200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first recorded event at the Ancient Olympics. The 200 m places more emphasis on speed endurance than shorter sprint distances as athletes rely on different energy systems during the longer sprint.
In the United States and elsewhere, athletes previously ran the 220-yard dash (201.168 m) instead of the 200 m, though the distance is now obsolete. The standard adjustment used for the conversion from times recorded over 220 yards to 200 m times is to subtract 0.1 seconds,[1] but other conversion methods exist.
The race attracts runners from other events wishing to double up and claim both titles. This feat has been achieved nine times at the Olympic Games, most recently by Jamaica's Usain Bolt in 2008. An Olympic double of 200 m and 400 m was first achieved by Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984, and later by Michael Johnson from the United States and Marie-José Pérec of France both in 1996.
The men's world record holder is Usain Bolt, who ran 19.19 s at the 2009 World Championships. The women's world record holder is Florence Griffith-Joyner of the United States, who ran 21.34 s at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The reigning Olympic champions are Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell-Brown.
Because humans use the same muscles for both support and forward speed, the runners in the inside lanes are disadvantaged by centrifugal force during the bend phase. Consequently, the middle and outer lanes are preferred.[2]
The 200 metres is an event subject to the Wind assistance rules. Races run with an aiding wind measured over 2.0 metres per second are not acceptable for record purposes.
All-time fastest 200 m athletes
Only the fastest time for each athlete is listed.
Men
As of September 2011.[3]
| Rank | Res. | Wind | Athlete | Nation | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19.19 | −0.3 | Usain Bolt |
 Jamaica
|
20 August 2009 | Berlin |
| 2. | 19.26 | +0.7 | Yohan Blake |
Jamaica
|
16 September 2011 | Brussels |
| 3. | 19.32 | +0.4 | Michael Johnson |
 United States
|
1 August 1996 | Atlanta |
| 4. | 19.53 | +0.7 | Walter Dix |
United States
|
16 September 2011 | Brussels |
| 5. | 19.58 | +1.3 | Tyson Gay |
United States
|
30 May 2009 | New York City |
| 6. | 19.63 | +0.4 | Xavier Carter |
United States
|
11 July 2006 | Lausanne |
| 7. | 19.65 | 0.0 | Wallace Spearmon |
United States
|
28 September 2006 | Daegu |
| 8. | 19.68 | +0.4 | Frankie Fredericks |
 Namibia
|
1 August 1996 | Atlanta |
| 9. | 19.72 | +1.8 | Pietro Mennea |
 Italy
|
12 September 1979 | Mexico City |
| 10. | 19.73 | −0.2 | Michael Marsh |
United States
|
5 August 1992 | Barcelona |
Women
As of April 2010.
| Rank | Res. | Wind | Athlete | Nation | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21.34 | +1.3 | Florence Griffith-Joyner |
United States
|
29 September 1988 | Seoul |
| 2. | 21.62 | −0.6 | Marion Jones |
United States
|
11 September 1998 | Johannesburg |
| 3. | 21.64 | +0.8 | Merlene Ottey |
Jamaica
|
13 September 1991 | Brussels |
| 4. | 21.71 | +0.7 | Marita Koch |
 East Germany
|
10 June 1979 | Karl-Marx-Stadt |
| +1.2 | Heike Drechsler |
East Germany
|
29 June 1986 | Jena | ||
| 6. | 21.72 | +1.3 | Grace Jackson |
Jamaica
|
29 September 1988 | Seoul |
| −0.1 | Gwen Torrence |
United States
|
15 August 1992 | Barcelona | ||
| 8. | 21.74 | +0.4 | Marlies Göhr |
East Germany
|
3 June 1984 | Erfurt |
| +1.2 | Silke Gladisch-Möller |
East Germany
|
3 September 1987 | Rome | ||
| −0.6 | Veronica Campbell-Brown |
Jamaica
|
21 August 2008 | Beijing |
Olympic medalists
Men
Women
World Championship medalists
Men
Women
Notes
- ^ "Converting Times from English to Metric Distances". National Federation of State High School Associations. Archived from the original on 2008-03-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20080316150553/http://www.nfhs.org/web/2006/12/converting_times_from_english_to.aspx. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
- ^ CBC News. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/iaaf/how/200m.html.
- ^ "200 Metres All Time". IAAF. http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=o/age=n/season=0/sex=M/all=y/legal=A/disc=200/detail.html. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
References
External links
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