100 metres hurdles explained

Event:	100 metres hurdles
Image Upright:	1.1
Wrwomen:	Tobi Amusan 12.12 (2022)
Orwomen:	Jasmine Camacho-Quinn 12.26 (2021)
Crwomen:	Tobi Amusan 12.12 (2022)

The 100 metres hurdles, or 100-meter hurdles, is a track and field event run mainly by women (the male counterpart is the 110 metres hurdles). For the race, ten hurdles of a height of 33inches are placed along a straight course of 100m (300feet). The first hurdle is placed after a run-up of 13 metres from the starting line. The next 9 hurdles are set at a distance of 8.5 metres from each other, and the home stretch from the last hurdle to the finish line is 10.5 metres long. The hurdles are set up so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner, but weighted so this is disadvantageous. Fallen hurdles do not count against runners provided that they do not run into them on purpose. Like the 100 metres sprint, the 100 m hurdles begins with athletes in starting blocks.

The fastest 100 m hurdlers run the distance in a time of around 12.5 seconds. The world record set by Tobi Amusan stands at 12.12 seconds.

History

See also: Women's 100 metres hurdles world record progression.

The race started back in the 1830s in England where wooden barriers were placed along a 100-yard stretch. The hurdles event was included as part of the inaugural Women's World Games in 1922, and made its first appearance in the Olympic Games in 1932 as 80m hurdles.

Starting with the 1972 Summer Olympics, the women's race was lengthened to 100m hurdles.^[1]

The hurdles sprint race has been run by women since the beginning of women's athletics, just after the end of World War I. The distances and hurdle heights varied widely in the beginning. While the men had zeroed in on the 110 m hurdles, the International Women's Sport Federation had registered records for eight different disciplines by 1926 (60 yards/75 cm height, 60 yards/61 cm, 65 yards/75 cm, 83 yards/75 cm, 100 yards/75 cm, 100 yards/61 cm, 120 yards/75 cm, 110 metres/75 cm). At the first Women's World Games in 1922, a 100 m hurdles race was run.

From 1926 until 1968, the distance was 80 metres: women had to clear eight hurdles placed at a distance of 8 metres from each other and a height of 30inches.

Just like with the men's races, until 1935 no more than three hurdles could be knocked over, or the runner was disqualified, and records were only officially registered if the runner had cleared all her hurdles clean.

In 1935, this rule was abandoned, and L-shaped hurdles were introduced that fell over forward easily and greatly reduced the risk of injury to the runner. Hurdles are weighted, so when properly set for the height (for women, closer to the fulcrum of the "L"), they serve as a consistent disadvantage to making contact with the barrier.

Comparison of 80 m and 100 m hurdles

Distance	Number of hurdles	Height	Distance made up of
			Runup	Intervals	Home stretch
80 m	8	76.2 cm	12 m	8.0 m	12.0 m
100 m	10	83.8 cm	13 m	8.5 m	10.5 m

The 80 m hurdles was on the list of women's sports demanded by the International Women's Sport Federation for the Olympic Summer Games in 1928, but was not included as an Olympic discipline until 1932. Starting with 1949, the 80 m hurdles was one of the disciplines included in the women's pentathlon.

During the 1960s, some experimental races were run over a distance of 100 metres using hurdles with a height of 30inches. During the 1968 Summer Olympics, a decision was made to introduce the 100 m hurdles from 1969, using hurdles with a height of 33inches.

The first international event in the 100 m hurdles occurred at the European Athletics Championships, which were won by Karin Balzer of the GDR.

The modern 100 m race has an extra two hurdles compared to the 80 m race, which are higher and spaced slightly further apart. The home stretch is shorter by 1.5 m.

Currently, women run 110 m hurdles at the World Athletics Relays, a mixed team event, which was instituted in 2019.

Masters athletics

A version of the 100 metres hurdles is also used for 50- to 59-year-old men in Masters athletics. They run the same spacing as women, which coordinates with existing markings on most tracks, but run over 36-inch (0.914 m) hurdles. In the 60-69 age range, the spacings are changed. Women over age 40 and men over age 70 run 80 metre versions with different heights and spacings.^{[2] [3]}

Milestones

100 m hurdles:

• First official time registered with hurdles of reduced height of 30inches: Pamela Kilborn, AUS, 26 November 1961
• First official time with hurdles of standard height of 33inches: 15.1 seconds, Connie Pettersson, USA, 28 May 1966
• First official world record: 13.3 seconds, Karin Balzer, GDR, 20 June 1969
• First runner under 13 seconds: 12.9 seconds, Karin Balzer, GDR, 5 September 1969
• First runner under 12.5 seconds:
  • 12.3 seconds, Annelie Ehrhardt GDR, 20 July 1973 (last hand timed world record; electronically timed at 12.68 seconds)
  • 12.48 seconds, Grażyna Rabsztyn, POL, 10 June 1978
• First runner under 12.3 seconds: 12.29 seconds, Yordanka Donkova BUL, 17 August 1986
• First runner under 12.2 seconds: 12.12 seconds, Tobi Amusan NGR, 24 July 2022. 12.06 seconds (wind aided) Tobi Amusan NGR, 24 July 2022.
  • First country to win gold, silver, and bronze in the women's 100 m hurdles in one Olympics: USA (Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin), 2016; this was also the first time American women achieved such a sweep in any Olympic event^[4]

All-time top 25

• Correct as of June 2024.^[5]

		Time (s)	Wind (m/s)	Reaction (s)	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place
1	1	12.12	+0.9	0.144			24 July 2022		^[6] ^[7]
2	2	12.20	+0.3	0.149			22 July 2016	London	^[8]
3	3	12.21	+0.7				20 August 1988
	4	12.24	+0.9		Donkova #2		28 August 1988
			+0.7		Harrison #2		28 May 2016
			+0.1	0.155	Harrison #3		22 August 2023	Budapest	^[9]
4	7	12.25	+1.4		Ginka Zagorcheva		8 August 1987	Drama
			+0.7		Masai Russell		30 June 2024	Eugene	^[10]
	9	12.26	+1.5		Donkova #3		7 September 1986	Ljubljana
6	9	12.26	+1.7				6 June 1992
			+1.2				22 June 2013		^[11]
			−0.2	0.172			1 August 2021	Tokyo	^[12] ^[13]
	13	12.27	−1.2		Donkova #4		28 August 1988
			+0.9	0.155	Harrison #4		24 July 2022	Eugene	^[14] ^[15]
			+0.1	0.166	Camacho-Quinn #2		2 September 2022	Brussels	^[16] ^[17]
	16	12.28	+1.8		Narozhilenko #2		11 July 1991
			+0.9		Narozhilenko #3		6 June 1992
9	16	12.28	+1.1	0.145			3 September 2011		^[18]
	16	12.28	+0.1	0.152	Harrison #5		4 July 2017		^[19]
9	16	12.28	+0.5		Ackera Nugent		30 June 2024	Kingston	^[20]
	21	12.29	−0.4		Donkova #5		17 August 1986
			−0.3	0.163	Amusan #2		8 September 2022	Zürich	^[21] ^[22]
	23	12.30	−0.2	0.126	Amusan #3		7 August 2022		^[23]
11	23	12.30	+0.6	0.153	Nia Ali		21 July 2023	Monaco	^[24]
12	25	12.31	+0.3	0.143	Britany Anderson		24 July 2022	Eugene	^[25] ^[26]
	25	12.31	−0.2	0.158	Camacho-Quinn #3		27 May 2023	Los Angeles	^[27]
	12.31	+0.6	0.165	Harrison #6	21 July 2023		Monaco	^[28]
12	25	12.31	+0.8	0.150	Cyréna Samba-Mayela		8 June 2024	Rome	^[29]
			+0.7		Alaysha Johnson		30 June 2024	Eugene
			+0.7		Grace Stark		30 June 2024	Eugene
16		12.32	+0.8	0.119			20 July 2019	London	^[30] ^[31]
17		12.33	−0.3		Gail Devers		23 July 2000	Sacramento
18		12.34	+1.9		Sharika Nelvis		26 June 2015	Eugene	^[32]
19		12.35	+0.9		Jasmin Stowers		15 May 2015	Doha	^[33]
20		12.36	+1.9		Grażyna Rabsztyn		13 June 1980
			+1.0				29 June 2024		^[34]
			+1.6		Nadine Visser		14 July 2024	La Chaux-de-Fonds	^[35] ^[36]
23		12.37	+1.5				24 August 2004
			−0.2				7 August 2012	London
			+1.6		Pia Skrzyszowska		14 July 2024		^[37] ^[38]

Assisted marks

Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second does not count for record purposes. Below is a list of all wind-assisted times equal or superior to 12.31:

• Tobi Amusan (NGR) ran 12.06 (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022.
• Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) ran 12.17 (+3.5) in Devonshire, Bermuda, 12.23 (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022, and 12.27 (+2.4) on 8 August 2022 in Székesfehérvár.
• Britany Anderson (JAM) ran 12.23 (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022.
• Ackera Nugent (JAM) ran 12.25 (+3.8) in Austin, Texas on 10 June 2023.
• Cornelia Oschkenat (GDR) ran 12.28 (+2.7) in Berlin on 25 August 1987.
• Yordanka Donkova (BUL) ran 12.29 (+3.5) in Lausanne on 24 June 1988.
• Gail Devers (USA) ran 12.29 (+2.7) in Eugene, Oregon on 26 May 2002.
• Lolo Jones (USA) ran 12.29 (+3.8) in Eugene, Oregon on 6 July 2008.
• Kendra Harrison (USA) ran 12.29 (+2.8) in New York City on 24 June 2023
• Brianna Rollins (USA) ran 12.30 (+2.8) in Des Moines, Iowa on 22 June 2013.
• Alaysha Johnson (USA) ran 12.30 (+2.8) in New York City on 24 June 2023.
• Alia Armstrong (USA) ran 12.31 (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022.

Most successful athletes

• Shirley Strickland (AUS): two Olympic victories, 1952 and 1956 in the 80 m hurdles.
• Ludmila Narozhilenko-Engquist (URS)/(RUS)/(SWE): Olympic victory, 1996, two World Championship victories, 1991 and 1997.
• Gail Devers (USA): three World Championships, 1993, 1995, 1999, as well as runner-up at the 1991 and 2001 World Championships.^[39]
• Sally Pearson (AUS): Olympic victory in 2012, as well as runner-up in 2008.^[40] World Championship victories in 2011 and 2017, as well as runner-up in 2013.^[41]
• Brianna Rollins (USA): Olympic victory in 2016, World Championships 2013.
• Danielle Williams (JAM): Two World Championships victories, 2015 and 2023.

Season's bests

Year	Time	Athlete	Place
1970	12.93		Munich
1971	12.6h		East Berlin
1972	12.59		Munich
1973	12.68		Dresden
1974	12.66		Rome
1975	12.91		Zielona Góra
1976	12.69		Bydgoszcz
1977	12.87		Düsseldorf
1978	12.48		Fürth
1979	12.48		Warsaw
1980	12.36		Warsaw
1981	12.68		Tbilisi
1982	12.44		Sofia
1983	12.42		Berlin
1984	12.43		Hanover
1985	12.42		Sofia
1986	12.26		Ljubljana
1987	12.25		Dráma
1988	12.21		Stara Zagora
1989	12.60		Barcelona
1990	12.53		Kyiv
1991	12.28		Kyiv
1992	12.26		Seville
1993	12.46		Stuttgart
1994	12.53		Linz
			Stara Zagora
1995	12.44		Lucerne
1996	12.47		Atlanta
1997	12.50		Athens
1998	12.44		Monaco
1999	12.37		Seville
2000	12.33		Sacramento
2001	12.42		Edmonton
2002	12.40		Lausanne
2003	12.45		Eugene
			Monaco
2004	12.37		Athens
2005	12.43		Carson
2006	12.43		Lausanne
2007	12.44		Rome
2008	12.43		Beijing
2009	12.46		Zürich
2010	12.52		London
2011	12.28		Daegu
2012	12.35		London
2013	12.26		Des Moines
2014	12.44		Paris
2015	12.34		Eugene
2016	12.20		London
2017	12.28		Székesfehérvár
2018	12.36		London
2019	12.32		London
2020	12.68		Turku
2021	12.26		Tokyo
2022	12.12		Eugene
2023	12.24		Budapest
2024	12.25		Eugene

External links

• IAAF list of 100-metres-hurdles records in XML

References

• All-Time List
• Year Lists

Notes and References

1. Web site: 100 Metres Hurdles. 13 August 2020. www.worldathletics.org.
2. Web site: Hurdles 101.
3. Web site: Archived copy . 6 May 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120122064124/http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/files/laws_rules/Appendix-A-K.pdf . 22 January 2012 .
4. Web site: Rio Olympics 2016: US women sweep medals in 100m hurdles - BBC News . Bbc.com . 2016. 19 August 2016.
5. Web site: All-time women's best 100m hurdles. alltime-athletics.com. 7 July 2017. 9 July 2017.
6. Web site: Women's 100m Hurdles Semifinal Results. World Athletics. 24 July 2022. 31 July 2022.
7. Web site: 100 Metres Hurdles Result World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022 . worldathletics.org . 22 May 2023 . en.
8. Web site: 100m Hurdles Results . sportresult.com . 22 July 2016 . 22 July 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160722230651/http://livecache.sportresult.com/node/binaryData/AT_PROD/LONDON2016/PDF_RE1250040.PDF?h=55fyt5HsfjkzKROoQdNPSKUR5Z4%3D . 22 July 2016 .
9. Web site: 100m Hurdles Round 1 Results. World Athletics. 22 August 2023. 22 August 2023.
10. Web site: McLaughlin-Levrone breaks world 400m hurdles record at US Trials. World Athletics. Jessie Gabriel. 30 June 2024. 1 July 2024.
11. News: National records for Rollins, Carter and Bingson at US Championships. IAAF. Kirby Lee. 23 June 2013. 24 June 2013.
12. Web site: Women's 100m hurdles Semi-Final Results Summary. olympics.com. 1 August 2021. 16 August 2021. 10 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211010153019/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/resOG2020-/pdf/OG2020-/ATH/OG2020-_ATH_C74A_ATHW100MHURD----------SFNL--------.pdf. dead.
13. Web site: Tokyo 2020 100m Hurdles Semifinals Results World Athletics . worldathletics.org . 22 May 2023.
14. Web site: Women's 100m Hurdles Semifinal Results. World Athletics. 24 July 2022. 31 July 2022.
15. Web site: 100 Metres Hurdles Result World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022 . worldathletics.org . 23 May 2023 . en.
16. News: Krop, Mahuchikh and Winger bounce back in Brussels with world-leading marks. World Athletics. Jon Mulkeen. 2 September 2022. 14 September 2022.
17. Web site: Wanda Diamond League Boudewijnstadion - Brussels (BEL) 1st - 2nd September 2022 Results 100m Hurdles Women . 24 May 2023.
18. Web site: 100 Metres Hurdles Results . . 3 September 2011 . 3 September 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120225195332/http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/documents/pdf/4147/AT-100H-W-f--1--.RS1.pdf . 25 February 2012 .
19. Web site: 2017 – Gyulai István Memorial . 24 May 2023.
20. Web site: National championships round-up: Nugent and Thompson impress in Jamaica REPORT World Athletics . 2024-07-01 . worldathletics.org.
21. News: Amusan and Lyles break meeting records en route to Diamond League wins in Zurich. World Athletics. Jess Whittington. Jon Mulkeen. 8 September 2022. 16 September 2022.
22. Web site: Wanda Diamond League Final 2022 7th September - Sechseläutenplatz, Zürich (SUI) 8th September - Letzigrund, Zürich (SUI) Results 100m Hurdles Women . 24 May 2023.
23. Web site: 100m Hurdles Final Results. Microplus Informatica. 7 August 2022. 19 August 2022.
24. Web site: 100m Hurdles Results. sportresult.com. 21 July 2023. 21 July 2023.
25. Web site: Women's 100m Hurdles Semifinal Results. World Athletics. 24 July 2022. 31 July 2022.
26. Web site: 100 Metres Hurdles Result World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022 . worldathletics.org . 24 May 2023 . en.
27. Web site: Crouser breaks world shot put record with 23.56m in Los Angeles. World Athletics. Madeline Ryan. 27 May 2023. 29 May 2023.
28. Web site: 100m Hurdles Results. sportresult.com. 21 July 2023. 21 July 2023.
29. Web site: 100m Hurdles Results. World Athletics. 8 June 2024.
30. News: Williams blazes 12.32, Warholm improves to 47.12 in London – IAAF Diamond League. IAAF. Bob Ramsak. 20 July 2019. 31 July 2019.
31. Web site: IAAF Diamond League London (GBR) 20th - 21st July 2019 Results 100m Hurdles Women - Final . 24 May 2023.
32. Web site: 100m Hurdles Heat 3 Results. 26 June 2015. 27 June 2015.
33. Web site: 100m Hurdles Results. IAAF. 15 May 2015. 31 August 2015.
34. Web site: 100m Hurdles Semifinal Results. World Athletics. 2 July 2024.
35. Web site: 14 July 2024 . Bol breaks European 400m hurdles record in La Chaux-de-Fonds . 14 July 2024 . World Athletics.
36. Web site: 14 July 2024 . 400m Hurdles Women Results . 14 July 2024.
37. Web site: 14 July 2024 . Bol breaks European 400m hurdles record in La Chaux-de-Fonds . 14 July 2024 . World Athletics.
38. Web site: 14 July 2024 . 400m Hurdles Women Results . 14 July 2024.
39. Web site: GAIL DEVERS. Team USA.
40. Web site: Sally Pearson. 13 August 2020. Australian Olympic Committee.
41. Web site: Pearson, world champion and 2012 Olympic 100m hurdles gold medallist, retires News. 13 August 2020. www.worldathletics.org.