Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi is the most decorated male track and field athlete of all time at the Olympics, notching nine gold medals and three silver medals in the 1920s. The United States has had its own success in the sport with Allyson Felix, who has the most track and field medals for any woman at the Olympics, with seven gold, three silver, and one bronze.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone secured a gold medal for the U.S. and broke her own women's 400m hurdles record with a time of 50.37.
Check out other top track and field records now:
Men's 100m
Usain Bolt (Jamaica): 9.63 seconds (Aug. 5, 2012)
Women's 100m
Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica): 10.61 seconds (July 31, 2021)
Men's 200m
Usain Bolt (Jamaica): 19.30 seconds (Aug. 20, 2008)
Women's 200m
Florence Griffith Joyner (United States): 21.34 seconds (Sept. 29, 1988)
Men's 400m
Wayde van Niekerk (South Africa): 43.03 seconds (Aug. 14, 2016)
Women's 400m
Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic): 48.17 seconds (Aug. 8, 2024)
Men's 4x100m relay
Jamaica (Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt): 36.84 seconds (Aug. 11, 2012)
Women's 4x100m relay
United States (Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter): 40.82 seconds (Aug. 10, 2012)
Men's 4x400m relay
United States (LaShawn Merritt, Angelo Taylor, David Neville, Jeremy Wariner): 2:55.39 (Aug. 23, 2008)
Women's 4x400m relay
Soviet Union (Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina): 3:15.17 (Oct. 1, 1988)
Mixed 4x400m relay
United States (Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown); 3:07.41 (Aug. 2, 2024)
Men's 110m hurdles
Liu Xiang (China): 12.91 seconds (Aug. 27, 2004)
Women's 100m hurdles
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico): 12.26 seconds (Aug. 1, 2021)
Men's 400m hurdles
Karsten Warholm (Norway): 45.94 seconds (Aug. 3, 2021)
Women's 400m hurdles
Sydney McLaughlin (United States): 50.37 seconds (Aug. 8, 2024)
Men's steeplechase
Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya): 8:03.28 (Aug. 17, 2016)
Women's steeplechase
Gulnara Galkina-Samitova (Russia): 8:58.81 (Aug. 17, 2008)
Men's high jump
Charles Austin (United States): 7 feet, 10 inches (July 28, 1996)
Women's high jump
Yelena Slesarenko (Russia): 6 feet, 9 ⅛ inches (Aug. 28, 2004)
Men's long jump
Bob Beamon (United States): 29 feet, 2 ½ inches (Oct. 18, 1968)
Women's long jump
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (United States): 24 feet, 5 ½ inches (Sept. 29, 1988)
Men's triple jump
Kenny Harrison (United States): 59 feet, 4 ¼ inches (July 27, 1996)
Men's pole vault
Armand Duplantis (Sweden): 6.25 meters, 20 feet 6 inches (Aug. 5, 2024)
Women's pole vault
Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia): 5.06 meters, 16 feet 7 inches (Aug. 28, 2009)
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