What is the 100m world record?
The men's 100m world record is 9.58 by Usain Bolt, Berlin, 16 August 2009. The women's is 10.49 by Florence Griffith-Joyner, Indianapolis, 16 July 1988.
| Time | Athlete | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 9.74 | Asafa Powell | 2007 |
| 9.72 | Usain Bolt | 2008 |
| 9.69 | Usain Bolt | 2008 |
| 9.58 | Usain Bolt | 2009 |
The 10.49 debate
Griffith-Joyner's 10.49 came in a quarterfinal where the gauge read 0.0 while other races that day were strongly wind-aided, and some statisticians have long doubted the reading. World Athletics ratifies it as the record. Elaine Thompson-Herah's 10.54 in 2021 is the closest anyone has come.
How Bolt got there
Bolt lowered the record three times: 9.72 in New York and 9.69 at the Beijing Olympics, both in 2008, then 9.58 at the 2009 World Championships with a +0.9 tailwind.
Sources: World Athletics records. Updated 2026-10-31.