Sprint hurdles at the Olympics

This article is about the 80 m, 100 m, 110 m, and 200 m hurdles events. For the longer 400 metres hurdles sprint, see 400 metres hurdles at the Olympics.

Sprint hurdles
at the Olympic Games

The 2008 Olympic men's 110 m hurdles semi-final

Overview
Sport| Athletics
Gender| Men and women
Years held| Men 110 m: 1896 – 2020
Men 200 m: 1900 – 1904
Women 80 m: 1932 – 1968
Women 100 m: 1972 – 2020
Olympic record
Men| 12.91 Liu Xiang (2004)
Women| 12.26 Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (2020)
Reigning champion
Men|  Grant Holloway (USA)
Women|  Masai Russell (USA)

The sprint hurdles at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. The men's 110 metres hurdles has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first edition in 1896. A men's 200 metres hurdles was also briefly held, from 1900 to 1904. The first women's sprint hurdling event was added to the programme at the 1932 Olympics in the form of the 80 metres hurdles. At the 1972 Games the women's distance was extended to the 100 metres hurdles, which is the current international standard.

The Olympic records are 12.91 seconds for the men's 110 m hurdles, set by Liu Xiang in 2004, and 12.26 seconds for the women's 100 m hurdles, set by Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in 2020. The fastest time recorded at the Olympics for the men's 200 m hurdles was 24.6 seconds by 1904 winner Harry Hillman. Maureen Caird won the last women's Olympic 80 m hurdles race in 1968 with a record of 10.39 seconds. The men's 110 m hurdles world record has been broken at the Olympics on six occasions: 1908, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1972, 2004, and 2012. The women's 100 m hurdles world record has been broken only once, by Annelie Ehrhardt at the inaugural 1972 Olympic final.[1] In contrast the 80 m hurdles world record was set at the Olympics in 1932 (four times), 1936, and 1952 (twice).[2]

Only three athletes have won two Olympic sprint hurdles gold medals: on the men's side, Lee Calhoun, and Roger Kingdom, and on the women's side Shirley Strickland. Strickland is also the only athlete to win three such Olympic medals, having won a bronze medal before her victories. Alvin Kraenzlein is the only athlete to have won two hurdles medals at the same Olympics, having taken the 110 m and 200 m titles. Historically, hurdlers also competed in other individual sprinting events (Harrison Dillard and Fanny Blankers-Koen were also 100 metres Olympic champions), but this became rare after the 1950s.

The United States has been the most successful nation in the men's event with 19 gold medals and 56 medals in total. Though less dominant in the women's events, the U.S. also has the most women's gold medals, with five.

## Medal summary

[edit]

### Men's 110 metres hurdles

[edit]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

edit

1896 Athens
details | Thomas Curtis
United States | Grantley Goulding
Great Britain | none awarded
1900 Paris
details | Alvin Kraenzlein
United States | John McLean
United States | Fred Moloney
United States
1904 St. Louis
details | Frederick Schule
United States | Thaddeus Shideler
United States | Lesley Ashburner
United States
1908 London
details | Forrest Smithson
United States | John Garrels
United States | Arthur Shaw
United States
1912 Stockholm
details | Fred Kelly
United States | James Wendell
United States | Martin Hawkins
United States
1920 Antwerp
details | Earl Thomson
Canada | Harold Barron
United States | Feg Murray
United States
1924 Paris
details | Daniel Kinsey
United States | Sid Atkinson
South Africa | Sten Pettersson
Sweden
1928 Amsterdam
details | Sid Atkinson
South Africa | Steve Anderson
United States | John Collier
United States
1932 Los Angeles
details | George Saling
United States | Percy Beard
United States | Don Finlay
Great Britain
1936 Berlin
details | Forrest Towns
United States | Don Finlay
Great Britain | Fritz Pollard
United States
1948 London
details | William Porter
United States | Clyde Scott
United States | Craig Dixon
United States
1952 Helsinki
details | Harrison Dillard
United States | Jack Davis
United States | Arthur Barnard
United States
1956 Melbourne
details | Lee Calhoun
United States | Jack Davis
United States | Joel Shankle
United States
1960 Rome
details | Lee Calhoun
United States | Willie May
United States | Hayes Jones
United States
1964 Tokyo
details | Hayes Jones
United States | Blaine Lindgren
United States | Anatoly Mikhailov
Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City
details | Willie Davenport
United States | Ervin Hall
United States | Eddy Ottoz
Italy
1972 Munich
details | Rod Milburn
United States | Guy Drut
France | Thomas Hill
United States
1976 Montreal
details | Guy Drut
France | Alejandro Casañas
Cuba | Willie Davenport
United States
1980 Moscow
details | Thomas Munkelt
East Germany | Alejandro Casañas
Cuba | Aleksandr Puchkov
Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles
details | Roger Kingdom
United States | Greg Foster
United States | Arto Bryggare
Finland
1988 Seoul
details | Roger Kingdom
United States | Colin Jackson
Great Britain | Tonie Campbell
United States
1992 Barcelona
details | Mark McKoy
Canada | Tony Dees
United States | Jack Pierce
United States
1996 Atlanta
details | Allen Johnson
United States | Mark Crear
United States | Florian Schwarthoff
Germany
2000 Sydney
details | Anier García
Cuba | Terrence Trammell
United States | Mark Crear
United States
2004 Athens
details | Liu Xiang
China | Terrence Trammell
United States | Anier García
Cuba
2008 Beijing
details | Dayron Robles
Cuba | David Payne
United States | David Oliver
United States
2012 London
details | Aries Merritt
United States | Jason Richardson
United States | Hansle Parchment
Jamaica
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details | Omar McLeod
Jamaica | Orlando Ortega
Spain | Dimitri Bascou
France
2020 Tokyo
details | Hansle Parchment
Jamaica | Grant Holloway
United States | Ronald Levy
Jamaica
2024 Paris
details | Grant Holloway
United States | Daniel Roberts
United States | Rasheed Broadbell
Jamaica

#### Multiple medalists

[edit]

Rank  | Athlete  | Nation  | Olympics  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Lee Calhoun |  United States (USA) | 1956–1960 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2
Roger Kingdom |  United States (USA) | 1984–1988 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2
3 | Sydney Atkinson |  South Africa (RSA) | 1924–1928 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
Guy Drut |  France (FRA) | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
5 | Hayes Jones |  United States (USA) | 1960–1964 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
Willie Davenport |  United States (USA) | 1968–1976 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
Anier Garcia |  Cuba (CUB) | 2000–2004 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
Hansle Parchment |  Jamaica (JAM) | 2012–2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
9 | Jack Davis |  United States (USA) | 1952–1956 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2
Alejandro Casanas |  Cuba (CUB) | 1976–1980 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2
Terrence Trammell |  United States (USA) | 2000–2004 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2
12 | Don Finlay |  Great Britain (GBR) | 1932–1936 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
Mark Crear |  United States (USA) | 1996–2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2

#### Medals by country

[edit]

Rank  | Nation  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|

1 |  United States (USA) | 19 | 21 | 17 | 57
2 |  Cuba (CUB) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5
3 |  Jamaica (JAM) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4
4 |  Canada (CAN) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2
5 |  France (FRA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3
6 |  South Africa (RSA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
7 |  China (CHN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
9 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4
10 |  Spain (ESP) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
11 |  Soviet Union (URS) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2
12 |  Finland (FIN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
Germany (GER) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
Italy (ITA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1

### Women's 80 metres hurdles

[edit]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

1932 Los Angeles
details | Babe Didrikson
United States | Evelyne Hall
United States | Marjorie Clark
South Africa
1936 Berlin
details | Ondina Valla
Italy | Anni Steuer
Germany | Elizabeth Taylor
Canada
1948 London
details | Fanny Blankers-Koen
Netherlands | Maureen Gardner
Great Britain | Shirley Strickland
Australia
1952 Helsinki
details | Shirley Strickland de la Hunty
Australia | Maria Golubnichaya
Soviet Union | Maria Sander
Germany
1956 Melbourne
details | Shirley Strickland de la Hunty
Australia | Gisela Köhler
United Team of Germany | Norma Thrower
Australia
1960 Rome
details | Irina Press
Soviet Union | Carole Quinton
Great Britain | Gisela Birkemeyer
United Team of Germany
1964 Tokyo
details | Karin Balzer
United Team of Germany | Teresa Ciepły
Poland | Pam Kilborn
Australia
1968 Mexico City
details | Maureen Caird
Australia | Pam Kilborn
Australia | Chi Cheng
Taiwan

#### Multiple medalists

[edit]

Rank  | Athlete  | Nation  | Olympics  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Shirley Strickland |  Australia (AUS) | 1948–1956 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3
2 | Gisela Birkemeyer |  United Team of Germany (EUA) | 1956–1960 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
Pam Kilborn |  Australia (AUS) | 1964–1968 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2

#### Medalists by country

[edit]

Rank  | Nation  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|

1 |  Australia (AUS) | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7
2 |  Germany (GER)[nb] | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5
3 |  Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
United States (USA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
5 |  Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
7 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2
8 |  Poland (POL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
9 |  Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
Republic of China (ROC) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
South Africa (RSA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1

* nb The German total includes teams both competing as Germany and the United Team of Germany, but not East or West Germany.

### Women's 100 metres hurdles

[edit]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

edit

1972 Munich
details | Annelie Ehrhardt
East Germany | Valeria Bufanu
Romania | Karin Balzer
East Germany
1976 Montreal
details | Johanna Schaller
East Germany | Tatyana Anisimova
Soviet Union | Natalya Lebedeva
Soviet Union
1980 Moscow
details | Vera Komisova
Soviet Union | Johanna Klier
East Germany | Lucyna Langer
Poland
1984 Los Angeles
details | Benita Fitzgerald
United States | Shirley Strong
Great Britain | Michèle Chardonnet
France
Kim Turner
United States
1988 Seoul
details | Yordanka Donkova
Bulgaria | Gloria Siebert
East Germany | Claudia Zaczkiewicz
West Germany
1992 Barcelona
details | Voula Patoulidou
Greece | LaVonna Martin
United States | Yordanka Donkova
Bulgaria
1996 Atlanta
details | Ludmila Engquist
Sweden | Brigita Bukovec
Slovenia | Patricia Girard
France
2000 Sydney
details | Olga Shishigina
Kazakhstan | Glory Alozie
Nigeria | Melissa Morrison
United States
2004 Athens
details | Joanna Hayes
United States | Olena Krasovska
Ukraine | Melissa Morrison
United States
2008 Beijing
details | Dawn Harper
United States | Sally Pearson
Australia | Priscilla Lopes-Schliep
Canada
2012 London
details | Sally Pearson
Australia | Dawn Harper
United States | Kellie Wells
United States
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details | Brianna Rollins
United States | Nia Ali
United States | Kristi Castlin
United States
2020 Tokyo
details | Jasmine Camacho-Quinn
Puerto Rico | Kendra Harrison
United States | Megan Tapper
Jamaica
2024 Paris
details | Masai Russell
United States | Cyréna Samba-Mayela
France | Jasmine Camacho-Quinn
Puerto Rico

#### Multiple medalists

[edit]

Rank  | Athlete  | Nation  | Olympics  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Johanna Schaller |  East Germany (GDR) | 1976–1980 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
Sally Pearson |  Australia (AUS) | 2008–2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
Dawn Harper |  United States (USA) | 2008–2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
4 | Yordanka Donkova |  Bulgaria (BUL) | 1988–1992 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
5 | Melissa Morrison |  United States (USA) | 2000–2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2

#### Medalists by country

[edit]

Rank  | Nation  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|

1 |  United States (USA) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13
2 |  East Germany (GDR) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5
3 |  Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3
4 |  Australia (AUS) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
5 |  Bulgaria (BUL) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
6 |  Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
Puerto Rico (PUR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
10 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
Nigeria (NGR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
Romania (ROU) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
Slovenia (SLO) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
15 |  France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2
16 |  Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
Poland (POL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
Jamaica (JAM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1

## 200 metres hurdles

[edit]

For a brief period, a men's Olympic 200 metres low hurdles race was held. It was a relatively common event in the early 1900s. With only two appearances in 1900 and 1904, the event's removal as an Olympic event marked the beginning of a steady decline of its popularity over the course of the 20th century and it is now a rarity. The 1900 event was won by Alvin Kraenzlein, who won four gold medals that year, including the 110 m hurdles title.[3] The second and final 200 m hurdles champion, Harry Hillman, was again a multiple gold medallist, as the American won the 400 metres sprint and 400 metres hurdles Olympic titles at that games.[4]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

1900 Paris
details |  Alvin Kraenzlein (USA) |  Norman Pritchard (IND) |  Walter Tewksbury (USA)
1904 St. Louis
details |  Harry Hillman (USA) |  Frank Castleman (USA) |  George Poage (USA)

## Finishing Times

[edit]

### Top ten fastest Olympic times

[edit]

Fastest men's times at the Olympics[5] | Rank  | Time (sec)  | Athlete  | Nation  | Games  | Date

|
|
|
|
|

1 | 12.91 | Liu Xiang |  China | 2004 | 2004-08-27
2 | 12.92 | Aries Merritt |  United States | 2012 | 2012-08-08
3 | 12.93 | Dayron Robles |  Cuba | 2008 | 2008-08-21
4 | 12.94 | Aries Merritt |  United States | 2012 SF  | 2012-08-08
5 | 12.95 | Allen Johnson |  United States | 1996 | 1996-07-29
6  | 12.98  | Roger Kingdom |  United States | 1988 | 1988-09-26
Grant Holloway |  United States | 2024 SF  | 2024-08-07
8 | 12.99 | Grant Holloway |  United States | 2024 | 2024-08-08
9 | 13.00 | Anier Garcia |  Cuba | 2000 | 2000-09-25
10 | 13.01 | Grant Holloway |  United States | 2024 H  | 2024-08-04
Fastest women's times at the Olympics[6] | Rank  | Time (sec)  | Athlete  | Nation  | Games  | Date

|
|
|
|
|

1 | 12.26 | Jasmine Camacho-Quinn |  Puerto Rico | 2020 SF | 2021-08-01
2 | 12.33 | Masai Russell |  United States | 2024 | 2024-08-10
3  | 12.34  | Cyréna Samba-Mayela |  France | 2024 | 2024-08-10
Alaysha Johnson |  United States | 2024SF | 2024-08-09
5  | 12.35  | Sally Pearson |  Australia | 2012 | 2012-08-07
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn |  Puerto Rico | 2024SF | 2024-08-09
7 | 12.36 | Jasmine Camacho-Quinn |  Puerto Rico | 2024 | 2024-08-10
8  | 12.37  | Joanna Hayes |  United States | 2004 | 2004-08-24
Dawn Harper |  United States | 2012 | 2012-08-07
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn |  Puerto Rico | 2020 | 2021-08-02

* H – time recorded in the heats
* QF – time recorded in the quarter-finals
* SF – time recorded in the semi-finals

## Intercalated Games

[edit]

The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[7]

At this event a men's 110 m hurdles race was held. For the top two finishers, American hurdler Robert Leavitt and British athlete Alfred Healey, this was the peak of their respective careers.[8] Bronze medalist Vincent Duncker of Germany was the joint 100 metres world record holder at the time.[9]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

1906 Athens
details |  Robert Leavitt (USA) |  Alfred Healey (GBR) |  Vincent Duncker (GER)

## References

[edit]

Participation and athlete data

* Men's 200 metres Hurdles Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
* Men's 110 metres Hurdles Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
* Women's 100 metres Hurdles Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
* Women's 80 metres Hurdles Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.

Olympic record progressions

* Mallon, Bill (2012). TRACK & FIELD ATHLETICS - OLYMPIC RECORD PROGRESSIONS. Track and Field News. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.

Specific

1. ^ "13th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Daegu 2011. (Part 5 of 5)". Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2011. pp. 546, 553, 595, 697, 698. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
2. ^ Women, 80 m Hurdles > World Records Progression. Brinkster. Retrieved on 2014-06-28.
3. ^ Al Kraenzlein. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-08.
4. ^ Harry Hillman. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-08.
5. ^ "Men's 110m Hurdles".
6. ^ "Women's 100m Hurdles".
7. ^ 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
8. ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's 110 metres Hurdles. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
9. ^ Men, 100 m > World Records Progression. Brinkster Track and Field. Retrieved on 2014-02-02.

## External links

[edit]

* IAAF 110 metres hurdles homepage
* IAAF 100 metres hurdles homepage
* Official Olympics website
* Olympic athletics records from Track & Field News

* v
* t
* e

Sprint hurdles at the Olympic Games

Summary

Men's 110 m|

* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Women's 80 m

* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968

Women's 100 m|

* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

See also: Men's 200 m hurdles 1900 • 1904

* v
* t
* e

Athletics at the Summer Olympics

Editions|

* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1906 (Intercalated)
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Events|

| Track|

* 100 m
* 200 m
* 400 m
* 800 m
* 1500 m
* 5000 m
* 10,000 m
* 4 × 100 m relay
* 4 × 400 m relay
* Sprint hurdles
* 400 m hurdles
* Steeplechase

|

Field|

* Shot put
* Discus throw
* Hammer throw
* Javelin throw
* Pole vault
* High jump
* Long jump
* Triple jump

Others|

* Combined events
* Marathon
* Race walking

Defunct|

* Cross country
* Team races
* 60 metres
* Weight throw
* Wheelchair racing
* Professional events
* Handicap events

* List of medalists
* men
* women
* Records
* Venues
* Medal sweeps

*[v]: View this template
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*[e]: Edit this template