# List of Olympic records in athletics

The modern Summer Olympic Games have been held every four years since the first Games in 1896 (except 1916 due to the First World War, 1940 and 1944 due to the Second World War, and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and Olympic records are recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in each event. The athletics events, which take place at each Games, are divided into four groups: track events (including sprints, middle- and long-distance running, hurdling and relays), field events (including javelin, discus, hammer, shot put, pole vault, high, long and triple jumps), road events (such as walks and the marathon) and combined events (the heptathlon and the decathlon). Women compete in 23 athletics events during the Games, and men compete in 24; while 21 of the events are the same for both men and women, men exclusively compete in the 50 km walk, the women's combined event is the heptathlon while the men compete in the decathlon, and the short distance hurdles for women is contested over 100 m, ten metres shorter than the men's event.
Some Olympic records have been broken but later rescinded by the IOC. In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson broke the Olympic and World record in the 100 metres sprint, but was subsequently disqualified after it was discovered that he had used anabolic steroids to enhance his performance. His record was expunged and the gold medal was instead awarded to original silver medalist American Carl Lewis. Hungarian athlete Róbert Fazekas broke the Olympic record in the men's discus in 2004 but was later stripped of both his gold medal and the record after it was deemed that he had "committed an anti-doping rule violation".
The longest standing modern Olympic athletics record is Bob Beamon's achievement in the men's long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics. The jump, at 8.90 m (29 ft 2 in), also broke the existing world record by 55 cm (22 in), and stood as the world record for 23 years until Beamon's compatriot, Mike Powell, jumped farther in the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo.
Note, only those events currently competed for and recognised by the IOC as Summer Olympic events are listed.

## Key

No longer contested at the Summer Olympics

## Men's records

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of August 5, 2024.
List of men's Olympic records in athletics :
| Event | Record | Athlete(s) | Nation | Games | Date |
| 100 metres | 9.63 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) | 2012 London | August 5, 2012 |
| 200 metres | 19.30 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) | 2008 Beijing | August 20, 2008 |
| 400 metres | ♦43.03 | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa (RSA) | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | August 14, 2016 |
| 800 metres | ♦1:40.91 | David Rudisha | Kenya (KEN) | 2012 London | August 9, 2012 |
| 1,500 metres | 3:27.65 | Cole Hocker | United States (USA) | 2024 Paris | August 6, 2024 |
| 5,000 metres | 12:57.82 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2008 Beijing | August 23, 2008 |
| 10,000 metres | 26:43.14 | Joshua Cheptegei | Uganda (UGA) | 2024 Paris | August 2, 2024 |
| Marathon | 2:06:26 | Tamirat Tola | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2024 Paris | August 10, 2024 |
| 110 metres hurdles | 12.91 | Liu Xiang | China (CHN) | 2004 Athens | August 27, 2004 |
| 400 metres hurdles | ♦45.94 | Karsten Warholm | Norway (NOR) | 2020 Tokyo | August 3, 2021 |
| 3,000 m steeplechase | 8:03.28 | Conseslus Kipruto | Kenya (KEN) | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | August 17, 2016 |
| 4×100 m relay | ♦36.84 | Nesta Carter Michael Frater Yohan Blake Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) | 2012 London | August 11, 2012 |
| 4×400 m relay | 2:54.43 | Christopher Bailey Vernon Norwood Bryce Deadmon Rai Benjamin | United States (USA) | 2024 Paris | August 10, 2024 |
| 20 km walk | 1:18:46 | Chen Ding | China (CHN) | 2012 London | August 4, 2012 |
| 50 km walk | 3:36:53 | Jared Tallent | Australia (AUS) | 2012 London | August 11, 2012 |
| High jump | 2.39 m | Charles Austin | United States (USA) | 1996 Atlanta | July 28, 1996 |
| Long jump | 8.90 m | Bob Beamon | United States (USA) | 1968 Mexico City | October 18, 1968 |
| Pole vault | 6.25 m | Armand Duplantis | Sweden (SWE) | 2024 Paris | August 5, 2024 |
| Triple jump | 18.09 m | Kenny Harrison | United States (USA) | 1996 Atlanta | July 27, 1996 |
| Shot put | 23.30 m | Ryan Crouser | United States (USA) | 2020 Tokyo | August 5, 2021 |
| Discus throw | 70.00 m | Rojé Stona | Jamaica (JAM) | 2024 Paris | August 7, 2024 |
| Hammer throw | 84.80 m | Sergey Litvinov | Soviet Union (URS) | 1988 Seoul | September 26, 1988 |
| Javelin throw | 92.97 m | Arshad Nadeem | Pakistan (PAK) | 2024 Paris | August 8, 2024 |
| Decathlon | 9018 pts | Damian Warner | Canada (CAN) | 2020 Tokyo | August 5, 2021 |

## Women's records

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of August 9, 2024.
List of women's Olympic records in athletics :
| Event | Record | Athlete(s) | Nation | Games | Date |
| 100 metres | 10.61 | Elaine Thompson Herah | Jamaica (JAM) | 2020 Tokyo | July 31, 2021 |
| 200 metres | ♦21.34 | Florence Griffith Joyner | United States (USA) | 1988 Seoul | September 29, 1988 |
| 400 metres | 48.17 | Marileidy Paulino | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 2024 Paris | August 9, 2024 |
| 800 metres | 1:53.43 | Nadezhda Olizarenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1980 Moscow | July 27, 1980 |
| 1,500 metres | 3:51.29 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya (KEN) | 2024 Paris | August 10, 2024 |
| 5,000 metres | 14:26.17 | Vivian Cheruiyot | Kenya (KEN) | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | August 19, 2016 |
| 10,000 metres | 29:17.45 | Almaz Ayana | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | August 12, 2016 |
| Marathon | 2:22:55 | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands (NED) | 2024 Paris | August 11, 2024 |
| 100 metres hurdles | 12.26 | Jasmine Camacho-Quinn | Puerto Rico (PUR) | 2020 Tokyo | August 1, 2021 |
| 400 metres hurdles | ♦50.37 | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | United States (USA) | 2024 Paris | August 8, 2024 |
| 3,000 m steeplechase | 8:52.76 | Winfred Yavi | Bahrain (BRN) | 2024 Paris | August 6, 2024 |
| 4 × 100 m relay | ♦40.82 | Tianna Madison Allyson Felix Bianca Knight Carmelita Jeter | United States (USA) | 2012 London | August 10, 2012 |
| 4 × 400 m relay | ♦3:15.17 | Tatyana Ledovskaya Olga Nazarova Mariya Pinigina Olga Bryzgina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1988 Seoul | October 1, 1988 |
| 20 km walk | 1:25:16 | Qieyang Shijie | China (CHN) | 2012 London | August 11, 2012 |
| High jump | 2.06 m | Yelena Slesarenko | Russia (RUS) | 2004 Athens | August 28, 2004 |
| Long jump | 7.40 m | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States (USA) | 1988 Seoul | September 29, 1988 |
| Pole vault | 5.05 m | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia (RUS) | 2008 Beijing | August 18, 2008 |
| Triple jump | 15.67 m | Yulimar Rojas | Venezuela (VEN) | 2020 Tokyo | August 1, 2021 |
| Shot put | 22.41 m | Ilona Slupianek | East Germany (GDR) | 1980 Moscow | July 24, 1980 |
| Discus throw | 72.30 m | Martina Hellmann | East Germany (GDR) | 1988 Seoul | September 29, 1988 |
| Hammer throw | 82.29 m | Anita Włodarczyk | Poland (POL) | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | August 15, 2016 |
| Javelin throw | 71.53 m | Osleidys Menéndez | Cuba (CUB) | 2004 Athens | August 27, 2004 |
| Heptathlon | ♦7291 pts | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States (USA) | 1988 Seoul | September 24, 1988 |

## Mixed records

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of August 7, 2024.
List of mixed Olympic records in athletics :
| Event | Record | Athlete(s) | Nation | Games | Date | Ref(s) |
| 4 × 400 m relay | ♦3:07.41 | Vernon Norwood Shamier Little Bryce Deadmon Kaylyn Brown | United States (USA) | 2024 Paris | August 2, 2024 | |

## Combined event bests

The International Olympic Committee maintains a list of the best Olympic results in each decathlon and heptathlon discipline.
List of men's Olympic decathlon bests :
| Event | Record | Athlete(s) | Nation | Games | Date |
| 100 metres | 10.12 | Damian Warner | Canada (CAN) | 2020 Tokyo | August 3, 2021 |
| Long jump | 8.24 m | Damian Warner | Canada (CAN) | 2020 Tokyo | August 3, 2021 |
| Shot put | 16.97 m | Michael Smith | Canada (CAN) | 1996 Atlanta | July 30, 1996 |
| High jump | 2.27 m | Christian Schenk | East Germany (GDR) | 1988 Seoul | September 27, 1988 |
| 400 metres | 45.68 | Bill Toomey | United States (USA) | 1968 Mexico City | October 17, 1968 |
| 110 metre hurdles | 13.46 | Damian Warner | Canada (CAN) | 2020 Tokyo | August 4, 2021 |
| Discus throw | 53.91 m | Lindon Victor | Grenada (GRN) | 2024 Paris | August 3, 2024 |
| Pole vault | 5.70 m | Tim Bright | United States (USA) | 1988 Seoul | September 28, 1988 |
| Javelin throw | 77.78 m | Niklas Kaul | Germany (GER) | 2024 Paris | August 3, 2024 |
| 1500 metres | 4:05.90 | Leonid Lytvynenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1972 Munich | September 8, 1972 |
List of women's Olympic heptathlon bests :
| Event | Record | Athlete(s) | Nation | Games | Date |
| 100 metre hurdles | 12.54 | Jessica Ennis-Hill | Great Britain (GBR) | 2012 London | August 2, 2012 |
| High jump | 1.98 m | Katarina Johnson-Thompson Nafissatou Thiam | Great Britain (GBR) Belgium (BEL) | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | August 11, 2016 |
| Shot put | 17.31 m | Austra Skujyte | Lithuania (LTU) | 2012 London | August 2, 2012 |
| 200 metres | 22.56 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States (USA) | 1988 Seoul | September 22, 1988 |
| Long jump | 7.27 m | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States (USA) | 1988 Seoul | September 23, 1988 |
| Javelin throw | 56.96 m | Sofia Ifantidou | Greece (GRE) | 2012 London | August 3, 2012 |
| 800 metres | 2:03.60 | Olga Nemogayeva | Soviet Union (URS) | 1980 Moscow | July 23, 1980 |
* ↑ Before 1984, women competed in the pentathlon instead of the heptathlon.