# 50 metres

50 metres, or 50-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor athletics competitions it is used in the Special Olympics and a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. It is an alternative to the 60 metres running event. The imperial distance for 50 metres is 54.68 yards.
Records and personal bests in the 50 metres are frequently achieved in February and March as these dates coincide with the indoor athletics season.

## All-time top 25

Indoor results only
+ = en route to a longer distance
A = affected by altitude

### Men

* Updated February 2025.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
| 1 | 5.56 A | Donovan Bailey | Canada | 9 February 1996 | Reno |
| 1 | 5.56 | Maurice Greene | United States | 13 February 1999 | Los Angeles |
| 3 | 5.58+ | Leonard Scott | United States | 26 February 2005 | Liévin |
| 4 | 5.60+ | Michael Green | Jamaica | 16 February 1997 | Liévin |
| 5 | 5.61 | Manfred Kokot | East Germany | 4 February 1973 | Berlin |
| 5 | 5.61 | James Sanford | United States | 20 February 1981 | San Diego |
| 5 | 5.61+ | Deji Aliu | Nigeria | 21 February 1999 | Liévin |
| 5 | 5.61+ | Freddy Mayola | Cuba | 16 February 2000 | Madrid |
| 5 | 5.61+ | Jason Gardener | United Kingdom | 16 February 2000 | Madrid |
| 10 | 5.62 | Emmit King | United States | 5 March 1986 | Kobe |
| 10 | 5.62 | Andre Cason | United States | 15 February 1992 | Los Angeles |
| 10 | 5.62+ | Eric Nkansah | Ghana | 21 February 1999 | Liévin |
| 10 | 5.62+ | Morné Nagel | South Africa | 24 February 2002 | Liévin |
| 14 | 5.63 | Stanley Floyd | United States | 20 February 1981 | San Diego |
| 14 | 5.63 A | Henry Neal | United States | 10 February 1995 | Reno |
| 14 | 5.63 | Jon Drummond | United States | 13 February 1999 | Los Angeles |
| 14 | 5.63+ | Lerone Clarke | Jamaica | 14 February 2012 | Liévin |
| 14 | 5.63+ | Ronnie Baker | United States | 4 February 2025 | Ostrava |
| 19 | 5.64 | Davidson Ezinwa | Nigeria | 15 February 1992 | Los Angeles |
| 19 | 5.64 | Aleksandr Porkhomovskiy | Russia | 4 February 1994 | Moscow |
| 19 | 5.64 | Bruny Surin | Canada | 27 January 1995 | Moscow |
| 19 | 5.64+ | Donovan Powell | Jamaica | 21 February 1999 | Liévin |
| 19 | 5.64+ | Leonard Myles-Mills | Ghana | 13 February 2000 | Liévin |
| 19 | 5.64+ | Ato Boldon | Trinidad and Tobago | 16 February 2000 | Madrid |
| 19 | 5.64+ | Tim Harden | United States | 16 February 2000 | Madrid |
| 19 | 5.64 | Gerald Williams | United States | 19 February 2000 | Los Angeles |
| 19 | 5.64 | Jeff Laynes | United States | 20 January 2001 | Los Angeles |
| 19 | 5.64 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | 28 January 2012 | New York City |
* $^B$ Ben Johnson of Canada ran 5.55 at Ottawa, Canada on 31 January 1987, but this time was rescinded after Johnson admitted to using steroids between 1981 and 1988.

#### Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 5.63:
* Maurice Greene also ran 5.59+ (1999).
* Michael Green also ran 5.62+ (1997).
* Donovan Bailey also ran 5.62 (1996).
* Deji Aliu also ran 5.63+ (1999).
* Freddy Mayola also ran 5.63+ (2001).

#### Outdoor best performances

+ = en route to 100m mark. N.B. The Seville marks listed are excluding the athlete's reaction times. Bolt's & Su's times are inclusive.
| Rank | Time | Wind (m/s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
| 1 | 5.40+ (calculated; add 0.127, or 0.13) | +0.2 | Bruny Surin | Canada | 22 August 1999 | Seville |
| 2 | 5.42+ (calculated; add 0.132, or 0.14) | +0.2 | Maurice Greene | United States | 22 August 1999 | Seville |
| 3 | 5.43+ (calculated; add 0.140) | +0.2 | Dwain Chambers | Great Britain | 22 August 1999 | Seville |
| 4 | 5.45+ | +0.9 | Su Bingtian | China | 1 August 2021 | Tokyo |
| 5 | 5.46+ (calculated; add 0.136, or 0.14) | +0.2 | Tim Harden | United States | 22 August 1999 | Seville |
| 6 | 5.47+ (calculated) | +0.9 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 16 August 2009 | Berlin |

### Women

* Correct as of February 2025.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
| 1 | 5.96+ | Irina Privalova | Russia | 9 February 1995 | Madrid |
| 2 | 6.00 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica | 4 February 1994 | Moscow |
| 3 | 6.02+ | Gail Devers | United States | 21 February 1999 | Liévin |
| 4 | 6.04+ | Chioma Ajunwa | Nigeria | 22 February 1998 | Liévin |
| 5 | 6.05+ | Savatheda Fynes | Bahamas | 13 February 2000 | Liévin |
| 5 | 6.05+ | Philomena Mensah | Canada | 13 February 2000 | Liévin |
| 7 | 6.07 A | Gwen Torrence | United States | 9 February 1996 | Reno |
| 8 | 6.08+ | Christy Opara-Thompson | Nigeria | 16 February 1997 | Liévin |
| 8 | 6.08 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 28 January 2012 | New York City |
| 10 | 6.09 | Zhanna Block | Ukraine | 2 February 1993 | Moscow |
| 11 | 6.11 | Marita Koch | East Germany | 2 February 1980 | Grenoble |
| 11 | 6.11+ | Liliana Allen | Mexico | 13 February 2000 | Liévin |
| 11 | 6.11+ | Christine Arron | France | 26 February 2006 | Aubière |
| 14 | 6.12 | Marlies Göhr | East Germany | 2 February 1980 | Grenoble |
| 14 | 6.12 | Silke Möller | East Germany | 19 February 1988 | Berlin |
| 14 | 6.12 | Anelia Nuneva | Bulgaria | 27 January 1995 | Moscow |
| 14 | 6.12+ | Ewa Swoboda | Poland | 4 February 2025 | Ostrava |
| 14 | 6.12+ | Patrizia van der Weken | Luxembourg | 4 February 2025 | Ostrava |
| 19 | 6.13 | Jeanette Bolden | United States | 21 February 1981 | Edmonton |
| 19 | 6.13 | Michelle Finn-Burrell | United States | 15 February 1992 | Los Angeles |
| 19 | 6.13 | Natalya Merzlyakova | Russia | 4 February 1994 | Moscow |
| 19 | 6.13 | Ekaterina Grigorieva | Russia | 4 February 1994 | Moscow |
| 19 | 6.13+ | Mercy Nku | Nigeria | 25 February 2001 | Liévin |
| 24 | 6.14+ | Frédérique Bangué | France | 16 February 1997 | Liévin |
| 24 | 6.14+ | Petya Pendareva | Bulgaria | 21 February 1999 | Liévin |
| 24 | 6.14+ | Muriel Hurtis | France | 23 February 2003 | Liévin |
| 24 | 6.14+ | LaVerne Jones-Ferrette | United States Virgin Islands | 24 February 2012 | Liévin |
Note: Angella Issajenko of Canada ran a world record 6.06 in Ottawa on 13 January 1987, this performance was rescinded after Issajenko's admittance of long term drug use at the Dubin Inquiry in 1989.

#### Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 6.11:
* Irina Privalova also ran 6.01 (1994), 6.03 (1994), 6.04 (1993), 6.05+ (1993, 1997), 6.07 (1994), 6.08 (1994), 6.08+ (1997), 6.09 (1994) and 6.11+ (1996).
* Gail Devers also ran 6.03 (1999) and 6.10 (1993).
* Merlene Ottey also ran 6.06+ (1999), 6.08+ (1999) and 6.11+ (1996).
* Savatheda Fynes also ran 6.07+ (1999).
* Philomena Mensah also ran 6.07+ (1999).
* Christy Opara-Thompson also ran 6.11+ (1997).

#### Outdoor best performances

+ = en route to 100m mark
| Time | Wind (m/s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
| 5.93+ (calculated) | −0.1 | Marion Jones | United States | 22 August 1999 | Seville | |