50 metres explained

Event:	50 metres
Wrwomen:	Irina Privalova 5.96 (1995)

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
+ = en route to a longer distance
A = affected by altitude

Men

• Updated 30 November 2018.^[1]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place
1	5.56			9 February 1996	Reno
	5.56			13 February 1999	Los Angeles
3	5.58			26 February 2005	Liévin
4	5.60			16 February 1997	Liévin
5	5.61			4 February 1973	Berlin
				20 February 1981	San Diego
	5.61			21 February 1999	Liévin
				16 February 2000	Madrid
				16 February 2000	Madrid
10	5.62			5 March 1986	Kobe
				15 February 1992	Los Angeles
	5.62			21 February 1999	Liévin
				24 February 2002	Liévin
14	5.63			20 February 1981	San Diego
	5.63			10 February 1995	Reno
	5.63			13 February 1999	Los Angeles
	5.63			14 February 2012	Liévin	^[2]
18	5.64			15 February 1992	Los Angeles
				4 February 1994	Moscow
				27 January 1995	Moscow
	5.64			21 February 1999	Liévin
				13 February 2000	Liévin
				16 February 2000	Madrid
				16 February 2000	Madrid
	5.64			19 February 2000	Los Angeles
				20 January 2001	Los Angeles
				28 January 2012	New York City

• Ben Johnson of Canada ran 5.55 at Ottawa, Canada on 31 January 1987, but this time was rescinded after Johnson admitted to using steroids between 1981 and 1988.

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 5.63:

• Maurice Greene also ran 5.59 (1999).
• Michael Green also ran 5.62 (1997).
• Donovan Bailey also ran 5.62 (1996).
• Deji Aliu also ran 5.63 (1999).
• Freddy Mayola also ran 5.63 (2001).

Outdoor best performances

+ = en route to 100m mark.N.B. The Seville marks listed are excluding the athlete's reaction times. Bolt's & Su's times are inclusive.

Rank	Time	Wind (m/s)	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref
1	5.40 (calculated; add 0.127, or 0.13)	+0.2	Bruny Surin		22 August 1999	Seville	^[3]
2	5.42 (calculated; add 0.132, or 0.14)		Maurice Greene
3	5.43 (calculated; add 0.140)		Dwain Chambers
4	5.45	+0.9	Su Bingtian		1 August 2021	Tokyo	^[4]
5	5.46 (calculated; add 0.136, or 0.14)	+0.2	Tim Harden		22 August 1999	Seville	^[5]
6	5.47 (calculated)	+0.9	Usain Bolt		16 August 2009	Berlin	^[6]

Women

• Correct as of January 2017.^[7]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place
1	5.96			9 February 1995	Madrid
2	6.00			4 February 1994	Moscow
3	6.02			21 February 1999	Liévin
4	6.04			22 February 1998	Liévin
5	6.05			13 February 2000	Liévin
				13 February 2000	Liévin
7	6.07			9 February 1996	Reno
8	6.08			16 February 1997	Liévin
	6.08			28 January 2012	New York City
10	6.09			2 February 1993	Moscow
11	6.11	Marita Koch		2 February 1980	Grenoble
	6.11	Liliana Allen		13 February 2000	Liévin
		Christine Arron		26 February 2006	Aubière
14	6.12	Marlies Göhr		2 February 1980	Grenoble
		Silke Möller		19 February 1988	Berlin
		Anelia Nuneva		27 January 1995	Moscow
17	6.13	Jeanette Bolden		21 February 1981	Edmonton
		Michelle Finn-Burrell		15 February 1992	Los Angeles
		Natalya Merzlyakova		4 February 1994	Moscow
		Ekaterina Grigorieva		4 February 1994	Moscow
	6.13	Mercy Nku		25 February 2001	Liévin
22	6.14	Frédérique Bangué		16 February 1997	Liévin
		Petya Pendareva		21 February 1999	Liévin
		Muriel Hurtis		23 February 2003	Liévin
		LaVerne Jones-Ferrette		24 February 2012	Liévin

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.

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 6.11:

• Irina Privalova also ran 6.01 (1994), 6.03 (1994), 6.04 (1993), 6.05 (1993, 1997), 6.07 (1994), 6.08 (1994), 6.08 (1997), 6.09 (1994) and 6.11 (1996).
• Gail Devers also ran 6.03 (1999) and 6.10 (1993).
• Merlene Ottey also ran 6.06 (1999), 6.08 (1999) and 6.11 (1996).
• Savatheda Fynes also ran 6.07 (1999).
• Philomena Mensah also ran 6.07 (1999).
• Christy Opara-Thompson also ran 6.11 (1997).

Outdoor best performances

+ = en route to 100m mark

Season's bests

Men

Year	Mark	Athlete	Place
1968	5.70		Madrid
1971	5.79		Kiel
1972	5.75		Grenoble
1973	5.61		Berlin
1974	5.68		Berlin
1976	5.75		Berlin
1977	5.74		Berlin
1978	5.77		Berlin
1979	5.76		Daly City
1980	5.72		Syracuse
1981	5.61		San Diego
1982	5.76		Sherbrooke
1983	5.72		Chicago
1984	5.69		San Diego
1985	5.73		Prague
			Kobe
1986	5.62		Kobe
1987	5.76		Prague
1988	5.72		Berlin
1989	5.68		Hamilton
1990	5.73		Los Angeles
1991	5.69		Los Angeles
1992	5.62		Los Angeles
	5.62+		Liévin
1993	5.67		Hamilton
1994	5.64		Moscow
1995	5.63 A		Reno
1996	5.56 A		Reno
1997	5.61+		Liévin
1998	5.65		Eaubonne
1999	5.56		Los Angeles
2000	5.61+		Madrid
			Madrid
2001	5.63+		Madrid
2002	5.62+		Liévin
2003	5.65+		Liévin
2004	5.68+		Liévin
2005	5.58+		Liévin
2006	5.68+		Liévin
2007	5.73+		Aubière
2008	5.76		Saskatoon
2009	5.70+		Liévin
2010	5.71		Saskatoon
	5.71+		Liévin
2011	5.67		Saskatoon
2012	5.63+		Liévin
2013	5.79		Saskatoon
2014	5.72		Saskatoon
2015	5.83		Saskatoon
2016
2017	5.76		Saskatoon
2018	5.67		Saskatoon
2019	5.77		Saskatoon

Women

Year	Mark	Athlete	Place
1968	6.24		Madrid
1972	6.25		Grenoble
1974	6.19		Berlin
1976	6.30		Berlin
1978	6.28		Berlin
			Grenoble
1979	6.28		Berlin
1980	6.11		Grenoble
1981	6.13		Edmonton
1982	6.20		Daly City
1983	6.16		Chicago
1984	6.16		Toronto
1985	6.21		Zwolle
			Kobe
1986	6.13		Berlin
1987	6.13		Berlin
1988	6.12		Berlin
1989	6.18		Berlin
1990	6.34		Los Angeles
			Cleveland
1991	6.15		Berlin
1992	6.13		Los Angeles
1993	6.09		Moscow
1994	6.00		Moscow
1995	5.96+		Madrid
1996	6.07 A		Reno
1997	6.08+		Liévin
1998	6.04+		Liévin
1999	6.02+		Liévin
2000	6.05+		Liévin
			Liévin
2001	6.12+		Madrid
2002	6.17		Los Angeles
2003	6.14+		Liévin
2004	6.12+		Aubière
2005	6.15+		Liévin
2006	6.11+		Aubière
2007	6.28+		Landover
2008	6.23+		Bordeaux
2009	6.26+		Liévin
2010	6.21+		Liévin
2011	6.27		Minsk
2012	6.08		New York City
2013	6.30		Saskatoon
2014	6.34		Saskatoon
2015	6.34		Saskatoon
2016
2017	6.30		Saskatoon
2018	6.30		Saskatoon
2019	6.35		Saskatoon

Notes and References

1. Web site: All Time Top Lists - Senior Indoor 50 Metres Men . iaaf.org . . 30 November 2018.
2. Web site: 60 Metres Results. www.meeting-pasdecalais.com. 14 February 2012. 14 February 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140720004937/http://www.meeting-pasdecalais.com/RESULTATS2012/60M101.pdf. 20 July 2014. dead. dmy-all.
3. Web site: Biomechanical Analysis of the World Championships in Athletics Seville 1999 . IAAF. 2001. April 11, 2018. IAAF.
4. Web site: Analyzing the Olympic 100-meter sprints. hmmrmedia.com. Pierre-Jean Vazel. 8 October 2021. 12 March 2022.
5. Web site: Biomechanical Analysis of the World Championships in Athletics Seville 1999 . IAAF. 2001. April 11, 2018. IAAF.
6. Web site: Biomechanical Analysis 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics . . 17 August 2009 . 30 January 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140514043707/http://berlin.iaaf.org/mm/Document/Development/Research/05/31/54/20090817073528_httppostedfile_Analysis100mMenFinal_Bolt_13666.pdf . 14 May 2014 .
7. Web site: All-time women's best 50m. IAAF. 26 January 2017. 26 January 2017.