WCH Tokyo 25 facts and figures: women's 200m

Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists

2023: 1 Shericka Jackson (JAM) – 21.41 (+0.1), 2 Gabrielle Thomas (USA) – 21.81, 3 Sha'Carri Richardson (USA) – 21.92
2022: 1 Shericka Jackson (JAM) – 21.45 (+0.6), 2 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) – 21.81, 3 Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) – 22.02
2019: 1 Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) – 21.88 (+0.9), 2 Brittany Brown (USA) – 22.22, 3 Mujinga Kambundji (SUI) – 22.51

Last two sets of Olympic medallists

Fastest winning times in World Athletics Championships history

21.41 (+0.1) Shericka Jackson (JAM) - 2023
21.45 (+0.6) Shericka Jackson (JAM) - 2022
21.63 (+0.2) Dafne Schippers (NED) - 2015

Slowest winning time in World Athletics Championships history

22.52 (+0.8) Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (BAH) – 2001

Best marks on Japanese soil

21.53 (+0.8) 1 Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) - Tokyo (Olympics) 03.08.2021
21.66 (+0.3) 1SF Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) - Tokyo (Olympics) 02.08.2021
21.81 (+0.8) 2 Christine Mboma (NAM) - Tokyo (Olympics) 03.08.2021
21.81 (+1.7) 1 Allyson Felix (USA) - Osaka (World Championships) 31.08.2007

Best marks on Asian soil

21.34 (+1.3) 1 Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA) - Seoul (Olympics) 29.09.1988
21.53 (+0.8) 1 Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) - Tokyo (Olympics) 03.08.2021
21.56 (+1.7) 1SF Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA) - Seoul (Olympics) 29.09.1988

Biggest winning margins

0.53s – 2007: Allyson Felix (USA) – 21.81, Veronica Campbell (JAM) – 22.34
0.45s – 1999: Inger Miller (USA) – 21.77, Beverly McDonald (JAM) – 22.22
0.40s – 2023: Shericka Jackson (JAM) – 21.41, Gabrielle Thomas (USA) – 21.81

​​Smallest winning margins

0.00s – 1995: Merlene Ottey (JAM) – 22.12, Irina Privalova (RUS) – 22.12
0.02s – 1993: Merlene Ottey (JAM) – 21.98, Gwen Torrence (USA) – 22.00
0.03s – 2015: Dafne Schippers (NED) – 21.63, Elaine Thompson (JAM) – 21.66
0.03s – 2017: Dafne Schippers (NED) – 22.05, Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV) – 22.08

Best mark by round

Heat — 21.98 (+1.1) Aminatou Seyni (NIG), 2022
Quarterfinal — 22.26 (+1.1) Beverly McDonald (JAM), 1999
Semifinal — 21.67 (+2.0) Shericka Jackson (JAM), 2022
Final — 21.41 (+0.1) Shericka Jackson (JAM), 2023

Multiple winners

1993/95 - Merlene Ottey (JAM)
2005/07/09 - Allyson Felix (USA)
2015/17 - Dafne Schippers (NED)
2022/23 - Shericka Jackson (JAM)

Winners by country

6 - Jamaica
4 - United States
2 - German Democratic Republic
2 - Netherlands
1 - Germany 
1 - Ukraine
1 - Bahamas
1 - Russia
1 - Great Britain

Five historic facts

• Eight of the 19 world 200m finals have been won with sub-22 second winning times
• Shericka Jackson (JAM) holds the two fastest winning times in World Championships history: 21.45 in 2022 and 21.41 in 2023, the second fastest time in history
• With six gold medals, Jamaica is the most successful country in World Championships history. They have won this title five times since 2011
• On two occasions have all three medallists broken the 22 second-barrier: Beijing in 2015 and Budapest in 2023
• Only three women have completed the 100/200m double at the World Championships: Silke Gladisch (GDR/GER) in 1987, Katrin Krabbe (GER) in 1991, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) in 2015

Potential storylines

• Can Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) become just the fourth woman, and the first American, to complete the sprint double at the World Championships?
• Can Jefferson-Wooden become just the third US winner of this title after Inger Miller in 1999 and Allyson Felix between 2005-09
• Can Shericka Jackson (JAM) emulate Allyson Felix (USA) by winning three successive world titles in the 200m? 
• Can Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) qualify for her sixth successive world 200m final? 
• Four of the eight 100m finalists will be contesting the 200m: Jefferson-Wooden, Jackson, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) and Asher-Smith
• Olympic champion Julien Alfred (LCA) has pulled out of the 200m due to a hamstring injury