50 metres


50 metres, or 50-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor athletics competitions it is used in the Special Olympics and a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. It is an alternative to the 60 metres running event. The imperial distance for 50 metres is 54.68 yards.
Records and personal bests in the 50 metres are frequently achieved in February and March as these dates coincide with the indoor athletics season.

All-time top 25

Indoor results only
+ = to a longer distance
A = affected by altitude

Men

RankTimeAthleteNationDatePlace
15.56 Donovan Bailey9 February 1996Reno
15.56Maurice Greene13 February 1999Los Angeles
35.58+Leonard Scott26 February 2005Liévin
45.60+Michael Green16 February 1997Liévin
55.61Manfred Kokot4 February 1973Berlin
55.61James Sanford20 February 1981San Diego
55.61+Deji Aliu21 February 1999Liévin
55.61+Freddy Mayola16 February 2000Madrid
55.61+Jason Gardener16 February 2000Madrid
105.62Emmit King5 March 1986Kobe
105.62Andre Cason15 February 1992Los Angeles
105.62+Eric Nkansah21 February 1999Liévin
105.62+Morné Nagel24 February 2002Liévin
145.63Stanley Floyd20 February 1981San Diego
145.63 Henry Neal10 February 1995Reno
145.63Jon Drummond13 February 1999Los Angeles
145.63+Lerone Clarke14 February 2012Liévin
185.64Davidson Ezinwa15 February 1992Los Angeles
185.64Aleksandr Porkhomovskiy4 February 1994Moscow
185.64Bruny Surin27 January 1995Moscow
185.64+Donovan Powell21 February 1999Liévin
185.64+Leonard Myles-Mills13 February 2000Liévin
185.64+Ato Boldon16 February 2000Madrid
185.64+Tim Harden16 February 2000Madrid
185.64Gerald Williams19 February 2000Los Angeles
185.64Jeff Laynes20 January 2001Los Angeles
185.64Asafa Powell28 January 2012New York City

+ = to 100m mark.
N.B. The Seville marks listed are excluding the athlete's reaction times. Bolt's time is inclusive.
RankTimeWind AthleteNationDatePlaceRef
15.40+ +0.2Bruny Surin22 August 1999Seville
25.42+ +0.2Maurice Greene22 August 1999Seville
35.43+ +0.2Dwain Chambers22 August 1999Seville
35.46+ +0.2Tim Harden22 August 1999Seville
55.47+ +0.9Usain Bolt16 August 2009Berlin

Women

RankTimeAthleteNationDatePlace
15.96+Irina Privalova9 February 1995Madrid
26.00Merlene Ottey4 February 1994Moscow
36.02+Gail Devers21 February 1999Liévin
46.04+Chioma Ajunwa22 February 1998Liévin
56.05+Savatheda Fynes13 February 2000Liévin
56.05+Philomena Mensah13 February 2000Liévin
76.07 AGwen Torrence9 February 1996Reno
86.08+Christy Opara-Thompson16 February 1997Liévin
86.08Veronica Campbell-Brown28 January 2012New York City
106.09Zhanna Block2 February 1993Moscow
116.11Marita Koch2 February 1980Grenoble
116.11+Liliana Allen13 February 2000Liévin
116.11+Christine Arron26 February 2006Aubière
146.12Marlies Göhr2 February 1980Grenoble
146.12Silke Möller19 February 1988Berlin
146.12Anelia Nuneva27 January 1995Moscow
176.13Jeanette Bolden21 February 1981Edmonton
176.13Michelle Finn-Burrell15 February 1992Los Angeles
176.13Natalya Merzlyakova4 February 1994Moscow
176.13Ekaterina Grigorieva4 February 1994Moscow
176.13+Mercy Nku25 February 2001Liévin
226.14+Frédérique Bangué16 February 1997Liévin
226.14+Petya Pendareva21 February 1999Liévin
226.14+Muriel Hurtis23 February 2003Liévin
226.14+LaVerne Jones-Ferrette24 February 2012Liévin

Note: Angella Issajenko of Canada ran a world record 6.06 in Ottawa on 13 January 1987, this performance was rescinded after Issajenko's admittance of long term drug use at the Dubin Inquiry in 1989.

Outdoor best performances

+ = to 100m mark
TimeWind AthleteNationDatePlaceRef
5.93+ −0.1Marion Jones22 August 1999Seville

Season's bests

Men

Women