| 400 metres at theWorld Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
 Amantle Montsho andAllyson Felix at the finish of the 2011 women's final | |
| Overview | |
| Gender | Men and women |
| Years held | Men:1983 –2025 Women:1983 –2025 |
| Championship record | |
| Men | 43.18Michael Johnson (1999) |
| Women | 47.78Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (2025) |
| Reigning champion | |
| Men |  Collen Kebinatshipi (BOT) |
| Women |  Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) |
The400 metres at theWorld Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the400 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has two or three qualifying rounds leading to a final between eight athletes.
Thechampionship records for the event are 43.18 seconds for men, set byMichael Johnson in 1999, and 47.99 seconds for women, set byJarmila Kratochvílová in 1983. Themen's world record has been broken at the competition on one occasion and Johnson's championship record remains the world record as of 2015.[1] The current women's championship record stood as thewomen's world record for two years and remains the only time that feat has been accomplished at the championships.
Michael Johnson is the most successful athlete of the World Championships 400 m, having won four straight titles from 1993 to 1999. He is the only sprint athlete to have won that many individual titles in an event. The second most successful isLaShawn Merritt – a two-time champion and the only other athlete to have won four medals. The most successful women areMarie-José Pérec,Cathy Freeman andChristine Ohuruogu, all of whom have won two world titles.Jeremy Wariner is the only other person to have won two titles, and also has three medals to his name.
The United States is comfortably the most successful nation in the discipline – American men have topped the podium ten times and taken 23 medals in total. American women also top the table with two golds among seven medals. Jamaica is the only other nation to have won more than one medal in the men's race, and has won eleven medals in total across the sexes. Great Britain has had two winners and two runners-up. Australia, France and Bahamas are the only other nations to have won multiple goldmedals.
Jerome Young is the only athlete to be stripped of a medal in the event, as he lost his 2003 gold medal due to a doping ban.
| Distinction | Male | Female | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date | |
| Youngest champion |  Kirani James (GRN) | 18 years, 363 days | 30 Aug 2011 |  Salwa Eid Naser (BHR) | 21 years, 133 days | 3 Oct 2019 |
| Youngest medalist | Kirani James (GRN) | 18 years, 363 days | 30 Aug 2011 | Salwa Eid Naser (BHR) | 19 years, 78 days | 9 Aug 2017 |
| Youngest finalist |  Thomas Schönlebe (GDR) | 18 years, 4 days | 10 Aug 1983 | Salwa Eid Naser (BHR) | 19 years, 78 days | 9 Aug 2017 |
| Youngest participant |  Kerth Gumbs (AIA) | 16 years, 183 days | 4 Aug 2001 |  Dijana Kojić (BIH) | 15 years, 7 days | 2 Aug 1997 |
| Oldest champion | Michael Johnson (USA) | 31 years, 347 days | 26 Aug 1999 |  Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 32 years, 196 days | 10 Aug 1983 |
| Oldest medalist | Michael Johnson (USA) | 31 years, 347 days | 26 Aug 1999 | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 32 years, 196 days | 10 Aug 1983 |
| Oldest finalist | Michael Johnson (USA) | 31 years, 347 days | 26 Aug 1999 |  Novlene Williams-Mills (JAM) | 35 years, 105 days | 9 Aug 2017 |
| Oldest participant |  Chris Brown (BAH) | 36 years, 313 days | 24 Aug 2015 |  Amy Mbacké Thiam (SEN) | 36 years, 274 days | 11 Aug 2013 |
Antonio Pettigrew, the 1991 champion, was the first have his results annulled due to doping, although this ban affected his finalist placings from 1997 to 2001 only. His fellow AmericanJerome Young became the first and thus far only 400 m athlete to be stripped of their world title. His ban covered his 2003 win, a 2001 semi-finalist placing, and a fourth-place finish in 1999.[3]
Natalya Sologub of Belarus became the first female 400 m runner to be disqualified from the championships, having originally been a 2001 semi-finalist. The 2003 sixth-place finish ofCalvin Harrison was annulled for doping, as weer the semi-finalist runs ofAmaka Ogoegbunam in 2009 andAntonina Yefremova in 2011.[3]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 11 | 9 | 6 | 27 |
| 2 | Bahamas (BAH) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Jamaica (JAM) | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 |  South Africa (RSA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Grenada (GRN) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Botswana (BOT) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 |  Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 |  Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Colombia (COL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 France (FRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Germany (GER) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Nigeria (NGR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Uganda (UGA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 |  Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Dominican Republic (DOM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Kenya (KEN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Mexico (MEX) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) | 1991–1999 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | LaShawn Merritt | United States (USA) | 2007–2013 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Jeremy Wariner | United States (USA) | 2005–2009 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa (RSA) | 2015–2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Kirani James | Grenada (GRN) | 2011–2022 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Tyree Washington | United States (USA) | 1997–2003 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Butch Reynolds | United States (USA) | 1987–1995 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Greg Haughton | Jamaica (JAM) | 1995–2001 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
§ : awarded following doping disqualification.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 2 | Bahamas (BAH) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Great Britain (GBR) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 |  Australia (AUS) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| France (FRA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Bahrain (BHR) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10 | Mexico (MEX) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Senegal (SEN) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 13 | Jamaica (JAM) | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 14 | Germany (GER) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 |  Poland (POL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 |  Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 13 |  Spain (ESP) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marie-José Pérec | France (FRA) | 1991–1995 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cathy Freeman | Australia (AUS) | 1997–1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Christine Ohuruogu | Great Britain (GBR) | 2007–2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4 | Shaunae Miller-Uibo | Bahamas (BAH) | 2015–2022 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Marileidy Paulino | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 2022-2025 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 6 | Allyson Felix | United States (USA) | 2011–2017 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Salwa Eid Naser | Bahrain (BHR) | 2017–2025 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 8 | Sanya Richards | United States (USA) | 2005–2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Amantle Montsho | Botswana (BOT) | 2011–2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Jearl Miles Clark | United States (USA) | 1993–1997 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Ana Guevara | Mexico (MEX) | 2001–2005 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 12 | Amy Mbacke Thiam | Senegal (SEN) | 2001–2003 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Lorraine Fenton | Jamaica (JAM) | 1999–2003 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Sandie Richards | Jamaica (JAM) | 1993–1997 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica (JAM) | 2015–2019 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sada Williams | Barbados (BAR) | 2022-2023 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.19 | Sunder Nix | United States (USA) | 1983 | Heats | 7 August 1983 |
| 46.11 | Bert Cameron | Jamaica (JAM) | 1983 | Heats | 7 August 1983 |
| 45.74 | Hartmut Weber | West Germany (FRG) | 1983 | Heats | 7 August 1983 |
| 45.57 | Michael Franks | United States (USA) | 1983 | Quarter-finals | 8 August 1983 |
| 45.44 | Michael Franks | United States (USA) | 1983 | Semi-finals | 9 August 1983 |
| 45.05 | Bert Cameron | Jamaica (JAM) | 1983 | Final | 10 August 1983 |
| 45.03 | Derek Redmond | Great Britain (GBR) | 1987 | Quarter-finals | 1987-08-31 |
| 44.81 | Thomas Schönlebe | East Germany (GDR) | 1987 | Quarter-finals | 1987-08-31 |
| 44.26 | Innocent Egbunike | Nigeria (NGR) | 1987 | Semi-finals | 1987-09-01 |
| 43.65 | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) | 1993 | Final | 1993-08-17 |
| 43.39 | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) | 1995 | Final | 1995-08-09 |
| 43.18WR | Michael Johnson | United States (USA) | 1997 | Final | 1999-08-26 |
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52.42 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1983 | Heats | 1983-08-07 |
| 51.05 | Mariya Pinigina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Quarter-finals | 1983-08-08 |
| 50.07 | Mariya Pinigina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Semi-finals | 1983-08-09 |
| 47.99WR | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-10 |
| 47.78 | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | United States (USA) | 2025 | Final | 2025-09-18 |
