The 200 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 200 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has two or three qualifying rounds leading to a final between eight athletes.
| 200 metres at the World Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
 Veronica Campbell-Brown and Carmelita Jeter in the 2011 final | |
| Overview | |
| Gender | Men and women |
| Years held | Men: 1983 – 2025 Women: 1983 – 2025 |
| Championship record | |
| Men | 19.19 Usain Bolt (2009) |
| Women | 21.41 Shericka Jackson (2023) |
| Reigning champion | |
| Men |  Noah Lyles (USA) |
| Women | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) |
The championship records for the event are 19.19 seconds for men, set by Usain Bolt in 2009, and 21.41 seconds for women, set by Shericka Jackson in 2023. The men's world record has been broken at the competition on one occasion, and Bolt's championship record set in 2009 remains the world record as of 2025.[1] The women's world record has never been broken at the competition.
Usain Bolt is the most successful athlete of the event, having won four successive titles from 2009 to 2015, and also a silver in 2007. Allyson Felix is the most successful woman, having won three straight titles (2005 to 2009). Two-time champion Merlene Ottey has won more medals in the 200 m than any other athlete, reaching the podium six times in a period stretching from 1983 to 1997. Calvin Smith and Michael Johnson are the only others to have won two world titles over the distance.
The United States is the most successful nation in the discipline, with twelve gold medals among a total of 31. Jamaica is the next most successful with seventeen medals and seven titles. East Germany and the Netherlands, with two golds, are the only other nations to have provided multiple gold medallists.
Age records
edit- All information from World Athletics.[2]
| Distinction | Male | Female | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date | |
| Youngest champion | Noah Lyles (USA) |
22 years, 75 days | 1 Oct 2019 | Allyson Felix (USA) |
19 years, 267 days | 12 Aug 2005 |
| Youngest medalist | Erriyon Knighton (USA) |
18 years, 173 days | 21 Jul 2022 | Allyson Felix (USA) |
19 years, 267 days | 12 Aug 2005 |
| Youngest finalist |  Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (JPN) |
18 years, 157 days | 10 Aug 2017 |  Shaunae Miller (BAH) |
19 years, 123 days | 16 Aug 2013 |
| Youngest participant | Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (JPN) |
16 years, 172 days | 25 Aug 2015 |  Fowzio Abdikarim Sheikh (SOM) |
15 years, 323 days | 29 Aug 2007 |
| Oldest champion |  Usain Bolt (JAM) |
29 years, 6 days | 27 Aug 2015 | Merlene Ottey (JAM) |
35 years, 92 days | 10 Aug 1995 |
| Oldest medalist | Justin Gatlin (USA) |
33 years, 198 days | 27 Aug 2015 | Merlene Ottey (JAM) |
37 years, 90 days | 8 Aug 1997 |
| Oldest finalist |  Frankie Fredericks (NAM) |
35 years, 331 days | 29 Aug 2003 | Merlene Ottey (JAM) |
37 years, 90 days | 8 Aug 1997 |
| Oldest participant |  Troy Douglas (NED) |
40 years, 270 days | 27 Aug 2003 |  Merlene Ottey (SLO) |
43 years, 108 days | 26 Aug 2003 |
Doping
editThe first instances of doping bans affecting the 200 m at the World Championships came at the 2001 edition. The champion Marion Jones was stripped of her gold medal and bronze medalist Kelli White met the same fate. Debbie Ferguson, the sole remaining original medalist, was elevated to the gold medal. A third female athlete, Yekaterina Leshchova who ran in the heats, was also disqualified for doping. The first male doping disqualifications happened the same year, with quarter-finalists Christophe Cheval and Ramon Clay being the offenders. Doping persisted at the 2003 World Championships – White was the champion that year and her retrospective ban also affected this result. The 1997 champion Zhanna Block, fourth in 2003, was also disqualified. Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (herself banned for steroids in 2004) was promoted to the position of 2003 world champion.[3][4]
The next 200 m athlete to be disqualified for doping was Ruqaya Al-Ghasra (a competitor in the heats only).[3] Two positive drug tests were recorded by 200 m athletes at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics: Yelena Ryabova, who ran in the heats, and semi-finalist Yelyzaveta Bryzhina.[5]
Medalists
editMen
editMedalists by country
edit| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 12 | 8 | 8 | 28 |
| 2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Namibia (NAM) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 |  Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 |  Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Turkey (TUR) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 |  Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Canada (CAN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 France (FRA) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 South Africa (RSA) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 |  Panama (PAN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  Botswana (BOT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Ecuador (ECU) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Italy (ITA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Japan (JPN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Nigeria (NGR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Multiple medalists
edit| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) | 2007–2015 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2 | Noah Lyles | United States (USA) | 2019–2025 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Calvin Smith | United States (USA) | 1983–1987 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Michael Johnson | United States (USA) | 1995–1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | Frankie Fredericks | Namibia (NAM) | 1991–1997 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Justin Gatlin | United States (USA) | 2005–2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | John Capel | United States (USA) | 2003–2005 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Kenny Bednarek | United States (USA) |
2022-2025 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Wallace Spearmon | United States (USA) | 2005–2009 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | John Regis | Great Britain (GBR) | 1987–1993 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Claudinei da Silva | Brazil (BRA) | 1997–1999 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Erriyon Knighton | United States (USA) |
2022-2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Women
edit
Medalists by country
edit| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaica (JAM) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
| 2 | United States (USA) | 5 | 9 | 2 | 16 |
| 3 |  East Germany (GDR) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Netherlands (NED) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Russia (RUS) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Great Britain (GBR) |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 7 | Bahamas (BAH) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 |  Germany (GER) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 |  Ukraine (UKR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 |  Ivory Coast (CIV) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 |  Sri Lanka (SRI) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 |  Cayman Islands (CAY) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Switzerland (SUI) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Nigeria (NGR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Multiple medalists
edit| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allyson Felix | United States (USA) | 2005–2011 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica (JAM) | 1983–1997 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica (JAM) |
2022-2025 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Dafne Schippers | Netherlands (NED) | 2015–2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica (JAM) | 2007–2015 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica (JAM) | 2013–2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Debbie Ferguson | Bahamas (BAH) | 2001–2009 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Dina Asher-Smith | Great Britain (GBR) | 2019–2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 9 | Gwen Torrence | United States (USA) | 1991–1993 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Irina Privalova | Russia (RUS) | 1993–1995 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Susanthika Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka (SRI) | 1997–2007 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Championship record progression
editMen
edit| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.95 | Frank Emmelmann | East Germany (GDR) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-12 |
| 20.80 | Pietro Mennea | Italy (ITA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-12 |
| 20.76 | Carlo Simionato | Italy (ITA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-12 |
| 20.75 | Carlo Simionato | Italy (ITA) |
1983 | Quarter-finals | 1983-08-12 |
| 20.68 | Pietro Mennea | Italy (ITA) |
1983 | Quarter-finals | 1983-08-12 |
| 20.29 | Calvin Smith | United States (USA) |
1983 | Semi-finals | 1983-08-12 |
| 20.14 | Calvin Smith | United States (USA) |
1983 | Final | 1983-08-12 |
| 20.05 | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) |
1991 | Quarter-finals | 1991-08-26 |
| 20.01 | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) |
1991 | Final | 1991-08-27 |
| 19.85 | Frankie Fredericks | Namibia (NAM) |
1993 | Final | 1993-08-20 |
| 19.79 | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) |
1995 | Final | 1995-08-11 |
| 19.76 | Tyson Gay | United States (USA) |
2007 | Final | 2007-08-30 |
| 19.19 WR | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) |
2009 | Final | 2009-08-20 |
Women
edit| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.34 | Joan Baptiste | Great Britain (GBR) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-12 |
| 23.05 | Florence Griffith Joyner | United States (USA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-12 |
| 23.01 | Randy Givens | United States (USA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-12 |
| 22.78 | Kathy Smallwood-Cook | Great Britain (GBR) |
1983 | Quarter-finals | 1983-08-12 |
| 22.38 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica (JAM) |
1983 | Quarter-finals | 1983-08-12 |
| 22.13 | Marita Koch | East Germany (GDR) |
1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 |
| 21.74 | Silke Möller | East Germany (GDR) |
1987 | Final | 1987-09-03 |
| 21.63 | Dafne Schippers | Netherlands (NED) |
2015 | Final | 2015-08-28 |
| 21.45 | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica (JAM) |
2022 | Final | 2022-07-21 |
| 21.41 | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica (JAM) |
2023 | Final | 2023-08-25 |
Finishing times
editTop ten fastest World Championship times
edit
References
edit- ↑ IAAF World Championships: IAAF Statistics Handbook Daegu 2011, pp. 595–6 (archived). IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-07-06.
- ↑ "World Athletics Championships - Budapest 23 Statistical Booklet" (PDF). www.worldathletics.org: 42–45.
- 1 2 Butler 2013, p. 67–9.
- ↑ "Kapachinskaya given ban". 2004-05-29. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ↑ "More than 1900 blood samples collected – Moscow 2013 | PRESS-RELEASE | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ↑ "Track and Field Statistics". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ↑ "Track and Field Statistics". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ↑ "Men's 200m".
- ↑ "Women's 200m".
Bibliography
edit- Butler, Mark (2013). IAAF Statistics Book Moscow 2013 (PDF). IAAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2014.