Women · Sprints · All-Time
200 Metres
World record
21.34+1.3
Florence Griffith JoynerUSASeoul · 29 Sep 1988
37 years standingRecord progression →
21.34
Best mark
World record
21.79
Top 25 cutoff
25 rows
21.71
Median
Of the 25 best-by-athlete marks
8
Countries
USA 9 · JAM 7 · 6 others
Performance distribution
25 athletes from 21.34 to 21.79 · median 21.71
Top 25 cutoff through history
How fast an athlete needed to be to make the list each year
Season lists are not yet published for this event. This chart fills in as they are imported from a permitted source.
World all-time top 25
Best by athlete · updated 1 Sep 2026 · Wikipedia (English) revision of 27 Aug 2026 · methodology
25 rows
| # | Athlete | Country | Mark | Wind | Date | Venue | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florence Griffith Joyner WR | USA | 21.34 | +1.3 | 29 Sep 1988 | Seoul | 28 |
| 2 | Shericka Jackson | JAM | 21.41 | +0.1 | 25 Aug 2023 | Budapest | 29 |
| 3 | Julien Alfred | LCA | 21.51 | +0.9 | 10 Jul 2026 | Monaco | 25 |
| 4 | Elaine Thompson-Herah | JAM | 21.53 | +0.8 | 3 Aug 2021 | Tokyo | 29 |
| 5 | Gabby Thomas | USA | 21.60 | -0.4 | 9 Jul 2023 | Eugene | 26 |
| 6 | Marion Jones | USA | 21.62 | -0.6 | 11 Sep 1998 | Johannesburg | 22 |
| 7 | Dafne Schippers | NED | 21.63 | +0.2 | 28 Aug 2015 | Beijing | 23 |
| 8 | Merlene Ottey | JAM | 21.64 | +0.8 | 13 Sep 1991 | Brussels | 31 |
| 9 | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden | USA | 21.68 | -0.1 | 19 Sep 2025 | Tokyo | 24 |
| 9 | Adaejah Hodge | IVB | 21.68 | -0.4 | 13 Jun 2026 | Eugene | 20 |
| 11 | Allyson Felix | USA | 21.69 | +1.0 | 30 Jun 2012 | Eugene | 26 |
| 12 | Marita Koch | GDR | 21.71 | +0.7 | 10 Jun 1979 | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 22 |
| 12 | Heike Drechsler | GDR | 21.71 | +1.2 | 29 Jun 1986 | Jena | 21 |
| 14 | Grace Jackson | JAM | 21.72 | +1.3 | 29 Sep 1988 | Seoul | 27 |
| 14 | Gwen Torrence | USA | 21.72 | -0.1 | 5 Aug 1992 | Barcelona | 27 |
| 16 | Marlies Göhr | GDR | 21.74 | +0.4 | 3 Jun 1984 | Erfurt | 26 |
| 16 | Silke Gladisch | GDR | 21.74 | +1.2 | 3 Sep 1987 | Rome | 23 |
| 16 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | JAM | 21.74 | +0.6 | 21 Aug 2008 | Beijing | 26 |
| 16 | Shaunae Miller-Uibo | BAH | 21.74 | -0.4 | 29 Aug 2019 | Zürich | 25 |
| 20 | Juliet Cuthbert | JAM | 21.75 | -0.1 | 5 Aug 1992 | Barcelona | 28 |
| 21 | Inger Miller | USA | 21.77 | +0.6 | 27 Aug 1999 | Seville | 27 |
| 21 | Tori Bowie | USA | 21.77 | +1.5 | 27 May 2017 | Eugene | 26 |
| 21 | Abby Steiner | USA | 21.77 | -0.3 | 26 Jun 2022 | Eugene | 22 |
| 24 | Christine Mboma | NAM | 21.78 | +0.6 | 9 Sep 2021 | Zürich | 18 |
| 25 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | JAM | 21.79 | +0.8 | 27 Jun 2021 | Kingston | 34 |