The golden era of the men’s 200m is upon us. At least that’s according to World Athletics.
On Thursday, the track and field governing body released a graphic that shows the progression in the event over the past 20 years, including how many male athletes have run sub 20 seconds in the event over the 20 year span.
In 2003, the fastest time in the men’s 200m was run by Bernard Williams, with his mark of 20.01. Shawn Crawford forwarded the event in 2004, running 19.78. The event really took form in 2006, when Xavier Carter held the world lead in the event with his time of 19.63. That year also saw six men run sub 20 second 200m times.
The event then cemented itself as a premier event for a 10-year stretch, and it was all due to one man: Usain Bolt. Bolt took the track and field world by storm when he broke the world record in the event in 2009 with his time of 19.19 at the 2009 World Championships. He didn’t lose a 200m race at a major championship from 2008-2016.
Where are we now post-Bolt? Since 2016, the number of sub-20 200m runners has nearly doubled, with 2023 recording 20 athletes going sub 20. Noah Lyles has taken the reigns of the event. He’s won multiple world titles, but he has the fastest time in the event since Bolt, with his mark of 19.31 at the World Championships in Eugene in 2022.
