100 metres at the World Athletics Championships
Track event
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The 100 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious 100 m title after the 100 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has two or three qualifying rounds leading to a final between eight athletes. Since 2011 a preliminary round has been held, where athletes who have not achieved the qualifying standard time compete to enter the first round proper.
| 100 metres at the World Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
The heats of the men's 100 m in 2013 | |
| Overview | |
| Gender | Men and women |
| Years held | Men: 1983 â 2025 Women: 1983 â 2025 |
| Championship record | |
| Men | 9.58 Usain Bolt (2009) |
| Women | 10.61 Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (2025) |
| Reigning champion | |
| Men |  Oblique Seville (JAM) |
| Women |  Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) |
The championship records for the event are 9.58 seconds for men, set by Usain Bolt in 2009, and 10.61 seconds for women, set by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in 2025. The men's world record has been broken or equalled at the competition three times: by Carl Lewis in 1987 and 1991, and by Usain Bolt in 2009.[1] Ben Johnson beat Lewis in the 1987 final, but his win and record were subsequently rescinded after his admission to long-term steroid use.[2] Lewis's mark, which equalled the standing record at the time, was never officially ratified by the IAAF as a world record. The women's world record has not yet been beaten at the championships.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the most successful athlete of the event as the only person, male or female to win five titles, she also has the most medals with six. Carl Lewis, Maurice Greene and Usain Bolt are the most successful male athletes of the event, having each won three titles. Justin Gatlin has the most medals for a male with 5, 2 gold and 3 silver. Merlene Ottey and Carmelita Jeter are the only other athletes to have claimed four medals in the history of the World Championships event.
The United States is the most successful nation in the discipline, having won fifteen gold medals. Jamaica are a clear second with six gold medals. East Germany, with two, is the only other nation to have won multiple titles.
Age records
- All information from World Athletics.[3]
| Distinction | Male | Female | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date | |
| Youngest champion | Yohan Blake (JAM) |
21 years, 245 days | 28 Aug 2011 |  Katrin Krabbe (GDR) |
21 years, 278 days | 27 Aug 1991 |
| Youngest medalist |  Darrel Brown (TTO) |
18 years, 318 days | 25 Aug 2003 | tina clayton (JAM) |
21 years, 27 days | 13 sept 2025 |
| Youngest finalist | Darrel Brown (TTO) |
18 years, 318 days | 25 Aug 2003 | Nikole Mitchell (JAM) |
19 years, 72 days | 16 Aug 1993 |
| Youngest participant |  Darren Tuitt (MNT) |
15 years, 153 days | 5 Aug 1995 |  Tehani Kirby (MNP) |
14 years, 5 days | 26 Aug 1991 |
| Oldest champion | Justin Gatlin (USA) |
35 years, 176 days | 5 Aug 2017 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) |
35 years, 202 days | 17 Aug 2022 |
| Oldest medalist | Justin Gatlin (USA) |
37 years, 230 days | 28 Sep 2019 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) |
36 years, 237 days | 20 Aug 2023 |
| Oldest finalist | Justin Gatlin (USA) |
37 years, 230 days | 28 Sep 2019 |  Chandra Sturrup (BAH) |
37 years, 339 days | 17 Aug 2009 |
| Oldest participant |  Kim Collins (SKN) |
39 years, 218 days | 22 Aug 2015 |  Merlene Ottey (SLO) |
47 years, 108 days | 26 Aug 2007 |
Doping
Canada's Ben Johnson and Angella Taylor-Issajenko were both disqualified from the 1987 World Championships in Athletics for doping. Johnson was stripped of his 100 m gold, elevating Carl Lewis to world champion, while Taylor-Issajenko finished fifth in the women's 100 m final.
At the following edition in 1991, Irina Slyusar of the Soviet Union (a women's semi-finalist) was disqualified for doping. Eight years passed without incident in the 100 m before the double Nigerian doping disqualification of Innocent Asonze and Davidson Ezinwa in 1999.[4]
Tim Montgomery became the 100 m second medalist to be disqualified, losing his silver medal from the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. From the same event, Marion Jones later lost her silver medal for doping infractions, becoming the first female medalist to be stripped of a 100 m medal. Venolyn Clarke and Kelli White (a women's finalist) were also disqualified that year. The results of Dwain Chambers and Montgomery, fourth and fifth in 2003, were removed for doping. Two women's medalists were stripped of their honours for doping Kelli White lost the world title while Zhanna Block had her bronze medal removed. Block's times from the 2005 edition were also annulled.[4] These disqualifications were a result of the BALCO scandal, which included many 100 m runners.
No doping offences were recorded at the 2007 World Championships 100 metres, but bans shortly returned, with Ruqaya Al-Ghasra being banned from the 2009 edition and a female trio of Inna Eftimova, Semoy Hackett and Norjannah Hafiszah Jamaludin being disqualified in 2011.[4] The 2013 World Championships saw one elimination in Masoud Azizi.[5]
Among the men's world champions, only Donovan Bailey, Usain Bolt, Noah Lyles and Oblique Seville have not been implicated in doping during their careers; three-time champion Maurice Greene never failed a drug test, but admitted purchasing drugs on other athletes behalf.[6]
Medalists
Men
Medalists by country
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 12 | 11 | 7 | 30 |
| 2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 |  Canada (CAN) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Bahamas (BAH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Botswana (BOT) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Multiple medalists
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) | 2009â2017 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) | 1983â1991 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Maurice Greene | United States (USA) | 1997â2001 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Justin Gatlin | United States (USA) | 2005â2019 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | Christian Coleman | United States (USA) | 2017â2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Donovan Bailey | Canada (CAN) | 1995â1997 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Tyson Gay | United States (USA) | 2007â2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 8 | Kim Collins | Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | 2003â2011 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 | Linford Christie | Great Britain (GBR) | 1987â1993 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Noah Lyles | United States (USA) | 2023â2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 11 | Bruny Surin | Canada (CAN) | 1995â1999 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Dennis Mitchell | United States (USA) | 1991â1993 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ato Boldon | Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 1995â2001 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Asafa Powell | Jamaica (JAM) | 2007â2009 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Andre De Grasse | Canada (CAN) | 2015â2019 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Trayvon Bromell | United States (USA) | 2015-2022 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Women
Medalists by country
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 10 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| 2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 6 | 8 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | East Germany (GDR) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 |  Ukraine (UKR) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 |  Germany (GER) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  Ivory Coast (CIV) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Bahamas (BAH) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Greece (GRE) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 9 |  Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 |  France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Saint Lucia (LCA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Multiple medalists
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica (JAM) | 2009â2023 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Marion Jones | United States (USA) | 1997â1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica (JAM) | 2005â2011 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Gwen Torrence | United States (USA) | 1991â1995 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Zhanna Block | Ukraine (UKR) | 1997â2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Lauryn Williams | United States (USA) | 2005â2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 7 | Carmelita Jeter | United States (USA) | 2007â2013 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Tori Bowie | United States (USA) | 2015â2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica (JAM) | 1987â1995 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 10 | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica (JAM) | 2022â2023 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Ekaterini Thanou | Greece (GRE) | 1999â2003 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Chandra Sturrup | Bahamas (BAH) | 2001â2003 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Dafne Schippers | Netherlands (NED) | 2015â2017 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marie-Josee Ta Lou | Ivory Coast (CIV) | 2017â2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Championship record progression
Men
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.64 | Luke Watson | Great Britain (GBR) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 10.38 | Juan Núñez |  Dominican Republic (DOM) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 10.34 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 10.31 | Desai Williams | Canada (CAN) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 10.30 | Calvin Smith | United States (USA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 10.24 | Leandro Peñalver |  Cuba (CUB) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 10.20 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) |
1983 | Quarter-finals | 1983-08-07 |
| 10.07 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) |
1983 | Final | 1983-08-08 |
| 10.03 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) |
1987 | Semi-finals | 1987-08-30 |
| Ben Johnson | Canada (CAN) |
1987 | Final | 1987-08-30 | |
| 9.93 WR= | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) |
1987 | Final | 1987-08-30 |
| 9.93 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) |
1991 | Semi-finals | 1991-08-25 |
| 9.86 WR | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) |
1991 | Final | 1991-08-25 |
| 9.86 | Maurice Greene | United States (USA) |
1997 | Final | 1997-08-03 |
| 9.80 | Maurice Greene | United States (USA) |
1999 | Final | 1999-08-22 |
| 9.58 WR | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) |
2009 | Final | 2009-08-16 |
Women
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.26 | Olga Antonova |  Soviet Union (URS) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 11.24 | Marita Koch | East Germany (GDR) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 11.23 | Diane Williams | United States (USA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 11.15 | Evelyn Ashford | United States (USA) |
1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 11.11 | Evelyn Ashford | United States (USA) |
1983 | Quarter-finals | 1983-08-07 |
| 11.05 | Marlies Göhr | East Germany (GDR) |
1983 | Semi-finals | 1983-08-08 |
| 10.99 | Evelyn Ashford | United States (USA) |
1983 | Semi-finals | 1983-08-08 |
| 10.97 | Marlies Göhr | East Germany (GDR) |
1983 | Final | 1983-08-08 |
| 10.95 | Heike Drechsler | East Germany (GDR) |
1987 | Semi-finals | 1987-08-30 |
| 10.90 | Silke Möller | East Germany (GDR) |
1987 | Semi-finals | 1987-08-30 |
| 10.87 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica (JAM) |
1993 | Semi-finals | 1993-08-16 |
| 10.87 | Gwen Torrence | United States (USA) |
1993 | Semi-finals | 1993-08-16 |
| 10.82 | Gail Devers | United States (USA) |
1993 | Final | 1993-08-16 |
| 10.82 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica (JAM) |
1993 | Final | 1993-08-16 |
| 10.76 | Marion Jones | United States (USA) |
1999 | Quarter-finals | 1999-08-21 |
| 10.70 | Marion Jones | United States (USA) |
1999 | Final | 1999-08-22 |
| 10.67 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica (JAM) |
2022 | Final | 2022-07-17 |
| 10.65 | Sha'Carri Richardson | United States (USA) |
2023 | Final | 2023-08-21 |
| 10.61 | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden | United States (USA) |
2025 | Final | 2025-09-14 |
Finishing times
Top ten fastest World Championship times
- H â time recorded in the heats
- QF â time recorded in the quarter-finals
- SF â time recorded in the semi-finals
Best time for place
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