50 metres, or 50-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 eve ...

. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field, normally dominated by the best outdoor

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 ...

runners. At outdoor

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), competi ...

competitions it is used in the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...

and a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. It is an alternative to the

60 metres 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 outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior ath ...

running event. The imperial distance for 50 metres is 54.68 yards. Records and personal bests in the 50 metres are frequently achieved in February and March as these dates coincide with the indoor athletics season.

All-time top 25

''Indoor results only''
+ =

en route ''En route'' may refer to: * ''En Route'' (novel), an 1895 novel by Joris-Karl Huysmans * ''En Route'' (film), a 2004 German movie directed by Jan Krüger * En-route chart, in aeronautics * enRoute (credit card), Air Canada's credit card divisio ...

to a longer distance
A = affected by altitude

Men

*Updated 30 November 2018. *

Ben Johnson Ben, Benjamin or Benny Johnson may refer to: In sports Association football * Ben Johnson (footballer, born 2000), English footballer * Ben Johnson (soccer) (born 1977), American soccer player Other codes of football *Ben Johnson (Australian foot ...

of Canada ran 5.55 at Ottawa, Canada on 31 January 1987, but this time was rescinded after Johnson admitted to using steroids between 1981 and 1988.

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 5.63: * Maurice Greene also ran 5.59+ (1999). * Michael Green also ran 5.62+ (1997). *

Donovan Bailey Donovan Bailey (born December 16, 1967) is a retired Jamaican-Canadian sprinter. He once held the world record for the 100 metres. He recorded a time of 9.84 seconds to win the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games. He was the first Canadian ...

also ran 5.62 (1996). *

Deji Aliu Deji Aliu (born 22 November 1975 in Lagos) is a Nigerian sprinter. He won the 100 metres event at the 2003 All-Africa Games. He also took fourth place in the event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Aliu formed part of the Nigerian relay team w ...

also ran 5.63+ (1999). * Freddy Mayola also ran 5.63+ (2001).

Outdoor best performances

+ =

to 100m mark. N.B. The Seville marks listed are excluding the athlete's reaction times. Bolt's & Su's times are inclusive.

Women

*Correct as of January 2017. Note:

Angella Issajenko Angella Taylor-Issajenko, CM (née Taylor; born September 28, 1958) is a Canadian coach and former sprinter. She won an Olympic silver medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay in Los Angeles 1984. At the Commonwealth Games she won seven medals, includ ...

of Canada ran a world record 6.06 in Ottawa on 13 January 1987, this performance was rescinded after Issajenko's admittance of long term drug use at the

Dubin Inquiry The Dubin inquiry was a Canadian government Commission of Inquiry into the Use of Drugs and Banned Practices Intended to Increase Athletic Performance held in 1989 after the Ben Johnson doping scandal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The commission was ...

in 1989.

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 6.11: *

Irina Privalova Irina Anatolyevna Privalova (russian: Ирина Анатольевна Привалова; on 22 November 1968) is a Russian Olympic gold medallist athlete. Her Summer Olympics debut was in 1992 in the sprint events, where she won two medals� ...

also ran 6.01 (1994), 6.03 (1994), 6.04 (1993), 6.05+ (1993, 1997), 6.07 (1994), 6.08 (1994), 6.08+ (1997), 6.09 (1994) and 6.11+ (1996). *

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 ...

also ran 6.03 (1999) and 6.10 (1993). *

Merlene Ottey Merlene Joyce Ottey (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican- Slovenian former track and field sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978, and continued to do so for 24 years, before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 2012. She is ...

also ran 6.06+ (1999), 6.08+ (1999) and 6.11+ (1996). * Savatheda Fynes also ran 6.07+ (1999). *

Philomena Mensah Philomena Mensah (born May 11, 1975) is a Canadian sprinter. Born in Accra, she previously represented Ghana, but emigrated to Canada following the 1994 Commonwealth Games. She won the bronze medal in the 60 metres event at the 1999 IAAF World ...

also ran 6.07+ (1999). *

Christy Opara-Thompson Christy Opara-Thompson (born 24 December 1971) is a Nigerian athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. She competed for Nigeria in the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Joc ...

also ran 6.11+ (1997).

Outdoor best performances

+ =

to 100m mark

Season's bests

Men

Women

References

{{Athletics events Events in track and field Sprint (running) Indoor track and field

Metres The metre (British spelling Despite the various English dialects spoken from country to country and within different regions of the same country, there are only slight regional variations in English orthography, the two most notable va ...