Men's 400 metres world record progression
The first world record in the 400 m for men (athletics) was recognized by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as World Athletics, in 1912. The IAAF ratified Charles Reidpath's 48.2 s performance set at that year's Stockholm Olympics as a world record, but it also recognized the superior mark over 440 yards (402.34 metres) run by Maxie Long in 1900 as a world record.
Up to and including 2021, World Athletics has ratified 24 world records in the event.[1]
The following tables show the world record progression in the men's 400 metres, as ratified by World Athletics.
Records 1912–1976
[edit](+) plus sign denotes en route time during longer race
"y" denotes time for 440 yards, ratified as a record for this event
"A" indicates that the time was set at altitude.
The "Time" column indicates the ratified mark; the "Auto" column indicates a fully automatic time that was also recorded in the event when hand-timed marks were used for official records, or which was the basis for the official mark, rounded to the 10th of a second, depending on the rules then in place.
Records post-1976
[edit]From 1975, the IAAF accepted separate automatically electronically timed records for events up to 400 metres. Starting January 1, 1977, the IAAF required fully automatic timing to the hundredth of a second for these events.[1]
Lee Evans' 1968 Olympic gold medal victory time of 43.86 was the fastest recorded result to that time.
Time | Athlete | Nationality | Location of race | Date | Duration of record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
43.86 A | Lee Evans | ![]() |
Mexico City, Mexico | October 18, 1968[1] | 19 years, 9 months and 30 days |
43.29 | Butch Reynolds | ![]() |
Zürich, Switzerland | August 17, 1988[1] | 11 years and 9 days |
43.18 | Michael Johnson | ![]() |
Seville, Spain | August 26, 1999[1] | 16 years, 11 months and 19 days |
43.03 | Wayde van Niekerk | ![]() |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | August 14, 2016[5] | 8 years and 16 days |
Excluding times run at high altitude (above 1,000 metres), the progression of automatic times is shown below.
Time | Athlete | Nationality | Location of race | Date | Duration of record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
44.95 | Lee Evans | ![]() |
Winnipeg, Canada | July 30, 1967 | 4 years and 2 days |
44.60 | John Smith | ![]() |
Cali, Colombia | August 1, 1971 | 4 years, 11 months and 28 days |
44.26 | Alberto Juantorena | ![]() |
Montreal, Canada | July 29, 1976 | 10 years, 9 months and 4 days |
44.10 | Butch Reynolds | ![]() |
Columbus, Ohio, USA | May 3, 1987 | 1 year, 2 months and 17 days |
43.93 | Butch Reynolds | ![]() |
Indianapolis, USA | July 20, 1988 | 28 days |
43.29 | Butch Reynolds | ![]() |
Zürich, Switzerland | August 17, 1988[1] | 11 years and 9 days |
43.18 | Michael Johnson | ![]() |
Seville, Spain | August 26, 1999[1] | 16 years, 11 months and 19 days |
43.03 | Wayde van Niekerk | ![]() |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | August 14, 2016[6] | 8 years and 16 days |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 547. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
- ^ "The Official Report of the Games of the 8th Olympiade" (PDF). Paris, FR. 1924. p. 107. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Hymans, Richard; Matrahazi, Imre. "IAAF World Records Progression" (PDF) (2015 ed.). International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ "HD Stock Video Footage - Track and Field events at Franklin Field in Philadelphia".
- ^ "Men's 400m Results" (PDF). Rio 2016. International Olympic Committee. 14 August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
- ^ "Men's 400m Results" (PDF). Rio 2016. International Olympic Committee. 14 August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Eric Liddell's 1924 Olympic Games victory was initially ratified as a world record by the IAAF, despite being slower than Ted Meredith's mark from 1916. The IAAF rescinded the record on August 7, 1928.