60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the middle of the 'field', as is the hurdles event over the same distance, thus avoiding some of the effects of the banked track encircling the venue, upon which other track events in indoor events are run. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. The format of the event is similar to other sprint distances. The sprinters follow three initial instructions: 'on your marks', instructing them to take up position in the starting blocks; 'set', instructing them to adopt a more efficient starting posture, which also isometrically preloads their muscles. This will enable them to start faster. The final instruction is the firing of the starter's pistol. Upon hearing this the sprinters stride forwards from the blocks.
| Athletics 60 metres | |
|---|---|
| World records | |
| Men |  Christian Coleman 6.34 A (2018) |
| Women |  Irina Privalova 6.92 (1993, 1995) |
| World Indoor Championship records | |
| Men | Christian Coleman 6.37 (2018) |
| Women | Gail Devers 6.95 (1993) |
The 60 metres was an Olympic event in the 1900 and 1904 Summer Games but was removed from the schedule thereafter. American Christian Coleman currently holds the men's world record in the 60 metres with a time of 6.34 seconds,[1] while Russian Irina Privalova holds the women's world record at 6.92.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics semi-finals, Su Bingtian ran the fastest 60 m split of all-time and the fastest 60 m ever recorded under any conditions with a time of 6.29 seconds.[2]
In the past, it was common for athletes to compete in the 60 yards (54.86 m) race. This is not part of the lineage of the 60 metres, but is the predecessor of the 55 metres race. 60 metres is 65.6168 yards.
Area records
| Area | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | |
| Africa | 6.45 A | Leonard Myles-Mills |  Ghana | 6.97 | Murielle Ahouré |  Ivory Coast |
| Asia | 6.42 | Su Bingtian |  China | 7.09 | Susanthika Jayasinghe |  Sri Lanka |
| Europe | 6.41 | Marcell Jacobs |  Italy | 6.92 | Irina Privalova | Russia |
| North, Central America and Caribbean | 6.34 A | Christian Coleman |  United States | 6.94 A | Aleia Hobbs Julien Alfred | United States Saint Lucia |
| Oceania | 6.52 | Matthew Shirvington |  Australia | 7.06 | Zoe Hobbs |  New Zealand |
| South America | 6.52 | José Carlos Moreira |  Brazil | 7.14 | Vitoria Cristina Rosa | Brazil |
All-time top 25
Indoor results only
Men
Updated April 2024.[5]
| Ath.# | Perf.# | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 6.34 A | Christian Coleman | United States | 18 February 2018 | Albuquerque | [1] |
| 2 | 6.37 | Coleman #2 | 19 January 2018 | Clemson | |||
| Coleman #3 | 3 March 2018 | Birmingham | [6] | ||||
| 2 | 4 | 6.39 | Maurice Greene | United States | 3 February 1998 | Madrid | |
| 4 | 6.39 | Greene #2 | 3 March 2001 | Atlanta | |||
| 6 | 6.40 | Greene #3 | 27 February 1999 | Atlanta | |||
| 3 | 6 | 6.40 A | Ronnie Baker | United States | 18 February 2018 | Albuquerque | [1] |
| 4 | 8 | 6.41 | Andre Cason | United States | 14 February 1992 | Madrid | |
| 8 | 6.41 | Greene #4 | 1 February 1998 | Stuttgart | |||
| 5 | 8 | 6.41 | Marcell Jacobs | Italy | 19 March 2022 | Belgrade | [7] |
| 8 | 6.41 | Coleman #4 | 19 March 2022 | Belgrade | [7] | ||
| Coleman #5 | 1 March 2024 | Glasgow | [8] | ||||
| 13 | 6.42 | Greene #5 | 7 March 1999 | Maebashi | |||
| 6 | 13 | 6.42 | Dwain Chambers |  Great Britain | 7 March 2009 | Turin | |
| 13 | 6.42 A | Coleman #6 | 18 February 2018 | Albuquerque | [1] | ||
| 7 | 13 | 6.42 | Su Bingtian | China | 3 March 2018 | Birmingham | [6] |
| Trayvon Bromell | United States | 10 February 2023 | Clemson | [9] | |||
| 18 | 6.43 | Greene #6 | 1 February 1998 | Stuttgart | |||
| 9 | 18 | 6.43 | Tim Harden | United States | 7 March 1999 | Maebashi | |
| 18 | 6.43 | Su #2 | 6 February 2018 | Düsseldorf | |||
| 10 | 18 | 6.43 A | Noah Lyles | United States | 17 February 2024 | Albuquerque | [10] |
| 18 | 6.43 | Coleman #7 | 1 March 2024 | Glasgow | [8] | ||
| 23 | 6.44 | Harden #2 | 27 February 1999 | Atlanta | |||
| Harden #3 | 11 March 2001 | Lisbon | |||||
| 11 | 23 | 6.44 | Asafa Powell |  Jamaica | 18 March 2016 | Portland | [11] |
| 23 | 6.44 | Powell #2 | 18 March 2016 | Portland | [12] | ||
| Baker #2 | 3 March 2018 | Birmingham | |||||
| Baker #3 | 19 February 2020 | Liévin | |||||
| Baker #4 | 21 February 2020 | Madrid | |||||
| 12 | 23 | 6.44 | Marvin Bracy | United States | 19 March 2022 | Belgrade | [7] |
| 23 | 6.44 | Lyles #2 | 4 February 2024 | Boston | [13] | ||
| 6.44 A | Coleman #8 | 17 February 2024 | Albuquerque | [10] | |||
| 6.44 | Lyles #3 | 1 March 2024 | Glasgow | [8] | |||
| 13 | 6.45 | Bruny Surin |  Canada | 13 February 1993 | Liévin | ||
| 6.45 A | Leonard Myles-Mills | Ghana | 20 February 1999 | Colorado Springs | |||
| Terrence Trammell | United States | 17 February 2001 | Pocatello | ||||
| 6.45 | Justin Gatlin | United States | 1 March 2003 | Boston | |||
| Ronald Pognon |  France | 13 February 2005 | Karlsruhe | ||||
| 6.45 A | Trell Kimmons | United States | 26 February 2012 | Albuquerque | |||
| 6.45 | Terrence Jones |  Bahamas | 15 January 2022 | Lubbock | [14] | ||
| Ackeem Blake | Jamaica | 4 February 2024 | Boston | [15] | |||
| 21 | 6.46 | Jon Drummond | United States | 1 February 1998 | Stuttgart | ||
| 6.46 A | Marcus Brunson | United States | 30 January 1999 | Flagstaff | |||
| 6.46 | Jason Gardener | Great Britain | 7 March 1999 | Maebashi | |||
| Tim Montgomery | United States | 11 March 2001 | Lisbon | ||||
| Leonard Scott | United States | 26 February 2005 | Liévin |
Note: The following athletes have had their performances annulled due to doping offences:
| Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.41 | Ben Johnson | Canada | 7 March 1987 | Indianapolis | [16] |
Outdoor best performances
+ = en route to 100 m mark
| Rank | Time (s) | Wind (m/s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.29+ (calculated) | +0.9 | Su Bingtian | China | 1 August 2021 | Tokyo | [17][18] |
| 2 | 6.31+ (calculated) | +0.9 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 16 August 2009 | Berlin | [19][20] |
| 3 | 6.32+ (calculated) | +1.7 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | 9 September 2007 | Rieti | [21] |
| +1.7 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 31 May 2008 | New York City | [22] | ||
| 0.0 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 16 August 2008 | Beijing | [23] | ||
| +0.2 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | 2 September 2009 | Lausanne | [24] | ||
| +1.5 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 5 August 2012 | London | [25] | ||
| +0.6 | Christian Coleman | United States | 28 September 2019 | Doha | [26] | ||
| 9 | 6.33+ (calculated) | −0.2 | Maurice Greene | United States | 5 August 2001 | Edmonton | [27] |
| −0.1 | Yohan Blake | Jamaica | 23 August 2012 | Lausanne | [28] | ||
| 11 | 6.34+ (calculated) | +0.9 | Justin Gatlin | United States | 23 August 2015 | Beijing | [29] |
Note: The following athletes have had their associated 100 m performances annulled due to doping offences:
| Time (s) | Wind (m/s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.33+ (calculated) | +1.1 | Ben Johnson | Canada | 24 September 1988 | Seoul | [30] |
Women
Updated March 2024.[31]
Outdoor best performances
+ = en route to 100 m mark
| Rank | Time (s) | Wind (m/s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.81+ (calculated) | +0.1 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica | 29 September 2019 | Doha | [47] |
| 2 | 6.85+ (calculated) | −0.1 | Marion Jones | United States | 22 August 1999 | Seville | |
| 3 | 6.87+ (calculated) | 0.0 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | United States | 16 July 1988 | Indianapolis | [48] |
| +0.9 | Elaine Thompson-Herah | Jamaica | 21 August 2021 | Eugene | [49] | ||
| 5 | 6.91+ (calculated) | +0.1 | Dina Asher-Smith | Great Britain | 29 September 2019 | Doha | [47] |
Olympic medalists
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris |  Alvin Kraenzlein (USA) | Walter Tewksbury (USA) |  Stan Rowley (AUS) |
| 1904 St. Louis | Archie Hahn (USA) | William Hogenson (USA) | Fay Moulton (USA) |
World Indoor Championships medalists
Men
a The event was known as the World Indoor Games in 1985.
b Ben Johnson of Canada originally won the gold medal, but he was disqualified in 1989 after admitting to steroid use between 1981 and 1988.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 10 | 9 | 3 | 22 |
| 2 | Great Britain (GBR) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | Canada (CAN) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
 Nigeria (NGR) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 6 |  Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 |  Cuba (CUB) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Jamaica (JAM) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | China (CHN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ghana (GHA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Namibia (NAM) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 14 |  Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 15 |  Antigua and Barbuda (ATG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 entries) | 20 | 21 | 19 | 60 | |
Women
a The event was known as the World Indoor Games in 1985.
b Angella Issajenko of Canada originally won the silver medal, but she was disqualified in 1989 after admitting to steroid use between 1982 and 1988.
c Zhanna Block originally won the gold medal, but she was disqualified after her results from November 2002 onwards were deleted in 2011 for long-term drug use.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 7 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
| 2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 |  Netherlands (NED) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Ivory Coast (CIV) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Bahamas (BAH) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 |  Switzerland (SWI) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 |  East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Saint Lucia (LCA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 |  Bulgaria (BUL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Germany (GER) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Poland (POL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 19 |  Belarus (BLR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 British Virgin Islands (IVB) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Cuba (CUB) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Gabon (GAB) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Italy (ITA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Slovenia (SLO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (25 entries) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 60 | |
Season's bests
Women
See also
Notes and references
External links
- All-time men's best 60 metres from alltime-athletics.com
- All-time women's best 60 metres from alltime-athletics.com
