The 100 metres hurdles, or 100-meter hurdles, is a

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

event run mainly by women (the male counterpart is the

110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hur ...

). For the race, ten

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

of a height of are placed along a straight course of . The first hurdle is placed after a run-up of 13 metres from the starting line. The next 9 hurdles are set at a distance of 8.5 metres from each other, and the home stretch from the last hurdle to the finish line is 10.5 metres long. The hurdles are set up so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner, but weighted so this is disadvantageous. Fallen hurdles do not count against runners provided that they do not run into them on purpose. Like the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

sprint, the 100 m hurdles begins with athletes in

starting blocks Starting blocks are a device used in the sport of track and field by sprint athletes to brace their feet against at the start of a race so they do not slip as they stride forward at the sound of the starter's pistol. The blocks also enable the sp ...

. The fastest 100 m hurdlers run the distance in a time of around 12.5 seconds. The

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

set by

Tobi Amusan Oluwatobiloba Ayomide "Tobi" Amusan (born 23 April 1997) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who specialises in the 100 metres hurdles and also competes as a sprinter. She is the current World, Commonwealth and African champion in the 10 ...

stands at 12.12 seconds.

History

The race started back in the 1830s in England where wooden barriers were placed along a 100 yard stretch. The hurdles event was included as part of the inaugural Women’s World Games in 1922, and made its first appearance in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

in 1932 as 80m hurdles. Starting with the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, the women's race was lengthened to 100m hurdles. The hurdles sprint race has been run by women since the beginning of women's athletics, just after the end of World War I. The distances and hurdle heights varied widely in the beginning. While the men had zeroed in on the 110 m hurdles, the International Women's Sport Federation had registered records for eight different disciplines by 1926 (60

yards The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.914 ...

/75 cm height, 60 yards/61 cm, 65 yards/75 cm, 83 yards/75 cm, 100 yards/75 cm, 100 yards/61 cm, 120 yards/75 cm, 110 metres/75 cm). At the first

Women's World Games The Women's World Games were the first international women's sports events in track and field. The games were held four times between 1922 and 1934. They were established by Alice Milliat and the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSF ...

in 1922, a 100 m hurdles race was run. From 1926 until 1968, the distance was 80 metres: women had to clear eight hurdles placed at a distance of 8 metres from each other and a height of . Just like with the men's races, until 1935 no more than three hurdles could be knocked over, or the runner was disqualified, and records were only officially registered if the runner had cleared all her hurdles clean. In 1935, this rule was abandoned, and L-shaped hurdles were introduced that fell over forward easily and greatly reduced the risk of injury to the runner. Hurdles are weighted, so when properly set for the height (for women, closer to the fulcrum of the "L"), they serve as a consistent disadvantage to making contact with the barrier. The

80 m hurdles 80 metres hurdles is a distance in hurdling ran by women until 1972 in international competitions. Since the 1972 Summer Olympics, the event has been permanently replaced by the 100 metre hurdles. Masters athletics The distance, with different sp ...

was on the list of women's sports demanded by the International Women's Sport Federation for the

Olympic Summer Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in 1928, but wasn't included as an Olympic discipline until 1932. Starting with 1949, the 80 m hurdles was one of the disciplines included in the

women's pentathlon The pentathlon or women's pentathlon is a combined track and field event in which each woman competes in five separate events over one day (formerly two days). The distance or time for each event is converted to points via scoring tables, with ...

. During the 1960s, some experimental races were run over a distance of 100 metres using hurdles with a height of . During the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

, a decision was made to introduce the 100 m hurdles from 1969, using hurdles with a height of . The first international event in the 100 m hurdles occurred at the European Athletics Championships, which were won by

Karin Balzer Karin Balzer (''née'' Richert; 5 June 1938 – 17 December 2019) was an East German hurdler who competed in the 80 m hurdles event at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics, and in the 100 m hurdles in 1972. She won a gold medal in 1964 and a bronz ...

of the GDR. The modern 100 m race has an extra two hurdles compared to the 80 m race, which are higher and spaced slightly further apart. The home stretch is shorter by 1.5 m. Currently, women run 110 m hurdles at the

World Athletics Relays The World Athletics Relays, known as the ''IAAF World Relays'' until 2019, is an international biennial track and field sporting event held by World Athletics where teams from around the world compete in relay races, some of which are not part of ...

, a mixed team event, which was instituted in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Masters athletics

A version of the 100 metres hurdles is also used for 50- to 59-year-old men in

Masters athletics Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair comp ...

. They run the same spacing as women, which coordinates with existing markings on most tracks, but run over 36-inch (0.914 m) hurdles. In the 60-69 age range, the spacings are changed. Women over age 40 and men over age 70 run 80 metre versions with different heights and spacings.

Milestones

100 m hurdles: *First official time registered with hurdles of reduced height of : Pamela Kilborn, AUS, November 26, 1961 *First official time with hurdles of standard height of : 15.1 seconds,

Connie Pettersson Connie is a given name. It is often a pet form (hypocorism) of Concetta, Constance, Cornelia, or Cornelius. Given name or nickname Women * Connie Achurra, Chilean chef * Connie Binsfeld (1924–2014), American politician * Connie Booth ...

, USA, May 28, 1966 *First official world record: 13.3 seconds,

, GDR, June 20, 1969 *First runner under 13 seconds: 12.9 seconds,

, GDR, September 5, 1969 *First runner under 12.5 seconds: **12.3 seconds,

Annelie Ehrhardt Annelie Ehrhardt, (née Jahns on 18 June 1950) is a retired German hurdler. She won the gold medal in the inaugural 100 metre hurdles event at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany, setting a new world record, and becoming the f ...

GDR, July 20, 1973 (last hand timed world record; electronically timed at 12.68 seconds) **12.48 seconds,

Grażyna Rabsztyn Grażyna Józefa Rabsztyn (; born September 20, 1952 in Wrocław) is a retired Polish hurdler. She represented her country at the Summer Olympics on three occasions (1972–1980) and was a finalist each time (twice placing fifth). Rabsztyn set ...

, POL, June 10, 1978 *First runner under 12.3 seconds: 12.29 seconds,

Yordanka Donkova Yordanka Donkova ( bg, Йорданка Донкова) (born 28 September 1961) is a Bulgarian former hurdling athlete, notable for winning an Olympic gold medal and bronze medal as well as nine medals at European indoor and outdoor c ...

BUL, August 17, 1986 *First country to win gold, silver, and bronze in the women's 100 m hurdles in one Olympics: USA (

Brianna Rollins Brianna Rollins-McNeal (born August 18, 1991) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. She is the 2016 Olympic champion and the 2013 World champion in the 100 metres hurdles. Her time of 12.26 is tied as ...

Nia Ali Nia Sifaatihii Ali (born October 23, 1988) is an American track and field athlete, who specializes in the 100 m hurdles, heptathlon, and other events. She is the 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 100-meter hurdles, the 2019 World champion in ...

and

Kristi Castlin Kristi Castlin (born July 7, 1988) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Her personal best for the event is 12.50 seconds, set on July 8, 2016 during the ...

), 2016; this was also the first time American women achieved such a sweep in any Olympic event

All-time top 25

*Correct as of September 2022.

Assisted marks

Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second does not count for record purposes. Below is a list of all

wind-assisted In track and field, wind assistance is the benefit that an athlete receives during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge. Wind is one of many forms of weather that can affect sport. Due to a tailwind helping to enhance the speed of the at ...

times equal or superior to 12.37: *

(NGR) ran 12.06 sec (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022. * Britany Anderson (JAM) ran 12.23 sec (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022. *

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (born August 21, 1996) is a Puerto Rican track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she became the first Puerto Rican of Afro-Latino descent and the second person repre ...

(PUR) ran 12.23 sec (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022 and 12.27 sec (+2.4) on 8 August 2022 in Székesfehérvár. *

Cornelia Oschkenat Cornelia Oschkenat, (née Riefstahl; born 29 October 1961) is a German former track and field athlete who represented East Germany. She competed at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. At the 1987 World Championships in Rome, she won a bronze medal ...

(GDR) ran 12.28 sec (+2.7) in Berlin on 25 August 1987. *

(BUL) ran 12.29 sec (+3.5) in Lausanne on 24 June 1988. *

Gail Devers Yolanda Gail Devers ( ; born November 19, 1966) is an American retired track and field sprinter who competed in the 60 metres, 60 m hurdles, 100 m and 100 m hurdles. One of the greatest and most decorated female sprinters of all time, she was t ...

(USA) ran 12.29 sec (+2.7) in Eugene, Oregon on 26 May 2002. *

Lolo Jones Lori Susan "Lolo" Jones (born August 5, 1982) is an American hurdler and bobsledder who specializes in the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles. She won three NCAA titles and garnered 11 All-American honors while at Louisiana State University. She wo ...

(USA) ran 12.29 sec (+3.8) in Eugene, Oregon on 6 July 2008. *

ran 12.30 (+2.8) on 22 June 2013, 12.33 (+2.3) on 21 June 2013 and 12.37 (+2.5) on 18 April 2018 in Des Moines, Iowa. * Alia Armstrong (USA) ran 12.31 sec (+2.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 24 July 2022 and 12.33 sec (+2.5) in Austin, Texas on 26 March 2022. *

Kendra Harrison Kendra "Keni" Harrison (born September 18, 1992) is an American hurdler. Harrison set the world record in the women's 100 metres hurdles with a time of 12.20 seconds on July 22, 2016 at the London Müller Anniversary Games, breaking the world re ...

(USA) ran 12.32 sec (+3.9) in Austin, Texas on 26 March 2022. * Bettine Jahn (GDR) ran 12.35 sec (+2.4) in Helsinki on 13 August 1983. * Kellie Wells (USA) ran 12.35 sec (+3.7) in Gainesville, Florida on 16 April 2011 * Dawn Harper (USA) ran 12.36 sec (+2.2) in Eugene, Oregon on 28 June 2009 * Tonea Marshall (USA) ran 12.36 sec (+2.1) in Waco, Texas on 23 April 2022. *

Gloria Siebert Gloria Siebert ( Kovarik, born 13 January 1964 in Ortrand, Bezirk Cottbus) is a former East Germany, East German 100 metres hurdles, hurdler. She won the silver medal in the Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metre hurdl ...

(GDR) ran 12.37 sec (+2.7) in Berlin on 25 August 1987. * Danielle Carruthers (USA) ran 12.37 sec (+3.4) in Eugene, Oregon on 26 June 2011.

Most successful athletes

Shirley Strickland Shirley Barbara de la Hunty AO, MBE (née Strickland; 18 July 1925 – 11 February 2004), known as Shirley Strickland during her early career, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports. ...

(AUS): two Olympic victories, 1952 and 1956 in the

. * Ludmila Narozhilenko-Engquist (URS)/(RUS)/(SWE): Olympic victory, 1996, two World Championship victories, 1991 and 1997. *

(USA): three World Championships, 1993, 1995, 1999, as well as runner-up at the 1991 and 2001 World Championships. *

Sally Pearson Sally Pearson, OAM (née McLellan; born 19 September 1986) is an Australian former athlete. She is the 2011 and 2017 World champion and 2012 Olympic champion in the 100 metres hurdles. She also won a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles at t ...

(AUS): Olympic victory in 2012, as well as runner-up in 2008. World Championship victories in 2011 and 2017, as well as runner-up in 2013. *

(USA): Olympic victory in 2016, World Championships 2013.

Olympic medalists

World Championships medalists

Season's bests

External links

IAAF list of 100-metres-hurdles records in XML

Notes and references

Amusan ran 12.06 at the Oregon World Championships, but the time is unofficial, due to +2.5 wind *Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent German-language Wikipedia article (retrieved February 13, 2006).

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