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The women’s 100 metres has a unique place in the history of athletics, not only as the premier sprint event but also as a reflection of the long struggle for international recognition of women’s competition. Before the establishment of official governing bodies, performances were recorded under widely varying conditions, with national organizations applying different rules and standards, making international comparisons particularly challenging.

From 1922 to 1934, world records were recognized by the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSFI), the organization that governed women’s international athletics before its events and record lists were gradually incorporated into the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). In 1936, the IAAF officially assumed responsibility for ratifying women’s world records, creating a unified international record progression that continues today.

The earliest documented performances illustrate the rapid development of women’s sprinting during the first decades of the twentieth century. As competitive opportunities expanded across Europe, North America and Australia, the world best improved dramatically, despite limited international competition and inconsistent timing methods.

The FSFI era proved decisive in establishing standardized women’s athletics. During this period, athletes such as Marie Mejzlíková, Mary Lines, Helene “Leni” Junker, Wally Wittmann, Kinue Hitomi, Tollien Schuurman and Stanisława Walasiewicz successively lowered the world record, reflecting both the increasing depth of women’s sprinting and the growing organization of international competitions.

The transition to IAAF ratification in the mid-1930s marked the beginning of a new chapter. Record recognition became fully integrated into the international athletics system, providing a continuous and officially standardized progression that would accompany the remarkable evolution of women’s sprinting throughout the twentieth century.

100m women World Record Progression – Data Table

Performance	Athlete	Country	Date	Location	Competition	Note
10.49	Florence Griffith-Joyner	USA	16/7/1988	Indianapolis	US Olympic Trials
10.76	Evelyn Ashford	USA	22/8/1984	Zürich	Weltklasse
10.79	Evelyn Ashford	USA	3/7/1983	Colorado	US Air Academy
10.81	Marlies Göhr	GDR	8/6/1983	Berlin (Ost)	Olympic Day
10.88	Marlies Göhr	GDR	9/7/1982	Karl-Marx-Stadt	International Match GDR-USA	née Marlies Oelsner
10.88	Marlies Oelsner	GDR	1/7/1977	Dresden	GDR Championships
11.01	Annegret Richter	FRG	25/7/1976	Montreal	The XXI Olympic Games	Since 01/01/1977 the electronic timing in 1/100 second is mandatory
11.04	Ingeborg Helten	FRG	13/6/1976	Fürth	Olympic Qualification
10.8	Renate Meissner -Stecher	GDR	20/7/1973	Dresden	GDR Championships	Since 30/8/1974 separate world record lists for manually and electronically measured times were established
10.9	Renate Meissner -Stecher	GDR	7/6/1973	Ostrava	Golden Spike of Europe
11.07	Renate Meissner -Stecher	GDR	2/9/1972	München	The XX Olympic Games
11.0	Eva Glesková	TCH	1/7/1972	Budapest	Dual Meet HUN-CZE	née Lehocká
11.0	Ellen Stropahl	GDR	15/6/1972	Potsdam	International Meeting	later Ellen Streidt
11.0	Renate Meissner -Stecher	GDR	3/6/1972	Potsdam	GDR Cup Final
11.0	Renate Meissner -Stecher	GDR	31/7/1971	Berlin (Ost)	EC Test
11.0	Renate Meissner -Stecher	GDR	2/8/1970	Berlin (Ost)	European Cup Semifinal
11.0	Cheng Chi	TPE	18/7/1970	Wien	International Meeting
11.0/11.07	Wyomia Tyus	USA	15/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games	11.07 is also ratified as the 1st automatic timing WR
11.1	Irena Szewinska	POL	14/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games
11.1	Lyudmila Samotyosova	URS	15/8/1968	Leninakan	Soviet Championships
11.1	Barbara Ferrell	USA	2/7/1967	Santa Barbara	AUU Championships
11.1	Wyomia Tyus	USA	31/7/1965	Kiev	International Match URS-USA
11.1	Ewa Klobukowska	POL	9/7/1965	Praha	Rosicky Memorial	disqualified from women's competition in 1967 for a chromosome test, and all her records deleted in 1970 (Muller, 2025)
11.1	Irena Kirszenstein	POL	9/7/1965	Praha	Rosicky Memorial
11.2	Wyomia Tyus	USA	15/10/1964	Tokyo	The XVIII Olympic Games
11.2	Wilma Rudolph	USA	19/7/1961	Stuttgart	Official Invitation Event during Men's International Match FRG-USA
11.3	Wilma Rudolph	USA	2/9/1960	Roma	The XVII Olympic Games
11.3	Vera Krepkina	URS	13/9/1958	Kiev	National Meeting
11.3	Shirley Strickland	AUS	4/8/1955	Warszawa	2nd World Youth Games
11.4	Marjorie Jackson	AUS	4/10/1952	Gifu	Japanese Championships
11.5	Marjorie Jackson	AUS	22/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games
11.5	Francina (Fanny) Blankers - Koen	NED	13/6/1948	Amsterdam	International Match Holland vs France
11.6	Stanislawa Walacieicz	POL	1/8/1937	Berlin	ISTAF
11.6	Helen Stephens	USA	8/6/1935	Kansas City	Missouri Valey AAU
11.7	Stanislawa Walacieicz	POL	26/8/1934	Warszawa	Meeting	Racing against men (World Athetics 2024) - First tecord ratified by IAAF.
11.8	Stanislawa Walacieicz	POL	17/9/1933	Poznań	International Meeting
11.9	Stanislawa Walacieicz	POL	1/8/1932	Los Angeles	The X Olympic Games	controversial gender status (Stephan Muller, 2025)
11.9	Tollina (Tollien) Schuurman	NED	5/6/1932	Haarlem	Meeting
12.0	Tollina (Tollien) Schuurman	NED	3/8/1930	Amsterdam	Dutch Women Championships
12.2	Elizabeth Robinson	USA	1/8/1928	Amsterdam	The IX Olympic Games
12.0	Myrtle Cook	CAN	2/7/1928	Halifax	Canadian Championships
12.2	Kinue Hitomi	JPN	20/5/1928	Osaka	Japanese Championships
12.4	Wally (Gundel) Wittmann	GER	22/8/1926	Braunschweig	German Championships
12.8	Mary Lines	GBR	20/8/1922	Paris	1st Women's World Games
13.6	Marie Mejzlíková II	TCH	5/8/1922	Praha	Qualif. Meet for the 1st Women's World Days	later Majerov? (First record recognised by FSFI)

See also: [Men’s 200m WR Progression][Women’s 200m WR Progression]