokyo
1619.52+1.50.142Lyles #621 August 2021Eugene
1619.52−0.60.164Lyles #78 September 2022Zürich
1619.52−0.20.144Lyles #825 August 2023Budapest
1619.52±0.00.167Lyles #919 September 2025Tokyo
72019.53+0.70.185Walter Dix16 September 2011Brussels
2019.53+0.5Lyles #1029 June 2024Eugene
2219.54±0.00.165Blake #37 September 2012Brussels
2319.55−0.10.147Bolt #527 August 2015Beijing
2319.55+0.40.148Tebogo #35 September 2024Zürich
2519.56−0.8Bolt #61 May 2010Kingston
2519.56+1.30.182Lyles #1126 August 2022Lausanne
819.57+0.40.177Justin Gatlin28 June 2015Eugene
819.57+0.40.182Kenny Bednarek5 September 2024Zürich
1019.58+1.3Tyson Gay30 May 2009New York City
1119.62−0.50.135Andre De Grasse4 August 2021Tokyo
1219.63+0.4Xavier Carter11 July 2006Lausanne
1219.63+1.2Reynier Mena3 July 2022La Chaux-de-Fonds
1419.64±0.00.147Bryan Levell19 September 2025Tokyo
1519.65±0.0Wallace Spearmon28 September 2006Daegu
1619.68+0.4Frankie Fredericks1 August 1996Atlanta
1719.69−0.5Clarence Munyai16 March 2018Pretoria
1819.70+0.7Michael Norman6 June 2019Rome
1919.71–1.5Courtney Lindsey20 April 2024Nairobi
2019.72+1.8Pietro Mennea12 September 1979Mexico City
2119.73−0.2Michael Marsh5 August 1992Barcelona
2119.73+0.8Divine Oduduru7 June 2019Austin
2119.73+1.60.130Zharnel Hughes23 July 2023London
2119.73+1.8T'Mars McCallum12 July 2025Memphis
2519.74+1.4LaShawn Merritt8 July 2016Eugene