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FastestThings

Women's 200 Meters

Florence Griffith-Joyner

American athlete. women's 200 m mark of 21.34 seconds at Seoul on September 29, 1988, the personal best on the World Athletics all-time list.

Florence Griffith-Joyner's race time is 21.34 s, an official figure.

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Race time

21.34s

women's 200 m, Seoul, wind +2.9 mph (+1.3 m/s). One personal best per athlete.

OfficialWorld Athletics (opens source in a new tab)

Quick answers

People also ask

What is Florence Griffith-Joyner's race time?

Florence Griffith-Joyner's race time is 21.34 s, an official figure.

Is that figure claimed or verified?

Florence Griffith-Joyner is labeled Official. Ratified by a governing body such as the FIA, World Athletics or Guinness World Records.

What is the source?

The figure cites World Athletics, “200 metres women, senior, outdoor all-time list.”

Where does Florence Griffith-Joyner rank?

Florence Griffith-Joyner is 1st of 9 on Fastest Women's 200 m.

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

Florence Griffith-Joyner's mark is a women's 200 meters of 21.34 seconds at Seoul on September 29, 1988. The race is a bend and then a straight. Dividing 200 meters by that time is about 21.0 mph for the whole race, bend included.

Time
21.34 s
Average
about 21.0 mph
Place
Seoul
Date
September 29, 1988

  1. The bend is part of the clock

    A 200 meters leaves the blocks on a curve. Florence Griffith-Joyner cannot run the bend the way a straight 100 is run, and the 21.34 includes that curve plus the straight. What counts is the full race at Seoul on September 29, 1988. A speed on the straight alone is not a separate figure.

  2. 21.0 mph is the full race

    200 meters in 21.34 seconds is about 21.0 mph from start to finish. That average is slower than a peak on the straight because the bend is in the denominator. Florence Griffith-Joyner's mark is the personal best on the all-time list. This does not add a wind reading the entry does not keep.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 21.34sRanked figure

    women's 200 m, Seoul, wind +2.9 mph (+1.3 m/s). One personal best per athlete.

    Official
    World Athletics (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Country
United States
Event
women's 200 m
Mark
21.34 s
Venue
Seoul

Context

Background

Florence Griffith-Joyner's ranked women's 200 m time is 21.34 seconds at Seoul on September 29, 1988, wind +2.9 mph (+1.3 m/s). World Athletics, Athletic Stats (refreshed October 5, 2026) and Track & Field News say that time and date.

The list is one event. A mark from another distance is a different page, with its own slug. Wind above +4.5 mph (+2.0 m/s) is not legal. Lower is faster.

Spot a wrong number?

Every report is read by a person, and corrections are dated on the page.