My personal list of best marks witnessed in person (part 2)...
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| Dafne Schippers after winning the 200m at the 2015 World Championships (Paul Merca photo) |
Below is the list of the best marks I've witnessed in person in the current world championship and Olympic medal events.
The majority of these marks have come at the World Athletics world championship meets that I've attended (Tokyo, Stuttgart, Athens, Seville, Edmonton, Paris-St Denis, Helsinki, Osaka, Berlin, Daegu, Moscow, Beijing, London & Doha), with only Helsinki (1983), Rome (1987) and Gothenburg (1995) the only ones I've missed
If a mark is in bold-print, that means that it's the current world record in that event. Marks in italics signify a former world record.
In going through this exercise, I've never witnessed in person a women's sub 4:20 mile. I had to double check myself on this to make sure (the most likely places I would have seen one was at the Nike Pre Classic). The fastest mile I've ever seen in person is Shelby Houlihan's 4:23.68 at the Dempsey earlier this year (and I was the announcer)!
If there's a pattern, it's harder to hit world record marks in distance races in championship meets, where athletes are going for the win instead of fast times, and there are no pace setters in the field.
200m--Dafne Schippers, 21.63, World Championships, Beijing, 8/28/15
400m--Salwa Eid Naser, 48.14, World Championships, Doha, 10/3/19
800m--Caster Semenya, 1:55.16, World Championships, London, 8/13/17
1500m--Sifan Hassan, 3:51.95, World Championships, Doha, 10/5/19
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| Shelby Houlihan (Paul Merca photo) |
5000m--Hellen Obiri, 14:26.72, World Championships, Doha, 10/5/19
10000m--Berhane Adere, 30:04.18, World Championships, Paris-St. Denis, 8/23/03
Marathon--Tirfi Tsegaye, 2:20:18, Berlin Marathon, 9/28/14
Steeple--Beatrice Chepkoech, 8:57.84, World Championships, Doha, 9/30/19
100 Hurdles--Brianna McNeal, 12.26, USATF Championships, Des Moines, 6/22/13
400 Hurdles--Dalilah Muhammad, 52.16, World Championships, Doha, 10/4/19
4 x 100 Relay--Jamaica (Campbell-Brown, Morrison, Thompson, Fraser-Price), 41.07, World Championships, Beijing, 8/29/15
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| Dalilah Muhammad (Paul Merca photo) |
Co-Ed 4 x 400 Relay--USA (London/M, Felix/F, Okolo/F, Cherry/M) 3:09.34, World Championships, Doha, 9/29/19
High Jump--Hestrie Cloete, 6-9 (2.06m), World Championships, Paris-St. Denis, 8/31/03
Pole Vault--Yelena Isinbayeva, 16-5.25 (5.01m), World Championships, Helsinki, 8/12/05
Long Jump--Marion Jones (Nike Pre Classic, Eugene 5/31/98) & Brittney Reese (US Olympic Trials, Eugene 7/2/16), 23-11.75 (7.31m)
Triple Jump--Yargelis Savigne, 50-1.75 (15.28m), World Championships, Osaka, 8/31/07
Shot Put--Valerie Adams, 69-8.25 (21.24m), World Championships, Daegu, 8/29/11
Discus--Dani Stevens, 228-6 (69.64m), World Championships, London, 8/13/17
Hammer--Anita Włodarczyk, 265-3 (80.85m), World Championships, Beijing, 8/27/15
Javelin--Olisdeilys Menendez, 235-3 (71.70m), World Championships, Helsinki, 8/14/05
Heptathlon--Jackie Joyner-Kersee, 7215 points, US Olympic Trials, Indianapolis, 7/15-16/88
20K Walk--Olimpia Ivanova, 1:25:41, World Championships, Helsinki, 8/7/05
50K Walk--Ines Henriques, 4:05:56, World Championships, London, 8/13/17
OTHER SIGNIFICANT MARKS WITNESSED IN PERSON...
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| Candace Hill set the American U20 record in the 100m when she ran 10.98 at the Brooks PR meet (Paul Merca photo) |
First Collegiate Record announced--Maggie Ewen, 63-10.25 (19.46m), Desert Heat Classic, Tucson, 4/28/18
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