400 metres


The 400 metres, or 400-metre dash, is a sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440-yard dash —which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'—instead of the 400 m, though this distance is now obsolete.
Like other sprint disciplines, the 400 m involves the use of starting blocks. The runners take up position in the blocks on the 'ready' command, adopt a more efficient starting posture which isometrically preloads their muscles on the 'set' command, and stride forwards from the blocks upon hearing the starter's pistol. The blocks allow the runners to begin more powerfully and thereby contribute to their overall sprint speed capability. Maximum sprint speed capability is a significant contributing factor to success in the event, but athletes also require substantial speed endurance and the ability to cope well with high amounts of lactic acid to sustain a fast speed over a whole lap. While considered to be predominantly an anaerobic event, there is some aerobic involvement and the degree of aerobic training required for 400-metre athletes is open to debate.
The current men's world record is held by Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa, with a time of 43.03 seconds; van Niekerk is also the Olympic champion. Steven Gardiner is the reigning World Champion. The world indoor record holder is Michael Norman, in 44.52 seconds. The current women's world record is held by Marita Koch, with a time of 47.60 seconds. Salwa Eid Naser is the reigning women's world champion, while Shaunae Miller holds the women's Olympic title. Jarmila Kratochvílová holds the world indoor record at 49.59 dating back to 1982. The men's T43 Paralympic world record of 45.07 seconds is held by Oscar Pistorius.
An Olympic double of 200 metres and 400 m was first achieved by Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984, and later by Marie-José Pérec of France and Michael Johnson from the United States on the same evening in 1996. Alberto Juantorena of Cuba at the 1976 Summer Olympics became the first and so far the only athlete to win both the 400 m and 800 m Olympic titles. Pérec became the first to defend the Olympic title in 1996, Johnson became the first and only man to do so in 2000. From 31 appearances in the Olympic Games, the men's gold medallist came from the US 19 times.

Continental records

Updated 21 December 2018.

All-time top 25 sprinters

RankTimeAthleteNationDateLocationRef
143.03Wayde van NiekerkSouth Africa14 August 2016Rio de Janeiro
243.18Michael JohnsonUnited States26 August 1999Seville
343.29Butch ReynoldsUnited States17 August 1988Zürich
443.45Jeremy WarinerUnited States31 August 2007Osaka
443.45Michael NormanUnited States20 April 2019Torrance
643.48Steven GardinerBahamas4 October 2019Doha
743.50Quincy WattsUnited States5 August 1992Barcelona
843.64Fred KerleyUnited States27 July 2019Des Moines
943.65LaShawn MerrittUnited States26 August 2015Beijing
1043.72Isaac MakwalaBotswana5 July 2015La Chaux-de-Fonds
1143.74Kirani JamesGrenada3 July 2014Lausanne
1243.81Danny EverettUnited States26 June 1992New Orleans
1343.86 Lee EvansUnited States18 October 1968Mexico City
1443.87Steve LewisUnited States28 September 1988Seoul
1543.93Yousef Ahmed MasrahiSaudi Arabia23 August 2015Beijing
1543.93Rusheen McDonaldJamaica23 August 2015Beijing
1743.94Akeem BloomfieldJamaica8 June 2018Eugene
1843.97 Larry JamesUnited States18 October 1968Mexico City
1944.01Machel CedenioTrinidad and Tobago14 August 2016Rio de Janeiro
2044.02Baboloki ThebeBotswana6 July 2017Lausanne
2144.05Angelo TaylorUnited States23 June 2007Indianapolis
2244.07Abdalleleh HarounQatar21 July 2018London
2344.09Alvin HarrisonUnited States19 June 1996Atlanta
2344.09Jerome YoungUnited States21 June 1998New Orleans
2544.10Gary KikayaDemocratic Republic of the Congo9 September 2006Stuttgart

Women

RankTimeAthleteNationDateLocationRef
147.60Marita KochEast Germany6 October 1985Canberra
247.99Jarmila KratochvílováCzechoslovakia10 August 1983Helsinki
348.14Salwa Eid NaserBahrain3 October 2019Doha
448.25Marie-José PérecFrance29 July 1996Atlanta
548.27Olga BryzginaSoviet Union6 October 1985Canberra
648.37Shaunae Miller-UiboBahamas3 October 2019Doha
748.59Taťána KocembováCzechoslovakia10 August 1983Helsinki
848.63Cathy FreemanAustralia29 July 1996Atlanta
948.70Sanya RichardsUnited States16 September 2006Athens
1048.83Valerie Brisco-HooksUnited States6 August 1984Los Angeles
1148.89Ana GuevaraMexico27 August 2003Paris Saint-Denis
1249.05Chandra CheeseboroughUnited States6 August 1984Los Angeles
1349.07Tonique Williams-DarlingBahamas12 September 2004Berlin
1449.10Falilat OgunkoyaNigeria29 July 1996Atlanta
1549.11Olga NazarovaSoviet Union25 September 1988Seoul
1649.16Antonina KrivoshapkaRussia5 July 2012Cheboksary
1749.19Mariya PiniginaSoviet Union10 August 1983Helsinki
1749.19Aminatou SeyniNiger5 July 2019Lausanne
1949.24Sabine BuschEast Germany2 June 1984Erfurt
2049.26Allyson FelixUnited States27 August 2015Beijing
2149.28Pauline DavisBahamas29 July 1996Atlanta
2149.28Yuliya GushchinaRussia5 July 2012Cheboksary
2349.29Irena SzewinskaPoland29 July 1976Montreal
2349.29Charity OparaNigeria14 July 1998Rome
2549.30Petra MüllerEast Germany3 June 1988Jena
2549.30Lorraine FentonJamaica19 July 2002Monaco

Indoor Top 15

Men indoor

Updated 9 March 2019.
RankTimeAthleteNationDateLocationRef
144.52Michael NormanUnited States10 March 2018College Station
244.57Kerron ClementUnited States12 March 2005Fayetteville
344.63Michael JohnsonUnited States4 March 1995Atlanta
444.80Kirani JamesGrenada27 February 2011Fayetteville
544.82Tyrell RichardUnited States9 March 2019Birmingham
644.85Fred KerleyUnited States11 March 2017College Station
744.86Akeem BloomfieldJamaica10 March 2018College Station
844.88Bralon TaplinGrenada3 February 2018College Station
944.93LaShawn MerrittUnited States11 February 2005Fayetteville
1045.02Danny EverettUnited States2 February 1992Stuttgart
1145.03Torrin LawrenceUnited States12 February 2010Fayetteville
1145.03Deon LendoreTrinidad and Tobago1 March 2014College Station
1145.03Kahmari MontgomeryUnited States9 March 2019Birmingham
1445.05Thomas SchönlebeEast Germany5 February 1988Sindelfingen
1445.05Alvin HarrisonUnited States28 February 1998Atlanta
1445.05Karsten WarholmNorway2 March 2019Glasgow

Women indoor

Updated 21 December 2018.
RankTimeAthleteNationDateLocationRef
149.59Jarmila KratochvílováCzechoslovakia7 March 1982Milan
249.68Natalya NazarovaRussia18 February 2004Moscow
349.76Taťána KocembováCzechoslovakia2 February 1984Vienna
450.01Sabine BuschEast Germany2 February 1984Vienna
550.02Nicola SandersGreat Britain3 March 2007Birmingham
650.04Olesya KrasnomovetsRussia18 February 2006Moscow
650.04Olesya KrasnomovetsRussia12 March 2006Moscow
750.15Olga ZaytsevaRussia25 January 2006Moscow
850.21Vania StambolovaBulgaria12 March 2006Moscow
950.23Irina PrivalovaRussia12 March 1995Barcelona
1050.28Petra MüllerEast Germany6 March 1988Budapest
1150.34Christine AmertilBahamas12 March 2006Moscow
1150.34Kendall EllisUnited States10 March 2018College Station
1350.36Sydney McLaughlinUnited States10 March 2018College Station
1450.37Natalya AntyukhRussia18 February 2006Moscow
1550.40Dagmar NeubauerEast Germany2 February 1984Vienna

Fastest relay splits

Men

Women

Most successful athletes

3 or more 400-metre victories at the Olympic Games and World Championships:
The Olympic champion has frequently won a second gold medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay. This has been accomplished 14 times by men; Charles Reidpath, Ray Barbuti, Bill Carr, George Rhoden, Charles Jenkins, Otis Davis, Mike Larrabee, Lee Evans, Viktor Markin, Alonzo Babers, Steve Lewis, Quincy Watts, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt; and 4 times by women; Monika Zehrt, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Olga Bryzgina and Sanya Richards-Ross. All but Rhoden, Markin, Zehrt and Bryzgina ran on American relay teams. Injured after his double in 1996, Johnson also accomplished the feat in 2000 only to have it disqualified when his teammate Antonio Pettigrew admitted to doping.

Olympic medalists

Men

Women

World Championships medalists

Men

Women

World Indoor Championships medalists

Men

Women

Men

Women