Michael Johnson
#2 · men's 400 m · United States
43.18sOfficial
Men's 400 Metres
Wayde van Niekerk
South African athlete. men's 400 m mark of 43.03 seconds at Rio de Janeiro on 14 August 2016, the personal best on the World Athletics all-time list.
Race time
43.03s
men's 400 m, Rio de Janeiro. One personal best per athlete.
This list
Why it's so fast
The 400 metres is a sprint that lasts long enough to hurt. The winner is the athlete who slows down the least, not only the one with the best 100 metre speed.
Even effort
Go through the first 200 too hard and the last 100 collapses. The fast times are paced so the second half does not fall apart.
One lap of speed
It is still a sprint: blocks, a bend, and no time to jog. Endurance in the marathon sense is a different event.
The record is Wayde van Niekerk.
This is how the category works. A note written for this entry appears here once it is in the database.
Provenance
Every measurement
Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.
- 43.03sRanked figure
men's 400 m, Rio de Janeiro. One personal best per athlete.
Official
Reference
Specs
- Country
- South Africa
- Event
- men's 400 m
- Mark
- 43.03 s
- Venue
- Rio de Janeiro
Context
Background
Wayde van Niekerk's ranked men's 400 m time is 43.03 seconds at Rio de Janeiro on 14 August 2016. World Athletics, Athletic Stats (refreshed 5 October 2026) and Track & Field News print that time and date.
The list is one event. A mark from another distance is a different page, with its own slug. Wind above +2.0 m/s is not legal and is not stored. Lower is faster.
Spot a wrong number?
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