300 metres

The 300 metres is an uncommon (meaning not on an Olympic or World Championship program) sprinting event in track and field competitions. The race starts on a straight and therefore comprises two straights and one bend.

Athletics 300 metres
World records
Men	Letsile Tebogo (BOT) 30.69A (2024)
Women	Marita Koch (GDR) 34.14+ (1985)

The imperial distance analogue to the event is the 300 yards (270 m), which is slightly shorter than the 300 m distance and was contested at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships from 1906 to 1932.^[1]

Start (green) and end (red) points of a 300-metre race, marked on a running track.

All-time top 25

• + = en route to 400 m performance
• i = indoor performance
• A = affected by altitude
• OT = oversized track (> 200 m in circumference)
• h = hand timing

Men (outdoor)

• Correct as of February 2024.^[2][3]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref
1	30.69 A	Letsile Tebogo	Botswana	17 February 2024	Pretoria	[4]
2	30.81	Wayde van Niekerk	South Africa	28 June 2017	Ostrava	[5]
3	30.85 A	Michael Johnson	United States	24 March 2000	Pretoria
4	30.97	Usain Bolt	Jamaica	27 May 2010	Ostrava	[6]
5	31.20+	Kirani James	Grenada	14 August 2016	Rio de Janeiro	[7]
		LaShawn Merritt	United States
7	31.44	Isaac Makwala	Botswana	28 June 2017	Ostrava	[5]
8	31.48	Roberto Hernández	Cuba	3 September 1990	Jerez de la Frontera	[8]
		Danny Everett	United States			[9]
10	31.52	Steven Gardiner	Bahamas	12 May 2022	Ponce	[10]
11	31.56	Douglas Walker	Great Britain	19 July 1998	Gateshead
12	31.58+	Jeremy Wariner	United States	31 August 2007	Osaka	[11]
13	31.61	Anthuan Maybank	United States	13 July 1996	Durham
		Clarence Munyai	South Africa	28 June 2017	Ostrava	[5]
15	31.64	Tony McQuay	United States	11 June 2016	Kingston
16	31.67	John Regis	Great Britain	17 July 1992	Gateshead
17	31.70	Kirk Baptiste	United States	18 August 1984	London
18	31.73	Thomas Jefferson	United States	22 August 1987	London
19	31.74	Gabriel Tiacoh	Ivory Coast	6 August 1986	A Coruña
20	31.77	Tyler Christopher	Canada	20 May 2004	Sainte Anne
21	31.80	Pavel Maslák	Czech Republic	28 June 2017	Ostrava	[12]
22	31.81	Gil Roberts	United States	11 June 2016	Kingston
		Vernon Norwood	United States	12 May 2022	Ponce	[13]
24	31.82	Steve Lewis	United States	17 July 1992	Gateshead
25	31.87	Mark Richardson	Great Britain	19 July 1998	Gateshead
		Jonathan Borlée	Belgium	5 July 2012	Naimette-Xhovémont

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 31.87:

• Wayde Van Niekerk also ran 31.03 (2016), 31.04+ (2016) and 31.63 (2015).
• LaShawn Merritt also ran 31.23 (2016), 31.30 (2009), 31.31 (2006), 31.53 (2015), 31.68+ (2007).
• Letsile Tebogo also ran 31.54 A (2023).
• Michael Johnson also ran 31.55+ (1995), 31.56 (1994), 31.64+ (1996), 31.66+ (1999), 31.72 (1993).
• Steven Gardiner also ran 31.56 i (2022), 31.59 (2023), 31.83 (2020).
• Roberto Hernández also ran 31.69 (1990).
• Isaac Makwala also ran 31.77 (2018).
• Jeremy Wariner also ran 31.72 (2008).

Men (indoor)

• Correct as of January 2024.^[14][15][16]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref
1	31.56	Steven Gardiner	Bahamas	27 January 2022	Columbia
2	31.87 A	Noah Lyles	United States	3 March 2017	Albuquerque	[17]
3	31.88	Wallace Spearmon	United States	9 February 2006	Fayetteville
4	31.92 A	Paul Dedewo	United States	3 March 2017	Albuquerque
5	31.94	Kerron Clement	United States	9 February 2006	Fayetteville
		LaShawn Merritt	United States	9 February 2006	Fayetteville
7	31.97	Bralon Taplin	Grenada	13 February 2017	Ostrava
8	31.99	Jacory Patterson	United States	14 January 2022	Clemson
9	32.10	Jereem Richards	Trinidad & Tobago	9 February 2018	Boston
10	32.15	Pavel Maslák	Czech Republic	8 February 2014	Gent
11	32.19	Robson Caetano da Silva	Brazil	23 February 1989	Karlsruhe
12	32.32	Torrin Lawrence	United States	21 January 2010	Blacksburg
13	32.35	Rai Benjamin	United States	7 February 2020	New York
14	32.36	Frank Fredericks	Namibia	27 February 2003	Karlsruhe
		Brian Faust	United States	13 January 2024	Clemson	[18]
16	32.37	Lalonde Gordon	Trinidad & Tobago	3 February 2017	New York
17	32.38	Greg Nixon	United States	9 February 2009	Liévin
18	32.39	Óscar Husillos	Spain	19 January 2018	Salamanca
19	32.40	Matthew Boling	United States	13 January 2023	Clemson
20	32.42	Kahmari Montgomery	United States	11 February 2022	Louisville
21	32.46 A	Dontavius Wright	United States	3 March 2017	Albuquerque
	32.46	James Benson II	United States	12 January 2023	Fayetteville
23	32.47	Leslie Djhone	France	4 March 2010	Liévin
		Karsten Warholm	Norway	27 February 2021	Bærum
		Christopher Morales Williams	Canada	13 January 2024	Clemson	[19]

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 32.47:

• Stephen Gardiner also ran 32.06 (2022) and 32.26 (2019).
• Noah Lyles also ran 32.16 (2017)
• Pavel Maslák also ran 32.19 (2017).
• Jacory Patterson also 32.28 (2020).
• Paul Dedewo also ran 32.38 (2017).
• Lalonde Gordon also ran 32.47 (2014, 2017).

Women (outdoor)

• Correct as of July 2024.^[20][21]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref
1	34.14+	Marita Koch	East Germany	6 October 1985	Canberra	[22]
2	34.41	Shaunae Miller-Uibo	Bahamas	20 June 2019	Ostrava	[23]
3	34.6h	Rita Wilden	West Germany	18 August 1975	Dortmund
4	34.60 A	Beatrice Masilingi	Namibia	18 February 2023	Pretoria	[24]
5	34.94+	Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone	United States	9 June 2023	Paris	[25]
6	34.95+	Jarmila Kratochvílová	Czechoslovakia	18 August 1982	Zürich	[26]
7	35.00+	Marie-José Pérec	France	27 August 1991	Tokyo	[27]
8	35.01+	Olga Bryzgina	Ukraine	6 October 1985	Canberra	[28]
9	35.16	Marileidy Paulino	Dominican Republic	17 March 2023	Carolina	[29]
10	35.24+	Tatána Kocembová	Czechoslovakia	10 August 1983	Helsinki	[30]
11	35.29+	Nickisha Pryce	Jamaica	20 July 2024	London	[31]
12	35.30 A	Ana Guevara	Mexico	3 May 2003	Mexico City
13	35.37+	Lieke Klaver	Netherlands	12 July 2024	Monaco	[32]
14	35.38+	Rhasidat Adeleke	Ireland	12 July 2024	Monaco	[33]
15	35.46	Kathy Cook	Great Britain	18 August 1984	London
		Chandra Cheeseborough	United States	18 August 1984	London
		Henriette Jæger	Norway	22 May 2024	Bergen	[34]
18	35.47+	Valerie Brisco-Hooks	United States	26 September 1988	Seoul	[35]
19	35.51+	Natalia Kaczmarek	Poland	20 July 2024	London	[36]
20	35.63+	Sanya Richards-Ross	United States	18 August 2009	Berlin	[37]
21	35.70	Irena Szewinska	Poland	4 July 1975	London
		Léa Sprunger	Switzerland	25 May 2017	Langenthal	[38]
	35.70+	Sada Williams	Barbados	21 July 2023	Monaco	[39]
24	35.71	Donna Fraser	Great Britain	28 August 2000	Gateshead
25	35.73+	Novlene Williams-Mills	Jamaica	29 August 2007	Osaka	[40]

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 35.73:

• Marita Koch also ran 34.66+ (1984).
• Jarmila Kratochvílová also ran 35.06+ (1983).
• Marileidy Paulino also ran 35.40+ (2023).
• Lieke Klaver also ran 35.43+ (2023), 35.61+ (2023).
• Olga Bryzgina also ran 35.47+ (1988).
• Shaunae Miller-Uibo also ran 35.55+ (2022), 35.61+ (2022), and 35.71+ (2022).
• Kathy Cook also ran 35.51 (1983).
• Natalia Kaczmarek also ran 35.52 (2024).

Women (indoor)

• Correct as of March 2024.^[41][42]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref
1	35.45	Irina Privalova	Russia	16 January 1993	Moscow
		Shaunae Miller-Uibo	Bahamas	2 February 2018	New York
3	35.54	Abby Steiner	United States	10 February 2023	New York
4	35.69	Patricia Hall-Pritchett	Jamaica	13 February 2012	Liévin
5	35.71	Quanera Hayes	United States	6 January 2017	Clemson
6	35.73	Gabby Thomas	United States	12 February 2021	Staten Island
7	35.83 A	Merlene Ottey	Jamaica	13 March 1981	Pocatello
	35.83	JaMeesia Ford	United States	8 December 2023	Clemson	[43]
9	35.95	Brittany Brown	United States	22 February 2019	Staten Island
10	35.99	Lynna Irby-Jackson	United States	12 February 2021	Staten Island
		Favour Ofili	Nigeria	4 February 2024	Boston	[44]
12	36.06+	Femke Bol	Netherlands	2 March 2024	Glasgow	[45]
13	36.12	Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone	United States	7 December 2017	Bloomington
		Talitha Diggs	United States	13 January 2023	Clemson
15	36.15 A	Phyllis Francis	United States	3 March 2017	Albuquerque
16	36.18 A	Joanna Atkins	United States	3 March 2017	Albuquerque
17	36.20	Natalia Kaczmarek	Poland	4 February 2022	Spala
18	36.25	Natasha Hastings	United States	13 February 2016	Boston
19	36.27	Ashley Spencer	United States	10 February 2017	New York
	36.27+	Lieke Klaver	Netherlands	2 March 2024	Glasgow	[46]
21	36.30	Olesya Krasnomovets	Russia	6 January 2006	Yekaterinburg
22	36.33	Allyson Felix	United States	8 February 2007	Fayetteville
		Amantle Montsho	Botswana	4 March 2010	Liévin
24	36.38	Antonina Krivoshapka	Russia	31 January 2009	Moscow
25	36.41	Bianca Knight	United States	11 February 2011	Fayetteville
		Anna Kiełbasińska	Poland	3 February 2023	Brighton

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 36.45:

• Shaunae Miller-Uibo also ran 35.71 (2017), 36.10 (2014), and 36.40 (2014).
• Gabby Thomas also ran 35.75 (2024), 35.92 (2021), 35.98 (2019), 36.21 (2022), and 36.31 (2023).
• Abby Steiner also ran 35.80 (2017).
• Lynna Irby-Jackson also ran 36.05 (2024), 36.42 (2022).
• Brittany Brown also ran 36.13 (2023) and 36.30 (2019).
• Natalia Kaczmarek also ran 36.25 (2023).
• Talitha Diggs also ran 36.21 (2024), 36.37 (2022).
• Antonina Krivoshapka also ran 36.42 (2012).

References

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