United States at the World Athletics Championships

Last updated
United States at the
World Athletics Championships
Flag of the United States.svg
WA codeUSA
National federation USA Track & Field
Website www.usatf.org/Home.aspx
Medals
Ranked 1st
Gold
195
Silver
134
Bronze
114
Total
443
World Athletics Championships appearances (overview)

The United States has competed at every edition of the World Athletics Championships since its inception in 1983. It has been the most successful nation at the global competition for track and field. By the end of the 2023 World Championships, its athletes had won a total of 443 medals, 195 of them gold – more than double that of the next most successful nation Kenya, as well as more than the combined total of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet states. It has been the top nation in the championships medal table at every edition bar 1983 and 1987 (East Germany), 2001 (Russia) and 2015 (Kenya). It also ranks number one on points in the national placing tables. As one of the foremost nations in the sport internationally, its delegations for the championships are among the largest. It also won the first title of "World Team Champions" inaugurated for the Oregon 2022.

Contents

The most decorated athlete of the competition's history is American: Allyson Felix has won 20 World Championships medals, eleven of them gold, competing across the individual and relay sprint events. Among men, the United States has three of the four most decorated men (after Usain Bolt), all of them sprinters; LaShawn Merritt has eleven medals, Carl Lewis won ten and Michael Johnson won eight. All three won eight gold medals. Johnson is the nation's most successful athlete individually (and the third most successful overall), having won six gold medals in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. American Gail Devers is the second most successful woman individually, with four golds and two silver medals from the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles. Felix and Amy Acuff have made the most appearances for the United States, each having represented their country at eight separate editions.

The United States team was affected by doping during the period from 1997 to 2003, principally in sprinting events. The loss of several gold medals in 2001 resulted in the United States dropping to second in the medal rankings for the first time since 1987.

Medal table

ChampionshipsMenWomenMixedTotal
GoldSilverBronzeGoldSilverBronzeGoldSilverBronzeGoldSilverBronzeTotalRankAthletes
1976 Malmö 000No female eventsNo mixed events0000Unranked3
1980 Sittard No male events0000000Unranked6
1983 Helsinki 684213897242101
1987 Roma 7343121046202
1991 Tokyo 9471411088261
1993 Stuttgart 8335421375251
1995 Gothenburg 7145111225191
1997 Athens 416222638171
1999 Seville 6034311034171
2001 Edmonton 332221553132
2003 Paris 640231871161
2005 Helsinki 9425411483251
2007 Osaka 10364211457261
2009 Berlin 6444221066221160
2011 Daegu 6536441297281127
2013 Moscow 4824538135261137
2015 Beijing 432234666183130
2017 London 36475510119301167
2019 Doha 95146310014114291144
2022 Eugene 67572500113911331151
2023 Budapest 6255641001289291138
Total11974677460462011951341144431

Multiple medalists

AthleteGoldSilverBronzeTotalYears
Allyson Felix 1433202005–2022
LaShawn Merritt 830112005–2015
Carl Lewis 811101983–1993
Michael Johnson 80081991–1999
Noah Lyles 61072019–2023
Gail Devers 53081991–2001
Sanya Richards-Ross 52072003–2015
Jeremy Wariner 51062005–2009
Natasha Hastings 51062007–2017
Jessica Beard 51062009–2019
Maurice Greene 50051997–2001
Justin Gatlin 460102005–2019
Jearl Miles Clark 43291991–2003
Allen Johnson 40151995–2005
Dwight Phillips 40152003–2011
Kerron Clement 40152007–2017
Jackie Joyner-Kersee 40041987–1993
Brittney Reese 40042009–2017
Christian Taylor 40042011–2019
Gwen Torrence 34181991–1995
Christian Coleman 33062017–2023
Butch Reynolds 32161987–1995
Carmelita Jeter 31372007–2013
Fred Kerley 31152017–2023
Calvin Smith 31041983–1987
Lauryn Williams 31042005–2007
Tyson Gay 31042007–2009
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone 31042019–2022
Marion Jones 30141997–1999
Bershawn Jackson 30142005–2011
Angelo Taylor 30142007–2011
Greg Foster 30031983–1991
Dan O'Brien 30031991–1995
John Godina 30031995–2001
Grant Holloway 30032019–2023

Best placings

Of the 50 events that have been held over the history of the championships, 30 have been won by American athletes (17 men's events and 13 women's events). A further 4 men's and 5 women's events have featured an American medallist at some point. Americans have topped the podium in all sprint and hurdles events, as well as all the men's jumps. By far the weakest events of the United States are men's and women's racewalking and women's throws – only four bronze medals have been won by American athletes in these disciplines, among a total of over 350 medals across events. Americans have featured in the final at some point of every discipline contested at the championships.

This table shows the best place finish by an American athlete by event. Where the best position has been achieved multiple times, the first instance is shown.

EventMen's placingMale athleteWomen's placingFemale athlete
100 mGold medal icon.svg Carl Lewis (1983)Gold medal icon.svg Gail Devers (1993)
200 mGold medal icon.svg Calvin Smith (1983)Gold medal icon.svg Inger Miller (1999)
400 mGold medal icon.svg Antonio Pettigrew (1991)Gold medal icon.svg Jearl Miles (1993)
800 mGold medal icon.svg Donavan Brazier (2019)Gold medal icon.svg Athing Mu (2022)
1500 mGold medal icon.svg Bernard Lagat (2007)Gold medal icon.svg Mary Decker (1983)
3000 mNot contestedGold medal icon.svg Mary Decker (1983)
5000 mGold medal icon.svg Bernard Lagat (2007)6th Molly Huddle (2013)
10,000 m4th Galen Rupp (2013)Silver medal icon.svg Kara Goucher (2007)
MarathonGold medal icon.svg Mark Plaatjes (1993)Silver medal icon.svg Marianne Dickerson (1983)
110/100 m hurdlesGold medal icon.svg Greg Foster (1983)Gold medal icon.svg Gail Devers (1993)
400 m hurdlesGold medal icon.svg Edwin Moses (1983)Gold medal icon.svg Kim Batten (1995)
3000 m s'chaseBronze medal icon.svg Evan Jager (2017)Gold medal icon.svg Emma Coburn (2017)
10 km walkNot contested15th Lynn Weik (1987)
20 km walk18th Allen James (1993)19th Debbi Lawrence (2001)
50 km walkBronze medal icon.svg Curt Clausen (1999)4th Kathleen Burnett (2017)
4 × 100 m relayGold medal icon.svg United States (1987)Gold medal icon.svg United States (1987)
4 × 400 m relayGold medal icon.svg United States (1983)Gold medal icon.svg United States (1993)
High jumpGold medal icon.svg Charles Austin (1991)Gold medal icon.svg Brigetta Barrett (2013)
Pole vaultGold medal icon.svg Brad Walker (2007)Gold medal icon.svg Stacy Dragila (1999)
Long jumpGold medal icon.svg Carl Lewis (1983)Gold medal icon.svg Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1987)
Triple jumpGold medal icon.svg Kenny Harrison (1991)Bronze medal icon.svg Tori Franklin (2022)
Shot putGold medal icon.svg John Godina (1995)Gold medal icon.svg Chase Ealey (2022)
Discus throwGold medal icon.svg Anthony Washington (1999)Gold medal icon.svg Laulauga Tausaga (2023)
Javelin throwSilver medal icon.svg Tom Petranoff (1983)Silver medal icon.svg Kara Winger (2022)
Hammer throw5th Lance Deal (1995)Gold medal icon.svg DeAnna Price (2019)
Decathlon/heptathlonGold medal icon.svg Dan O'Brien (1991)Gold medal icon.svg Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1987)

Doping

YearAthleteEventNotes
1991 Delisa Floyd Women's 800 mSemi-finalist
1993 Mike Stulce Men's shot putStripped of bronze medal
1997 Antonio Pettigrew Men's 400 m7th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
1999 Antonio Pettigrew Men's 400 m5th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
1999 Jerome Young Men's 400 m4th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
2001 Ramon Clay Men's 200 mQuarter-finalist
2001 Tim Montgomery Men's 100 mStripped of individual silver and relay gold medals
2001 Antonio Pettigrew Men's 400 m4th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
2001 Jerome Young Men's 400 mSemi-finalist, stripped of relay gold medal
2001 Marion Jones Women's 100 m, 200 mStripped of 100 m silver, 200 m gold and relay gold medals
2001 Kelli White Women's 100 m, 200 m7th in 100 m, stripped of 200 m bronze and relay gold medals
2003 Calvin Harrison Men's 400 m6th individually, stripped of relay gold
2003 Tim Montgomery Men's 100 m5th in final
2003 Chris Phillips Men's 110 m hurdles5th in final
2003 Kevin Toth Men's shot put4th in final
2003 Jerome Young Men's 400 mstripped of individual and relay gold medals
2003 Regina Jacobs Women's 1500 mSemi-finalist
2003 Melissa Price Women's hammer throw12th in final
2003 Kelli White Women's 100 m, 200 mstripped of 100 m and 200 m gold medals

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References