France is the 15th most medal-winning country in the history of the World Athletics Championships with 56 medals, including 14 gold, 19 silver and 23 bronze collected from the 1987 World Athletics Championships in Rome to the last 2022 world athletics championships in Eugene.
The best rank on the medal table was third and was achieved during the 2003 World Athletics Championships held on home soil, in Paris.
Marie-José Pérec became the first French athlete world champion in the 1991 world athletics championships on the 400 m.
Marie-José Pérec, Eunice Barber, Stéphane Diagana, Ladji Doucouré and Kevin Mayer are the only French athletes who have been two times world champion.
The French athletes with the most medals since the creation of the competition in 1983 are Eunice Barber (3 medals including a title in heptathlon, 2 in long jump including a title), Christine Arron (5 medals in sprint including a title) and Renaud Lavillenie (5 medals in pole vaulting).
Medal table Red border indicates tournament was held on home soil. MenWomenTotalYearGoldSilverBronzeGoldSilverBronzeGoldSilverBronzeTotalRank1983 Helsinki0000000000–1987 Rome0200010213151991 Tokyo0101001102101993 Stuttgart0000000000–1995 Gothenburg0021001023191997 Athens1000011012191999 Seville0101101203142001 Edmonton0010100112262003 Paris120212332832005 Helsinki200024224852007 Osaka0200000202242009 Berlin0120000123202011 Daegu0130000134212013 Moscow1110111225112015 Beijing0010010022312017 London301001302542019 Doha0110000112242022 Eugene1000001001222023 Budapest0100000101272025 Tokyo101000000017 2027 Beijing To be determined 2029 Nairobi 2031 MunichTotal101213561114192356 -
Multiple medalists Athlete Gold Silver Bronze Total Years Eunice Barber 2 3 0 5 1999-2005Stéphane Diagana21141995-2003 Marie-José Pérec 2 0 0 2 1991-1997Ladji Doucouré20022005Kevin Mayer20022017-2022Muriel Hurtis12141997-2003Christine Arron11351997-2005Patricia Girard11131997-2003Sylvianne Félix11131997-2003Marc Raquil11022003Yohann Diniz 11022007-2017Romain Mesnil02022007-2009Renaud Lavillenie01452009-2017Christophe Lemaitre01122011Mélina Robert-Michon01122013-2017Manuela Montebrun00222003-2005Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad00222011-2013
References