60 metres
Track and field sprint race
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60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the middle of the 'field', as is the hurdles event over the same distance, thus avoiding some of the effects of the banked track encircling the venue, upon which other track events in indoor events are run. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. The format of the event is similar to other sprint distances. The sprinters follow three initial instructions: 'on your marks', instructing them to take up position in the starting blocks; 'set', instructing them to adopt a more efficient starting posture, which also isometrically preloads their muscles. This will enable them to start faster. The final instruction is the firing of the starter's pistol. Upon hearing this the sprinters stride forwards from the blocks.
Christian Coleman 6.34 A (2018)
Irina Privalova 6.92 (1993, 1995) Christian Coleman 6.37 (2018) Gail Devers 6.95 (1993)| Athletics 60 metres | |
|---|---|
Women 60 m final during Doha 2010 World Indoor Championships | |
| World records | |
| Men | Christian Coleman 6.34 A (2018) |
| Women | Irina Privalova 6.92 (1993, 1995) |
| World Indoor Championship records | |
| Men | Christian Coleman 6.37 (2018) |
| Women | Gail Devers 6.95 (1993) |
The 60 metres was an Olympic event in the 1900 and 1904 Summer Games but was removed from the schedule thereafter. American Christian Coleman currently holds the men's world record in the 60 metres with a time of 6.34 seconds,[1] while Russian Irina Privalova holds the women's world record at 6.92.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics semi-finals, Su Bingtian ran the fastest 60 m split of all-time and the fastest 60 m ever recorded under any conditions with a time of 6.29 seconds.[2]
In the past, it was common for athletes to compete in the 60 yards (54.86 m) race. This is not part of the lineage of the 60 metres, but is the predecessor of the 55 metres race. 60 metres is 65.6168 yards.
Area records
Indoor results only
Updated 4 March 2026.[3][4]
| Area | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | |
| Africa | 6.45 A 6.45 | Leonard Myles-Mills Kayinsola Ajayi |  Ghana Nigeria | 6.97 | Murielle Ahouré |  Ivory Coast |
| Asia | 6.42 | Su Bingtian |  China | 7.09 | Susanthika Jayasinghe |  Sri Lanka |
| Europe | 6.41 | Marcell Jacobs |  Italy | 6.92 | Irina Privalova | Russia |
| North, Central America and Caribbean | 6.34 A | Christian Coleman |  United States | 6.94 A | Aleia Hobbs Julien Alfred | United States Saint Lucia |
| Oceania | 6.50 | Lachlan Kennedy |  Australia | 7.06 | Zoe Hobbs |  New Zealand |
| South America | 6.52 | José Carlos Moreira |  Brazil | 7.09 A | Ana Carolina Azevedo | Brazil |
All-time top 25
Indoor results only
| Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 60m times and the top 25 athletes: |
| - denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 60m times |
| - denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 60m times, by repeat athletes |
| - denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 60m times |
Men
Updated March 2026.[5]
Note: The following athletes have had their performances annulled due to doping offences:
| Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.41 | Ben Johnson |  Canada | 7 March 1987 | Indianapolis | [18] |
Outdoor best performances
+ = en route to 100 m mark
| Rank | Time (s) |
Wind (m/s) |
Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.29+ (calculated) | +0.9 | Su Bingtian | China |
1 August 2021 | Tokyo | [19][20] |
| 2 | 6.31+ (calculated) | +0.9 | Usain Bolt |  Jamaica |
16 August 2009 | Berlin | [21][22] |
| 3 | 6.32+ (calculated) | +1.7 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica |
9 September 2007 | Rieti | [23] |
| +1.7 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica |
31 May 2008 | New York City | [24] | ||
| 0.0 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica |
16 August 2008 | Beijing | [25] | ||
| +0.2 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica |
2 September 2009 | Lausanne | [23] | ||
| +1.5 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica |
5 August 2012 | London | [26] | ||
| +0.6 | Christian Coleman | United States |
28 September 2019 | Doha | [27] | ||
| 9 | 6.33+ (calculated) | −0.2 | Maurice Greene | United States |
5 August 2001 | Edmonton | [28] |
| −0.1 | Yohan Blake | Jamaica |
23 August 2012 | Lausanne | [29] | ||
| 11 | 6.34+ (calculated) | +0.9 | Justin Gatlin | United States |
23 August 2015 | Beijing | [30] |
Note: The following athletes have had their associated 100 m performances annulled due to doping offences:
| Time (s) |
Wind (m/s) |
Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.33+ (calculated) | +1.1 | Ben Johnson | Canada |
24 September 1988 | Seoul | [31] |
Women
Updated February 2026.[32]
Outdoor best performances
+ = en route to 100 m mark
| Rank | Time (s) |
Wind (m/s) |
Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.81+ (calculated) | +0.1 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica |
29 September 2019 | Doha | [49] |
| 2 | 6.85+ (calculated) | −0.1 | Marion Jones | United States |
22 August 1999 | Seville | |
| 3 | 6.87+ (calculated) | 0.0 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | United States |
16 July 1988 | Indianapolis | [50] |
| +0.9 | Elaine Thompson-Herah | Jamaica |
21 August 2021 | Eugene | [51] | ||
| 5 | 6.91+ (calculated) | +0.1 | Dina Asher-Smith |  Great Britain |
29 September 2019 | Doha | [49] |
Olympic medalists
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris |
 Alvin Kraenzlein (USA) |
Walter Tewksbury (USA) |
Stan Rowley (AUS) |
| 1904 St. Louis |
Archie Hahn (USA) |
William Hogenson (USA) |
Fay Moulton (USA) |
World Indoor Championships medalists
Men
a The event was known as the World Indoor Games in 1985.
b Ben Johnson of Canada originally won the gold medal, but he was disqualified in 1989 after admitting to steroid use between 1981 and 1988.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 11 | 9 | 4 | 24 |
| 2 | Great Britain (GBR) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| 3 | Canada (CAN) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Nigeria (NGR) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 6 |  Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 |  Cuba (CUB) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Jamaica (JAM) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| China (CHN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ghana (GHA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Namibia (NAM) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 |  Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 16 |  Antigua and Barbuda (ATG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 South Africa (ZAF) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (19 entries) | 22 | 23 | 21 | 66 | |
Women
a The event was known as the World Indoor Games in 1985.
b Angella Issajenko of Canada originally won the silver medal, but she was disqualified in 1989 after admitting to steroid use between 1982 and 1988.
c Zhanna Block originally won the gold medal, but she was disqualified after her results from November 2002 onwards were deleted in 2011 for long-term drug use.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 7 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
| 2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 |  Netherlands (NED) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 |  Switzerland (SWI) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Ivory Coast (CIV) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 |  Bahamas (BAH) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 |  East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Saint Lucia (LCA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 14 |  Bulgaria (BUL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Germany (GER) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Poland (POL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 20 |  Belarus (BLR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 British Virgin Islands (IVB) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Cuba (CUB) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Gabon (GAB) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Luxembourg (LUX) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Slovenia (SLO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (26 entries) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 63 | |
Season's bests
Indoor results only
