This article contains an overview of the year 1985 in the sport of athletics.
International Events African Championships Asian Championships Balkan Games Bolivarian Games Central American and Caribbean Championships European Indoor Championships South American Championships Pan Arab Games World Cross Country Championships World Cup World Indoor Games World Student Games
World records
Men EVENTATHLETEMARKDATEVENUE1,500 metres3:29.6716 JulyNice, France3:29.4623 AugustBerlin, West GermanyMile3:46.3227 JulyOslo, Norway2,000 metres4:51.394 AugustBudapest, Hungary5,000 metres13:00.4027 JulyOslo, NorwayHigh Jump2.40m11 AugustDonetsk, Soviet Union2.41m4 SeptemberKobe, JapanPole vault6.00m13 JulyParis, FranceTriple Jump17.97m16 JuneIndianapolis, USAShot Put22.62m22 SeptemberBerlin, GermanyHalf Marathon1:01:1411 AugustBirmingham, UK1:00:5515 SeptemberPhiladelphia, United StatesMarathon2:07:1220 AprilRotterdam, Netherlands
Women EVENTATHLETEMARKDATEVENUE400 metres47.606 OctoberCanberra, AustraliaMile4:16.7121 AugustZürich, Switzerland5,000 metres14:48.0726 AugustLondon, Great Britain10,000 metres30:59.4227 JulyOslo, Norway400m Hurdles53.5522 SeptemberEast Berlin, East Germany4 × 100 m Relay• Silke Möller• Sabine Günther• Ingrid Auerswald• Marlies Göhr41.376 OctoberCanberra, AustraliaLong Jump7.4422 SeptemberEast Berlin, East GermanyJavelin throw75.264 JuneSchwerin, East Germany75.404 JuneSchwerin, East Germany
Men's Best Year Performers
100 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.9.982.10.003.10.054.10.065.10.08
200 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.20.072.20.113.20.134.20.145.20.21
400 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.44.472.44.623.44.664.44.675.44.71
800 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.1:42.492.1:42.603.1:42.884.1:43.075.1:43.35
1,500 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.3:29.462.3:29.673.3:29.774.3:30.925.3:31.69
Mile RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.3:46.322.3:46.923.3:47.794.3:49.225.3:49.93
3,000 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.7:32.942.7:38.253.7:38.534.7:42.615.7:44.0
5,000 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.13:00.402.13:01.153.13:10.064.13:13.495.13:15.44
10,000 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.27:37.172.27:40.853.27:41.054.27:41.095.27:42.17
Half Marathon RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.1:00:55
110m Hurdles RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.13.142.13.243.13.254.13.27
400m Hurdles RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.47.632.47.673.47.854.47.925.48.29
3,000m Steeplechase RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.8:09.172.8:11.043.8:11.074.8:11.935.8:12.58
High Jump RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSHEIGHT1.2.412.2.403.2.394.2.385.2.36
Long Jump RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.8.622.8.443.8.435.8.30
Triple Jump RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.17.972.17.863.17.774.17.715.17.69
Discus RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.71.262.70.003.69.744.69.625.69.32
Hammer RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.84.082.82.703.82.644.81.565.80.92
Shot Put RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.22.622.22.053.21.954.21.88
Javelin (old design) RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.96.962.95.103.94.064.93.705.92.94
Pole Vault RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSHEIGHT1.6.002.5.903.5.854.5.80
Decathlon RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSPOINTS1.85592.85043.84404.84095.8381
Women's Best Year Performers
100 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.10.862.10.923.10.974.10.985.10.99
200 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.21.782.21.933.21.984.22.125.22.39
400 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.47.602.48.273.49.564.49.615.49.89
800 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.1:55.682.1:55.913.1:56.244.1:56.255.1:56.65
1,500 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.3:57.242.3:57.733.3:58.404.3:59.285.3:59.88
Mile RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.4:16.712.4:17.333.4:17.574.4:19.415.4:21.59
3,000 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.8:25.832.8:27.833.8:28.834.8:35.745.8:36.51
5,000 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.14:48.072.14:54.083.14:55.764.14:57.435.15:06.04
10,000 metres RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.30:59.422.31:25.183.31:35.464.31:57.805.32:03.37
Half Marathon RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.1:09:44
100m Hurdles RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.12.422.12.593.12.614.12.715.12.72
400m Hurdles RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.53.332.54.273.54.344.54.375.54.38
High Jump RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSHEIGHT1.2.062.2.023.2.014.2.00
Long Jump RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.7.442.7.313.7.284.7.245.7.19
Shot Put RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.21.732.21.083.21.034.20.975.20.79
Discus RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.72.962.70.703.70.504.69.785.69.50
Javelin (old design) RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.75.402.72.983.71.824.71.185.70.62
Heptathlon RANK1985 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSPOINTS1.67182.66663.66164.65955.6510
Marathon
Year Rankings
Men RANKATHLETETIMEDATEEVENT1. Carlos Lopes (POR)2:07.12 WRApril 20Rotterdam, Netherlands2. Steve Jones (WAL)2:07.13October 20Chicago, United States3. Djama Robleh (DJI)2:08.08October 20Chicago, United States4. Hussein Ahmed Salah (DJI)2:08.09April 14Hiroshima, Japan5. Takeyuki Nakayama (JPN)2:08.15April 14Hiroshima, Japan6. Steve Jones (WAL)2:08.16April 21London, United Kingdom7. Djama Robleh (DJI)2:08.26April 14Hiroshima, Japan8. Charlie Spedding (ENG)2:08.33April 21London, United Kingdom9. Robert de Castella (AUS)2:08.48October 20Chicago, United States10. Mark Plaatjes (RSA)2:08.58May 4Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Women RANKATHLETETIMEDATEEVENT1. Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR)2:21:06 WRApril 21London, United Kingdom2. Joan Samuelson (USA)2:21:21October 20Chicago, United States3. Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR)2:23:05October 20Chicago, United States4. Rosa Mota (POR)2:23:29October 20Chicago, United States5. Carla Beurskens (NED)2:27:50October 20Chicago, United States6. Veronique Marot (ENG)2:28:04October 20Chicago, United States7. Sarah Rowell (ENG)2:28:06April 21London, United Kingdom8. Carey May (IRL)2:28:07January 27Osaka, Japan9. Grete Waitz (NOR)2:28:34April 21New York, United States10. Silvia Ruegger (CAN)2:28:36January 6Houston, United States
National Champions NATIONMEN'S WINNERTIMEWOMEN'S WINNERTIMEPLACEDATE AustraliaGrenville Wood2:13:37Elizabeth Patmore2:46:00SydneyJune 9 BelgiumFrederik Vandervennet2:15:49Agnes Pardaens2:42:25LeuvenJune 9 CanadaRoger Schwegel2:22:32Bernadette Duffy2:48:09WinnipegJune 16 JapanHisatoshi Shintaku2:09:51——FukuokaDecember 1 NetherlandsCor Vriend2:15:51Eefje van Wissen2:39:32EnschedeJune 22 West GermanyHerbert Steffny2:12:12Charlotte Teske2:32:38FrankfurtMay 19 United StatesKen Martin2:12:57Nancy Ditz2:31:36Pittsburgh (men) / California (women)May 5 (men) / December 8 (women)
Road races DateRaceLocationMen's winnerTimeWomen's winnerTimeJanuary 27Osaka International Ladies Marathon Japan—— Carey May2:28:07February 2Auckland Marathon New Zealand Jeff Wells2:16:43 Kiersti Jakobsen2:37:12February 10Tokyo Marathon Japan Shigeru So2:10:32 — —March 17Barcelona Marathon Spain Rafael Garcia2:18:16 Joaquina Casas2:48:01March 31Vienna Marathon Austria Gerhard Hartmann2:14:59 Elena Tsukhlo2:39:01April 15Boston Marathon United States Geoff Smith2:14:05 Lisa Rainsberger2:34:06April 20Rotterdam Marathon Netherlands Carlos Lopes2:07:12 WR Wilma Rusman2:35:32April 21London Marathon United Kingdom Steve Jones2:08:16 Ingrid Kristiansen2:21:06 WRMay 5Pittsburgh Marathon United States Ken Martin2:12:57 Lisa Ondieki2:31:54May 5Vancouver Marathon Canada Adrian Wellington2:24:24 Kikue Teshima2:55:34May 6Belfast Marathon Belfast Martin Deane2:15:52 Moira O'Neill2:45:40May 12Amsterdam Marathon Netherlands Jose Reveyn2:19:25 Carolien Lucas2:47:15May 12Paris Marathon France Jacky Boxberger2:10:49 Maureen Hurst2:43:31May 19Geneva Marathon Switzerland Nikolay Shamyeyev2:19:17 Nadezhda Gumerova2:36:04June 1Stockholm Marathon Sweden Tommy Persson2:17:18 Jeanette Nordgren2:36:43July 21San Francisco Marathon United States Ric Sayre2:15:08 Kersti Jakosen2:38:03August 25Reykjavik Marathon Iceland Josef Hermann2:30:04 Leslie Watson2:52:44August 31Oslo Marathon Norway Josef Machalek2:19:00 Oddrun Hovsengen2:43:39September 29Berlin Marathon West Germany Jimmy Ashworth2:11:43 Magda Ilands2:34:10September 29Portland Marathon United States Leonard Hill2:19:42 Lynn Bernot2:51:25October 12Enschede Marathon Netherlands Zoltan Köszegi2:15:39 Eefje van Wissen2:39:32October 12Niagara Marathon Canada Mark Coleman2:30:29 Charlene MacDonald3:07:20October 13Athens Classic Marathon Greece Michael Hill2:26:20 Eryl Davies3:04:30October 13Beijing Marathon China Shigeru So2:10:23——October 13Melbourne Marathon Australia Frederick Vandervennet2:12:35 Margaret Reddan2:44:56October 20Chicago Marathon United States Steve Jones2:07:13 Joan Samuelson2:21:21October 27New York City Marathon United States Orlando Pizzolato2:11:34 Grete Waitz2:28:34October 28Dublin Marathon Ireland Dick Hooper2:16:14 Julia Gates2:41:26November 3Istanbul Marathon Turkey Mehmet Terzi2:12:50——November 17Buenos Aires Marathon Argentina Ruben Huerga2:25:20 Derlis Maria Fraschina3:59:47November 17Tokyo Marathon Japan—— Katrin Doerre2:34:21December 1Fukuoka Marathon Japan Hisatoshi Shintaku2:09:51——December 8Honolulu Marathon United States Ibrahim Hussein2:12:08 Carla Beurskens2:35:51December 17Tiberias Marathon Israel Lindsay Robertson2:15:39 Sharlet Gilbert2:42:54
Births January 4 — Antar Zerguelaïne, Algerian middle distance runner January 4 — Nataliya Zolotukhina, Ukrainian hammer thrower January 6 — Nick Owens, American hammer thrower February 10 — Mariya Smolyachkova, Belarusian hammer thrower March 2 — Patrick Makau Musyoki, Kenyan distance runner March 16 — Olexiy Sokyrskiyy, Ukrainian hammer thrower March 19 — Sean Wroe, Australian sprinter March 21 — Vladimir Kanaykin, Russian race walker March 25 — Wilfried Bingangoye, Gabonese sprinter April 6 — Anna Avdeyeva, Russian shot putter April 7 — James Rendón, Colombian race walker April 18 — Musa Amer Obaid, Kenyan-Qatari middle distance runner May 4 — Henry Sugut, Kenyan long-distance runner May 5 — Gu Junjie, Chinese triple jumper May 21 — Mohsen El Anany, Egyptian hammer thrower May 26 — Irina Petrova, Russian race walker May 27 — Karina Vnukova, Lithuanian high jumper May 31 — Kim Hyun-Sub, South Korean race walker June 1 — Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopian long-distance runner June 3 — Samwel Mwera, Tanzanian middle distance runner June 15 — Susan McKelvie, Scottish hammer thrower June 17 — Ozge Gurler, Turkish athlete June 21 — Ryoko Kizaki, Japanese long-distance runner July 29 — Anja Pollmächer, German sprinter July 31 — Brimin Kipruto, Kenyan middle distance runner August 26 — Oleksiy Kasyanov, Ukrainian decathlete September 17 — Tracy-Ann Rowe, Jamaican sprinter October 12 — Boniface Kiprop Toroitich, Ugandan athlete November 14 — Andrey Krivov, Russian race walker November 16 — Rogério Bispo, Brazilian long jumper November 18 — Allyson Felix, American sprinter December 1 — Andretti Bain, Bahamian sprinter December 8 — Kim Deok-Hyeon, South Korean triple jumper December 20 — Gilbert Kirwa, Kenyan marathon runner December 26 — Carol Rodríguez, Puerto Rican sprinter
Deaths March 4 — Sverre Strandli (59), Norwegian hammer thrower (b. 1925) June 15 — Andy Stanfield (67), American athlete (b. 1927) October 30 — Edgar Bruun (80), Norwegian race walker (b. 1905)
References
Year Lists Association of Road Racing Statisticians 1985 Year Rankings