The 400 metres hurdles at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by women since 1980 and by men since 1983.
Karsten Warholm is the most successful athlete in the history of the event, winning three medals between 2017 and 2023. is the second most successful athlete, winning two gold medals and one silver medal between 2001 and 2007. Nezha Bidouane has the same medal tally as Sanchez and is the most successful female athlete, winning two golds and one silver between 1997 and 2001. Yuliya Pechonkina, Lashinda Demus and Dalilah Muhammad have won the most medals in the event, with four total; all won one gold, two silver and one bronze.
The United States is the most successful nation in the discipline, winning 7 gold medals in the men's discipline, 5 gold medals in the women's discipline and 39 medals in total. Great Britain is the only other nation that has won gold in both the men's and the women's event, winning gold in the women's event in 1993 and gold in the men's event in 2011.
The championship records for the event are 46.29 for men, set by Alison dos Santos in 2022, and 50.68 s for women, set by Sydney McLaughlin, also in 2022. The women's world record has been broken four times at the World Championships: by Sally Gunnell in 1993, Kim Batten in 1995, Dalilah Muhammad in 2019, and Sydney McLaughlin in 2022. The men's world record has never been broken at the competition.
Age records All information from World Athletics. DistinctionMale FemaleAthleteAgeDateAthleteAgeDateYoungest champion 21 years, 165 days 9 Aug 2017 20 years, 292 days 15 Aug 2003Youngest medalist 20 years, 14 days 4 Aug 1997 19 years, 305 days 16 Aug 1980Youngest finalist17 years, 246 days18 Aug 200919 years, 137 days16 Aug 1980Youngest participant 17 years, 243 days 15 Aug 2009 16 years, 99 days 26 Aug 1991Oldest champion 32 years, 1 day 1 Sep 1987 31 years, 324 days 8 Aug 2001Oldest medalist 32 years, 272 days 27 Aug 1991 36 years, 226 days 13 Aug 2005Oldest finalist37 years, 185 days18 Aug 200936 years, 226 days13 Aug 2005Oldest participant 37 years, 245 days 16 July 2022 37 years, 321 days 28 Aug 2007
Medalists
Men
Multiple medalists Rank Athlete Nation PeriodGoldSilverBronze Total 1 2017–2023 3 0 0 3 2 2001–2007 2 1 0 33 1983–1987 2 0 0 2 2007–2009 2 0 0 25Rai Benjamin2019-20251214 6 1991–1995 1 2 0 3 7 1995–1999 1 1 1 3 8 1999–2001 1 1 0 2Alison dos Santos2022-20251102 10 2005–2009 1 0 1 2 11 2009–2011 0 2 0 2 12 1983–1987 0 1 1 2 1991–1993 0 1 1 2 13 2001–2005 0 0 2 2Abderrahman Samba2019-20250022
Women
Multiple medalists + Rank Athlete Nation Period Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 1997–2001 2 1 0 3 2022–2025 2 1 0 3 3 2003–2007 2 0 0 2 2013–2015 2 0 0 2 5 2001–2007 1 2 1 4 2005–2013 1 2 1 4 2013–2022 1 2 1 4 8 1991–1993 1 1 0 2 2009–2011 1 1 0 2 2019–2022 1 1 0 2 11 1995–1997 1 0 1 2 1999–2001 1 0 1 2 13 2015–2023 0 2 0 2 14 1995–1999 0 1 2 3 15 1980–1983 0 1 1 2 2003–2005 0 1 1 2 17 2019–2023 0 0 2 2
Championship record progression
Men +Men's 400 metres hurdles World Championships record progressionMain > Men, 400 m hurdles > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate50.44Andre Philips1983Heats1983-08-0750.12Aleksandr Kharlov1983Heats1983-08-0749.54Edwin Moses1983Heats1983-08-0748.11Edwin Moses1983Semi-finals1983-08-0847.50Edwin Moses1983Final1983-08-0947.46Edwin Moses1987Final1987-09-0147.18Kevin Young1993Final1993-08-1946.29Alison dos Santos2022Final2022-07-19
Women +Women's 400 metres hurdles World Championships record progressionMain > Women, 400 m hurdles > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate56.43Yekaterina Fesenko1983Heats1983-08-0856.30Anna Ambraziene1983Heats1983-08-0855.77Petra Pfaff1983Semi-finals1983-08-0955.18Anna Ambraziene1983Semi-finals1983-08-0954.14Yekaterina Fesenko1983Final1983-08-1053.62Sabine Busch1987Final1987-09-0353.11Tatyana Ledovskaya1991Final1991-08-2952.74 Sally Gunnell1993Final1993-08-1952.61 Kim Batten1995Final1995-08-1152.42Melaine Walker2009Final2009-08-2052.16 Dalilah Muhammad2019Final2019-10-0450.68 Sydney McLaughlin2022Final2022-07-22
Finishing times Top ten fastest World Championship times
+ Fastest men's times at the World ChampionshipsRankTime (sec)AthleteNationYearDate 1 46.29 Alison dos Santos 2022 2022-07-19 2 46.52 Rai Benjamin 2025 2025-09-19 3 46.84 Alison dos Santos 2025 2025-09-19446.89Rai Benjamin 2022 2022-07-19Karsten Warholm 2023 2023-08-23 6 47.06 Abderrahman Samba 2025 2025-09-19 7 47.09 Karsten Warholm 2023SF 2023-08-21 8 47.11 Ezekiel Nathaniel 2025 2025-09-19 9 47.18 Kevin Young 1993 1993-08-19 10 47.24 Rai Benjamin 2023SF 2023-08-21
+ Fastest women's times at the World ChampionshipsRankTime (sec)AthleteNationYearDate 1 50.68 Sydney McLaughlin 2022 2022-07-22 2 51.54 Femke Bol 2025 2025-09-19 3 51.70 Femke Bol 2023 2023-08-24 4 52.08 Jasmine Jones 2025 2025-09-19 5 52.16 Dalilah Muhammad 2019 2019-10-04 6 52.17 Sydney McLaughlin 2022SF 2022-07-20 7 52.23 Sydney McLaughlin 2019 2019-10-04 8 52.27 Femke Bol 2022 2022-07-22 9 52.31 Femke Bol 2025SF 2025-09-17 10 52.42 Melaine Walker 2009 2009-10-20
See also 400 metres hurdles 400 metres hurdles at the Olympics
References
External links Official IAAF website