200 metres at the Olympics
200 metres at the Olympic Games | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Sport | Athletics |
Gender | Men and women |
Years held | Men: 1900 – 2016 Women: 1948 – 2016 |
Olympic record | |
Men | 19.30 Usain Bolt(2008) |
Women | 21.34 Florence Griffith-Joyner (1988) |
Reigning champion | |
Men | Andre De Grasse (CAN) |
Women | Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) |
The 200 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the second edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 200 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 and the women's 200 m has been held continuously since its introduction at the 1948 Games. It is the most prestigious 200 m race at elite level. The competition format typically has three or four qualifying rounds leading to a final race between eight athletes.
The Olympic records for the distance are 19.30 seconds for men, set by Usain Bolt in 2008, and 21.34 seconds set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. The men's world record was set at the Olympics in 1956, 1960 (twice), 1968, 1996 (twice) and 2008.[1] The women's world record has similarly been linked to the competition, with records coming at the Olympic Games in 1952 (twice), 1956, 1968, 1972 and 1988 (twice). Griffith-Joyner's 1988 Olympic mark remains the world record for the distance, while Bolt's Olympic record is the third fastest of all-time.[2]
Only three athletes have won the title more than once. Bärbel Wöckel of East Germany became the first to defend the title in 1980 and Veronica Campbell-Brown repeated that feat in 2008. Usain Bolt was the first person to win two Olympic 200 m gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics he defended his title to win his third Olympic 200 m gold medal. Merlene Ottey is the most decorated athlete, having won four medals in the event (though none of them gold). Allyson Felix has won three medals, as has Poland's Irena Szewińska. Reflecting how sprint athletes often compete over various distances, many of the medalists in the Olympic 200 metres have had success in the Olympic 100 metres and 4×100 metres relay as well.
The United States has had by far the most success in the event, having 23 gold medals and 57 medals in total. American men have completed a medal sweep on six occasions. Jamaica is the next most successful, with five gold among their seventeen medals, and became the second nation to sweep the men's medals in 2012. No nation has swept the women's medals; the United States is the only nation to have won both gold and silver in the same year (in 1984).
The 1968 medal podium ceremony for the men's 200 metres witnessed a prominent political protest in the form of a Black Power salute by the African-American medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos. The third medalist, Peter Norman of Australia, wore a badge for the Olympic Project for Human Rights in solidarity.
Medal summary[]
Men[]
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1900 Paris |
Walter Tewksbury United States |
Norman Pritchard India |
Stan Rowley Australia |
1904 St. Louis |
Archie Hahn United States |
Nate Cartmell United States |
William Hogenson United States |
1908 London |
Robert Kerr Canada |
Robert Cloughen United States |
Nate Cartmell United States |
1912 Stockholm |
Ralph Craig United States |
Donald Lippincott United States |
Willie Applegarth Great Britain |
1920 Antwerp |
Allen Woodring United States |
Charley Paddock United States |
Harry Edward Great Britain |
1924 Paris |
Jackson Scholz United States |
Charley Paddock United States |
Eric Liddell Great Britain |
1928 Amsterdam |
Percy Williams Canada |
Walter Rangeley Great Britain |
Helmut Körnig Germany |
1932 Los Angeles |
Eddie Tolan United States |
George Simpson United States |
Ralph Metcalfe United States |
1936 Berlin |
Jesse Owens United States |
Mack Robinson United States |
Tinus Osendarp Netherlands |
1948 London |
Mel Patton United States |
Barney Ewell United States |
Lloyd LaBeach Panama |
1952 Helsinki |
Andy Stanfield United States |
Thane Baker United States |
James Gathers United States |
1956 Melbourne |
Bobby Morrow United States |
Andy Stanfield United States |
Thane Baker United States |
1960 Rome |
Livio Berruti Italy |
Lester Carney United States |
Abdoulaye Seye France |
1964 Tokyo |
Henry Carr United States |
Paul Drayton United States |
Edwin Roberts Trinidad and Tobago |
1968 Mexico City |
Tommie Smith United States |
Peter Norman Australia |
John Carlos United States |
1972 Munich |
Valeriy Borzov Soviet Union |
Larry Black United States |
Pietro Mennea Italy |
1976 Montreal |
Don Quarrie Jamaica |
Millard Hampton United States |
Dwayne Evans United States |
1980 Moscow |
Pietro Mennea Italy |
Allan Wells Great Britain |
Don Quarrie Jamaica |
1984 Los Angeles |
Carl Lewis United States |
Kirk Baptiste United States |
Thomas Jefferson United States |
1988 Seoul |
Joe DeLoach United States |
Carl Lewis United States |
Robson da Silva Brazil |
1992 Barcelona |
Michael Marsh United States |
Frankie Fredericks Namibia |
Michael Bates United States |
1996 Atlanta |
Michael Johnson United States |
Frankie Fredericks Namibia |
Ato Boldon Trinidad and Tobago |
2000 Sydney |
Konstantinos Kenteris Greece |
Darren Campbell Great Britain |
Ato Boldon Trinidad and Tobago |
2004 Athens |
Shawn Crawford United States |
Bernard Williams United States |
Justin Gatlin United States |
2008 Beijing |
Usain Bolt Jamaica |
Shawn Crawford United States |
Walter Dix United States |
2012 London |
Usain Bolt Jamaica |
Yohan Blake Jamaica |
Warren Weir Jamaica |
2016 Rio de Janeiro |
Usain Bolt Jamaica |
Andre De Grasse Canada |
Christophe Lemaitre France |
2020 Tokyo |
Andre De Grasse Canada |
Kenneth Bednarek United States |
Noah Lyles United States |
Multiple medalists[]
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) | 2008–2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
2 | Andy Stanfield | United States (USA) | 1952–1956 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Carl Lewis | United States (USA) | 1984–1988 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Andre De Grasse | Canada (CAN) | 2016–2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Shawn Crawford | United States (USA) | 2004–2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
6 | Pietro Mennea | Italy (ITA) | 1972, 1980 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Don Quarrie | Jamaica (JAM) | 1976–1980 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
8 | Charlie Paddock | United States (USA) | 1920–1924 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Frankie Fredericks | Namibia (NAM) | 1992–1996 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
10 | Nate Cartmell | United States (USA) | 1904–1908 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Thane Baker | United States (USA) | 1952–1956 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
12 | Ato Boldon | Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 1996–2000 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Medals by country[]
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States (USA) | 17 | 18 | 11 | 46 |
2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
3 | Canada (CAN) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
4 | Italy (ITA) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
5 | Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
7 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
8 | Namibia (NAM) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
9 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
10 | Sri Lanka (SRI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
11 | Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
12 | France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
13 | Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Germany (GER) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Panama (PAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Women[]
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1948 London |
Fanny Blankers-Koen Netherlands |
Audrey Williamson Great Britain |
Audrey Patterson United States |
1952 Helsinki |
Marjorie Jackson Australia |
Bertha Brouwer Netherlands |
Nadezhda Khnykina-Dvalishvili Soviet Union |
1956 Melbourne |
Betty Cuthbert Australia |
Christa Stubnick United Team of Germany |
Marlene Mathews Australia |
1960 Rome |
Wilma Rudolph United States |
Jutta Heine United Team of Germany |
Dorothy Hyman Great Britain |
1964 Tokyo |
Edith McGuire United States |
Irena Kirszenstein Poland |
Marilyn Black Australia |
1968 Mexico City |
Irena Szewińska Poland |
Raelene Boyle Australia |
Jenny Lamy Australia |
1972 Munich |
Renate Stecher East Germany |
Raelene Boyle Australia |
Irena Szewińska Poland |
1976 Montreal |
Bärbel Eckert East Germany |
Annegret Richter West Germany |
Renate Stecher East Germany |
1980 Moscow |
Bärbel Wöckel East Germany |
Natalya Bochina Soviet Union |
Merlene Ottey Jamaica |
1984 Los Angeles |
Valerie Brisco-Hooks United States |
Florence Griffith United States |
Merlene Ottey Jamaica |
1988 Seoul |
Florence Griffith-Joyner United States |
Grace Jackson Jamaica |
Heike Drechsler East Germany |
1992 Barcelona |
Gwen Torrence United States |
Juliet Cuthbert Jamaica |
Merlene Ottey Jamaica |
1996 Atlanta |
Marie-José Pérec France |
Merlene Ottey Jamaica |
Mary Onyali Nigeria |
2000 Sydney |
Pauline Davis-Thompson Bahamas |
Susanthika Jayasinghe Sri Lanka |
Beverly McDonald Jamaica |
2004 Athens |
Veronica Campbell Jamaica |
Allyson Felix United States |
Debbie Ferguson Bahamas |
2008 Beijing |
Veronica Campbell-Brown Jamaica |
Allyson Felix United States |
Kerron Stewart Jamaica |
2012 London |
Allyson Felix United States |
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Jamaica |
Carmelita Jeter United States |
2016 Rio de Janeiro |
Elaine Thompson Jamaica |
Dafne Schippers Netherlands |
Tori Bowie United States |
2020 Tokyo |
Elaine Thompson-Herah Jamaica |
Christine Mboma Namibia |
Gabrielle Thomas United States |
Multiple medalists[]
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bärbel Wöckel | East Germany (GDR) | 1976–1980 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica (JAM) | 2004–2008 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
Elaine Thompson-Herah | Jamaica (JAM) | 2016–2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
3 | Allyson Felix | United States (USA) | 2004–2012 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
4 | Irena Szewińska | Poland (POL) | 1964–1972 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
5 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | United States (USA) | 1984–1988 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
6 | Renate Stecher | East Germany (GDR) | 1972–1976 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
7 | Raelene Boyle | Australia (AUS) | 1968–1972 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
8 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica (JAM) | 1980–1996 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Medalists by country[]
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States (USA) | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
3 | East Germany (GDR) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
4 | Australia (AUS) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
5 | Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
6 | Poland (POL) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
7 | Bahamas (BAH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
8 | France (FRA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
9 | United Team of Germany (EUA) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
10 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Soviet Union (URS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
12 | West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Namibia (NAM) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Sri Lanka (SRI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
14 | Nigeria (NGR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Olympic record progression[]
Men[]
Time | Athlete | Nation | Games | Round | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
24.0* | Bill Holland | United States (USA) | 1900 | Heat 1 | |
22.2 | Walter Tewksbury | United States (USA) | 1900 | Final | |
22.2 | Archie Hahn | United States (USA) | 1904 | Heat 1 | |
21.6 | Archie Hahn | United States (USA) | 1904 | Final | |
21.6 | Jackson Scholz | United States (USA) | 1924 | Final | |
21.6 | Helmut Körnig | Germany (GER) | 1928 | Quarterfinal 6 | |
21.5 | Ralph Metcalfe | United States (USA) | 1932 | Quarterfinal 1 | |
21.5 | Eddie Tolan | United States (USA) | 1932 | Quarterfinal 2 | |
21.5 | Carlos Bianchi | Argentina (ARG) | 1932 | Quarterfinal 3 | |
21.5 | Arthur Jonath | Germany (GER) | 1932 | Quarterfinal 4 | |
21.2 | Eddie Tolan | United States (USA) | 1932 | Final | |
21.1 | Jesse Owens | United States (USA) | 1936 | Heat 3 | |
20.7 WR | Jesse Owens | United States (USA) | 1936 | Final | |
20.7 | Andy Stanfield | United States (USA) | 1952 | Final | |
20.6 WR | Bobby Morrow | United States (USA) | 1956 | Final | |
20.5 WR | Livio Berruti | Italy (ITA) | 1960 | Semifinal 2 | |
20.5 WR | Livio Berruti | Italy (ITA) | 1960 | Final | |
20.5 | Paul Drayton | United States (USA) | 1964 | Semifinal 1 | |
20.3 | Henry Carr | United States (USA) | 1964 | Final | |
20.37 | Tommie Smith | United States (USA) | 1968 | Heat 2 | |
20.23 | Peter Norman | Australia (AUS) | 1968 | Heat 6 | |
20.12 | John Carlos | United States (USA) | 1968 | Semifinal 1 | |
19.83 WR | Tommie Smith | United States (USA) | 1968 | Final | |
19.80 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) | 1984 | Final | |
19.75 | Joe DeLoach | United States (USA) | 1988 | Final | |
19.73 | Mike Marsh | United States (USA) | 1992 | Semifinal 1 | |
19.32 WR | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) | 1996 | Final | |
19.30 WR | Usain Bolt | Jamaica (JAM) | 2008 | Final |
Women[]
Time | Athlete | Nation | Games | Round | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
25.7 | Fanny Blankers-Koen | Netherlands (NED) | 1948 | Heat 1 | |
25.6 | Cynthia Thompson | Jamaica (JAM) | 1948 | Heat 2 | |
25.3 | Daphne Hasenjäger | South Africa (RSA) | 1948 | Heat 4 | |
24.3 | Fanny Blankers-Koen | Netherlands (NED) | 1948 | Semifinal 1 | |
24.3 | Nadezhda Khnykina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1952 | Heat 2 | |
23.6 WR | Marjorie Jackson | Australia (AUS) | 1952 | Heat 3 | |
23.4 WR | Marjorie Jackson | Australia (AUS) | 1952 | Semifinal 1 | |
23.4 | Betty Cuthbert | Australia (AUS) | 1956 | Final | |
23.2 | Wilma Rudolph | United States (USA) | 1960 | Heat 3 | |
23.0 | Edith McGuire | United States (USA) | 1964 | Final | |
23.09 | Raelene Boyle | Australia (AUS) | 1968 | Heat 2 | |
22.94 | Barbara Ferrell | United States (USA) | 1968 | Heat 3 | |
22.87 | Barbara Ferrell | United States (USA) | 1968 | Semifinal 2 | |
22.58 | Irena Szewińska | Poland (POL) | 1968 | Final | |
22.40 WR | Renate Stecher | East Germany (GDR) | 1972 | Final | |
22.37 | Barbel Eckert | East Germany (GDR) | 1976 | Final | |
22.26 | Natalya Bochina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1980 | Quarterfinal 3 | |
22.03 | Barbel Eckert | East Germany (GDR) | 1980 | Final | |
21.81 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | United States (USA) | 1984 | Final | |
21.76 | Florence Griffith Joyner | United States (USA) | 1988 | Quarterfinal 1 | |
21.56 WR | Florence Griffith Joyner | United States (USA) | 1988 | Semifinal 1 | |
21.34 WR | Florence Griffith Joyner | United States (USA) | 1988 | Final |
Finishing times[]
Top ten fastest Olympic times[]
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Non-canonical Olympic events[]
In addition to the main 1900 Olympic men's 200 metres, a 220-yard dash handicap race was also held. The winner was J. McGann for the United States, who ran an estimated 22.8 seconds with a ten-yard start. Frank Lukeman of Canada was second, also with a ten-yard handicap, and American C. Turner was third with a two-yard handicap.[5]
This event is no longer considered part of the official Olympic history of the 200 metres or the athletics programme in general. Consequently, medals from this competition have not been assigned to nations on the all-time medal tables.[5]
References[]
- Participation and athlete data
- Athletics Men's 200 metres Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
- Athletics Women's 200 metres Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
- Olympic record progressions
- Mallon, Bill (2012). TRACK & FIELD ATHLETICS - OLYMPIC RECORD PROGRESSIONS. Track and Field News. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
- Specific
- ^ "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 547. Archived from the original (pdf) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
- ^ 200 Metres - men - senior - outdoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-05-24.
- ^ "Men's 200m".
- ^ "Women's 200m".
- ^ a b Handicap Olympic Athletics Events. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-04-18.
External links[]
- IAAF 200 metres homepage
- Official Olympics website
- Olympic athletics records from Track & Field News
- 200 metres at the Olympics
- 200 metres
- Athletics events at the Olympics