# Women's 4 × 100 metres relay world record progression

The first world record in the women's 4 x 100 metres relay was recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1922. 45 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event. The following table shows the world record progression in the women's 4 × 100metre relay, as ratified by the IAAF. "y" denotes time for 4 × 110yards (402.34m), ratified as a record for this event.

## Records 1922-1976

| Time | Auto | Team | Country | Venue | Date | Participants |
| 53.2 | | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | Paris | 1922-05-21 | Marie Mejzlíková I, Marie Bakovská, Marie Jirásková, Marie Mejzlíková II |
| 51.4+ | | Great Britain & N.I. | United Kingdom | Paris | 1922-08-20 | Mary Lines, Daisy Leach, Gwendoline Porter, Nora Callebout |
| 50.4 | | Berliner Sport-Club | Germany | Cologne | 1926-07-11 | Lilli Henoch, Charlotte Köhler, Gerda Pöting, Cläre Voss |
| 49.8y | | Great Britain & N.I. | United Kingdom | Gothenburg | 1926-08-29 | Dorothy Scouler, Florence Haynes, Eileen Edwards, Rose Thompson |
| 50.0 | | Viktoria Magdeburg | Germany | Breslau | 1927-08-07 | Anneliese Jacke, Lieselotte Hellmann, Rose Drieling, Ilse Drieling |
| 50.0 | | Linnets Saint-Maur | France | Paris | 1928-07-15 | Georgette Gagneux, Lucienne Velu, Simone Warnier, Marguerite Radideau |
| 49.8 | | TSV 1860 München | Germany | Berlin | 1928-07-15 | Rosa Kellner, Luise Holzer, Agathe Karrer, Lisa Gelius |
| 48.4 | | Canada | Canada | Amsterdam | 1928-08-05 | Fanny Rosenfeld, Etle Smith, Florence Bell, Myrtle Cook |
| 49.0 | | Eintracht Frankfurt | Germany | Mannheim | 1929-06-30 | Ottilie Fleischer, Detta Lorenz, Emmy Haux, Charlotte Köhler |
| 49.0 | | TSV 1860 München | Germany | Frankfurt | 1929-07-21 | Rosa Kellner, Luise Holzer, Agathe Karrer, Lisa Gelius |
| 48.8 | | TSV 1860 München | Germany | Nuremberg | 1930-07-20 | Rosa Kellner, Luise Holzer, Agathe Karrer, Lisa Gelius |
| 46.9 | | United States | United States | Los Angeles | 1932-08-07 | Mary Carew, Evelyn Furtsch, Annette Rogers, Billie von Bremen |
| 46.5 | | Germany | Germany | Cologne | 1936-06-21 | Emmy Albus, Käthe Krauß, Marie Dollinger, Grete Winkels |
| 46.4 | | Germany | Germany | Berlin | 1936-08-08 | Emmy Albus, Käthe Krauß, Marie Dollinger, Ilse Dörffeldt |
| 46.1 | 46.23 | Australia | Australia | Helsinki | 1952-07-27 | Shirley de la Hunty, Verna Johnston, Winsome Cripps, Marjorie Jackson |
| 45.9 | 46.14 | United States | United States | Helsinki | 1952-07-27 | Mae Faggs, Barbara Jones, Janet Moreau, Catherine Hardy |
| 45.9 | 46.18 | West Germany | West Germany | Helsinki | 1952-07-27 | Ursula Knab, Maria Sander, Helga Klein, Marga Petersen |
| 45.6 | | Soviet Union | Soviet Union | Budapest | 1953-09-20 | Vera Kalashnikova, Sinaida Safronova, Nadezhda Khnykina, Irina Turova |
| 45.6 | | Soviet Union | Soviet Union | Moscow | 1955-09-11 | Lidia Polinitschenko, Galina Vinogradova, Sinaida Safronova, Maria Itkina |
| 45.2 | | Soviet Union | Soviet Union | Kiev | 1956-07-27 | Vera Krepkina, Olga Kosheleva, Maria Itkina, Irina Botskarova |
| 45.1 | | Germany | Germany | Dresden | 1956-09-30 | Erika Fisch, Gisela Köhler, Christa Stubnick, Bärbel Mayer |
| 44.9 | 45.00 | Australia | Australia | Melbourne | 1956-12-01 | Shirley de la Hunty, Norma Croker, Fleur Mellor, Betty Cuthbert |
| 44.9 | 45.07 | Germany | Germany | Melbourne | 1956-12-01 | Maria Sander, Christa Stubnick, Gisela Köhler, Bärbel Mayer |
| 44.5 | 44.65 | Australia | Australia | Melbourne | 1956-12-01 | Shirley de la Hunty, Norma Croker, Fleur Mellor, Betty Cuthbert |
| 44.4 | 44.51 | United States | United States | Rome | 1960-09-07 | Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, Barbara Jones, Wilma Rudolph |
| 44.3 | | United States | United States | Moscow | 1961-07-15 | Willye White, Ernestine Pollards, Vivianne Brown, Wilma Rudolph |
| 43.9 | 43.92 | United States | United States | Tokyo | 1964-10-21 | Willye White, Wyomia Tyus, Marilyn White, Edith McGuire |
| 43.9 | | Soviet Union | Soviet Union | Leninakan | 1968-08-16 | Lilia Tkatshenko, Galina Bukharina, Vera Popkova, Lyudmila Samotyosova |
| 43.6 | | Soviet Union | Soviet Union | Mexico City | 1968-09-27 | Lyudmila Zharkova, Galina Bukharina, Vera Popkova, Lyudmila Samotyosova |
| 43.4 | 43.50 | United States | United States | Mexico City | 1968-10-19 | Barbara Ferrell, Margaret Bailes, Mildrette Netter, Wyomia Tyus |
| 43.4 | 43.49 | Netherlands | Netherlands | Mexico City | 1968-10-19 | Wilma van den Berg, Mieke Sterk, Truus Hennipman, Corrie Bakker |
| 42.8 | 42.88 | United States | United States | Mexico City | 1968-10-20 | Barbara Ferrell, Margaret Bailes, Mildrette Netter, Wyomia Tyus |
| 42.8 | 42.81 | West Germany | West Germany | Munich | 1972-09-10 | Christiane Krause, Ingrid Mickler-Becker, Annegret Richter, Heide Rosendahl |
| 42.6 | | East Germany | East Germany | Potsdam | 1973-09-01 | Petra Kandarr, Renate Stecher, Christina Heinich, Doris Selmigkeit |
| 42.6 | | East Germany | East Germany | East Berlin | 1974-08-24 | Doris Maletzki, Renate Stecher, Christina Heinich, Bärbel Eckert |
| 42.5 | 42.51 | East Germany | East Germany | Rome | 1974-09-08 | Doris Maletzki, Renate Stecher, Christina Heinich, Bärbel Eckert |

## Records since 1977

From 1975, the IAAF accepted separate automatically electronically timed records for events up to 400 metres. From 1977, the IAAF required fully automatic timing to the hundredth of a second for these events.
| Time | Team | Country | Venue | Date | Participants |
| 42.50 | East Germany | East Germany | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1976-05-29 | Marlies Oelsner, Renate Stecher, Carla Bodendorf, Martina Blos |
| 42.27 | East Germany | East Germany | Potsdam | 1978-08-19 | Johanna Klier, Monika Hamann, Carla Bodendorf, Marlies Göhr |
| 42.10 | East Germany | East Germany | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1979-06-10 | Marita Koch, Romy Schneider, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr |
| 42.09 | East Germany | East Germany | Turin | 1979-08-04 | Christina Brehmer, Romy Schneider, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr |
| 42.09 | East Germany | East Germany | East Berlin | 1980-07-09 | Romy Müller, Bärbel Wöckel, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr |
| 41.85 | East Germany | East Germany | Potsdam | 1980-07-13 | Romy Müller, Bärbel Wöckel, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr |
| 41.60 | East Germany | East Germany | Moscow | 1980-08-01 | Romy Müller, Bärbel Wöckel, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr |
| 41.53 | East Germany | East Germany | East Berlin | 1983-07-31 | Silke Gladisch, Marita Koch, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr |
| 41.37 | East Germany | East Germany | Canberra | 1985-10-06 | Silke Gladisch, Sabine Rieger, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr |
| 40.82 | United States | United States | London | 2012-08-10 | Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter |