The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in
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 ...
competitions. It has been featured in the
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...
programme at the
Summer Olympics
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 ...
since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor
running track
An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, v ...
, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the
440-yard dash
The 440-yard dash, or quarter-mile race, is a sprint race in track and field competitions.
In many countries, athletes compete in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m) – which corresponds to a quarter mile. Many athletic tracks are 440 yards ...
(402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a
mile
The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.
Like other sprint disciplines, the 400 m involves the use of
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 runners take up position in the blocks on the 'ready' command, adopt a more efficient starting posture which
isometrically preloads their muscles on the 'set' command, and stride forwards from the blocks upon hearing the
starter's pistol
A starting pistol or starter pistol is a blank handgun that is fired to start track and field races, as well as competitive swimming races at some meets. Starter guns cannot fire real ammunition without first being extensively modified: Blank ...
. The blocks allow the runners to begin more powerfully and thereby contribute to their overall sprint speed capability. Maximum sprint speed capability is a significant contributing factor to success in the event, but athletes also require substantial speed endurance and the ability to cope well with high amounts of
lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as natu ...
to sustain a fast speed over a whole lap. While considered to be predominantly an anaerobic event, there is some aerobic involvement and the degree of aerobic training required for 400-metre athletes is open to debate.
The current men's
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 ...
is held by
Wayde van Niekerk
Wayde van Niekerk (South African English: , ; born 15 July 1992) is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. In the 400 metres, he is the current world and Olympic record holder, having set the reco ...
of South Africa, with a time of 43.03 seconds. Van Niekerk is also the Olympic record holder.
Steven Gardiner
Steven Gardiner (born 12 September 1995) is a Bahamian track and field sprinter competing in the 400 metres and 200 metres. He is the current Olympic and world champion in the 400 m, and also won the silver medal at the 2017 World Champio ...
is the reigning Olympic Champion.
Michael Norman is the current world champion and the world indoor record holder with a time of 44.52 seconds. The current women's world record is held by
Marita Koch
Marita Koch (later Meier-Koch; born 18 February 1957) is a German former sprint track and field athlete. During her career she collected 16 world records in outdoor sprints as well as 14 world records in indoor events. Her record of 47.60 in th ...
, with a time of 47.60 seconds.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo
Shaunae Miller-Uibo (born 15 April 1994) is a Bahamian track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. She is a two-time Olympic champion after winning the women's 400 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tok ...
is the reigning women's Olympic champion and world champion.
Jarmila Kratochvílová
Jarmila Kratochvílová (; born 26 January 1951, in Golčův Jeníkov) is a Czech people, Czech former track and field athlete. She won the 400 metres and 800 metres at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics, 1983 World Championships, setting a ...
holds the world indoor record at 49.59 dating back to 1982. The men's
T43 Paralympic world record of 45.07 seconds is held by
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius (; ; born 22 November 1986) is a South African convicted murderer and former professional sprinter. Both of his feet were amputated when he was 11 months old owing to a congenital defect; he was born missing the o ...
.
An Olympic double of
200 metres
The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
and 400 m was first achieved by
Valerie Brisco-Hooks
Valerie Ann Brisco-Hooks (born July 6, 1960, in Greenwood, Mississippi) is an Olympian who won three gold medals as an Olympic track and field athlete at the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles, California, making her the first Olympian to win gold me ...
in 1984, and later by
Marie-José Pérec
Marie-José Pérec (born 9 May 1968) is a retired French track and field sprinter who specialised in the 200 and 400 metres and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist.
Athletics career
Pérec won the 1991 World Championships 400 metres title ...
of France and
Michael Johnson from the United States on the same evening in 1996.
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...
of Cuba at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
became the first and so far the only athlete to win both the 400 m and
800 m Olympic titles. Pérec became the first to defend the Olympic title in 1996, Johnson became the first and only man to do so in 2000. From 31 appearances in the Olympic Games, the men's gold medalist came from the US 19 times.
Continental records
*Updated 22 December 2020.
All-time top 25
Men (outdoor)
*Correct as of June 2022.
Women (outdoor)
*Correct as of September 2022.
Annulled marks
*
Christine Mboma
Christine Mboma (born 22 May 2003) is a Namibian sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 m. At the age of 18, she won a silver medal in the 200 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first ever Namibian woman to win a women's O ...
ran 48.54 in
Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
on 30 June 2021, but her performance was removed from the World Athletics database because of
Testosterone regulations in women's athletics The testosterone regulations in women's athletics are a series of policies first published in 2011 by the IAAF (now World Athletics) and last updated following a court victory against Caster Semenya in May 2019. The first version of the rules appli ...
.
*
Aminatou Seyni
Aminatou Seyni (born 24 October 1996) is a Nigerien track and field sprinter.
She has the Nigerien national records for the 200 metres and 400 metres.
Seyni competed in the women's 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2019 African Games. She r ...
ran 49.19 in
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
on 5 July 2019, but her performance was removed from the World Athletics database because of
Testosterone regulations in women's athletics The testosterone regulations in women's athletics are a series of policies first published in 2011 by the IAAF (now World Athletics) and last updated following a court victory against Caster Semenya in May 2019. The first version of the rules appli ...
.
*
Yuliya Gushchina ran 49.28 in
Cheboksary
Cheboksary (; russian: Чебокса́ры, r=Cheboksáry, p=tɕɪbɐˈksarɨ; cv, Шупашкар, ''Şupaşkar'') is the capital city of Chuvashia, Russia and a port on the Volga River.
Geography
The city is located in the Volga Upland reg ...
on 5 July 2012, but her time was annulled after she tested positive for
turinabol
Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone (CDMT; brand name Oral Turinabol), also known as 4-chloro-17β-hydroxy17α-methylandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one, is an anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS). It is the 4-chloro-substituted derivative of metandienone (dehyd ...
—a banned steroid—in a 2016 retest of a sample taken from the
2011 World Championships.
Men (indoor)
*Correct as of March 2022.
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 45.16:
*
Michael Johnson also ran 44.66 (1996), 44.97 (1995) and 45.14 (1993).
*
Randolph Ross
Randolph Ross (born January 1, 2001) is an American athlete specializing in the 400 metres, who competes collegiately for the North Carolina A&T Aggies. He is coached by his father Duane Ross, who was also an Olympian in the 110m hurdles.
On Febr ...
also ran 44.83 (2022), 44.99 (2021).
*
Michael Norman also ran 45.00 (2018).
*
Fred Kerley
Fredrick Lee Kerley (born May 7, 1995) is an American track and field sprinter known primarily for competing in the 400 meters distance but more recently the 100 meters and 200 meters. He has earned several medals at the World Championships in ...
also ran 45.02 (2017), 45.03 (2021).
*
Akeem Bloomfield also ran 45.02 (2018).
*
Kahmari Montgomery
Kahmari Montgomery (born August 16, 1997) is an American track and field sprinter specializing in the 400 m for Nike. He was the men's 400 m champion at the USA Championships in 2018, and at the NCAA Division I Championships i ...
also ran 45.04 (2019).
*
Torrin Lawrence
Torrin Lawrence (April 11, 1989 – July 28, 2014) was an American sprinter who competed in the 400 meters. He ran for the University of Georgia.
Career
Torrin attended Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, though he did not start ...
also ran 45.10 (2010).
*
Deon Lendore
Deon Kristofer Lendore (28 October 1992 – 10 January 2022) was a Trinidad and Tobago sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. He won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and won medals at the Pa ...
also ran 45.15 (2013).
Women (indoor)
*Correct as of February 2021.
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 50.00:
*
Jarmila Kratochvílová
Jarmila Kratochvílová (; born 26 January 1951, in Golčův Jeníkov) is a Czech people, Czech former track and field athlete. She won the 400 metres and 800 metres at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics, 1983 World Championships, setting a ...
also ran 49.64 (1981) and 49.69 (1983).
*
Taťána Kocembová
Taťána Netoličková (née Kocembová (, divorced Slaninova; born 2 May 1962) is a retired 400 metres runner who represented Czechoslovakia. Her greatest achievement was winning the silver medal behind teammate Jarmila Kratochvílová at the 198 ...
also ran 49.97 (1984).
*
Natalya Nazarova
Natalya Viktorovna Nazarova (russian: Наталья Викторовна Назарова, born May 26, 1979, Moscow) is a track and field Sprint (running), sprinter.
She was born in Moscow. Following a personal best time of 49.65 seconds ...
also ran 49.98 (2006).
Fastest relay splits
Men
Women
Most successful athletes
3 or more 400-metre victories at the Olympic Games and World Championships:
*6 wins:
Michael Johnson (USA) - Olympic Champion in 1996 and 2000, World Champion in 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999.
*4 wins:
Marie-Jose Perec (FRA) - Olympic Champion in 1992 and 1996, World Champion in 1991 and 1995.
*3 wins:
Cathy Freeman
Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman (born 16 February 1973) is an Aboriginal Australian former sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the ninth-fastest woman of all time, set ...
(AUS) - Olympic Champion in 2000, World Champion in 1997 and 1999.
*3 wins:
Jeremy Wariner
Jeremy Matthew Wariner (born January 31, 1984) is a retired American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals (three gold, one silver) and six World Championships medals. He is the fourth fastest competitor in ...
(USA) - Olympic Champion in 2004, World Champion in 2005 and 2007.
*3 wins:
Christine Ohuruogu
Christine Ijeoma Ohuruogu , MBE (born 17 May 1984) is a British former track and field athlete who specialised in the 400 metres, the event for which she is a former Olympic, World and Commonwealth champion.
The Olympic champion in 2008, and s ...
(GBR) - Olympic Champion in 2008, World Champion in 2007 and 2013.
*3 wins:
LaShawn Merritt
LaShawn Merritt (born June 27, 1986) is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He is a former Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.65 seconds makes him th ...
(USA) - Olympic Champion in 2008, World Champion in 2009 and 2013.
*3 wins:
Wayde van Niekerk
Wayde van Niekerk (South African English: , ; born 15 July 1992) is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. In the 400 metres, he is the current world and Olympic record holder, having set the reco ...
(RSA) - Olympic Champion in 2016, World Champion in 2015 and 2017.
*3 wins:
Shaunae Miller-Uibo
Shaunae Miller-Uibo (born 15 April 1994) is a Bahamian track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. She is a two-time Olympic champion after winning the women's 400 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tok ...
(BAH) - Olympic Champion in 2016 and 2020, World Champion in 2022.
The Olympic champion has frequently won a second gold medal in the
4 × 400 metres relay
The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...
. This has been accomplished 14 times by men;
Charles Reidpath
Charles Decker Reidpath (September 20, 1889 – October 21, 1975) was an American track and field sprinter and winner of two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics, who later went on to have an outstanding military career.
Biography
Born in Bu ...
,
Ray Barbuti
Raymond James Barbuti (June 12, 1905 – July 8, 1988) was an American football player and sprint runner who won two gold medals at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Barbuti traveled to Amsterdam to initially only compete f ...
,
Bill Carr,
George Rhoden
George Vincent Rhoden (born 13 December 1926) is a Jamaican retired athlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1952.
Rhoden was born in Kingston in December 1926. He later moved to San Francisco, California, and was one of the successful ...
,
Charles Jenkins,
Otis Davis
Otis Crandall Davis (born July 12, 1932) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in both the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Davis set a new world record of 44.9 seconds ...
,
Mike Larrabee
Mike Larrabee (''Michael Denny Larrabee;'' December 2, 1933 – April 22, 2003) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Born in Hollywood, California and raised in Ventura, Larrabee was a young running ...
,
Lee Evans,
Viktor Markin
Viktor Fyodorovich Markin () (born 23 February 1957 in the village of Oktyabrsky, Ust-Tarksky District, Novosibirsk Oblast
) is a former Soviet athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
After graduating from a ...
,
Alonzo Babers
Alonzo C. Babers (born October 31, 1961) is an American former athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the 400 m and the 4 × 400 m relay.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Alonzo Babers was a military dependent who graduat ...
,
Steve Lewis,
Quincy Watts
Quincy D. Watts (born June 19, 1970) is an American former athlete, and two time gold medallist at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Career
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Quincy Watts attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he excelled ...
,
Jeremy Wariner
Jeremy Matthew Wariner (born January 31, 1984) is a retired American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals (three gold, one silver) and six World Championships medals. He is the fourth fastest competitor in ...
and
LaShawn Merritt
LaShawn Merritt (born June 27, 1986) is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He is a former Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.65 seconds makes him th ...
; and 4 times by women;
Monika Zehrt,
Valerie Brisco-Hooks
Valerie Ann Brisco-Hooks (born July 6, 1960, in Greenwood, Mississippi) is an Olympian who won three gold medals as an Olympic track and field athlete at the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles, California, making her the first Olympian to win gold me ...
,
Olga Bryzgina
Olha Bryzhina ( uk, Ольга Бризгіна, maiden name Olga Arkad'evna Vladykina; russian: Ольга Аркадьевна Владыкина; born June 30, 1963 in Krasnokamsk, Perm Oblast) is a retired athlete who represented Soviet Union ...
and
Sanya Richards-Ross
Sanya Richards-Ross (née Richards; born February 26, 1985) is a retired Jamaican-American track and field athlete, who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being th ...
. All but Rhoden, Markin, Zehrt and Bryzgina ran on American relay teams. Injured after his double in 1996, Johnson also accomplished the feat in 2000 only to have it disqualified when his teammate
Antonio Pettigrew
Antonio Pettigrew (November 3, 1967 – August 10, 2010) was an American sprinter who specialized in the 400 meters.
Early life and career
Pettigrew was born in Macon, Georgia.
While attending St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Ca ...
admitted to doping.
Olympic medalists
Men
Women
World Championships medalists
Men
Women
World Indoor Championships medalists
Men
Women
*
Known as the ''World Indoor Games''
Season's bests
Men
Women
Notes and references
External links
IAAF list of 400-metres records in XML
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Events in track and field
Sprint (running)
Summer Olympic disciplines in athletics