55 metres

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55 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field. The history of the event lies in the 60-yard dash, which is about 5 inches shorter than 55 metres. Since the 1960s almost all countries have used metric measurements for track and field, hence the standard sprint distances for indoor competition have been 50 metres and 60 metres.

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The single exception to this was the United States, which continued to use imperial measurements. In the 1980s efforts were made to switch track and field in the United States to use metric measurements and the 55 metres was adopted as a close equivalent to 60 yards. The NCAA Indoor Championships featured the event from 1984 to 1998 and the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships featured the event from 1987 to 1990. [1] [2] [3] Subsequently the 55 metres were dropped from American championships in favour of the international standard of 60 metres. Since the late 1990s there have been very few significant open competitions over 55 metres and the event remains something of a historic anomaly. The distance is still frequently run in junior (below college) meets.

All-time top 25

Indoor results only. Hand-timed results are excluded

The websites of World Athletics [4] and tilastopaja.net [5] are often used to generate lists of top performers. However, the data in these sites is not complete before about 1998 and, as noted above, much of the championship activity in this event (and hence best performances) were before this time. Hence a better source of data is the Track and Field News website. [6]

Men

RankTimeAthleteNationalityDatePlaceRef
15.99 A Obadele Thompson Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados22 February 1997Colorado Springs
26.00 Lee McRae Flag of the United States.svg United States14 March 1986Oklahoma City
36.02 A Leo Myles-Mills Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana22 February 1997Colorado Springs
46.03 Sam Graddy Flag of the United States.svg United States14 March 1986Oklahoma City
6.03 [lower-alpha 1] Carl Lewis Flag of the United States.svg United States5 February 1983Dallas
6.03+ Christian Coleman Flag of the United States.svg United States11 February 2023 New York City [7]
76.04 André Cason Flag of the United States.svg United States9 March 1990Indianapolis
6.04 A Ato Boldon Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago1 February 1997Flagstaff
96.05 Brian Cooper Flag of the United States.svg United States13 February 1988East Rutherford
6.05 [lower-alpha 1] Stanley Floyd Flag of the United States.svg United States31 January 1981Dallas
116.06 Tim Harden Flag of the United States.svg United States9 March 1996Indianapolis
Emmit King Flag of the United States.svg United States26 February 1988 New York City
Fred Johnson Flag of the United States.svg United States16 March 1985Fargo
6.06 [lower-alpha 1] Houston McTear Flag of the United States.svg United States24 February 1978 New York City
6.06 A Marcus Brunson Flag of the United States.svg United States20 February 1999Reno
Felix Andam Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana28 February 1998Colorado Springs
Syan Williams Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica14 February 1998Colorado Springs
Keith Williams Flag of the United States.svg United States15 February 1997Colorado Springs
196.07 Leonard Scott Flag of the United States.svg United States20 February 1999 Gainesville
Ousmane Diarra Flag of Mali.svg Mali10 February 1996Ames
Raghib Ismail Flag of the United States.svg United States8 February 1991West Lafayette
Ray Stewart Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica11 March 1989Indianapolis
Ron Brown Flag of the United States.svg United States4 February 1984Dallas
6.07 A Obadiah Cooper Flag of the United States.svg United States21 February 1998Flagstaff
256.08 Marvin Bracy Flag of the United States.svg United States29 January 2012 Gainesville
Michael Green Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica14 March 1992Indianapolis
Phil Epps Flag of the United States.svg United States5 March 1983Dallas
Rod Richardson Flag of the United States.svg United States13 March 1982Pontiac
James Sanford Flag of the United States.svg United States20 February 1981San Diego
6.08 A Bernard Williams Flag of the United States.svg United States21 February 1998 Colorado Springs

Women

RankTimeAthleteNationalityDatePlaceRef
16.55 [lower-alpha 1] Evelyn Ashford Flag of the United States.svg United States26 February 1982 New York City
Jeanette Bolden Flag of the United States.svg United States21 February 1986 Los Angeles
36.56 Gwen Torrence Flag of the United States.svg United States14 March 1987 Oklahoma City
46.57 [lower-alpha 1] Alice Brown Flag of the United States.svg United States22 February 1985 New York City
6.57+ Aleia Hobbs Flag of the United States.svg United States11 February 2023 New York City [8]
66.58 Dawn Sowell Flag of the United States.svg United States26 February 1989 Baton Rouge
Beatrice Utondu-Okoye Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria11 February 1990 Monroe, North Carolina
6.58+ Tamari Davis Flag of the United States.svg United States11 February 2023 New York City [9]
96.60 [lower-alpha 1] Chandra Cheeseborough Flag of the United States.svg United States5 February 1983 Dallas
106.61 Michelle Finn Flag of the United States.svg United States23 February 1990 New York City
116.62 [lower-alpha 1] Merlene Ottey Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica13 March 1982 Cedar Falls, Iowa
Marlies Göhr Flag of East Germany.svg East Germany28 February 1986 New York City
6.62+ Marybeth Sant-Price Flag of the United States.svg United States11 February 2023 New York City [10]
146.63+ Mikiah Brisco Flag of the United States.svg United States11 February 2023 New York City [11]
156.64 [lower-alpha 1] Lyudmila Storozhkova Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union3 March 1979 New York City
6.64 Anelia Nuneva Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria27 February 1987 New York City
176.65 [lower-alpha 1] Florence Griffith Flag of the United States.svg United States8 February 1985 Inglewood
Nelli Cooman Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands30 January 1987 New York City
6.65 Savatheda Fynes Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas8 March 1997 Indianapolis
206.66 Carlette Guidry Flag of the United States.svg United States10 March 1990 Indianapolis
Michelle Freeman Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica30 January 1993 Johnson City
226.67 [lower-alpha 1] Angela Bailey Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada28 February 1986 New York City
6.67+ Shawnti Jackson Flag of the United States.svg United States29 January 2022 New York City [12]
11 February 2023 [13]
246.68 Chryste Gaines Flag of the United States.svg United States14 March 1992 Indianapolis
6.68 A Aleisha Latimer Flag of the United States.svg United States19 January 1996 Boulder, Colorado
Peta-Gaye Dowdie Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica6 February 1988 Colorado Springs
6.68 Angela Williams Flag of the United States.svg United States15 March 1998 Roxberry Crossing

Season's bests

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Converted from a time for the slightly shorter 60 yards by adding 0.01

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References

  1. ↑ "History of NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships" (PDF). NCAA. 2013.
  2. ↑ "History of NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships" (PDF). NCAA. 2013.
  3. ↑ "USATF Indoor Champions". USATF. 2018.
  4. ↑ "55 Metres Men". World Athletics. 4 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "All-time men's best 55m". tilastopaja.net. 4 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "T&FN YEARLY & ALL-TIME LISTS". Track and Field News. 4 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "55m Dash en-route Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "55m Dash en-route Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "55m Dash en-route Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "55m Dash en-route Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "55m Dash en-route Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Shawnti Jackson 55m en route Result". milesplit.com. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "55m Dash en-route Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.


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