# List of World Athletics Championships records

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

* Key to tables:
not ratified or later rescinded by World Athletics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
| Event | Record | Name | Location | Date |
| 100 m | 9.58 (+0.9 m/s) WR | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Berlin | 16 August 2009 |
| 200 m | 19.19 (−0.3 m/s) WR | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Berlin | 20 August 2009 |
| 400 m | 43.18 WR | Michael Johnson (USA) | Sevilla | 26 August 1999 |
| 800 m | 1:42.34 | Donavan Brazier (USA) | Doha | 1 October 2019 |
| 1500 m | 3:27.65 | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) | Sevilla | 24 August 1999 |
| 5000 m | 12:52.79 | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | Paris | 31 August 2003 |
| 10,000 m | 26:46.31 | Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) | Berlin | 17 August 2009 |
| Marathon | 2:05:36 | Tamirat Tola (ETH) | Eugene | 17 July 2022 |
| 110 m hurdles | 12.91 (+0.5 m/s) WR | Colin Jackson (GBR) | Stuttgart | 20 August 1993 |
| 400 m hurdles | 46.29 | Alison dos Santos (BRA) | Eugene | 19 July 2022 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:00.43 | Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN) | Berlin | 18 August 2009 |
| High jump | 2.41 m | Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR) | Moscow | 15 August 2013 |
| Pole vault | 6.21 m WR | Armand Duplantis (SWE) | Eugene | 24 July 2022 |
| Long jump | 8.95 m (+0.3 m/s) WR | Mike Powell (USA) | Tokyo | 30 August 1991 |
| Triple jump | 18.29 m (+1.3 m/s) WR | Jonathan Edwards (GBR) | Gothenburg | 7 August 1995 |
| Shot put | 23.51 m | Ryan Crouser (USA) | Budapest | 19 August 2023 |
| Discus throw | 71.46 m | Daniel Ståhl (SWE) | Budapest | 21 August 2023 |
| Hammer throw | 83.63 m | Ivan Tsikhan (BLR) | Osaka | 27 August 2007 |
| Javelin throw | 92.80 m | Jan Železný (CZE) | Edmonton | 12 August 2001 |
| Decathlon | 9045 pts WR | Ashton Eaton (USA) | Beijing | 28–29 August 2015 |
| 100 m (wind) Long jump (wind) Shot put High jump 400 m 110 m h (wind) Discus Pole vault Javelin 1500 m 10.23 (−0.4 m/s) 7.88 m (±0.0 m/s) 14.52 m 2.01 m 45.00 13.69 (−0.2 m/s) 43.34 m 5.20 m 63.63 m 4:17.52 ||||||
| 20 km walk (road) | 1:17:21 WR | Jefferson Pérez (ECU) | Paris | 23 August 2003 |
| 35 km walk (road) | 2:23:14 | Massimo Stano (ITA) | Eugene | 24 July 2022 |
| 50 km walk (road) | 3:33:12 | Yohann Diniz (FRA) | London | 13 August 2017 |
| 4 × 100 m relay | 37.04 | Jamaica (JAM) Nesta Carter Michael Frater Yohan Blake Usain Bolt | Daegu | 4 September 2011 |
| 4 × 400 m relay | 2:54.29 WR | United States (USA) Andrew Valmon Quincy Watts Butch Reynolds Michael Johnson | Stuttgart | 22 August 1993 |
Key: :
| $^{WR}$ World record | $^{AR}$ Area record | $^{NR}$ National record | $^{PB}$ Athlete's personal best |

### Decathlon disciplines

| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 1500 m | 4:11.82 | Beat Gähwiler | Switzerland | 30 August 1991 | 1991 World Championships | Tokyo, Japan |

## Women

* Note:World records in bold are current world records, those in bold italics are former world records
Statistics are correct as of August 2023
| Event | Record | Name | Location | Date |
| 100 m | 10.65 (−0.2 m/s) | Sha'Carri Richardson (USA) | Budapest | 21 August 2023 |
| 200 m | 21.41 (+0.1 m/s) | Shericka Jackson (JAM) | Budapest | 25 August 2023 |
| 400 m | 47.99 WR | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | Helsinki | 10 August 1983 |
| 800 m | 1:54.68 | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | Helsinki | 9 August 1983 |
| 1500 m | 3:51.95 | Sifan Hassan (NED) | Doha | 5 October 2019 |
| 3000 m (defunct since 1993) | 8:28.71 | Yunxia Qu (CHN) | Stuttgart | 16 August 1993 |
| 5000 m | 14:26.72 | Hellen Obiri (KEN) | Doha | 5 October 2019 |
| 10,000 m | 30:04.18 | Berhane Adere (ETH) | Paris | 23 August 2003 |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.12 WR | Tobi Amusan (NGR) | Eugene | 24 July 2022 |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.06 (+2.5 m/s) | Tobi Amusan (NGR) | Eugene | 24 July 2022 |
| 400 m hurdles | 50.68 WR | Sydney McLaughlin (USA) | Eugene | 22 July 2022 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:53.02 | Norah Jeruto (KAZ) | Eugene | 20 July 2022 |
| Marathon | 2:18:11 | Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) | Eugene | 18 July 2022 |
| High jump | 2.09 m WR | Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) | Rome | 30 August 1987 |
| Pole vault | 5.01 m WR | Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) | Helsinki | 12 August 2005 |
| Long jump | 7.36 m (+0.4 m/s) | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) | Rome | 4 September 1987 |
| Triple jump | 15.50 m (+0.9 m/s) WR | Inessa Kravets (UKR) | Gothenburg | 10 August 1995 |
| Shot put | 21.24 m | Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) | Rome | 5 September 1987 |
| Shot put | 21.24 m | Valerie Adams (NZL) | Daegu | 29 August 2011 |
| Discus throw | 71.62 m | Martina Hellmann (GDR) | Rome | 31 August 1987 |
| Hammer throw | 80.85 m | Anita Włodarczyk (POL) | Beijing | 27 August 2015 |
| Javelin throw | 71.70 m | Olisdeilys Menéndez (CUB) | Helsinki | 14 August 2005 |
| Javelin throw | 71.99 m DQ | Mariya Abakumova (RUS) | Daegu | 2 September 2011 |
| Heptathlon | 7128 pts | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) | Rome | 31 August – 1 September 1987 |
| 100m H (wind) High jump Shot put 200m (wind) Long jump (wind) Javelin 800m 12.91 s (+0.2 m/s) 1.90 m 16.00 m 22.95 s (+1.2 m/s) 7.14 m (+0.9 m/s) 45.68 m 2:16.29 |||||
| 10,000 m walk (track) (defunct since 1997) | 42:55.49 | Annarita Sidoti (ITA) | Athens | 7 August 1997 |
| 10 km walk (road) (defunct since 1995) | 42:13 | Irina Stankina (RUS) | Gothenburg | 7 August 1995 |
| 20 km walk (road) | 1:25:41 | Olimpiada Ivanova (RUS) | Helsinki | 7 August 2005 |
| 35 km walk (road) | 2:38:40 | María Pérez (ESP) | Budapest | 24 August 2023 |
| 50 km walk (road) | 4:05:56 WR | Inês Henriques (POR) | London | 13 August 2017 |
| 4 × 100 m relay | 41.03 | United States (USA) Tamari Davis Twanisha Terry Gabrielle Thomas Sha'Carri Richardson | Budapest | 26 August 2023 |
| 4 × 400 m relay | 3:16.71 | United States (USA) Gwen Torrence Maicel Malone-Wallace Natasha Kaiser-Brown Jearl Miles | Stuttgart | 22 August 1993 |
Key: :
| $^{WR}$ World record | $^{AR}$ Area record | $^{NR}$ National record | $^{PB}$ Athlete's personal best |

### Heptathlon disciplines

| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.58 (+0.4 m/s) | Kendell Williams | United States | 2 October 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Doha, Qatar |
| High jump | 1.95 m | Carolina Klüft | Sweden | 25 August 2007 | 2007 World Championships | Osaka, Japan |
| High jump | 1.95 m | Nafissatou Thiam | Belgium | 5 August 2017 | 2017 World Championships | London, United Kingdom |
| High jump | 1.95 m | Yorgelis Rodríguez | Cuba | 5 August 2017 | 2017 World Championships | London, United Kingdom |
| High jump | 1.95 m | Katarina Johnson-Thompson | Great Britain | 2 October 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Doha, Qatar |
| High jump | 1.95 m | Nafissatou Thiam | Belgium | 2 October 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Doha, Qatar |
| High jump | 1.95 m | Nafissatou Thiam | Belgium | 17 July 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Eugene, United States |
| 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 |
| 800 m | 2:04.09 | Anna Hall | United States | 20 August 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |

## Mixed

* Note: World records in bold are current world records, those in bold italics are former world records
| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place | Ref. |
| 4 × 400 m relay | 3:08.80 WR | Justin Robinson (44.47) Rosey Effiong (50.38) Matthew Boling (45.13) Alexis Holmes (48.82) | United States | 19 August 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | |