THIS COMPILATION — updated August 23, 2024 — lists the best performance known to have been achieved in each lane of the track in each of the curve-affected events (200, 400, 400H, 4×1), for men and women.
In contrast to the usual research technique common in our discipline — a search for superlatives of one sort or another — this project involved more a process of elimination. It is not too difficult to find a world-ranking performance achieved in each lane. The trick is to be sure that it is the best.
My method was, on the basis of preliminary research, tentatively to determine a “record” for each lane in each event and then to seek to find out the lane of every performance in that event which surpassed the tentative record. Only when the lane of every mark that could be a record for a lane has been determined, can one have 100% confidence in the results.
Though 100% certainty has not yet been achieved for all of the listed marks, I have a high degree of confidence that virtually all of them are, in fact, the records. This confidence stems in part from the knowledge that marquee athletes are most unlikely to have been asked to run in lanes 1 or 8 (or 9) in invitational meetings, and — except for Michael Johnson’s preference for lane 2 in the 400 in the early ’90s — are generally placed in a middle lane.
Note also that since ’88, Olympic and World Championships runners who have performed best in the prior round have been given lanes 3–6. Previous to that everybody was in a random draw.
For these reasons, for example, any number of performances that better 20.04 for the men’s 200 (the record for lane 1) can be judged most unlikely to have been run in that lane, even if one does not know the exact lane in which they were achieved.
| MEN’S 200 | ||||||||
| 1* | Coby Miller | USA | 20.04 | 1 | Athletissima | Lausanne | 01-Jul-03 | |
| 2 | Jason Young | JAM | 19.86 | 1 | Spitzen | Lucerne | 17-Jul-12 | |
| 3 | Michael Johnson | USA | 19.32 | 1 | Olympic Games | Atlanta | 01-Aug-96 | |
| 4 | Yohan Blake | JAM | 19.44 | 2 | Olympic Games | London | 09-Aug-12 | |
| 5 | Usain Bolt | JAM | 19.19 | 1 | World Champs | Berlin | 20-Aug-09 | |
| 6 | Noah Lyles | USA | 19.31 | 1 | World Champs | Eugene | 21-Jul-22 | |
| 7 | Yohan Blake | JAM | 19.26 | 1 | Van Damme | Brussels | 16-Sep-11 | |
| 8 | Letsile Tebogo | BOT | 19.50 | 2 | Diamond League | London | 23-Jul-23 | |
| 9 | Andre De Grasse | CAN | 19.73 | 1sf3 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 03-Aug-21 | |
| * Usain Bolt ran from lane 1 in the ’05 World Championships final (Helsinki, 01 August). At 150 meters he was in medal position and gaining on eventual winner Justin Gatlin (20.04) but slowed to a jog due to injury. | ||||||||
| MEN’S 400 | |||||||
| 1 | Karabo Sibanda | BOT | 44.25 | 5 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro | 14-Aug-16 |
| 2 | Larry James | USA | 43.97(A) | 2 | Olympic Games | Mexico City | 18-Oct-68 |
| (low-altitude) | Michael Johnson | USA | 44.17 | 1 | Athletissima | Lausanne | 10-Jul-91 |
| 3 | Jeremy Wariner | USA | 43.62 | 1 | Golden Gala | Rome | 14-Jul-06 |
| 4 | Butch Reynolds | USA | 43.29 | 1 | Weltklasse | Zürich | 17-Aug-88 |
| 5 | Michael Johnson | USA | 43.18 | 1 | World Champs | Seville | 26-Aug-99 |
| 6 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | GBR | 43.44 | 2 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 07-Aug-24 |
| 7 | Fred Kerley | USA | 43.64 | 1 | USATF Champs | Des Moines | 27-Jul-19 |
| 8 | Wayde van Niekerk | RSA | 43.03 | 1 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro | 14-Aug-16 |
| 9 | Jereem Richards | TTO | 43.78 | 4 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 07-Aug-24 |
| MEN’S 400 HURDLES | |||||||
| 1 | Angelo Taylor | USA | 47.50 | 1 | Olympic Games | Sydney | 27-Sep-00 |
| 2 | Edwin Moses | USA | 47.45 | 1 | AAU Champs | Westwood | 11-Jun-77 |
| 3 | Rai Benjamin | USA | 46.89 | 2 | World Champs | Eugene | 19-Jul-22 |
| 4 | Kevin Young | USA | 46.78 | 1 | Olympic Games | Barcelona | 06-Aug-92 |
| 5 | Rai Benjamin | USA | 46.17 | 2 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 03-Aug-21 |
| 6 | Karsten Warholm | NOR | 45.94 | 1 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 03-Aug-21 |
| 7 | Rai Benjamin | USA | 46.46 | 1 | Olympic Trials | Eugene | 30-Jun-24 |
| 8 | Rai Benjamin | USA | 46.46 | 1 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 09-Aug-24 |
| 9 | Edwin Moses | USA | 47.37 | 1 | World Cup | Rome | 04-Sep-81 |
| MEN’S 4 x 100 | ||||||||
| 1 | Great Britain | GBR | 37.98 | 5 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro | 19-Aug-16 | |
| (Kilty, Aikines-Aryeety, Ellington, Gemili) | ||||||||
| 2 | Italy | ITA | 37.68 | 4 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 09-Aug-24 | |
| (Melluzzo, Jacobs, Patta, Tortu) | ||||||||
| 3 | United States | USA | 37.48 | 1 | World Champs | Stuttgart | 22-Aug-93 | |
| (Drummond, Cason, Mitchell, Burrell) | ||||||||
| 4 | Jamaica | JAM | 37.27 | 1 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro | 19-Aug-16 | |
| (Powell, Blake, Ashmeade, Bolt) | ||||||||
| 5 | Jamaica | JAM | 37.36 | 1 | World Champs | Moscow | 18-Aug-13 | |
| (Carter, Frater, Bolt, Powell) | ||||||||
| 6 | Jamaica | JAM | 36.84 | 1 | Olympic Games | London | 11-Aug-12 | |
| (Carter, Frater, Blake, Bolt) | ||||||||
| 7 | Jamaica | JAM | 37.31 | 1 | World Champs | Berlin | 22-Aug-09 | |
| (Mullings, Frater, Bolt, Powell) | ||||||||
| 8 | United States | USA | 37.10 | 1 | World Champs | Doha | 05-Oct-19 | |
| (Coleman, Gatlin, Rodgers, Lyles) | ||||||||
| 9 | Canada | CAN | 37.50 | 1 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 09-Aug-24 | |
| (Brown, Blake, Rodney De Grasse) | ||||||||
| WOMEN’S 200 | |||||||
| 1 | Marita Koch | GDR | 21.90 | 1 | World Cup | Canberra | 04-Oct-85 |
| 2 | Marita Koch | GDR | 21.71 | 1 | v Canada | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 10-Jun-79 |
| 3 | Heike Drechsler | GDR | 21.71 | 1 | GDR Ch | Jena | 29-Jun-86 |
| 4 | Shericka Jackson | JAM | 21.45 | 1 | World Champs | Eugene | 21-Jul-22 |
| 5 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | USA | 21.34 | 1 | Olympic Games | Seoul | 29-Sep-88 |
| 6 | Shericka Jackson | JAM | 21.41 | 1 | World Champs | Budapest | 25-Aug-23 |
| 7 | Elaine Thompson-Herah | JAM | 21.53 | 1 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 03-Aug-21 |
| 8 | Gabby Thomas | USA | 21.60 | 1 | USATF Champs | Eugene | 01-Jul-23 |
| 9 | Marion Jones | USA | 21.62(A) | 1 | World Cup | Johannesburg | 11-Sep-98 |
| (low-altitude) | Elaine Thompson-Herah | JAM | 21.66 | 1s2 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 02-Aug-21 |
| WOMEN’S 400 | |||||||
| 1 | Olga Vladykina | UKR | 48.27 | 2 | World Cup | Canberra | 06-Oct-85 |
| 2 | Marita Koch | GDR | 47.60 | 1 | World Cup | Canberra | 06-Oct-85 |
| 3 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | CZE | 47.99 | 1 | World Champs | Helsinki | 10-Aug-83 |
| 4 | Cathy Freeman | AUS | 48.63 | 2 | Olympic Games | Atlanta | 29-Jul-96 |
| 5 | Salwa Eid Naser | BHR | 48.14 | 1 | World Champs | Doha | 03-Oct-19 |
| 6 | Marileidy Paulino | DR | 48.17 | 1 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 09-Aug-24 |
| 7 | Shaunae Miller-Uibo | BAH | 48.36 | 1 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 06-Aug-21 |
| 8 | Salwa Eid Naser | BHR | 48.53 | 2 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 09-Aug-24 |
| 9 | Allyson Felix | USA | 49.46 | 3 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 06-Aug-21 |
| WOMEN’S 400 HURDLES | |||||||
| 1 | Yulia Pechonkina | RUS | 53.38 | 1 | Euro Cup | Annecy | 22-Jun-02 |
| 2 | Shiann Salmon | JAM | 53.29 | 6 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 08-Aug-24 |
| 3 | Lashinda Demus | USA | 52.47 | 1 | World Champs | Daegu | 01-Sep-11 |
| 4 | Femke Bol | NED | 50.95 | 1 | Resisprint | La Chaux-de-Fonds | 14-Jul-24 |
| 5 | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | USA | 50.37 | 1 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 08-Aug-24 |
| 6 | Femke Bol | NED | 51.45 | 1 | Diamond League | London | 23-Jul-23 |
| 7 | Dalilah Muhammad | USA | 51.58 | 2 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 04-Aug-21 |
| 8 | Rushell Clayton | JAM | 52.68 | 5 | Olympic Games | St.-Denis | 08-Aug-24 |
| 9 | Jasmine Jones | USA | 52.29 | 4 | Olympic Games | St-Denis | 08-Aug-24 |
| WOMEN’S 4 x 100 | ||||||||
| 1 | USA | USA | 41.01 | 1 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro | 19-Aug-16 | |
| (Madison, Felix, Gardner, Bowie) | ||||||||
| 2 | USA | USA | 41.56 | 1h2 | World Champs | Eugene | 22-Jul-22 | |
| (Jefferson, Hobbs, Prandini, Terry) | ||||||||
| 3 | USA | USA | 41.14 | 1 | World Champs | Eugene | 23-Jul-22 | |
| (Jefferson, Steiner, Prandini, Terry) | ||||||||
| 4 | Jamaica | JAM | 41.44 | 1 | World Champs | Doha | 05-Oct-19 | |
| (Whyte, Fraser-Pryce, Smith, Jackson) | ||||||||
| 5 | Jamaica | JAM | 41.18 | 2 | World Champs | Eugene | 23-Jul-22 | |
| (Nelson, Thompson-Herah, Fraser-Pryce, Jackson) | ||||||||
| 6 | USA | USA | 41.03 | 1 | World Champs | Budapest | 26-Aug-23 | |
| (Davis, Terry, Thomas, Richardson) | ||||||||
| 7 | USA | USA | 40.82 | 1 | Olympic Games | London | 10-Aug-12 | |
| (Madison, Felix, Knight, Jeter) | ||||||||
| 8 | Jamaica | JAM | 41.02 | 1 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 06-Aug-21 | |
| (Williams, Thompson-Herah, Fraser-Pryce, Jackson) | ||||||||
| 9 | Switzerland | SUI | 42.18 | 4 | World Champs | Doha | 05-Oct-19 | |
| (del Ponte, Atcho, M. Kambundji, Kora) | ||||||||
Acknowledgements
A compilation of this sort would not be possible without a great deal of help from around the world. Richard Hymans provided a great deal of early assistance and encouragement and Andreas Brügger, the director emeritus of the Weltklasse in Zürich took time out of a very busy schedule to fill in the many holes that only a meeting of the Weltklasse’s consistent quality could create.
Jonas Lindström of Sweden provided excellent assistance for periods from 1999 to 2003. Bob Hersh encouraged the most recent updates and provided many useful research suggestions. Yoshi Oikawa of Japan provided valuable additions and amendments with respect to marks from lane 9 and the last two Olympics..
Thank you also to YouTube!
Bert Nelson, my long-departed friend, provided the inspiration for this work.
I acknowledge, with thanks, the help of the following:
Federations and Institutions: International Amateur Athletic Federation; USA Track and Field; Czech Athletic Federation; Amateur Athletic Federation of India; Athletics South Africa; Real Federation Espanolo Athletico; National Collegiate Athletic Association; Pacific 10 Athletic Conference; University of California Los Angeles; University of Houston; University of Indiana; Rice University; Mt. San Antonio College.
Athletics Meetings: Athletissima; BNP; Ciudad de Barcelona; Mt. SAC Relays; New York Games; Nikaia; Sestriere; Seville; Weltklasse in Zürich.
Individuals: Francesco Ascorbe; Albert Baronet; Hal Bateman; Naomi Beinart; Bill Bennett; Robert Bertojo; Lalit Bhanot; Jose Luis de Carlos; Scott Davis; Jacky Delapierre; Joe DeLoach; Dean Diltz; Joe Douglas; Tony Dupont; Jerry Fuqua; Sandro Giovanelli; Ed Gordon; Marshall Goss; Danny Harris; Roberto Hernandez; Garry Hill; Ian Hodge; Art Hoffman; Paul Houde, Dave Johnson; Michael Johnson; Tom Jordan; Carl Lewis; Gert le Roux; Harley Lewis; Francesco Liello; Mike Marsh; Walter Murphy; Flavio Musso; Petri Niininen; Merlene Ottey; Shawn Price; Don Quarrie; R.L. Quercetani; Felix Sanchez, Mark Sanders; Dan Shrum; Peter Siegel; John Smith; Matt Spiller; Allan Steinfeld; Mike Takaha; Libor Varhanik.
Copyright (c) 1984-2023 Jed W. Brickner
Amendments should be sent to jedbrickner@gmail.com.