AthleticsAthletics world record
400 m, women
47.60 s
- Holder
- Marita Koch
- Date
- Place
- Canberra
- Standing since
- 1985 (41 years)
How the record evolved
The last record set in each decade, up to the current record (highlighted).
| Year | Record | Holder |
|---|---|---|
| 47.60 s | Marita Koch | |
| 47.99 s | Jarmila Kratochvílová | |
| 48.60 s | Marita Koch | |
| 51.0 s | Monika Zehrt | |
| 51.7 s | Colette Besson | |
| 53.4 s | Mariya Itkina |
Put them in order
Sort these records from the oldest to the most recent.
- 47.60 sMarita Koch
- 48.60 sMarita Koch
- 53.4 sMariya Itkina
- 51.0 sMonika Zehrt
What to remember
On October 6, 1985, in Canberra at the World Cup, Marita Koch ran one lap of the track in 47.60 s, an average of 30.25 km/h. Over her career the East German sprinter set 16 world records in outdoor sprints and 14 in indoor events.
In the 400 m, runners start in staggered positions and stay in their own lanes for the whole race. The women's event has been on the Olympic programme since 1964. Koch had already held the record with 48.60 s in 1979, before the Canberra mark. In between, Jarmila Kratochvílová had lowered it to 47.99 s in 1983.
The series begins with Mariya Itkina, 53.4 s in 1959, then moves through Colette Besson (51.7 s in 1969) and Monika Zehrt (51.0 s in 1972). Over 26 years the time fell by 10.9%.
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.
Guess another record
AthleticsLoading the question…