World Athletics Championships
The World Athletics Championships are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics. The World Championships were started in 1976 in response to the International Olympic Committee dropping the men's 50 km walk from the Olympic programme for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, despite its constant presence at the games since 1932. The IAAF chose to host its own world championship event instead, a month and a half after the Olympics. It was the first World Championships that the IAAF had hosted separate from the Olympic Games. A second limited event was held in 1980, and the inaugural championships in 1983, with all the events, is considered the official start of the competition. Until 1980, the Olympic champions were considered as reigning World Champions. At their debut, these championships were then held every four years, until 1991, when they switched to a two-year cycle since.
History
The idea of having an Athletics World Championships was around well before the competition's first event in 1983. In 1913, the IAAF decided that the Olympic Games would serve as the World Championships for athletics. This was considered suitable for over 50 years until in the late 1960s the desire of many IAAF members to have their own World Championships began to grow. In 1976 at the IAAF Council Meeting in Puerto Rico an Athletics World Championships separate from the Olympic Games was approved.Following bids from both Stuttgart, West Germany and Helsinki, Finland, the IAAF Council awarded the inaugural competition to Helsinki, to take place in 1983 and be held in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
Two IAAF world championship events preceded the inaugural edition of the World Championships in Athletics in 1983. The 1976 World Championships had just one event – the men's 50 kilometres walk which was dropped from the Olympic programme for the 1976 Summer Olympics and the IAAF responded by setting up their own contest. Four years later, the 1980 World Championships contained only two newly approved women's events,, neither of which featured on the programme for the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Over the years the competition has grown in size. In 1983 an estimated 1,300 athletes from 154 countries participated. By the 2003 competition, in Paris, it had grown to 1,907 athletes from 203 countries with coverage being transmitted to 179 different countries.
There has also been a change in composition over the years, with several new events, all for women, being added. By 2005, the only differences were men's competition in the 50 km walk, and equivalent events in women's 100 m hurdles and heptathlon to men's 110 m hurdles and decathlon.
The following list shows when new events were added for the first time.
- 1987, women's 10,000 m and 10 km walk were added.
- 1993, women's triple jump was added.
- 1995, women's 3,000 m was replaced by the 5000 m.
- 1999, women's pole vault and hammer were added and the women's 20 km walk replaced the 10 km walk.
- 2005, women's 3000 m steeplechase was added.
- 2017, women's 50 km walk was added.
- 2019, mixed 4 × 400 m relay was added.
Championships
| Edition | Year | City | Country | Date | Venue | Capacity | Events | Nations | Athletes | Top of the medal table |
| – | 1976 | Malmö | 18 Sep | Malmö Stadion | 30,000 | 1 | 20 | 42 | ||
| – | 1980 | Sittard | 14 – 16 Aug | De Baandert | 22,000 | 2 | 21 | 42 | ||
| 1st | 1983 | Helsinki | 7 – 14 Aug | Olympiastadion | 50,000 | 41 | 153 | 1,333 | ||
| 2nd | 1987 | Rome | 28 Aug – 6 Sep | Stadio Olimpico | 60,000 | 43 | 156 | 1,419 | ||
| 3rd | 1991 | Tokyo | 23 Aug – 1 Sep | Olympic Stadium | 48,000 | 43 | 162 | 1,491 | ||
| 4th | 1993 | Stuttgart | 13 – 22 Aug | Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion | 70,000 | 44 | 187 | 1,630 | ||
| 5th | 1995 | Gothenburg | 5 – 13 Aug | Ullevi | 42,000 | 44 | 190 | 1,755 | ||
| 6th | 1997 | Athens | 1 – 10 Aug | Olympiako Stadio | 75,000 | 44 | 197 | 1,785 | ||
| 7th | 1999 | Seville | 20 – 29 Aug | Estadio Olímpico | 70,000 | 46 | 200 | 1,750 | ||
| 8th | 2001 | Edmonton | 3 – 12 Aug | Commonwealth Stadium | 60,000 | 46 | 189 | 1,677 | ||
| 9th | 2003 | Paris | 23 – 31 Aug | Stade de France | 78,000 | 46 | 198 | 1,679 | ||
| 10th | 2005 | Helsinki | 6 – 14 Aug | Olympiastadion | 45,000 | 47 | 191 | 1,688 | ||
| 11th | 2007 | Osaka | 24 Aug – 2 Sep | Nagai Stadium | 45,000 | 47 | 197 | 1,800 | ||
| 12th | 2009 | Berlin | 15 – 23 Aug | Olympiastadion | 74,000 | 47 | 200 | 1,895 | ||
| 13th | 2011 | Daegu | 27 Aug – 4 Sep | Daegu Stadium | 65,000 | 47 | 199 | 1,742 | ||
| 14th | 2013 | Moscow | 10 – 18 Aug | Luzhniki Stadium | 78,000 | 47 | 203 | 1,784 | ||
| 15th | 2015 | Beijing | 22 – 30 Aug | Beijing National Stadium | 80,000 | 47 | 205 | 1,761 | ||
| 16th | 2017 | London | 4 – 13 Aug | London Stadium | 60,000 | 48 | 205 | 2,036 | ||
| 17th | 2019 | Doha | 27 Sep – 6 Oct | Khalifa International Stadium | 48,000 | 49 | 206 | 1,772 | ||
| 18th | 2022 | Eugene | 15 – 24 July | Hayward Field | 30,000 | 49 | ||||
| 19th | 2023 | Budapest | 18 – 27 Aug | National Athletics Centre | 40,000 |
All-time medal table
Updated after the 2019 World Athletics Championships.;Notes
is the name, under which Russian athletes competed in the 2017 and 2019 Championships. Their medals were not included in the official medal table.
All-time placing table
In the IAAF placing table the total score is obtained from assigning eight points to the first place and so on to one point for the eight placed finalists. Points are shared in situations where a tie occurs. However, the IAAF site shows all points rounded to the nearest integer.Updated after the 2017 Championships
| Rank | Country | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Medals | Points | |||
| 1 | 155 | 106+1= | 88+2= | 64+5= | 79+3= | 66+3= | 67 | 65+4= | 352 | 3600 | |
| 2 | 60 | 61 | 60+2= | 74+2= | 64+1= | 59+1= | 51+5= | 42+1= | 183 | 2246.5 | |
| 3 | 46 | 51+5= | 46+3= | 55+2= | 44+3= | 44+2= | 36+1= | 41 | 151 | 1772 | |
| 4 | 55 | 48 | 37 | 42 | 35 | 23 | 42 | 16 | 140 | 1517 | |
| 5 | 28 | 33 | 38 | 37+2= | 45+1= | 30+1= | 27+1= | 21 | 99 | 1229 |
;Notes
- including points earned by athletes from East Germany and West Germany at the 1976, 1980, 1983 and 1987 Championships.
- including points earned by Authorised Neutral Athletes at the 2017 Championships.
Multiple medalists
Sixteen male athletes have won at least six medals.
| Athlete | Country | Events | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Usain Bolt | 3 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 14 | |
| LaShawn Merritt | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 11 | |
| Carl Lewis | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| Justin Gatlin | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 10 | |
| Michael Johnson | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Mo Farah | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Ezekiel Kemboi | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | |
| Haile Gebrselassie | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| Sergey Bubka | / | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Jeremy Wariner | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| Kenenisa Bekele | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Lars Riedel | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Hicham El Guerrouj | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| Butch Reynolds | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| Bernard Lagat | / | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Greg Haughton | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
;Women
Twenty two female athletes have won at least six medals.
| Athlete | Country | Events | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Allyson Felix | 5 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 18 | |
| Merlene Ottey | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 14 | |
| Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 11 | |
| Veronica Campbell-Brown | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 11 | |
| Jearl Miles Clark | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | |
| Gail Devers | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 8 | |
| Gwen Torrence | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | |
| Christine Ohuruogu | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | |
| Sanya Richards-Ross | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | |
| Carmelita Jeter | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| Yuliya Pechonkina | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |
| Beverly McDonald | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | |
| Lorraine Graham | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
| Jessica Beard | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| Tirunesh Dibaba | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| Natasha Hastings | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| Kerron Stewart | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |
| Heike Drechsler | / | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Gong Lijiao | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Novlene Williams-Mills | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | |
| Irina Privalova | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |
| Grit Breuer | / | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Multiple winners
Boldface denotes active athletes and highest medal count among all athletes per type.Men
All events
Individual events
Women
All events
Individual events
Athletes with most appearances
There are 61 athletes that have competed in at least eight editions.| App. | Name | Country | Years contested | Events |
| 13 | Jesús Ángel García Bragado | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19 | 50 km walk | |
| 11 | Susana Feitor | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | 10 km walk / 20 km walk | |
| 11 | João Vieira | 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | 20 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| 10 | Franka Dietzsch | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | Discus throw | |
| 10 | Nicoleta Grasu | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Discus throw | |
| 10 | Virgilijus Alekna | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Discus throw | |
| 10 | Kim Collins | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 15 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| 9 | Laverne Eve | 87, 91, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | Javelin throw | |
| 9 | Tim Berrett | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | 20 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| 9 | Jackie Edwards | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | Long Jump / Triple Jump | |
| 9 | Maria Mutola | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | 800 m | |
| 9 | Elisângela Adriano | 91, 93, 97, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | Shot put / Discus throw | |
| 9 | Venelina Veneva-Mateeva | 91, 95, 99, 01, 03, 05, 09, 11, 15 | High Jump | |
| 9 | Danny McFarlane | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | 400 m / 400 m hurdles / 4x400 m | |
| 9 | Hatem Ghoula | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 13 | 20 km walk | |
| 9 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 07, 09, 11, 13 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| 9 | Nicola Vizzoni | 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Hammer throw | |
| 9 | Chris Brown | 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15 | 400 m / 4x400 m | |
| 9 | Zhang Wenxiu | 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 | Hammer throw | |
| 9 | Inês Henriques | 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | 20 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| 9 | Allyson Felix | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | 200 m / 400 m / 4x100 m / 4x400 m / 4x400 m Mixed | |
| 9 | Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | Marathon | |
| 8 | Merlene Ottey | / | 83, 87, 91, 93, 95, 97, 03, 07 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m |
| 8 | Jan Železný | / | 87, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03 | Javelin throw |
| 8 | Yelena Nikolayeva | / | 87, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 | 10 km walk / 20 km walk |
| 8 | Fiona May | / | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 | Long Jump |
| 8 | Beverly McDonald | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| 8 | Lars Riedel | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05 | Discus throw | |
| 8 | Dragutin Topić | / IWP * / / / | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 05, 07, 09 | High Jump |
| 8 | Iryna Yatchenko | / | 91, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 07, 09 | Discus throw |
| 8 | Eunice Barber | / | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | Heptathlon / Long Jump / 100 m hurdles |
| 8 | Kevin Sullivan | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | 1500 m | |
| 8 | Manuel Martínez | 93, 95, 97, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | Shot put | |
| 8 | Steffi Nerius | 93, 95, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | Javelin throw | |
| 8 | Amy Acuff | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | High Jump | |
| 8 | Chandra Sturrup | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| 8 | Aleksander Tammert | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | Discus throw | |
| 8 | María Vasco | 95, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | 10 km walk / 20 km walk | |
| 8 | Koji Murofushi | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 07, 11, 13 | Hammer throw | |
| 8 | Szymon Ziółkowski | 95, 99, 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Hammer throw | |
| 8 | Marlon Devonish | 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| 8 | Nadine Kleinert | 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | Shot put | |
| 8 | Sergey Makarov | 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | Javelin throw | |
| 8 | Ēriks Rags | 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | Javelin throw | |
| 8 | Roman Šebrle | 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | Decathlon | |
| 8 | Omar Zepeda | 97, 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 17 | 20 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| 8 | Mario Pestano | 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Discus throw | |
| 8 | Félix Sánchez | 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | 400 m hurdles / 4x400 m | |
| 8 | Bouabdellah Tahri | 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | 1500 m / 3000 m steeplechase | |
| 8 | Zoltán Kővágó | 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 15, 17 | Discus throw | |
| 8 | Mélina Robert-Michon | 01, 03, 07, 09, 13, 15, 17, 19 | Discus throw | |
| 8 | Ruth Beitia | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 | High Jump | |
| 8 | Gerd Kanter | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 | Discus throw | |
| 8 | Ezekiel Kemboi | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 | 3000 m steeplechase | |
| 8 | Churandy Martina | / | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m |
| 8 | Zuzana Hejnová | 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | 400 m hurdles / 4x400 m | |
| 8 | Horacio Nava | 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | 20 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| 8 | Krisztián Pars | 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | Hammer throw | |
| 8 | Martyn Rooney | 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | 400 m / 4x400 m / 4x400 m Mixed | |
| 8 | Levern Spencer | 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | High Jump | |
| 8 | Dragana Tomašević | / | 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 | Discus throw |
World records
A total of 32 world records have been set or equalled at the competition, 17 by men, 13 by women and 2 – in the mixed relay.The first world record to be set at the World Championships was by Jarmila Kratochvílová of Czechoslovakia, who ran 47.99 seconds to win the women's 400 m final.
A peak of five world records came at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics. The most recent world record was in the Women's 400 metres hurdles, which Dalilah Muhammad of the United States finished in 52.16 second in 2019. World records have become less common as the history of the event has expanded, with no world records set in the 1997, 2001, 2007 and 2013 editions.
American athletes have been the most successful with thirteen world records set by that nation in total, followed by Jamaica and Great Britain on four each. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has broken the most world records at the competition, at four, one more than American Carl Lewis. Jonathan Edwards holds the distinction of breaking the world record twice in one championships – improving upon his own newly-set world record in the 1995 men's triple jump final. The men's 4 × 100 metres relay has yielded the most world records, with five set between 1983 and 2011.
Ben Johnson's time of 9.83 seconds at the 1987 World Championships men's 100 m final was initially considered a world record, but this was later rescinded after Johnson admitted to steroid use between 1981 and 1988.
Also, a doping disqualification has led to a performance being retrospectively recognised as a world record: the 2009 Jamaican men's 4 × 100 metres relay team time of 37.31 seconds was taken as the world record after the team's time of 37.10 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was rescinded due to the disqualification of Nesta Carter.
| Sex | Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Year |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.86 | Emmit King Willie Gault Calvin Smith Carl Lewis | 10 August | 1983 | |
| Women | 400 metres | 47.99 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | 10 August | 1983 | |
| Women | High jump | 2.09 m | Stefka Kostadinova | 30 August | 1987 | |
| Men | 100 metres | 9.86 | Carl Lewis | 25 August | 1991 | |
| Men | Long jump | 8.95 m | Mike Powell | 30 August | 1991 | |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.50 | Andre Cason Leroy Burrell Dennis Mitchell Carl Lewis | 1 September | 1991 | |
| Men | 110 metres hurdles | 12.91 | Colin Jackson | 20 August | 1993 | |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.40 | Jon Drummond Andre Cason Dennis Mitchell Leroy Burrell | 21 August | 1993 | |
| Men | 4 × 400 metres relay | 2:54.29 | Andrew Valmon Quincy Watts Butch Reynolds Michael Johnson | 22 August | 1993 | |
| Women | 400 metres hurdles | 52.74 | Sally Gunnell | 19 August | 1993 | |
| Women | Triple jump | 15.09 m | Anna Biryukova | 21 August | 1993 | |
| Men | Triple jump | 18.16 m | Jonathan Edwards | 7 August | 1995 | |
| Men | Triple jump | 18.29 m | Jonathan Edwards | 7 August | 1995 | |
| Women | 400 metres hurdles | 52.61 | Kim Batten | 11 August | 1995 | |
| Women | Triple jump | 15.50 m | Inessa Kravets | 10 August | 1995 | |
| Men | 400 metres | 43.18 | Michael Johnson | 26 August | 1999 | |
| Women | Pole vault | 4.60 m | Stacy Dragila | 21 August | 1999 | |
| Men | 20 kilometres race walk | 1:17:21 | Jefferson Pérez | 23 August | 2003 | |
| Men | 50 kilometres race walk | 3:36:03 | Robert Korzeniowski | 27 August | 2003 | |
| Women | Pole vault | 5.01 m | Yelena Isinbaeva | 12 August | 2005 | |
| Women | Javelin throw | 71.70 m | Osleidys Menéndez | 14 August | 2005 | |
| Women | 20 kilometres walk | 1:25:41 | Olimpiada Ivanova | 7 August | 2005 | |
| Men | 100 metres | 9.58 | Usain Bolt | 16 August | 2009 | |
| Men | 200 metres | 19.19 | Usain Bolt | 20 August | 2009 | |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.31 | Steve Mullings Michael Frater Usain Bolt Asafa Powell | 22 August | 2009 | |
| Women | Hammer throw | 77.96 m | Anita Włodarczyk | 22 August | 2009 | |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.04 | Nesta Carter Michael Frater Yohan Blake Usain Bolt | 4 September | 2011 | |
| Men | Decathlon | 9,045 pts | Ashton Eaton | 29 August | 2015 | |
| Women | 50 kilometres race walk | 4:05:56 | Inês Henriques | 13 August | 2017 | |
| Mixed | 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:12.42 | Tyrell Richard Jessica Beard Jasmine Blocker Obi Igbokwe | 28 September | 2019 | |
| Mixed | 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:09.34 | Wilbert London III Allyson Felix Courtney Okolo Michael Cherry | 29 September | 2019 | |
| Women | 400 metres hurdles | 52.16 | Dalilah Muhammad | 4 October | 2019 |