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Sprint running event From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many[clarification needed] countries, athletes previously competed in the 440-yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile (1,760 yards) and was referred to as the "quarter-mile"—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.
Athletics 400 metres | |
---|---|
World records | |
Men | Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) 43.03 (2016) |
Women | Marita Koch (GDR) 47.60 (1985) |
Short track world records | |
Men | Kerron Clement (USA) 44.57 (2005) |
Women | Femke Bol (NED) 49.17 (2024) |
Olympic records | |
Men | Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) 43.03 (2016) |
Women | Marileidy Paulino (DOM) 48.17 (2024) |
World Championship records | |
Men | Michael Johnson (USA) 43.18 (1999) |
Women | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) 47.99 (1983) |
World junior (U20) records | |
Men | Steve Lewis (USA) 43.87 (1988) |
Women | Grit Breuer (GER) 49.42 (1991) |
Like other sprint disciplines, the 400 m involves the use of starting blocks. The runners take up position in the blocks on the "ready" command, adopt a more efficient starting posture which isometrically preloads their muscles on the "set" command, and stride forwards from the blocks upon hearing the starter's pistol. The blocks allow the runners to begin more powerfully and thereby contribute to their overall sprint speed capability. Maximum sprint speed capability is a significant contributing factor to success in the event, but athletes also require substantial speed endurance and the ability to cope well with high amounts of lactic acid to sustain a fast speed over a whole lap. While considered to be predominantly an anaerobic event, there is some aerobic involvement and the degree of aerobic training required for 400-metre athletes is open to debate.[1]
The current men's world record and Olympic record is held by Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa; his time of 43.03 seconds is the fastest 400 m ever run, in either an open 400 m or a relay. While Michael Johnson holds the fastest 400 m relay split with a time of 42.94, relay splits are typically faster because athletes have a running start and do not need to react to the gun if they are not the leadoff leg. Considering van Niekerk's reaction time of 0.181 seconds in his run of 43.03, van Niekerk covered the 400-metre distance itself in 42.85 seconds, therefore being 0.09 s faster than Johnson's relay split.[2]
Quincy Hall is the reigning men's Olympic champion. Antonio Watson is the current men's world champion. Christopher Morales Williams is the men's world indoor record holder with a time of 44.49 seconds.[3]
The current women's world record is held by Marita Koch, with a time of 47.60 seconds. Marileidy Paulino is the current women's world champion and women’s Olympic champion, and holds the Olympic record in a time of 48.17 seconds. Femke Bol holds the women's world indoor record at 49.17 (2024). The men's T43 Paralympic world record of 45.07 seconds is held by Oscar Pistorius.[4]
An Olympic double of 200 metres and 400 m was first achieved by Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984, and later by Marie-José Pérec of France and Michael Johnson from the United States on the same evening in 1996. Alberto Juantorena of Cuba at the 1976 Summer Olympics became the first and so far the only athlete to win both the 400 m and 800 m Olympic titles. Pérec became the first to defend the Olympic title in 1996, Johnson became the first and only man to do so in 2000. From 31 appearances in the Olympic Games, the men's gold medalist came from the US 19 times (as of 2019).
Area | Men | Women | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | ||
Africa (records) | 43.03 WR | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa | 49.10 | Falilat Ogunkoya | Nigeria | |
Asia (records) | 43.93 | Yousef Masrahi | Saudi Arabia | 48.14 | Salwa Eid Naser | Bahrain | |
Europe (records) | 43.44 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | Great Britain | 47.60 WR | Marita Koch | East Germany | |
North, Central America and Caribbean (records) | 43.18 | Michael Johnson | United States | 48.17 | Marileidy Paulino | Dominican Republic | |
Oceania (records) | 44.38 | Darren Clark | Australia | 48.63 | Cathy Freeman | Australia | |
South America (records) | 43.93 | Anthony Zambrano | Colombia | 49.64 | Ximena Restrepo | Colombia |
Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 400m times and the top 25 athletes: |
- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 400m times |
- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 400m times, by repeat athletes |
- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 400m times |
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time (s) | Reaction (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 43.03 | 0.181 | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa | 14 August 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | [9] |
2 | 2 | 43.18 | 0.150 | Michael Johnson | United States | 26 August 1999 | Seville | [10] |
3 | 3 | 43.29 | Butch Reynolds | United States | 17 August 1988 | Zürich | ||
4 | 43.39 | Johnson #2 | 9 August 1995 | Gothenburg | ||||
4 | 5 | 43.40 | 0.168 | Quincy Hall | United States | 7 August 2024 | Saint-Denis | [11] |
6 | 43.44 | Johnson #3 | 19 June 1996 | Atlanta | ||||
5 | 6 | 43.44 | 0.149 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | Great Britain | 7 August 2024 | Saint-Denis | [11] |
6 | 8 | 43.45 | 0.182 | Jeremy Wariner | United States | 31 August 2007 | Osaka | [12] |
Michael Norman | United States | 20 April 2019 | Torrance | [13] | ||||
10 | 43.48 | 0.156 | van Niekerk #2 | 26 August 2015 | Beijing | [14] | ||
8 | 11 | 43.48 | 0.164 | Steven Gardiner | Bahamas | 4 October 2019 | Doha | [15][16] |
12 | 43.49 | Johnson #4 | 29 July 1996 | Atlanta | ||||
9 | 13 | 43.50 | Quincy Watts | United States | 5 August 1992 | Barcelona | ||
14 | 43.50 | Wariner #2 | 7 August 2007 | Stockholm | ||||
15 | 43.56 | Norman #2 | 25 June 2022 | Eugene | [17] | |||
16 | 43.60 | 0.130 | Norman #3 | 28 May 2022 | Eugene | [18][19] | ||
17 | 43.61 | Norman #4 | 8 June 2018 | Eugene | ||||
18 | 43.62 | Wariner #3 | 14 July 2006 | Rome | ||||
0.164 | van Niekerk #3 | 6 July 2017 | Lausanne | [20] | ||||
10 | 20 | 43.64 | Fred Kerley | United States | 27 July 2019 | Des Moines | [21] | |
21 | 43.65 | Johnson #5 | 17 August 1993 | Stuttgart | ||||
11 | 21 | 43.65 | 0.195 | LaShawn Merritt | United States | 26 August 2015 | Beijing | [22] |
23 | 43.66 | Johnson #6 | 16 June 1995 | Sacramento | ||||
Johnson #7 | 3 July 1996 | Lausanne | ||||||
25 | 43.68 | Johnson #8 | 12 August 1998 | Zürich | ||||
12 | 43.70 | Champion Allison | United States | 25 June 2022 | Eugene | [17] | ||
13 | 43.72 | Isaac Makwala | Botswana | 5 July 2015 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | [23] | ||
14 | 43.74 | Kirani James | Grenada | 3 July 2014 | Lausanne | [24] | ||
0.185 | Muzala Samukonga | Zambia | 7 August 2024 | Saint-Denis | [11] | |||
16 | 43.78 | 0.144 | Jereem Richards | Trinidad and Tobago | 7 August 2024 | Saint-Denis | [11] | |
17 | 43.81 | Danny Everett | United States | 26 June 1992 | New Orleans | |||
18 | 43.85 | Randolph Ross | United States | 11 June 2021 | Eugene | [25] | ||
19 | 43.86 A | Lee Evans | United States | 18 October 1968 | Mexico City | |||
20 | 43.87 | Steve Lewis | United States | 28 September 1988 | Seoul | |||
21 | 43.93 | Yousef Masrahi | Saudi Arabia | 23 August 2015 | Beijing | [26] | ||
Rusheen McDonald | Jamaica | 23 August 2015 | Beijing | [26] | ||||
Anthony Zambrano | Colombia | 2 August 2021 | Tokyo | [27] | ||||
24 | 43.94 | Akeem Bloomfield | Jamaica | 8 June 2018 | Eugene | [28] | ||
25 | 43.97 | Larry James | United States | 18 October 1968 | Mexico City |
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 47.60 | Marita Koch | East Germany | 6 October 1985 | Canberra | |
2 | 2 | 47.99 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia | 10 August 1983 | Helsinki | |
3 | 3 | 48.14 | Salwa Eid Naser | Bahrain | 3 October 2019 | Doha | [31] |
4 | 48.16 | Koch #2 | 8 September 1982 | Athens | |||
Koch #3 | 16 August 1984 | Prague | |||||
4 | 6 | 48.17 | Marileidy Paulino | Dominican Republic | 9 August 2024 | Saint-Denis | [32] |
7 | 48.22 | Koch #4 | 28 August 1986 | Stuttgart | |||
5 | 8 | 48.25 | Marie-José Pérec | France | 29 July 1996 | Atlanta | |
9 | 48.26 | Koch #5 | 27 July 1984 | Dresden | |||
6 | 10 | 48.27 | Olga Bryzgina | Soviet Union | 6 October 1985 | Canberra | |
7 | 11 | 48.36 | Shaunae Miller-Uibo | Bahamas | 6 August 2021 | Tokyo | |
12 | 48.37 | Miller-Uibo #2 | 3 October 2019 | Doha | |||
13 | 48.45 | Kratochvílová #2 | 23 July 1983 | Prague | |||
14 | 48.53 | Naser #2 | 9 August 2024 | Saint-Denis | [32] | ||
8 | 15 | 48.57 | Nickisha Pryce | Jamaica | 20 July 2024 | London | [33] |
9 | 16 | 48.59 | Taťána Kocembová | Czechoslovakia | 10 August 1983 | Helsinki | |
17 | 48.60 | Koch #6 | 4 August 1979 | Turin | |||
Bryzgina #2 | 17 August 1985 | Moscow | |||||
19 | 48.61 | Kratochvílová #3 | 6 September 1981 | Rome | |||
10 | 20 | 48.63 | Cathy Freeman | Australia | 29 July 1996 | Atlanta | |
21 | 48.65 | Bryzgina #3 | 26 September 1988 | Seoul | |||
22 | 48.66 | Paulino #2 | 25 August 2024 | Chorzów | [34] | ||
11 | 23 | 48.70 | Sanya Richards-Ross | United States | 16 September 2006 | Athens | |
24 | 48.73 | Kocembová #2 | 16 August 1984 | Prague | |||
12 | 25 | 48.74 | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | United States | 8 July 2023 | Eugene | [35] |
13 | 48.83 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | United States | 6 August 1984 | Los Angeles | ||
14 | 48.89 | Ana Guevara | Mexico | 27 August 2003 | Saint-Denis | ||
15 | 48.90 | Natalia Kaczmarek | Poland | 20 July 2024 | London | [33] | |
16 | 49.05 | Chandra Cheeseborough | United States | 6 August 1984 | Los Angeles | ||
17 | 49.07 | Tonique Williams-Darling | Bahamas | 12 September 2004 | Berlin | ||
Rhasidat Adeleke | Ireland | 10 June 2024 | Rome | [36] | |||
19 | 49.10 | Falilat Ogunkoya | Nigeria | 29 July 1996 | Atlanta | ||
20 | 49.11 | Olga Nazarova | Soviet Union | 25 September 1988 | Seoul | ||
21 | 49.13 | Britton Wilson | United States | 13 May 2023 | Baton Rouge | [37] | |
Kaylyn Brown | United States | 8 June 2024 | Eugene | [38] | |||
23 | 49.16 | Antonina Krivoshapka | Russia | 5 July 2012 | Cheboksary | ||
24 | 49.19 | Mariya Pinigina | Soviet Union | 10 August 1983 | Helsinki | ||
25 | 49.22 | Christine Mboma | Namibia | 17 April 2021 | Windhoek |
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 44.49 | Christopher Morales Williams | Canada | 24 February 2024 | Fayetteville | [40] |
2 | 2 | 44.52 | Michael Norman | United States | 10 March 2018 | College Station | |
3 | 3 | 44.57 | Kerron Clement | United States | 12 March 2005 | Fayetteville | |
4 | 4 | 44.62 | Randolph Ross | United States | 12 March 2022 | Birmingham | [41] |
5 | 5 | 44.63 | Michael Johnson | United States | 4 March 1995 | Atlanta | |
6 | 44.66 | Johnson #2 | 2 March 1996 | Atlanta | |||
7 | 44.67 | Morales Williams #2 | 7 March 2024 | Boston | |||
6 | 8 | 46.71 | Noah Williams | United States | 13 March 2021 | Fayetteville | [42] |
7 | 9 | 44.75 | Elija Godwin | United States | 25 February 2023 | Fayetteville | [43] |
10 | 44.75 A | Godwin #2 | 11 March 2023 | Albuquerque | [44] | ||
8 | 11 | 44.80 | Kirani James | Grenada | 27 February 2011 | Fayetteville | |
9 | 12 | 44.82 | Tyrell Richard | United States | 9 March 2019 | Birmingham | [45] |
13 | 44.83 | Ross #2 | 11 February 2022 | Clemson | |||
10 | 14 | 44.85 | Fred Kerley | United States | 11 March 2017 | College Station | |
11 | 15 | 44.86 | Akeem Bloomfield | Jamaica | 10 March 2018 | College Station | |
12 | 16 | 44.88 | Bralon Taplin | Grenada | 3 February 2018 | College Station | |
13 | 17 | 44.91 | Auhmad Robinson | United States | 9 March 2024 | Boston | [46] |
14 | 18 | 44.93 | LaShawn Merritt | United States | 11 February 2005 | Fayetteville | |
44.93 A | Ryan Willie | United States | 11 March 2023 | Albuquerque | [47] | ||
20 | 44.94 | Kerley #2 | 25 February 2017 | Nashville | |||
21 | 44.97 | Johnson #3 | 10 February 1995 | Reno | |||
22 | 44.99 | Ross #3 | 13 March 2021 | Fayetteville | |||
23 | 45.00 | Norman #2 | 9 February 2018 | Clemson | |||
16 | 23 | 45.00 | Jereem Richards | Trinidad and Tobago | 19 March 2022 | Belgrade | [48] |
17 | 25 | 45.02 | Danny Everett | United States | 2 February 1992 | Stuttgart | |
25 | 45.02 | Kerley #3 | 10 February 2017 | Clemson | |||
Bloomfield #2 | 9 February 2018 | Clemson | |||||
17 | 25 | 45.02 | Khaleb McCrae | United States | 3 February 2024 | Albuquerque | |
19 | 45.03 | Torrin Lawrence | United States | 12 February 2010 | Fayetteville | ||
Deon Lendore | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 March 2014 | College Station | ||||
Kahmari Montgomery | United States | 9 March 2019 | Birmingham | [45] | |||
22 | 45.04 | Champion Allison | United States | 26 February 2022 | College Station | [49] | |
23 | 45.05 | Thomas Schönlebe | East Germany | 5 February 1988 | Sindelfingen | ||
Alvin Harrison | United States | 28 February 1998 | Atlanta | ||||
Karsten Warholm | Norway | 2 March 2019 | Glasgow | [50] | |||
Trevor Bassitt | United States | 19 March 2022 | Belgrade | [48] | |||
Jacory Patterson | United States | 25 February 2023 | Fayetteville |
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 49.17 | Femke Bol | Netherlands | 2 March 2024 | Glasgow | [52] |
2 | 49.24 | Bol #2 | 17 February 2024 | Apeldoorn | [53] | ||
3 | 49.26 | Bol #3 | 19 February 2023 | Apeldoorn | [54] | ||
2 | 4 | 49.48 A | Britton Wilson | United States | 11 March 2023 | Albuquerque | [44] |
3 | 5 | 49.59 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia | 7 March 1982 | Milan | |
6 | 49.63 | Bol #4 | 10 February 2024 | Liévin | [55] | ||
7 | 49.64 | Kratochvílová #2 | 28 January 1981 | Vienna | |||
4 | 8 | 49.68 | Natalya Nazarova | Russia | 18 February 2004 | Moscow | |
9 | 49.69 | Kratochvílová #3 | 6 March 1983 | Budapest | |||
Bol #5 | 1 February 2024 | Metz | [56] | ||||
5 | 11 | 49.76 | Taťána Kocembová | Czechoslovakia | 2 February 1984 | Vienna | |
12 | 49.85 | Bol #6 | 4 March 2023 | Istanbul | [57] | ||
13 | 49.96 | Bol #7 | 11 February 2023 | Metz | [58] | ||
14 | 49.97 | Kocembová #2 | 4 March 1984 | Göteborg | |||
15 | 49.98 | Nazarova #2 | 18 February 2006 | Moscow | |||
16 | 50.00 | Kratochvílová #4 | 10 February 1983 | Vienna | |||
6 | 17 | 50.01 | Sabine Busch | East Germany | 2 February 1984 | Vienna | |
7 | 18 | 50.02 | Nicola Sanders | Great Britain | 3 March 2007 | Birmingham | |
8 | 19 | 50.04 | Olesya Krasnomovets | Russia | 18 February 2006 | Moscow | |
19 | 50.04 | Krasnomovets #2 | 12 March 2006 | Moscow | |||
21 | 50.07 | Kratochvílová #5 | 22 February 1981 | Grenoble | |||
9 | 22 | 50.10 | Lieke Klaver | Netherlands | 18 February 2024 | Apeldoorn | [59] |
10 | 23 | 50.15 | Olga Zaytseva | Russia | 25 January 2006 | Moscow | |
11 | 24 | 50.15 | Talitha Diggs | United States | 25 February 2023 | Fayetteville | [60] |
25 | 50.16 | Klaver #2 | 2 March 2024 | Glasgow | [52] | ||
12 | 50.21 | Vania Stambolova | Bulgaria | 12 March 2006 | Moscow | ||
Shaunae Miller-Uibo | Bahamas | 13 February 2021 | New York City | [61] | |||
14 | 50.23 | Irina Privalova | Russia | 12 March 1995 | Barcelona | ||
15 | 50.24 | Alexis Holmes | United States | 2 March 2024 | Glasgow | [52] | |
16 | 50.28 | Petra Müller | East Germany | 6 March 1988 | Budapest | ||
17 | 50.33 | Rhasidat Adeleke | Ireland | 25 February 2023 | Lubbock | [60] | |
18 | 50.34 | Christine Amertil | Bahamas | 12 March 2006 | Moscow | ||
Kendall Ellis | United States | 10 March 2018 | College Station | ||||
20 | 50.36 | Sydney McLaughlin | United States | 10 March 2018 | College Station | ||
21 | 50.37 | Natalya Antyukh | Russia | 18 February 2006 | Moscow | ||
22 | 50.40 | Dagmar Neubauer | East Germany | 2 February 1984 | Vienna | ||
23 | 50.41 | Svetlana Pospelova | Russia | 5 March 2005 | Madrid | ||
24 | 50.42 | Olga Kotlyarova | Russia | 27 January 2001 | Moscow | ||
25 | 50.43 | Amber Anning | Great Britain | 24 February 2024 | Fayetteville | [62] |
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2024) |
Men
|
Women
|
3 or more 400-metre victories at the Olympic Games and World Championships:
The Olympic champion has frequently won a second gold medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay. This has been accomplished 14 times by men; Charles Reidpath, Ray Barbuti, Bill Carr, George Rhoden, Charles Jenkins, Otis Davis, Mike Larrabee, Lee Evans, Viktor Markin, Alonzo Babers, Steve Lewis, Quincy Watts, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt; and 4 times by women; Monika Zehrt, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Olga Bryzgina and Sanya Richards-Ross. All but Rhoden, Markin, Zehrt and Bryzgina ran on American relay teams. Injured after his double in 1996, Johnson also accomplished the feat in 2000 only to have it disqualified when his teammate Antonio Pettigrew admitted to doping.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States (USA) | 11 | 8 | 6 | 27 |
2 | South Africa (RSA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
3 | East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
4 | Bahamas (BAH) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
5 | Jamaica (JAM) | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
6 | Grenada (GRN) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
7 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
8 | Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
France (FRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Germany (GER) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Nigeria (NGR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Uganda (UGA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
13 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Dominican Republic (DOM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Kenya (KEN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Mexico (MEX) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
§ : awarded following doping disqualification.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States (USA) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
2 | Great Britain (GBR) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
3 | Australia (AUS) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
France (FRA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
5 | Bahamas (BAH) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
6 | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Botswana (BOT) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Bahrain (BHR) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
10 | Mexico (MEX) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
11 | Senegal (SEN) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
13 | Jamaica (JAM) | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
14 | Germany (GER) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
15 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
16 | Poland (POL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
17 | Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
13 | Spain (ESP) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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