AthleticsAthletics world record
400 m hurdles, men
45.80 s
- Holder
- Alison dos Santos
- Date
- Place
- Zurich
- Standing since
- 2026
✓ Value cross-checked in a second source
How the record evolved
The last record set in each decade, up to the current record (highlighted).
| Year | Record | Holder |
|---|---|---|
| 45.80 s | Alison dos Santos | |
| 45.94 s | Karsten Warholm (NOR) | |
| 46.78 s | Kevin Young (USA) | |
| 47.02 s | Edwin Moses (USA) | |
| 47.45 s | Edwin Moses (USA) | |
| 48.1 s | David Hemery (GBR) | |
| 49.2 s | Glenn Davis (USA) | |
| 50.6 s | Glenn Hardin (USA) | |
| 52.0 s | Morgan Taylor (USA) | |
| 55.0 s | Charles Bacon (USA) |
Put them in order
Sort these records from the oldest to the most recent.
- 49.2 sGlenn Davis (USA)
- 55.0 sCharles Bacon (USA)
- 45.80 sAlison dos Santos
- 47.02 sEdwin Moses (USA)
What to remember
Ten evenly spaced hurdles around one lap, each runner staying in lane from the blocks to the line: at Weltklasse Zürich on August 27, 2026, Alison dos Santos ran the 400 m hurdles in 45.80 s, an average of 31.44 km/h. Knocking a hurdle over carries no penalty, but runners try to clear them cleanly, since touching them slows them down. The hurdles are weighted to fall forward when hit hard enough.
The Brazilian was world champion in 2022 and won bronze at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. He also won the Diamond League in 2022 and 2024, and took gold at the Pan American Games and the South American Championships in 2019.
In 1908, the record was 55.0 s, by Charles Bacon. Later record holders include Morgan Taylor (52.0 s in 1928), Glenn Davis (49.2 s in 1958), David Hemery (48.1 s in 1968), Edwin Moses, with 47.45 s in 1977 and 47.02 s in 1983, Kevin Young (46.78 s in 1992) and Karsten Warholm (45.94 s in 2021). Over 118 years the time came down by 16.7%. The event has been Olympic since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
Related records
Sources and licences
- Value, holder and date: Wikipedia article “List of world records in athletics” (revision used 1378411308). Data from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: Quejaytee, Photo licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons). Remove this photo.
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