Men's Track & Field world records, as recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
11. 10,000 Meters
Ethiopia's Keninisa Bekele added the 10,000-meter record to his resume on Aug. 26, 2005, running 26:17.53 in Brussels, Belgium. Bekele’s pace-setter was his brother Tariku, who helped Bekele stay five seconds ahead of the record pace through 5000 meters. Bekele remained ahead of the necessary pace and, as he did when breaking the 5000 record, Bekele finished strong, with a 57-second final lap.12. 110 Meter Hurdles
In 2006, Cuba's Dayron Robles witnessed the 110-meter hurdles world record being broken, as he ran fourth in the race in which China's Liu Xiang set the former mark, winning in 12.88 seconds. Robles was fourth in that race, in 13.04. On June 12, 2008 Robles again witnessed a record-breaking performance in the 110 hurdles, but this time he was the one setting the mark as he nudged the record down to 12.87 with a Grand Prix victory in Ostrava, Czech Republic.13. 400 Meter Hurdles
Kevin Young, USA, 46.78. Young was a respectable high school hurdler but he didn't receive a major college scholarship. So Young walked on at UCLA and blossomed quickly, winning NCAA 400-meter championships in 1987-88. He later employed an unusual strategy to break the world record at the 1992 Olympics. Whereas top-level hurdlers generally take 13 strides between hurdles in the 400, Young decided to use just 12 on the fourth and fifth hurdles. He'd noticed previously that he was using shorter, choppy strides at that portion of the event. By reducing his strides to 12, Young took longer strides and gained speed.14. 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
Kenyan-born Saif Saaeed Shaheen, now a citizen of Qatar, set the mark on Sept. 3, 2004 in Brussels, Belgium, on the same track that former world record-holder Brahim Boulami established his record in 2001. Boulami witnessed his record’s demise first-hand, finishing third in the event. Shaheen sat in third for much of the race, taking the lead with three laps remaining and finishing in 7:53.63.15. 20,000 Meter Race Walk
Sergey Morozov made his first completed 20 kilometer race walk a good one on June 8, 2008, breaking the 1:17 barrier and finishing with a world record time of 1:16:43. Morozov set his record at the Russian National Championships in Saransk. Morozov's result is subject to standard IAAF ratification procedures. Fellow Russian Vladimir Kanaykin held the previous record of 1:17:16. Kanaykin also bettered his former record at the June 8 meet but had to settle for second place with a time of 1:16:53.16. 50,000 Meter Race Walk
Denis Nizhegorodov, Russia, 3:34:14. Nizhegorodov remained strong throughout the race. His fastest lap of the day occurred in the race's 46th kilometer. Nizhegorodov’s record, set during the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary, Russia on May 11, 2008 is currently subject to the standard IAAF verification procedures. The previous mark of 3:35:47 was set by Australia’s Nathan Deakes.17. Marathon
Haile Gebrselassie broke his own world record (2:04.26) at the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 28, 2008, with a time of 2:03:59. Four pacemakers helped keep Gebrselassie on track through 32 kilometers of the 42.2-kilometer (26 miles, 385 yards) event. But he wasn’t alone for the final 10 kilometers, as Kenyans James Kwambai and Charles Kamathi maintained their challenges, pushing Gebrselassie from behind. The Ethiopian finally pulled away in the final five kilometers.18. 4x100 Meter Relay
Jamaica broke the world record of 37.40 seconds - set by the U.S. in 1992 and matched in 1993 - by winning the 2008 Olympic final in 37.10. Nesta Carter and Michael Frater gave Jamaica the lead, Usain Bolt extended it during the third leg and anchor runner Asafa Powell, the one-time world record-holder at 100 meters, finished it off. Jamaica finished almost a full second ahead of runner-up Trinidad and Tobago (38.06).19. 4x200 Meter Relay
United States (Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Floyd Heard, Carl Lewis), 1:18.6820. 4x400 Meter Relay
United States (Jerome Young, Antonio Pettigrew, Tyree Washington, Michael Johnson), 2:54.20. Johnson ran a blazing 43.3-second anchor leg to lead the USA's record-setting performance.
