List of World Athletics Championships records
Athletes competing at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium where the first and tenth editions of the Championships were staged.
The World Athletics Championships is a biennial event which began in 1983 . Organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the World Championships are a competition comprising track and field athletics events available to male and female athletes from any of the IAAF's 213 member federations. Championship records are set when an athlete achieves the best mark in an event at one of the editions of the Championships . World, area, and national records have been set at the championships over the course of its history.
Competitors at the World Championships come from around the globe and records have been broken by athletes from all six continents. The United States has been the most successful competitor at the World Championships in both medals and records.
Four athletes hold multiple records:
Usain Bolt holds records in the 100 and 200 metres as well as the 4 × 100 relay
Michael Johnson holds individual and relay records in the 400 metres
Jackie Joyner-Kersee broke both the heptathlon and long jump records
Jarmila Kratochvílová set the records in the 400 and 800 metres at the inaugural Championships in 1983, which are still unbeaten and are the two oldest records of the Championships.
Men
Colin Jackson broke the 110 metre hurdles world record in 1993; a record which stood for over a decade.
Mike Powell 's world record long jump at the 1991 Championships has never been bettered.
Double record holder Michael Johnson has held the 400 metres world record with his run in Seville for over 20 years.
not ratified or later rescinded by World Athletics
Note: World records in bold are current world records, those in bold italics are former world records
Statistics are correct as of August 2023
Decathlon disciplines
Event
Record
Athlete
Nation
Date
Championships
Place
Ref.
100 m
10.23
Ashton Eaton
United States
28 August 2015
2015 World Championships
Beijing , China
Long jump
8.07 m
Tomáš Dvořák
Czech Republic
6 August 2001
2001 World Championships
Edmonton , Canada
Shot put
17.54 m
Mike Smith
Canada
5 August 1997
1997 World Championships
Athens , Greece
High jump
2.24 m
Jagan Hames
Australia
5 August 1997
1997 World Championships
Athens , Greece
400 m
45.00
Ashton Eaton
United States
28 August 2015
2015 World Championships
Beijing , China
110 m hurdles
13.55
Frank Busemann
Germany
6 August 1997
1997 World Championships
Athens , Greece
Discus throw
54.97 m
Lindon Victor
Grenada
26 August 2023
2023 World Championships
Budapest , Hungary
[ 13]
Pole vault
5.50 m
Sébastien Levicq
France
25 August 1999
1999 World Championships
Seville , Spain
Javelin throw
79.05 m
Niklas Kaul
Germany
3 October 2019
2019 World Championships
Doha , Qatar
[ 14]
1500 m
4:11.82
Beat Gähwiler
Switzerland
30 August 1991
1991 World Championships
Tokyo , Japan
Women
Tirunesh Dibaba was only 20 when she won two gold medals and set the 5000 metres record.
Yelena Isinbayeva broke the pole vault world record for the thirteenth time in 2005.
Note:World records in bold are current world records, those in bold italics are former world records
Statistics are correct as of August 2023
Heptathlon disciplines
Event
Record
Athlete
Nation
Date
Championships
Place
Ref.
100 m hurdles
12.58 (+0.4 m/s )
Kendell Williams
United States
2 October 2019
2019 World Championships
Doha , Qatar
[ 32]
High jump
1.95 m
Carolina Klüft
Sweden
25 August 2007
2007 World Championships
Osaka , Japan
Nafissatou Thiam
Belgium
5 August 2017
2017 World Championships
London , United Kingdom
[ 33]
Yorgelis Rodríguez
Cuba
5 August 2017
2017 World Championships
London , United Kingdom
Katarina Johnson-Thompson
Great Britain
2 October 2019
2019 World Championships
Doha , Qatar
[ 34]
Nafissatou Thiam
Belgium
Nafissatou Thiam
Belgium
17 July 2022
2022 World Championships
Eugene , United States
[ 35]
Shot put
17.03 m
Austra Skujytė
Lithuania
25 August 2007
2007 World Championships
Osaka , Japan
200 m
22.84
Dafne Schippers
Netherlands
12 August 2013
2013 World Championships
Moscow , Russia
Long jump
7.14 m
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
United States
1 September 1987
1987 World Championships
Rome , Italy
Javelin throw
59.57 m
Anouk Vetter
Netherlands
20 August 2023
2023 World Championships
Budapest , Hungary
[ 36]
800 m
2:04.09
Anna Hall
United States
20 August 2023
2023 World Championships
Budapest , Hungary
[ 37]
Mixed
Note: World records in bold are current world records, those in bold italics are former world records
See also
References
General
Specific
Records in athletics
Area records
Senior Under-23 Junior (U-20) Youth (U-18) Others
World events Africa Americas North, Central America and Caribbean Central America and Caribbean Central America South America
Asia Europe Oceania Community