Sprint hurdles at the Olympics

The sprint hurdles at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. The men's 110 metres hurdles has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first edition in 1896. A men's 200 metres hurdles was also briefly held, from 1900 to 1904. The first women's sprint hurdling event was added to the programme at the 1932 Olympics in the form of the 80 metres hurdles. At the 1972 Games the women's distance was extended to the 100 metres hurdles, which is the current international standard.

Sprint hurdles
at the Olympic Games
The 2008 Olympic men's 110 m hurdles semi-final
Overview
SportAthletics
GenderMen and women
Years heldMen 110 m: 18962020
Men 200 m: 19001904
Women 80 m: 19321968
Women 100 m: 19722020
Olympic record
Men12.91 Liu Xiang (2004)
Women12.26 Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (2020)
Reigning champion
Men Grant Holloway (USA)
Women Masai Russell (USA)

The Olympic records are 12.91 seconds for the men's 110 m hurdles, set by Liu Xiang in 2004, and 12.26 seconds for the women's 100 m hurdles, set by Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in 2020. The fastest time recorded at the Olympics for the men's 200 m hurdles was 24.6 seconds by 1904 winner Harry Hillman. Maureen Caird won the last women's Olympic 80 m hurdles race in 1968 with a record of 10.39 seconds. The men's 110 m hurdles world record has been broken at the Olympics on six occasions: 1908, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1972, 2004, and 2012. The women's 100 m hurdles world record has been broken only once, by Annelie Ehrhardt at the inaugural 1972 Olympic final.[1] In contrast the 80 m hurdles world record was set at the Olympics in 1932 (four times), 1936, and 1952 (twice).[2]

Only three athletes have won two Olympic sprint hurdles gold medals: on the men's side, Lee Calhoun, and Roger Kingdom, and on the women's side Shirley Strickland. Strickland is also the only athlete to win three such Olympic medals, having won a bronze medal before her victories. Alvin Kraenzlein is the only athlete to have won two hurdles medals at the same Olympics, having taken the 110 m and 200 m titles. Historically, hurdlers also competed in other individual sprinting events (Harrison Dillard and Fanny Blankers-Koen were also 100 metres Olympic champions), but this became rare after the 1950s.

The United States has been the most successful nation in the men's event with 19 gold medals and 56 medals in total. Though less dominant in the women's events, the U.S. also has the most women's gold medals, with five.

Medal summary

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Men's 110 metres hurdles

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1896 Athens
details
Thomas Curtis
  United States
Grantley Goulding
  Great Britain
none awarded
1900 Paris
details
Alvin Kraenzlein
  United States
John McLean
  United States
Fred Moloney
  United States
1904 St. Louis
details
Frederick Schule
  United States
Thaddeus Shideler
  United States
Lesley Ashburner
  United States
1908 London
details
Forrest Smithson
  United States
John Garrels
  United States
Arthur Shaw
  United States
1912 Stockholm
details
Fred Kelly
  United States
James Wendell
  United States
Martin Hawkins
  United States
1920 Antwerp
details
Earl Thomson
  Canada
Harold Barron
  United States
Feg Murray
  United States
1924 Paris
details
Daniel Kinsey
  United States
Sid Atkinson
  South Africa
Sten Pettersson
  Sweden
1928 Amsterdam
details
Sid Atkinson
  South Africa
Steve Anderson
  United States
John Collier
  United States
1932 Los Angeles
details
George Saling
  United States
Percy Beard
  United States
Don Finlay
  Great Britain
1936 Berlin
details
Forrest Towns
  United States
Don Finlay
  Great Britain
Fritz Pollard
  United States
1948 London
details
William Porter
  United States
Clyde Scott
  United States
Craig Dixon
  United States
1952 Helsinki
details
Harrison Dillard
  United States
Jack Davis
  United States
Arthur Barnard
  United States
1956 Melbourne
details
Lee Calhoun
  United States
Jack Davis
  United States
Joel Shankle
  United States
1960 Rome
details
Lee Calhoun
  United States
Willie May
  United States
Hayes Jones
  United States
1964 Tokyo
details
Hayes Jones
  United States
Blaine Lindgren
  United States
Anatoly Mikhailov
  Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City
details
Willie Davenport
  United States
Ervin Hall
  United States
Eddy Ottoz
  Italy
1972 Munich
details
Rod Milburn
  United States
Guy Drut
  France
Thomas Hill
  United States
1976 Montreal
details
Guy Drut
  France
Alejandro Casañas
  Cuba
Willie Davenport
  United States
1980 Moscow
details
Thomas Munkelt
  East Germany
Alejandro Casañas
  Cuba
Aleksandr Puchkov
  Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles
details
Roger Kingdom
  United States
Greg Foster
  United States
Arto Bryggare
  Finland
1988 Seoul
details
Roger Kingdom
  United States
Colin Jackson
  Great Britain
Tonie Campbell
  United States
1992 Barcelona
details
Mark McKoy
  Canada
Tony Dees
  United States
Jack Pierce
  United States
1996 Atlanta
details
Allen Johnson
  United States
Mark Crear
  United States
Florian Schwarthoff
  Germany
2000 Sydney
details
Anier García
  Cuba
Terrence Trammell
  United States
Mark Crear
  United States
2004 Athens
details
Liu Xiang
  China
Terrence Trammell
  United States
Anier García
  Cuba
2008 Beijing
details
Dayron Robles
  Cuba
David Payne
  United States
David Oliver
  United States
2012 London
details
Aries Merritt
  United States
Jason Richardson
  United States
Hansle Parchment
  Jamaica
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Omar McLeod
  Jamaica
Orlando Ortega
  Spain
Dimitri Bascou
  France
2020 Tokyo
details
Hansle Parchment
  Jamaica
Grant Holloway
  United States
Ronald Levy
  Jamaica
2024 Paris
details
Grant Holloway
  United States
Daniel Roberts
  United States
Rasheed Broadbell
  Jamaica

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Lee Calhoun   United States (USA) 1956–1960 2 0 0 2
Roger Kingdom   United States (USA) 1984–1988 2 0 0 2
3 Sydney Atkinson   South Africa (RSA) 1924–1928 1 1 0 2
Guy Drut   France (FRA) 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
5 Hayes Jones   United States (USA) 1960–1964 1 0 1 2
Willie Davenport   United States (USA) 1968–1976 1 0 1 2
Anier Garcia   Cuba (CUB) 2000–2004 1 0 1 2
Hansle Parchment   Jamaica (JAM) 2012–2020 1 0 1 2
9 Jack Davis   United States (USA) 1952–1956 0 2 0 2
Alejandro Casanas   Cuba (CUB) 1976–1980 0 2 0 2
Terrence Trammell   United States (USA) 2000–2004 0 2 0 2
12 Don Finlay   Great Britain (GBR) 1932–1936 0 1 1 2
Mark Crear   United States (USA) 1996–2000 0 1 1 2

Medals by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   United States (USA) 19 21 17 57
2   Cuba (CUB) 2 2 1 5
3   Jamaica (JAM) 2 0 2 4
4   Canada (CAN) 2 0 0 2
5   France (FRA) 1 1 1 3
6   South Africa (RSA) 1 1 0 2
7   China (CHN) 1 0 0 1
  East Germany (GDR) 1 0 0 1
9   Great Britain (GBR) 0 3 1 4
10   Spain (ESP) 0 1 0 1
11   Soviet Union (URS) 0 0 2 2
12   Finland (FIN) 0 0 1 1
  Germany (GER) 0 0 1 1
  Italy (ITA) 0 0 1 1
  Sweden (SWE) 0 0 1 1

Women's 80 metres hurdles

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1932 Los Angeles
details
Babe Didrikson
  United States
Evelyne Hall
  United States
Marjorie Clark
  South Africa
1936 Berlin
details
Ondina Valla
  Italy
Anni Steuer
  Germany
Elizabeth Taylor
  Canada
1948 London
details
Fanny Blankers-Koen
  Netherlands
Maureen Gardner
  Great Britain
Shirley Strickland
  Australia
1952 Helsinki
details
Shirley Strickland de la Hunty
  Australia
Maria Golubnichaya
  Soviet Union
Maria Sander
  Germany
1956 Melbourne
details
Shirley Strickland de la Hunty
  Australia
Gisela Köhler
  United Team of Germany
Norma Thrower
  Australia
1960 Rome
details
Irina Press
  Soviet Union
Carole Quinton
  Great Britain
Gisela Birkemeyer
  United Team of Germany
1964 Tokyo
details
Karin Balzer
  United Team of Germany
Teresa Ciepły
  Poland
Pam Kilborn
  Australia
1968 Mexico City
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Maureen Caird
  Australia
Pam Kilborn
  Australia
Chi Cheng
  Taiwan

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Shirley Strickland   Australia (AUS) 1948–1956 2 0 1 3
2 Gisela Birkemeyer   United Team of Germany (EUA) 1956–1960 0 1 1 2
Pam Kilborn   Australia (AUS) 1964–1968 0 1 1 2

Medalists by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Australia (AUS) 3 1 3 7
2   Germany (GER)[nb] 1 2 2 5
3   Soviet Union (URS) 1 1 0 2
  United States (USA) 1 1 0 2
5   Italy (ITA) 1 0 0 1
  Netherlands (NED) 1 0 0 1
7   Great Britain (GBR) 0 2 0 2
8   Poland (POL) 0 1 0 1
9   Canada (CAN) 0 0 1 1
  Republic of China (ROC) 0 0 1 1
  South Africa (RSA) 0 0 1 1

Women's 100 metres hurdles

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1972 Munich
details
Annelie Ehrhardt
  East Germany
Valeria Bufanu
  Romania
Karin Balzer
  East Germany
1976 Montreal
details
Johanna Schaller
  East Germany
Tatyana Anisimova
  Soviet Union
Natalya Lebedeva
  Soviet Union
1980 Moscow
details
Vera Komisova
  Soviet Union
Johanna Klier
  East Germany
Lucyna Langer
  Poland
1984 Los Angeles
details
Benita Fitzgerald
  United States
Shirley Strong
  Great Britain
Michèle Chardonnet
  France
Kim Turner
  United States
1988 Seoul
details
Yordanka Donkova
  Bulgaria
Gloria Siebert
  East Germany
Claudia Zaczkiewicz
  West Germany
1992 Barcelona
details
Voula Patoulidou
  Greece
LaVonna Martin
  United States
Yordanka Donkova
  Bulgaria
1996 Atlanta
details
Ludmila Engquist
  Sweden
Brigita Bukovec
  Slovenia
Patricia Girard
  France
2000 Sydney
details
Olga Shishigina
  Kazakhstan
Glory Alozie
  Nigeria
Melissa Morrison
  United States
2004 Athens
details
Joanna Hayes
  United States
Olena Krasovska
  Ukraine
Melissa Morrison
  United States
2008 Beijing
details
Dawn Harper
  United States
Sally Pearson
  Australia
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep
  Canada
2012 London
details
Sally Pearson
  Australia
Dawn Harper
  United States
Kellie Wells
  United States
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Brianna Rollins
  United States
Nia Ali
  United States
Kristi Castlin
  United States
2020 Tokyo
details
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn
  Puerto Rico
Kendra Harrison
  United States
Megan Tapper
  Jamaica
2024 Paris
details
Masai Russell
  United States
Cyréna Samba-Mayela
  France
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn
  Puerto Rico

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Johanna Schaller   East Germany (GDR) 1976–1980 1 1 0 2
Sally Pearson   Australia (AUS) 2008–2012 1 1 0 2
Dawn Harper   United States (USA) 2008–2012 1 1 0 2
4 Yordanka Donkova   Bulgaria (BUL) 1988–1992 1 0 1 2
5 Melissa Morrison   United States (USA) 2000–2004 0 1 1 2

Medalists by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   United States (USA) 4 4 5 13
2   East Germany (GDR) 2 2 1 5
3   Soviet Union (URS) 1 1 1 3
4   Australia (AUS) 1 1 0 2
5   Bulgaria (BUL) 1 0 1 2
6   Greece (GRE) 1 0 0 1
  Kazakhstan (KAZ) 1 0 0 1
  Sweden (SWE) 1 0 0 1
  Puerto Rico (PUR) 1 0 0 1
10   Great Britain (GBR) 0 1 0 1
  Nigeria (NGR) 0 1 0 1
  Romania (ROU) 0 1 0 1
  Slovenia (SLO) 0 1 0 1
  Ukraine (UKR) 0 1 0 1
15   France (FRA) 0 0 2 2
16   Canada (CAN) 0 0 1 1
  Poland (POL) 0 0 1 1
  West Germany (FRG) 0 0 1 1
  Jamaica (JAM) 0 0 1 1

200 metres hurdles

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For a brief period, a men's Olympic 200 metres low hurdles race was held. It was a relatively common event in the early 1900s. With only two appearances in 1900 and 1904, the event's removal as an Olympic event marked the beginning of a steady decline of its popularity over the course of the 20th century and it is now a rarity. The 1900 event was won by Alvin Kraenzlein, who won four gold medals that year, including the 110 m hurdles title.[3] The second and final 200 m hurdles champion, Harry Hillman, was again a multiple gold medallist, as the American won the 400 metres sprint and 400 metres hurdles Olympic titles at that games.[4]

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1900 Paris
details
  Alvin Kraenzlein (USA)   Norman Pritchard (IND)   Walter Tewksbury (USA)
1904 St. Louis
details
  Harry Hillman (USA)   Frank Castleman (USA)   George Poage (USA)

Finishing Times

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Top ten fastest Olympic times

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  • H – time recorded in the heats
  • QF – time recorded in the quarter-finals
  • SF – time recorded in the semi-finals

Intercalated Games

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The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[7]

At this event a men's 110 m hurdles race was held. For the top two finishers, American hurdler Robert Leavitt and British athlete Alfred Healey, this was the peak of their respective careers.[8] Bronze medalist Vincent Duncker of Germany was the joint 100 metres world record holder at the time.[9]

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1906 Athens
details
  Robert Leavitt (USA)   Alfred Healey (GBR)   Vincent Duncker (GER)

References

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Participation and athlete data
Olympic record progressions
Specific
  1. ^ "13th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Daegu 2011. (Part 5 of 5)". Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2011. pp. 546, 553, 595, 697, 698. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  2. ^ Women, 80 m Hurdles > World Records Progression. Brinkster. Retrieved on 2014-06-28.
  3. ^ Al Kraenzlein. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-08.
  4. ^ Harry Hillman. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-08.
  5. ^ "Men's 110m Hurdles".
  6. ^ "Women's 100m Hurdles".
  7. ^ 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
  8. ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's 110 metres Hurdles. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
  9. ^ Men, 100 m > World Records Progression. Brinkster Track and Field. Retrieved on 2014-02-02.
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