Men's 400 metres hurdles world record progression
Encyclopedia
The first world record
in the men's 400 metres hurdles
was recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations
in 1912. That inaugural record was the performance by Charles Bacon
at the 1908 Olympics.
Three athletes, all from the United States, have had long-standing records. Glenn Hardin
broke the world record three times and was the record holder for over 21 years, between 1932 and 1953. Edwin Moses
set his first record in 1976 and improved his own world record three times. He held the record from 1976 until 1992, when it was beaten by the current record holder Kevin Young
with a time of 46.78 seconds at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
As of June 21, 2009, 21 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event.
"y" denotes time for 440 yards (402.34 m) which was ratified as a world record in this event
John Akii-Bua's 1972 Olympic gold medal run was the fastest recorded fully electronic 400 metre race to that time, at 47.82.
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
in the men's 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
was recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations
International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
in 1912. That inaugural record was the performance by Charles Bacon
Charles Bacon
Charles Joseph Bacon, Jr. was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the New York City Police Department...
at the 1908 Olympics.
Three athletes, all from the United States, have had long-standing records. Glenn Hardin
Glenn Hardin
Glenn Foster "Slats" Hardin was an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 1936 Summer Olympics....
broke the world record three times and was the record holder for over 21 years, between 1932 and 1953. Edwin Moses
Edwin Moses
Edwin Corley Moses is an American track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400 metre hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals and set the world record in his event four times...
set his first record in 1976 and improved his own world record three times. He held the record from 1976 until 1992, when it was beaten by the current record holder Kevin Young
Kevin Young (athlete)
Kevin Curtis Young is a former American athlete. He was the winner of the 400 meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics...
with a time of 46.78 seconds at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
As of June 21, 2009, 21 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event.
Progression 1912–76
| Time | Auto | Athlete | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.0 | July 22, 1908 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
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| 54.0 | August 16, 1920 | Antwerp | ||
| 53.8 | October 4, 1925 | Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... |
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| 52.6y | July 2, 1927 | Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
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| 52.0 | July 4, 1928 | Philadelphia | ||
| 51.9 | 51.85 | August 1, 1932 | Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
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| 51.8 | June 30, 1934 | Milwaukee | ||
| 50.6 | July 26, 1934 | Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... |
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| 50.4 | September 20, 1953 | Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... |
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| 49.5 | June 29, 1956 | Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
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| 49.2 | August 6, 1958 | Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... |
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| 49.2 | September 14, 1962 | Belgrade Belgrade Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe... |
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| 49.1 | September 13, 1964 | Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
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| 48.8 | 48.94 | September 11, 1968 | Echo Summit Echo Summit Echo Summit is a mountain pass located in eastern El Dorado County, California, USA. At an elevation of , it is the highest point on U.S... |
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| 48.1 | 48.12 | October 15, 1968 | Ciudad de México | |
| 47.8 | 47.82 | September 2, 1972 | Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... |
"y" denotes time for 440 yards (402.34 m) which was ratified as a world record in this event
Progression post-1976
From 1975, the IAAF accepted separate automatically electronically timed records for events up to 400 metres. Starting January 1, 1977, the IAAF required fully automatic timing to the hundredth of a second for these events.John Akii-Bua's 1972 Olympic gold medal run was the fastest recorded fully electronic 400 metre race to that time, at 47.82.
| Time | Athlete | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47.82 | September 2, 1972 | Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... |
|
| 47.64 | July 25, 1976 | Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... |
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| 47.45 | June 11, 1977 | Westwood, Los Angeles Drake Stadium (UCLA) Elvin Drake Stadium is an 11,700-capacity stadium in Los Angeles, California used by UCLA soccer and athletics. The track stadium was built in 1969. The stadium is named for UCLA track legend Elvin C... |
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| 47.13 | July 3, 1980 | Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,... |
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| 47.02 | August 31, 1983 | Koblenz Koblenz Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the... |
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| 46.78 | August 6, 1992 | Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... |
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External links
- 400 Metres Hurdles All Time List from the IAAF