Women's Track & Field world records, as recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
21. 4x400 Meter Relay
USSR (Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova, Maria Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina), 3:15.1722. 4x800 Meter Relay
USSR (Nadezhda Olizarenko, Lyubov Gurina, Lyudmila Borisova, Irina Podyalovskaya), 7:50.1723. High Jump
Stefka Kostadinova tied fellow Bulgarian Ludmila Andonova's record of 2.07 meters on May 25, 1986, then broke the mark six days later with a leap of 2.08. She set the current record at the World Championships in Rome on Aug. 30, 1987, despite an inauspicious start, having missed her first qualifying jump at 1.91 meters (6 feet, 3¼ inch) on the initial day of competition. The following day she employed a speedier approach to out-jump her competition, all of whom dropped out by the time Kostadinova asked that the bar be raised to 2.09 (6 feet, 10¼ inches). She missed her first two attempts but cleared the bar on her final try.24. Pole Vault
Russian Yelena Isinbaeva surprised few by winning the Olympic women’s pole vault on Aug. 18, 2008 when she cleared the bar at a world record height of 5.05 meters (16 feet, 6¾ inches), breaking the world mark for the third time that year. Her previous best was 5.04/16-6½. She opened the Games by clearing 4.7 meters (15-5), then topped 4.85 (15-11) to clinch the gold. She missed twice at 4.95/16-2¾ before clearing to break the Olympic record previously owned by, of course, Isinbaeva (4.91/16-1¼ in 2004). She then took three shots at the world record, gaining success on her final try.25. Long Jump
The women's long jump record was broken four times from 1976-78 then another six times from 1982 to 1988. Galina Chistyakova of the former Soviet Union tied the mark, then held by Heike Drechsler and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, of 7.45 meters at a meet in Leningrad on June 11, 1988, then Chistyakova promptly beat it at the same meet with a jump of 7.52 meters (24 feet, 8¼ inches).26. Triple Jump
Inessa Kravets, Ukraine, 15.50 meters (50 feet, 10¼ inches).27. Shot Put
Natalya Lisovskaya, Russia, 22.63 meters (74 feet, 3 inches).28. Discus Throw
It took awhile before Germany’s Gabriele Reinsch found her niche in sports. She began as a high jumper before moving on to throwing events, first the shot put, then the discus. On July 9, 1998 during an East Germany-Italy meet in Neubrandenburg, East Germany, Reinsch’s first throw sailed 76.80 meters (252 feet), breaking Zdenka Silhava’s old mark of 74.56/244-7. East Germany’s Martina Hellmann had a throw that was measured at 78.14/256-4 later in 1988, but the attempt occurred during an unofficial meet and was not elible for world record consideration.29. Hammer Throw
Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk closed in on Tatyana Lysenko's mark of 77.80/255-3 on Aug. 8, 2009 (Wlodarczyk's 24th birthday), with a toss measuring 77.20/253-3. On Aug. 22, at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships, Wlodarczyk's second-round throw traveled 77.96 meters (255 feet, 9 inches), earning her a gold medal and a new world mark.30. Javelin Throw
Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic was a former heptathlete who began specializing in the javelin at the urging of her countryman, three-time Olympic javelin gold medal winner Jan Zelezny. A strong starter throughout her career, Spotakova established the women's world mark with a throw measuring 72.28 meters (237 feet, 1 inch) on her first attempt at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany on Sept. 13, 2008.31. Heptathlon
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, USA, 7,291 points32. Decathlon
Austra Skujyte, Lithuania, 8,358 points
