50 metres
50 metres, or 50-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field, featured as an alternative to the 60 metres running event. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor athletics competitions it is used in the Special Olympics but otherwise a rare distance. The World Masters Rankings has recorded the event since the 2010s. The imperial equivalent distance to 50 metres is 54.68 yards.
Records and personal bests in the 50 metres are frequently achieved in February and March as these dates coincide with the indoor athletics season.
All-time top 25
Indoor results only+ = en route to a longer distance
A = affected by altitude
Men
- Updated February 2025.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | |
| 1 | 5.56 | Donovan Bailey | 9 February 1996 | Reno | ||
| 1 | 5.56 | Maurice Greene | 13 February 1999 | Los Angeles | ||
| 3 | 5.58 | Leonard Scott | 26 February 2005 | Liévin | ||
| 4 | 5.60 | Michael Green | 16 February 1997 | Liévin | ||
| 5 | 5.61 | Manfred Kokot | 4 February 1973 | Berlin | ||
| 5 | 5.61 | James Sanford | 20 February 1981 | San Diego | ||
| 5 | 5.61 | Deji Aliu | 21 February 1999 | Liévin | ||
| 5 | 5.61 | Freddy Mayola | 16 February 2000 | Madrid | ||
| 5 | 5.61 | Jason Gardener | 16 February 2000 | Madrid | ||
| 10 | 5.62 | Emmit King | 5 March 1986 | Kobe | ||
| 10 | 5.62 | Andre Cason | 15 February 1992 | Los Angeles | ||
| 10 | 5.62 | Eric Nkansah | 21 February 1999 | Liévin | ||
| 10 | 5.62 | Morné Nagel | 24 February 2002 | Liévin | ||
| 14 | 5.63 | Stanley Floyd | 20 February 1981 | San Diego | ||
| 14 | 5.63 | Henry Neal | 10 February 1995 | Reno | ||
| 14 | 5.63 | Jon Drummond | 13 February 1999 | Los Angeles | ||
| 14 | 5.63 | Lerone Clarke | 14 February 2012 | Liévin | ||
| 14 | 5.63 | Ronnie Baker | 4 February 2025 | Ostrava | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Davidson Ezinwa | 15 February 1992 | Los Angeles | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Aleksandr Porkhomovskiy | 4 February 1994 | Moscow | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Bruny Surin | 27 January 1995 | Moscow | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Donovan Powell | 21 February 1999 | Liévin | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Leonard Myles-Mills | 13 February 2000 | Liévin | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Ato Boldon | 16 February 2000 | Madrid | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Tim Harden | 16 February 2000 | Madrid | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Gerald Williams | 19 February 2000 | Los Angeles | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Jeff Laynes | 20 January 2001 | Los Angeles | ||
| 19 | 5.64 | Asafa Powell | 28 January 2012 | New York City |
- Ben Johnson of Canada ran 5.55 at Ottawa, Canada on 31 January 1987, but this time was rescinded after Johnson admitted to using steroids between 1981 and 1988.
Outdoor best performances
N.B. The Seville marks listed are excluding the athlete's reaction times. Bolt's & Su's times are inclusive.
| Rank | Time | Wind | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 5.40 | +0.2 | Bruny Surin |  CanadaAthAbbr|+Women
Note: Angella Issajenko of Canada ran a world record 6.06 in Ottawa on 13 January 1987, this performance was rescinded after Issajenko's admittance of long term drug use at the Dubin Inquiry in 1989. Outdoor best performances+ = en route to 100m mark
Season's bestsMenWomen |