Athletes in track and field thrive on strength, speed and endurance. It takes years of hard work to shine on the international stage and compete with the best of the worlds.
On the back of determination and perseverance, the athletes endeavor to make and break records, which acts as the ultimate testimony of their greatness. World records are the pinnacle of the athlete’s greatness. In the history of sports, new world records have been set numerous times across several prestigious events.
While some world records have been created in recently, some have stood the test of the time dating as back as 1988.
In this article, let us have a look at the word records by women athletes in athletics– track and field-in history.
List Of World Records By Women Athletes In Athletics
| Discipline | Performance | Athlete | Country | Venue | Date |
| 50 Metres | 5.96 | Irina PRIVALOVA | RUS | Madrid (ESP) (i) | 09 FEB 1995 |
| 60 Metres | 6.92 | Irina PRIVALOVA | RUS | Madrid (ESP) (i) | 11 FEB 1993 |
| 60 Metres | 6.92 | Irina PRIVALOVA | RUS | Madrid (ESP) (i) | 09 FEB 1995 |
| 100 Metres | 10.49 | Florence GRIFFITH-JOYNER | USA | Indianapolis, IN (USA) | 16 JUL 1988 |
| 200 Metres | 21.34 | Florence GRIFFITH-JOYNER | USA | Olympic Stadium, Seoul (KOR) | 29 SEP 1988 |
| 200 Metres Short Track | 21.87 | Merlene OTTEY | JAM | Liévin (FRA) (i) | 13 FEB 1993 |
| 400 Metres | 47.60 | Marita KOCH | GDR | Bruce Stadium, Canberra (AUS) | 06 OCT 1985 |
| 400 Metres Short Track | 49.17 | Femke BOL | NED | Glasgow Arena, Glasgow (GBR) (i) | 02 MAR 2024 |
| 800 Metres | 1:53.28 | Jarmila KRATOCHVÍLOVÁ | TCH | München (GER) | 26 JUL 1983 |
| 800 Metres Short Track | 1:55.82 | Jolanda ČEPLAK | SLO | Ferry-Dusika-Halle, Wien (AUT) (i) | 03 MAR 2002 |
| 1000 Metres | 2:28.98 | Svetlana MASTERKOVA | RUS | Bruxelles (BEL) | 23 AUG 1996 |
| 1000 Metres Short Track | 2:30.94 | Maria de Lurdes MUTOLA | MOZ | Stockholm (SWE) (i) | 25 FEB 1999 |
| 1500 Metres | 3:49.04 | Faith KIPYEGON | KEN | Stade Charléty, Paris (FRA) | 07 JUL 2024 |
| 1500 Metres Short Track | 3:53.09 | Gudaf TSEGAY | ETH | Arena Stade Couvert, Liévin (FRA) (i) | 09 FEB 2021 |
| Mile | 4:07.64 | Faith KIPYEGON | KEN | Stade Louis II, Monaco (MON) | 21 JUL 2023 |
| Mile Short Track | 4:13.31 | Genzebe DIBABA | ETH | Globe Arena, Stockholm (SWE) (i) | 17 FEB 2016 |
| 2000 Metres | 5:19.70 | Jessica HULL | AUS | Stade Louis II, Monaco (MON) | 12 JUL 2024 |
| 3000 Metres | 8:06.11 | Junxia WANG | CHN | Beijing (CHN) | 13 SEP 1993 |
| 3000 Metres Short Track | 8:16.60 | Genzebe DIBABA | ETH | Globe Arena, Stockholm (SWE) (i) | 06 FEB 2014 |
| 5000 Metres | 14:00.21 | Gudaf TSEGAY | ETH | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR (USA) | 17 SEP 2023 |
| 5000 Metres Short Track | 14:18.86 | Genzebe DIBABA | ETH | Globe Arena, Stockholm (SWE) (i) | 19 FEB 2015 |
| 10,000 Metres | 28:54.14 | Beatrice CHEBET | KEN | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR (USA) | 25 MAY 2024 |
| One Hour | 18930 | Sifan HASSAN | NED | Boudewijnstadion, Bruxelles (BEL) | 04 SEP 2020 |
| 50 Metres Hurdles | 6.58 | Cornelia OSCHKENAT | GDR | Berlin (GER) (i) | 20 FEB 1988 |
| 60 Metres Hurdles | 7.65 | Devynne CHARLTON | BAH | Glasgow Arena, Glasgow (GBR) (i) | 03 MAR 2024 |
| 100 Metres Hurdles | 12.12 | Tobi AMUSAN | NGR | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR (USA) | 24 JUL 2022 |
| 400 Metres Hurdles | 50.37 | Sydney MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE | USA | Stade de France, Paris (FRA) | 08 AUG 2024 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase | 8:44.32 | Beatrice CHEPKOECH | KEN | Stade Louis II, Monaco (MON) | 20 JUL 2018 |
| High Jump | 2.10 | Yaroslava MAHUCHIKH | UKR | Stade Charléty, Paris (FRA) | 07 JUL 2024 |
| Pole Vault | 5.06 | Yelena ISINBAYEVA | RUS | Letzigrund, Zürich (SUI) | 28 AUG 2009 |
| Long Jump | 7.52 | Galina CHISTYAKOVA | URS | Leningrad (URS) | 11 JUN 1988 |
| Triple Jump | 15.74 | Yulimar ROJAS | VEN | Štark Arena, Beograd (SRB) (i) | 20 MAR 2022 |
| Shot Put | 22.63 | Natalya LISOVSKAYA | URS | Moskva (URS) | 07 JUN 1987 |
| Discus Throw | 76.80 | Gabriele REINSCH | GDR | Neubrandenburg (GDR) | 09 JUL 1988 |
| Hammer Throw | 82.98 | Anita WŁODARCZYK | POL | Stadion PGE Narodowy, Warszawa (POL) | 28 AUG 2016 |
| Javelin Throw | 72.28 | Barbora ŠPOTÁKOVÁ | CZE | Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, Stuttgart (GER) | 13 SEP 2008 |
| Mile Road | 4:20.98 Wo | Diribe WELTEJI | ETH | Riga (LAT) | 01 OCT 2023 |
| 5 Kilometres Road | 14:13 Wo | Beatrice CHEBET | KEN | Barcelona (ESP) | 31 DEC 2023 |
| 5 Kilometres Road | 13:54 Mx | Beatrice CHEBET | KEN | Barcelona (ESP) | 31 DEC 2024 |
| 10 Kilometres Road | 30:01 Wo | Agnes Jebet TIROP | KEN | Herzogenaurach (GER) | 12 SEP 2021 |
| 10 Kilometres Road | 29:27 Wo * | Agnes Jebet NGETICH | KEN | Herzogenaurach (GER) | 26 APR 2025 |
| 10 Kilometres Road | 28:46 Mx | Agnes Jebet NGETICH | KEN | Valencia (ESP) | 14 JAN 2024 |
| Half Marathon | 1:05:16 Wo | Peres JEPCHIRCHIR | KEN | Gdynia (POL) | 17 OCT 2020 |
| Half Marathon | 1:02:52 Mx | Letesenbet GIDEY | ETH | Valencia (ESP) | 24 OCT 2021 |
| Marathon | 2:16:16 Wo | Peres JEPCHIRCHIR | KEN | London (GBR) | 21 APR 2024 |
| Marathon | 2:15:50 Wo * | Tigst ASSEFA | ETH | London (GBR) | 27 APR 2025 |
| Marathon | 2:09:56 Mx | Ruth CHEPNGETICH | KEN | Chicago, IL (USA) | 13 OCT 2024 |
| 50 Kilometres Road | 2:59:54 Mx | Desiree LINDEN | USA | Dorena Lake, Oregon (USA) | 13 APR 2021 |
| 50 Kilometres Road | 3:00:30 Wo | Emane SEIFU | ETH | Gqeberha (RSA) | 26 FEB 2023 |
| 100 Kilometres Road | 6:33:11 Mx | Tomoe ABE | JPN | Lake Saroma (JPN) | 25 JUN 2000 |
| 3000 Metres Race Walk Short Track | 11:40.33 | Claudia IOVAN | ROU | Bucureşti (ROU) (i) | 30 JAN 1999 |
| 10,000 Metres Race Walk | 41:56.23 | Nadezhda RYASHKINA | URS | Seattle, WA (USA) | 24 JUL 1990 |
| 20,000 Metres Race Walk | 1:26:52.3h | Olimpiada IVANOVA | RUS | Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Nathan, Brisbane (AUS) | 06 SEP 2001 |
| 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:23:49 | Jiayu YANG | CHN | Huangshan (CHN) | 20 MAR 2021 |
| 35 Kilometres Race Walk | 2:37:15 | María PÉREZ | ESP | Poděbrady (CZE) | 21 MAY 2023 |
| 50 Kilometres Race Walk | 3:59:15 | Hong LIU | CHN | Huangshan (CHN) | 09 MAR 2019 |
| Heptathlon | 7291 | Jackie JOYNER-KERSEE | USA | Olympic Stadium, Seoul (KOR) | 24 SEP 1988 |
| Decathlon | 8358 | Austra SKUJYTĖ | LTU | Columbia, MO (USA) | 15 APR 2005 |
| Pentathlon Short Track | 5055 | Nafissatou THIAM | BEL | Ataköy Arena, Istanbul (TUR) (i) | 03 MAR 2023 |
| 4×100 Metres Relay | 40.82 | United States | USA | Olympic Stadium, London (GBR) | 10 AUG 2012 |
| 4×200 Metres Relay | 1:27.46 | United States Blue | USA | Philadelphia, PA (USA) | 29 APR 2000 |
| 4×200 Metres Relay Short Track | 1:32.41 | Russia | RUS | Glasgow (GBR) (i) | 29 JAN 2005 |
| 4×400 Metres Relay | 3:15.17 | Soviet Union | URS | Olympic Stadium, Seoul (KOR) | 01 OCT 1988 |
| 4×400 Metres Relay Short Track | 3:23.37 | Russia | RUS | Glasgow (GBR) (i) | 28 JAN 2006 |
| 4×800 Metres Relay | 7:50.17 | Soviet Union | URS | Moskva (URS) | 05 AUG 1984 |
| 4×800 Metres Relay Short Track | 8:05.89 | United States | USA | New York, NY (USA) (i) | 03 FEB 2018 |
| Distance Medley | 10:36.50 | United States | USA | T. Robinson Stadium, Nassau (BAH) | 02 MAY 2015 |
| 4×1500 Metres Relay | 16:27.02 | Nike/Bowerman Track Club | USA | Jesuit High School Track, Portland, OR (USA) | 31 JUL 2020 |
| Road Relay | 2:11:41 | PR of China | CHN | Beijing (CHN) | 28 FEB 1998 |
* Pending ratification. Mx: mixed gender race. Wo: women only race. (i): set indoor.
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