Women's Track & Field world records, as recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
1. 100 Meters
Florence Griffith-Joyner, USA, 10.49. When Griffith-Joyner set her record in the 100, at the U.S. Olympic trials in 1988, the track's wind meter showed that other runners received wind assistance. But the meter showed that Griffith-Joyner, nicknamed "Flo-Jo," received none, causing some to suggest that the meter was malfunctioning during the 100.2. 200 Meters
Florence Griffith-Joyner, USA, 21.34. Griffith-Joyner set her mark at the 1988 Olympics. Her bulked-up physique led to accusations that she used performance-enhancing drugs. Griffith-Joyner always denied those allegations and never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Griffith-Joyner's retirement, just prior to the implementation of stricter drug tests in 1989, added to the speculation.3. 400 Meters
Marita Koch, East Germany, 47.60. Like Florence Griffith-Joyner, 400 meter record-holder Marita Koch of East Germany never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, but she was suspected due to her country's since-revealed doping program. Koch retired prior to 1989, when stricter drug testing began. She set her mark in 1985 at the IAAF World Cup in Australia.4. 800 Meters
Jarmila Kratochvilova of the Czech Republic (then still part of Czechoslovakia) set the 800 world record almost by accident. Her time of 1:53.28, set on July 26, 1983, is currently the longest-standing individual track and field record. She originally traveled to the Munich, Germany event only to tune up for the forthcoming world championships, and only to run in her specialty, the 400. She switched to the 800 after suffering leg cramps that, she felt, would make it difficult for her to run the shorter sprint race.5. 1,000 Meters
In a two-month span in 1996, Russian Svetlana Masterkova won two Olympic Gold medals – in the 800 and 1500 – then set two world records that continue to stand. She established the 1000-meter record (2:28.98) in Brussels, Belgium on Aug. 23.6. 1500 Meters
Chinese runners dominated many middle- and long-distance events in the 90s, led by several competitors trained by legendary coach Ma Zunren. Two of those runners, Yunxia Qu and Wang Junxia, both shattered the women’s 1500-meter record in a meet held in Beijing on Sept. 11, 1993, with Qu winning the race in 3:50.46, taking two seconds off the previous mark.7. One Mile
Svetlana Masterkova of Russia set the world record in her first-ever mile run, with a time of 4:12.56 at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland on Aug. 14, 1996.8. 2000 Meters
Best known for her accomplishments in the 5000, Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan dominated several shorter events in 1994 and 1995. She set the 2000-meter record in Edinburgh on July, 8, 1994, with a time of 5:25.36.9. 3000 Meters
On Sept. 13, 1993, during the Chinese National Games, Junxia Wang reduced the 3000-meter record by 16.5 seconds, winning the event in 8:06.11.10. 5000 Meters
Tirunesh Dibaba finished strong to set the 5000-meter mark of 14:11.15 during an IAAF meet in Oslo, Norway on June 6, 2008. Dibaba's performance remains subject to the standard IAAF ratification procedures. Taking aim at the record, the Ethiopian followed the pacesetter through 3000 meters in 8:38.38, three seconds behind the record pace. Dibaba's sister Ejegayehu helped pace Tirunesh for about the next 600 meters. The younger Dibaba then ran the final lap in just under 1:04.Former record: Ethiopian Meseret Defar topped her own world mark during an IAAF event in Oslo, Norway on June 15, 2007 with a time of 14:16.63. The pacesetter dropped out after about 2000 meters, leaving Defar to run seven laps on her own.
