400 metres hurdles


The 400 metres hurdles is a hurdling event in track and field. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lanes the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly spaced around the track. The hurdles are positioned and weighted so that they fall forward if bumped into with sufficient force, to prevent injury to the runners. Although there is no longer any penalty for knocking hurdles over, runners prefer to clear them cleanly, as touching them during the race slows runners down.
The current men's and women's world record holders are Karsten Warholm with 45.94 seconds and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone with 50.37 seconds. Compared to the 400 metres run, the hurdles race takes the men about three seconds longer and the women four seconds longer. Men clear hurdles that are high, while women negotiate barriers.
The 400 m hurdles was held for both sexes at the inaugural IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The first championship for women came at the 1980 World Championships in Athletics – being held as a one-off due to the lack of a race at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

History

The first awards in a men's 400 m hurdles race were given in 1860 when a race was held in Oxford, England, over a course of 440 yards. While running the course, participants had to clear twelve wooden hurdles, over 100 centimetres tall, that had been spaced in even intervals.
To reduce the risk of injury, somewhat more lightweight constructions were introduced in 1895 that runners could push over. However, until 1935 runners were disqualified if they pushed over more than three hurdles in a race and records were only officially accepted if the runner in question had cleared all hurdles clean and left them all standing.
The 400 m hurdles became an Olympic event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. At the same time, the race was standardized; thus, virtually identical races could be held and the finish times compared to one other. As a result, the official distance was fixed to 400 metres, or one lap of the stadium, and the number of hurdles was reduced to ten. The official height of the hurdles was set to. The hurdles are now placed on the course with a run-up to the first hurdle of 45 metres, distance between the hurdles of 35 metres each, and home stretch from the last hurdle to finish line of 40 metres.
The first documented 400 m hurdles race for women took place in 1971. In 1974, the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as World Athletics, introduced the event officially as a discipline, with hurdles at the lower height of. The women's race was not run at the Olympics until the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles where it was first staged with the first Men's World Champion having been crowned the year before at the inaugural World Athletics Championships. A special edition of the Women's 400m Hurdles took place in the 1980 [IAAF World Championships in Athletics] in response to the Women's 400m Hurdles not being included at the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and Liberty Bell Classic.
Many athletic commentators and officials have often brought up the idea of lifting the height of the women's 400 m hurdles to incorporate a greater requirement of hurdling skill. This is a view held by German athletic coach Norbert Stein, "All this means that the women's hurdles for specialists, who are the target group to be dealt with in this discussion, is considerably depreciated in skill demands when compared to the men's hurdles. It should not be possible in the women's hurdles that the winner is an athlete whose performance in the flat sprint is demonstrably excellent but whose technique of hurdling is only moderate and whose anthropometric characteristics are not optimal. This was the case at the World Championships in Seville and the same problem can often be seen at international and national meetings."

Hurdling technique

In terms of technique and endurance, the 400-metre hurdles is arguably the most demanding event in the sprints and hurdles group. Athletes must be able to run a fast 400-metre flat time, maintain a good hurdling technique, and have a unique awareness of stride pattern between hurdles. The ideal time difference between an athlete's 400 time and their 400 hurdles time should be between 1.5 and 3 seconds. This variation depends on the specific qualities of the athlete: At the professional level, the women's hurdles are smaller than the men's which usually makes the average time difference smaller for female athletes. In 2024, the two fastest 400 hurdlers in the world are also two of the fastest women in the open 400, based on their relay split compared to other athletes. To be able to maintain a good hurdling technique throughout the race it is important to work on step patterns. The number of steps an athlete takes during a 400 hurdles is called rhythm. Most 400 hurdlers know how many steps they are going to take in between each hurdle, starting from the block. The distance between the block and the first hurdle is 45 meters, which allows the fastest women to take 21 to 23 steps, while the fastest men can get down to 19 or 20. After the first one, the hurdles are 35 meters apart, and the tenth one is placed at 40 meters from the finish line. The internal steps from hurdle two to hurdle ten vary depending on the athlete's abilities, speed, technique, and personal preferences. The most skilled athletes can change their rhythm depending on how fast they need, or want, to run. For example, Karsten Warholm ran 13 steps up to hurdle seven, then decided to switch to 15 steps for the last three hurdles at the Paris Olympics, because he is more comfortable going over hurdles with his dominant leg. An even number of steps in between the hurdles implies alternating which leg goes over it first, while an uneven number of steps allows for going over the hurdles with the same leg. Furthermore, athletes must possess anaerobic endurance over the final 150 to 100 metres of the race as, at this point, lactate will accumulate in the body from anaerobic glycolysis.

Block start

When preparing to hurdle, the blocks should be set so that the athlete arrives at the first hurdle leading on the desired leg without inserting a stutter step. A stutter step is when the runner has to chop his or her stride down to arrive on the "correct" leg for take off. Throughout the race, any adjustments to stride length stride speed should be made several strides out from the hurdle because a stutter or being too far from the hurdle at takeoff will result in loss of momentum and speed.

Hurdling

At the beginning of the take-off, the knee must be driven toward the hurdle and the foot then extended. The leg position when extended must be stretched out, in a position of a split. The knee should be slightly bent when crossing the hurdle. Unless an athlete's body has great flexibility, the knee must be slightly bent to allow a forward body lean. Unlike the 110m hurdles, a significant forward body lean is not that necessary due to the hurdles being lower. However, the trail leg must be kept bent and short to provide a quick lever action allowing a fast hurdle clearance. The knee should pull through under the armpit and should not be flat across the top of the hurdle.
It is also important that the hurdler does not reach out on the last stride before the hurdle as this will result in a longer bound being made to clear the hurdle. This will also result in a loss of momentum if the foot lands well in front of the center of gravity.

Stride length

Using a left lead leg on the bends allows the hurdler to run closer to the inside of the lane and cover a shorter distance. Additionally, if the left leg is used for the lead, then the athlete's upper body can be leaned to the left, making it easier to bring the trail leg through. Additionally, an athlete hurdling with a right leg lead around the bends must take care that they do not inadvertently trail their foot or toe around the hurdle rather than passing over the top, which would lead to a disqualification from the race. Depending on the height and strength of the athlete, men work toward a stride pattern of 13 to 15 steps between each hurdle, and women work toward a stride pattern of 15 to 17. This does not include the landing step from the previous hurdle. Edwin Moses was the first man to keep 13 strides throughout an entire race. Weaker athletes will typically hold a longer step pattern throughout the race so that they do not bound or reach with each step, which also results in a loss of speed. These patterns are ideal because it allows the hurdler to take off from their predominant leg throughout the race without switching legs. However, fatigue from the race will knock athletes off their stride pattern and force them to switch legs. At an early age, many coaches train their athletes to hurdle with both legs. This is a useful skill to learn, since, as a runner tires, their stride length may decrease, resulting in the need either to add a stutter stride, or to take a hurdle on the other leg. Even though some athletes prefer using their dominant leg as lead, every professional knows how to go over hurdles with both legs. Some athletes have started choosing an even rhythm.

Continental records

  • Updated 17 September 2025.

All-time top 25

Men

  • Correct as of September 2025.
Time AthleteNationDatePlace
1145.943 August 2021Tokyo
2246.173 August 2021Tokyo
346.2816 August 2025Chorzów
3446.2919 July 2022Eugene
546.3916 September 2023Eugene
646.4630 June 2024Eugene
646.469 August 2024Saint-Denis
846.5121 July 2023Monaco
946.5215 June 2023Oslo
946.5219 September 2025Tokyo
1146.5316 September 2023Eugene
1246.5415 June 2025Stockholm
1346.629 July 2023Eugene
1446.6330 May 2024Oslo
1546.6418 May 2024Los Angeles
1646.655 July 2025Eugene
1746.6712 July 2024Monaco
1846.6815 June 2025Stockholm
1946.701 July 2021Oslo
1946.7030 May 2024Oslo
1946.7028 August 2025Zurich
2246.715 July 2025Eugene
2346.723 August 2021Tokyo
2446.7312 July 2024Monaco
2546.766 July 2023Jessheim
446.786 August 1992Barcelona
546.9830 June 2018Paris
647.0231 August 1983Koblenz
747.0321 June 1998New Orleans
847.083 August 2021Tokyo
947.107 August 1991Zurich
1047.1119 September 2025Tokyo
1147.1925 September 1988Seoul
1247.2325 September 1988Seoul
1247.237 June 2024Eugene
1447.2426 June 2005Carson
1547.2529 August 2003Saint-Denis
1547.2518 August 2008Beijing
1747.309 August 2005Helsinki
1847.3421 August 2023Budapest
1947.375 July 1995Lausanne
2047.3810 July 1991Lausanne
2047.3821 August 2023Budapest
2247.4119 July 2022Eugene
2347.4228 June 2024Kingston
2347.4225 August 2024Chorzów
2547.439 August 2005Helsinki

Women

  • Correct as of September 2025.
Time AthleteNationDatePlace
1150.378 August 2024Saint-Denis
250.6530 June 2024Eugene
350.6822 July 2022Eugene
2450.9514 July 2024La Chaux-de-Fonds
551.3020 July 2024London
651.4125 June 2022Eugene
751.4523 July 2023London
851.464 August 2021Tokyo
951.5419 September 2025Tokyo
31051.584 August 2021Tokyo
1151.615 June 2022Nashville
1251.688 August 2022Székesfehérvár
1351.7024 August 2023Budapest
41451.878 August 2024Saint-Denis
1551.9027 June 2021Eugene
1651.9116 August 2025Chorzów
1751.9511 July 2025Monaco
1851.9817 September 2023Eugene
1952.034 August 2021Tokyo
2052.073 May 2025Miramar
52152.0819 September 2025Tokyo
2252.1019 July 2025London
2352.118 September 2023Brussels
2352.1115 June 2025Stockholm
2552.136 August 2024Saint-Denis
2552.1325 August 2024Chorzów
652.348 August 2003Tula
752.394 July 2021Stockholm
852.4220 August 2009Berlin
952.4614 June 2025Eugene
1052.471 September 2011Daegu
1152.5128 June 2024Kingston
1252.6111 August 1995Gothenburg
1352.6211 August 1995Gothenburg
1452.6617 September 2025Tokyo
1552.7419 August 1993Stuttgart
1652.7722 August 2004Athens
1752.7919 August 1993Stuttgart
1752.795 August 2011London
1952.8231 July 1996Atlanta
2052.8315 August 2013Moscow
2152.8925 August 1999Seville
2252.9025 August 1999Seville
2352.9230 July 2010Barcelona
2452.9417 September 1986Tashkent
2552.9511 July 2004Sacramento
2552.9525 June 2017Sacramento

Annulled marks

The following athletes have had their personal best annulled due to doping offences:
Time AthleteNationDatePlace
52.70Natalya Antyukh8 August 2012London

Milestones

Most successful athletes

American athlete Glenn Davis had a prodigious start to his hurdling career, running his first race in April 1956 in 54.4 s. Two months later, he ran a new world record with 49.5 s and later that year he won the 400 m hurdles at the Olympics, and was also the first to repeat that feat in 1960.
In terms of success and longevity in competition, Edwin Moses' record is significant: he won 122 races in a row between 1977 and 1987 plus two gold medals, at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montréal and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was undefeated for exactly nine years nine months and nine days, from 26 August 1977 until 4 June 1987. He finished third in the 1988 Olympic final, the last race of his career. He also held the world record for sixteen years from when he first broke it at the Olympics on 25 July 1976 until it was finally broken by Kevin Young at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.Olympic Games & World Championships victories


World Championships medalists

Women

Season's bests

YearTimeAthletePlace
1971
1972
197356.7Danuta Piecyk.png" />Danuta Piecyk|POL

National records

Men

  • Updated 19 September 2025.
Equal or superior to 48.00 s:
NationTimeAthleteDatePlace
45.94Karsten Warholm3 August 2021Tokyo
46.17Rai Benjamin3 August 2021Tokyo
46.29Alison dos Santos19 July 2022Eugene
46.98Abderrahman Samba30 June 2018Paris
47.08Kyron McMaster3 August 2021Tokyo
47.10Samuel Matete7 August 1991Zurich
47.11Ezekiel Nathaniel19 September 2025Tokyo
47.23Amadou Dia Ba25 September 1988Seoul
47.25Félix Sánchez29 August 2003Saint-Denis
47.34Roshawn Clarke21 August 2023Budapest
47.37Stéphane Diagana5 July 1995Lausanne
47.48Harald Schmid8 September 1982Athens
47.50Alessandro Sibilio11 June 2024Rome
47.53Hadi Soua'an Al-Somaily27 September 2000Sydney
47.66L. J. van Zyl25 February 2011Pretoria
47.69Jehue Gordon15 August 2013Moscow
47.72Javier Culson8 May 2010Ponce
47.78Boniface Mucheru18 August 2016Rio de Janeiro
47.81Yasmani Copello9 August 2018Berlin
47.82John Akii-Bua2 September 1972Munich
47.82Kriss Akabusi6 August 1992Barcelona
47.82Periklis Iakovakis6 May 2006Osaka
47.82Rasmus Mägi14 June 2022Turku
47.84Bayano Kamani7 August 2005Helsinki
47.89Dai Tamesue10 August 2001Edmonton
47.93Omar Cisneros13 August 2013Moscow
47.94Carl Bengtström11 June 2024Rome
47.97Thomas Barr18 August 2016Rio de Janeiro

Women

  • Updated 9 November 2025.
Equal or superior to 54.00 s:
NationTimeAthleteDatePlace
50.37Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone8 August 2024Saint-Denis
50.95Femke Bol14 July 2024La Chaux-de-Fonds
52.34Yuliya Pechonkina8 August 2003Tula
52.42Melaine Walker20 August 2009Berlin
52.46Savannah Sutherland14 June 2025Eugene
52.66Gianna Woodruff17 September 2025Tokyo
52.74Sally Gunnell19 August 1993Stuttgart
52.77Fani Halkia22 August 2004Athens
52.83Zuzana Hejnová15 August 2013Moscow
52.89Daimí Pernía25 August 1999Seville
52.90Nezha Bidouane25 August 1999Seville
52.96Anna Ryzhykova4 July 2021Stockholm
53.00Emma Zapletalová19 September 2025Tokyo
53.09Kemi Adekoya24 August 2023Budapest
53.17Debbie Flintoff-King28 September 1988Seoul
53.20Josanne Lucas20 August 2009Berlin
53.21Marie-José Pérec16 August 1995Zurich
53.24Sabine Busch21 August 1987Potsdam
53.25Ionela Târlea7 July 1999Rome
53.36Andrea Blackett25 August 1999Sevilla
53.55Sara Slott Petersen18 August 2016Rio de Janeiro
53.65Naomi van den Broeck17 September 2025Tokyo
53.68Vanya Stambolova5 June 2011Rabat
53.74Myrtle Bothma18 April 1986Johannesburg
53.86Anna Jesień28 August 2007Osaka
53.89Ayomide Folorunso22 August 2023Budapest
53.91Line Kloster3 July 2022La Chaux-de-Fonds
53.96Han Qing9 September 1993Beijing
53.96Song Yinglan17 November 2001Guangzhou