1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Track & Field

Men's World Records

By Mike Rosenbaum, About.com

Men's Track & Field world records, as recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

21. 4x800 Meter Relay

Kenya (Joseph Mutua, William Yiampoy, Ismael Kombich, Wilfred Bungei), 7:02.43

22. 4x1500 Meter Relay

East Germany (Thomas Wessinghage, Harald Hudak, Michael Lederer, Karl Fleschen), 14:38.8

23. High Jump

Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor set the current world record of 2.45 meters, on July 27, 1993. He first established the record with a 2.43-meter jump at the Caribbean Championships in Puerto Rico on July 30, 1989. He then broke the eight-foot (2.44-meter) barrier before setting the current mark.

24. Pole Vault

Sergey Bubka, Ukraine, 6.14 meters. For 10 years, the only competition Bubka had for the pole vault world records came from - Bubka. The Ukrainian broke and re-broke the indoor and outdoor records 35 times between 1984-94. His outdoor mark of 6.14 meters, set in 1994, and his indoor best of 6.15 meters, set in 1993, still stand as world marks. Bubka possessed sprinter's speed with great strength, allowing him to use a heavier pole than most vaulters his size. Additionally, Bubka held the pole unusually close to the end to gain greater leverage.

25. Long Jump

Carl Lewis entered the 1991 world championships in Tokyo with a 10-year, 65-meet long jump winning streak, but fellow American Mike Powell ended the streak with a record-setting effort of 8.95 meters (29-feet, 4.5-inches), besting Bob Beamon’s 23-year-old mark. Lewis led the Tokyo event, held on Aug. 3, when he leaped a personal best 8.91 meters on his fourth jump. Powell then surpassed his rival on his fifth jump.

26. Triple Jump

Jonathan Edwards, Great Britain, 18.29 meters

27. Shot Put

Randy Barnes, USA, 23.12 meters

28. Discus Throw

Jurgen Schult, East Germany, 74.08 meters

29. Hammer Throw

Yuriy Syedikh, USSR, 86.74 meters

30. Javelin Throw

Jan Zelezny, Czech Republic, 98.48 meters

31. Decathlon

Roman Sebrle, Czech Republic, 9,026 points

Explore Track & Field

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Track & Field
  4. Track & Field History
  5. World Records
  6. Men's World Track & Field Records

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.