The 400 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 400 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has two or three qualifying rounds leading to a final between eight athletes.

The championship records for the event are 43.18 seconds for men, set by Michael Johnson in 1999, and 47.99 seconds for women, set by Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983. The men's world record has been broken at the competition on one occasion and Johnson's championship record remains the world record as of 2015.IAAF World Championships: IAAF Statistics Handbook Daegu 2011, pp. 595–6 (archived). IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-07-06. The current women's championship record stood as the women's world record for two years and remains the only time that feat has been accomplished at the championships.

Michael Johnson is the most successful athlete of the World Championships 400 m, having won four straight titles from 1993 to 1999. He is the only sprint athlete to have won that many individual titles in an event. The second most successful is LaShawn Merritt – a two-time champion and the only other athlete to have won four medals. The most successful women are Marie-José Pérec, Cathy Freeman and Christine Ohuruogu, all of whom have won two world titles. Jeremy Wariner is the only other person to have won two titles, and also has three medals to his name.

The United States is comfortably the most successful nation in the discipline – American men have topped the podium ten times and taken 23 medals in total. American women also top the table with two golds among seven medals. Jamaica is the only other nation to have won more than one medal in the men's race, and has won eleven medals in total across the sexes. Great Britain has had two winners and two runners-up. Australia, France and Bahamas are the only other nations to have won multiple gold medals.

Jerome Young is the only athlete to be stripped of a medal in the event, as he lost his 2003 gold medal due to a doping ban.

Age records

All information from World Athletics.

DistinctionMaleFemaleAthleteAgeDateAthleteAgeDateYoungest champion18 years, 363 days30 Aug 201121 years, 133 days3 Oct 2019Youngest medalist18 years, 363 days30 Aug 201119 years, 78 days9 Aug 2017Youngest finalist18 years, 4 days10 Aug 198319 years, 78 days9 Aug 2017Youngest participant16 years, 183 days4 Aug 200115 years, 7 days2 Aug 1997Oldest champion31 years, 347 days26 Aug 199932 years, 196 days10 Aug 1983Oldest medalist31 years, 347 days26 Aug 199932 years, 196 days10 Aug 1983Oldest finalist31 years, 347 days26 Aug 199935 years, 105 days9 Aug 2017Oldest participant36 years, 313 days24 Aug 201536 years, 274 days11 Aug 2013

Doping Antonio Pettigrew, the 1991 champion, was the first have his results annulled due to doping, although this ban affected his finalist placings from 1997 to 2001 only. His fellow American Jerome Young became the first and thus far only 400 m athlete to be stripped of their world title. His ban covered his 2003 win, a 2001 semi-finalist placing, and a fourth-place finish in 1999.

Natalya Sologub of Belarus became the first female 400 m runner to be disqualified from the championships, having originally been a 2001 semi-finalist. The 2003 sixth-place finish of Calvin Harrison was annulled for doping, as weer the semi-finalist runs of Amaka Ogoegbunam in 2009 and Antonina Yefremova in 2011.

Medalists Men

Multiple medalists Rank Athlete Nation PeriodGoldSilverBronze Total 1 1991–1999 4 0 0 4 2 2007–2013 2 3 0 5 3 2005–2009 2 1 0 3 4 2015–2017 2 0 0 2 5 2011–2022 1 1 1 3 6 1997–2003 1 0 1 2 7 1987–1995 0 2 1 3 8 1995–2001 0 0 2 2

Women

Multiple medalists Rank Athlete Nation PeriodGoldSilverBronze Total 1 1991–1995 2 0 0 2 1997–1999 2 0 0 2 2007–2013 2 0 0 2 4 2015–2022 1 2 0 3Marileidy Paulino2022-20251203 6 2011–2017 1 1 1 3 2017–2025 1 1 1 3 8 Sanya Richards 2005–2009 1 1 0 2 9 2011–2013 1 1 0 2 10 1993–1997 1 0 2 3 2001–2005 1 0 2 3 12 2001–2003 1 0 1 2 13 1999–2003 0 2 1 3 14 1993–1997 0 1 1 2 15 2015–2019 0 0 2 2Sada Williams2022-20230022

Championship record progression Men + Men's 400 metres World Championships record progressionMain > Men, 400 m > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-07-07.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate 46.19 1983 Heats 7 August 1983 46.11 1983 Heats 7 August 1983 45.74 1983 Heats 7 August 1983 45.57 1983 Quarter-finals 8 August 1983 45.44 1983 Semi-finals 9 August 1983 45.05 1983 Final 10 August 1983 45.03 1987 Quarter-finals 1987-08-31 44.81 1987 Quarter-finals 1987-08-31 44.26 1987 Semi-finals 1987-09-01 43.65 1993 Final 1993-08-17 43.39 1995 Final 1995-08-09 43.18 1997 Final 1999-08-26

Women + Women's 400 metres World Championships record progressionMain > Women, 400 m > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-07-07.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate 52.42 1983 Heats 1983-08-07 51.05 1983 Quarter-finals 1983-08-08 50.07 1983 Semi-finals 1983-08-09 47.99 1983 Final 1983-08-1047.78Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone2025Final2025-09-18

Finishing times Top ten fastest World Championship times

+ Fastest men's times at the World ChampionshipsRankTime (sec)AthleteNationGamesDate 1 43.18 Michael Johnson 1999 1998-08-26 2 43.39 Michael Johnson 1995 1995-08-09 3 43.45 Jeremy Wariner 2007 2007-08-314 43.48 Wayde van Niekerk 2015 2015-08-26Steven Gardiner 2019 2019-10-04 6 43.53 Collen Kebinatshipi 2025 2025-09-18 7 43.61 Collen Kebinatshipi 2025SF 2025-09-168 43.65 Michael Johnson 1993 1993-08-17LaShawn Merritt 2015 2015-08-26 10 43.72 Jereem Richards 2025 2025-09-18

+ Fastest women's times at the World ChampionshipsRankTime (sec)AthleteNationGamesDate 1 47.78 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone 2025 2025-09-18 2 47.98 Marileidy Paulino 2025 2025-09-18 3 47.99 Jarmila Kratochvílová 1983 1983-08-10 4 48.14 Salwa Eid Naser 2019 2019-10-03 5 48.19 Salwa Eid Naser 2025 2025-09-18 6 48.29 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone 2025SF2025-09-16 7 48.37 Shaunae Miller-Uibo 2019 2019-10-03 8 48.59 Taťána Kocembová 1983 1983-08-10 9 48.76 Marileidy Paulino 2023 2023-08-23 10 48.89 Ana Guevara 2003 2003-08-27

References

Bibliography

External links Official IAAF website