Athletics records in the Summer Olympic Games have been recorded since 1896.

The modern Summer Olympic Games have been held every four years since the first Games in 1896 and Olympic records are recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in each event. The athletics events, which take place at each Games, are divided into four groups: track events (including sprints, middle- and long-distance running, hurdling and relays), field events (including javelin, discus, hammer, pole vault, long and triple jumps), road events (such as walks and the marathon) and combined events (the heptathlon and the decathlon).[1] Women compete in 23 athletics events during the Games,[2] and men compete in 24; while 21 of the events are the same for both men and women, men exclusively compete in the 50 km walk, the women's combined event is the heptathlon while the men compete in the decathlon, and the short distance hurdles for women is contested over 100 m, ten metres shorter than the men's event.[1]

Some Olympic records have been broken but later rescinded by the IOC. In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson broke the Olympic and World record in the 100 metres sprint, but was subsequently disqualified after it was discovered that he had used anabolic steroids to enhance his performance. His record was expunged and the gold medal was instead awarded to American Carl Lewis.[3] Hungarian athlete Róbert Fazekas broke the Olympic record in the men's discus in 2004 but was later stripped of both his gold medal and the record after it was deemed that he had "committed an anti-doping rule violation".[4][5]

The longest standing modern Olympic athletics record is Bob Beamon's achievement in the men's long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[6] The jump, at 8.90 m (29 ft 2 in), also broke the existing world record by 55 cm (22 in), and stood as the world record for 23 years until Beamon's compatriot, Mike Powell, jumped farther in the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo.[7] During the 2012 Games, six men's and five women's records were broken.

Note, only those events currently competed for and recognised by the IOC as Summer Olympic events are listed.[8]

Men's records

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Usain Bolt currently holds three Olympics records, two individually and one with the Jamaican 4 x 100m relay team.
 
Roman Šebrle, current decathlon record holder

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

List of Men's Olympic records in athletics
Event Record Name Nation Games Date Ref(s)
100 metres 9.63  Usain Bolt   Jamaica (JAM) 2012 London August 5, 2012 [9]
200 metres 19.30  Usain Bolt   Jamaica (JAM) 2008 Beijing August 20, 2008 [10]
400 metres 43.49  Michael Johnson   United States (USA) 1996 Atlanta July 29, 1996 [11]
800 metres ♦1:40.91  David Rudisha   Kenya (KEN) 2012 London August 9, 2012 [12]
1,500 metres 3:32.07  Noah Ngeny   Kenya (KEN) 2000 Sydney September 29, 2000 [13]
5,000 metres 12:57.82  Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia (ETH) 2008 Beijing August 23, 2008 [14]
10,000 metres 27:01.17  Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia (ETH) 2008 Beijing August 17, 2008 [15]
Marathon 2:06:32  Samuel Wanjiru   Kenya (KEN) 2008 Beijing August 24, 2008 [16]
110 metres hurdles 12.91  Liu Xiang   China (CHN) 2004 Athens August 27, 2004 [17]
400 metres hurdles ♦46.78  Kevin Young   United States (USA) 1992 Barcelona August 6, 1992 [18][19]
3,000 m steeplechase 8:05.51  Julius Kariuki   Kenya (KEN) 1988 Seoul September 30, 1988 [20]
4×100 m relay ♦36.84  Nesta Carter
Michael Frater
Yohan Blake
Usain Bolt
  Jamaica (JAM) 2012 London August 11, 2012 [21]
4×400 m relay 2:55.39  LaShawn Merritt
Angelo Taylor
David Neville
Jeremy Wariner
  United States (USA) 2008 Beijing August 23, 2008 [22]
20 km walk 1:18:46  Chen Ding   China (CHN) 2012 London August 4, 2012 [23]
50 km walk 3:35:59  Sergey Kirdyapkin   Russia (RUS) 2012 London August 11, 2012 [24]
High jump 2.39 m  Charles Austin   United States (USA) 1996 Atlanta July 28, 1996 [25]
Long jump 8.90 m  Bob Beamon   United States (USA) 1968 Mexico City October 18, 1968 [6]
Pole vault 5.97 m  Renaud Lavillenie   France (FRA) 2012 London August 10, 2012 [26]
Triple jump 18.09 m  Kenny Harrison   United States (USA) 1996 Atlanta July 27, 1996 [27]
Shot put 22.47 m  Ulf Timmermann   East Germany (GDR) 1988 Seoul September 23, 1988 [28]
Discus throw 69.89 m  Virgilijus Alekna   Lithuania (LTU) 2004 Athens August 23, 2004 [29]
Hammer throw 84.80 m  Sergey Litvinov   Soviet Union (URS) 1988 Seoul September 26, 1988 [30]
Javelin throw 90.57 m  Andreas Thorkildsen   Norway (NOR) 2008 Beijing August 23, 2008 [31]
Decathlon 8893 pts  Roman Šebrle   Czech Republic (CZE) 2004 Athens August 24, 2004 [32]

Women's records

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Tirunesh Dibaba is the current Olympic 10,000 m record holder.

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

List of Women's Olympic records in athletics
Event Record Name Nation Games Date Ref(s)
100 metres 10.62  Florence Griffith-Joyner   United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 24, 1988 [33]
200 metres ♦21.34  Florence Griffith-Joyner   United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 29, 1988 [34][35]
400 metres 48.25  Marie-José Pérec   France (FRA) 1996 Atlanta July 29, 1996 [36]
800 metres 1:53.43  Nadezhda Olizarenko   Soviet Union (URS) 1980 Moscow July 27, 1980 [36]
1,500 metres 3:53.96  Paula Ivan   Romania (ROU) 1988 Seoul September 26, 1988 [36]
5,000 metres 14:40.79  Gabriela Szabo   Romania (ROU) 2000 Sydney September 25, 2000 [36]
10,000 metres 29:54.66  Tirunesh Dibaba   Ethiopia (ETH) 2008 Beijing August 15, 2008 [37]
Marathon 2:23:07  Tiki Gelana   Ethiopia (ETH) 2012 London August 5, 2012 [36]
100 metres hurdles 12.35  Sally Pearson   Australia (AUS) 2012 London August 7, 2012 [38]
400 metres hurdles 52.64  Melaine Walker   Jamaica (JAM) 2008 Beijing August 20, 2008 [39]
3,000 m steeplechase ♦8:58.81  Gulnara Galkina-Samitova   Russia (RUS) 2008 Beijing August 17, 2008 [40]
4×100 m relay ♦ 40.82  Tianna Madison
Allyson Felix
Bianca Knight
Carmelita Jeter
  United States (USA) 2012 London August 10, 2012 [41]
4×400 m relay ♦3:15.17  Tatyana Ledovskaya
Olga Nazarova
Mariya Pinigina
Olga Bryzgina
  Soviet Union (URS) 1988 Seoul October 1, 1988 [42]
20 km walk ♦1:25:02  Elena Lashmanova   Russia (RUS) 2012 London August 11, 2012 [43]
High jump 2.06 m  Yelena Slesarenko   Russia (RUS) 2004 Athens August 28, 2004 [25]
Long jump 7.40 m  Jackie Joyner-Kersee   United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 29, 1988 [44]
Pole vault 5.05 m  Yelena Isinbayeva   Russia (RUS) 2008 Beijing August 18, 2008 [40][45]
Triple jump 15.39 m  Françoise Mbango Etone   Cameroon (CMR) 2008 Beijing August 17, 2008 [46]
Shot put 22.41 m  Ilona Slupianek   East Germany (GDR) 1980 Moscow July 24, 1980 [28]
Discus throw 72.30 m  Martina Hellmann   East Germany (GDR) 1988 Seoul September 29, 1988 [29]
Hammer throw 78.18 m  Tatyana Lysenko   Russia (RUS) 2012 London August 11, 2012 [47]
Javelin throw 71.53 m  Osleidys Menéndez   Cuba (CUB) 2004 Athens August 27, 2004 [36]
Heptathlon ♦7291 pts  Jackie Joyner-Kersee   United States (USA) 1988 Seoul September 24, 1988 [36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Athletics". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  2. ^ Mel Watman (July 25, 2008). "Evolution of Olympic Women's Athletics, 1928 to the present day". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  3. ^ "1988: Johnson stripped of Olympic gold". BBC. September 27, 1988. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  4. ^ "Fazekas takes discus gold". BBC Sport. August 23, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  5. ^ "International Olympic Committee Executive Board Decision regarding Mr Robert Fazekas, born on 18 August 1975, athlete, Hungary, Men's Discus Throw" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Parker Morse (August 23, 2008). "Beijing 2008 – Day Nine Summary – 23 Aug". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  7. ^ Gerald Eskenazi (August 31, 1991). "Track and field; Back in Miami, Beamon Remains Down to Earth". New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  8. ^ "Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  9. ^ "London 2012 Olympics: Day Nine evening session". BBC Sport. August 5, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  10. ^ "Bolt grabs third gold and record". BBC Sport. August 22, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  11. ^ "LaShawn Merritt ends Jeremy Wariner's 400m domination". The Australian. August 21, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  12. ^ "800 Metres Results". IAAF. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  13. ^ "Noah Ngeny, Kenya". Confederation of African Athletes. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  14. ^ "Bekele storms to Olympic double". BBC Sport. August 23, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  15. ^ Lynn Zinser (August 17, 2008). "Jamaican Supremacy Continues, and So Does an Ethiopian's Comeback". New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  16. ^ "Wanjiru first Kenyan to win Olympic men's marathon". ESPN. August 24, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  17. ^ "Athletics – 110m Hurdles – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  18. ^ "Athletics – 400m Hurdles – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  19. ^ "400 Metres Hurdles Records". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  20. ^ "Athletics – 3000m steeplechase – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  21. ^ "4x100 Metres Relay Results". IAAF. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  22. ^ "United States powers to record-breaking 4 x 400m Relay gold". The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. August 23, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  23. ^ "London 2012 20km walk results". Official website of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  24. ^ "London 2012 50km walk results". Official website of the 2012 Summer Olympics. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  25. ^ a b "Athletics – High jump – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  26. ^ "Pole Vault Results". IAAF. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  27. ^ "Athletics – Triple jump – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  28. ^ a b "Athletics – Shot put – Progrssion". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  29. ^ a b "Athletics – Discus OR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  30. ^ "Athletics – Hammer throw OR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  31. ^ "Thorkildsen strikes gold in Men's Javelin Throw final". The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. August 23, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  32. ^ Philip Hersh (August 23, 2008). "Bryan Clay wins Olympic decathlon". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 1, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  33. ^ Wayne Coffey (August 17, 2008). "Bird's Nest turns into a house of horrors for U.S. track and field team". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  34. ^ "Athletics – 200 metres OR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  35. ^ "Athletics – 200 metres WR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g "Olympic Games Records – Women". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  37. ^ "Dibaba smashes Olympic 10,000m record as two dip under 30 minutes!". iaaf.org. August 15, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  38. ^ "Women's 100 Metres Hurdles Results". IAAF. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  39. ^ "Jamaica's Walker wins 400m hurdles". Reuters. August 20, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  40. ^ a b "Olympic Records". International Herald Tribune. The Associated Press. August 22, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  41. ^ "4 × 100m Relay Results". IAAF. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  42. ^ "Records by event – 4x400m Relay". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  43. ^ "20km Race Walk Results". IAAF. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  44. ^ "Athletics – Long jump OR – Progression". Official website of the Olympic Movement. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  45. ^ Andy Bull (August 19, 2008). "Olympics: Isinbayeva raises the bar and the Bird's Nest roof". The Guardian. London. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  46. ^ "Etone wins again for Cameroon in triple jump". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 17, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  47. ^ "Hammer Throw Results". IAAF. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
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