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he women’s 200 metres developed during a period when both metric and imperial distances coexisted in international athletics. Before the establishment of official governing bodies, performances were recorded under a variety of national rules and competition formats, making direct comparisons difficult despite the event’s steadily increasing popularity.

During the early decades of women’s athletics, performances over 200 metres and 220 yards (201.17 m) were recognized within a single record progression. As the two distances differ by less than 1.2 metres, many major competitions were contested over the imperial distance, particularly in Great Britain and North America. Consequently, the official historical progression includes performances from both events until metric distances became universally adopted in international competition.

From 1922 to 1934, world records were recognized by the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSFI), the governing body responsible for women’s international athletics before its record lists were incorporated into the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). The IAAF officially assumed responsibility for ratifying women’s world records in the mid-1930s, establishing a unified record progression that has continued ever since.

The earliest recorded performances illustrate the rapid expansion of women’s sprinting at the beginning of the twentieth century. As organized competitions spread across Europe and North America, improvements in training, facilities and international competition led to increasingly faster performances over both 200 metres and 220 yards.

The FSFI era marked the first period of internationally standardized record recognition for the event. Athletes such as Alice Cast, Mary Lines, Eileen Edwards, Rosa Grosse, Kinue Hitomi, Tollien Schuurman and Stanisława Walasiewicz progressively lowered the world best, reflecting the remarkable development of women’s sprinting during the interwar years.

The transition to IAAF governance provided a single international framework for record ratification and coincided with the gradual worldwide adoption of metric distances. From that point onward, the women’s 200 metres evolved into one of athletics’ premier sprint events, while its early record progression remains a unique reflection of the coexistence of metric and imperial competition.

200m women World Record Progression – Data Table

Performance	Athlete	Country	Date	Location	Competition	Notes
21.56	Florence Griffith-Joyner	USA	29/9/1988	Seoul	The XXIV Olympic Games	semi-final
21.34	Florence Griffith-Joyner	USA	29/9/1988	Seoul	The XXIV Olympic Games	final
21.71	Heike Drechsler	GDR	29/8/1986	Stuttgart	European Chmpionships
21.71	Heike Drechsler	GDR	29/6/1986	Jena	GDR Championships
21.71	Marita Koch	GDR	21/7/1984	Potsdam	Olympic Day
21.71	Marita Koch	GDR	10/6/1979	Karl-Marx-Stadt	International Match GDR-CAN
22.02	Marita Koch	GDR	3/6/1979	Leipzig	National Meeting
22.06	Marita Koch	GDR	28/5/1978	Erfurt	GDR Cup
22.21	Irena Szewinska	POL	13/6/1974	Potsdam	International Meeting	Since 01/01/1977 the electronic timing in 1/100 second is mandatory
22.1	Renate Meissner - Stecher	GDR	21/7/1973	Dresden	GDR Championships	Since 30/8/1974 separate world records lists for manually and electronically measures times were establisjed
22.4	Renate Meissner - Stecher	GDR	7/9/1972	München	The XX Olympic Games
22.7y	Cheng Chi	TPE	13/8/1970	Portland	International Meeting
22.6y	Cheng Chi	TPE	12/7/1970	Los Angeles	AAU Championships
22.4	Cheng Chi	TPE	12/7/1970	München	Hnns-Braum Memorial
22.5	Irena Szewinska (Kirszenstein)	POL	18/10/1968	Ciudad de México‎‎	The XIX Olympic Games
22.7	Irena Kirszenstein	POL	8/8/1965	Warszawa	International Match POL-USA
22.9y	Margaret Burvill	AUS	22/2/1964	Perth	West Australian Championships
23.2y	Margaret Burvill	AUS	12/1/1963	Perth	National Meeting
22.9	Wilma Rudolph	USA	9/7/1960	Corpus Christi	AAU Championships
23.2y	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	7/3/1960	Hobart	Australian Championships
23.4y	Marlene Mathews - Williard	AUS	22/3/1958	Sydney	Australian Championships
23.5y	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	8/3/1958	Sydney	Women's New South Wales Championships
23.6y	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	18/1/1958	Perth	National Meeting
23.2	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	16/9/1956	Sydney	Pre-Olympic Test
23.6y	Maria Itkina	URS	22/7/1956	Kiev	National Meeting
24.0y	Marjorie Nelson	AUS	5/8/1954	Vancouver	Commowealth Games	née Jackson
23.6	Marjorie Jackson	AUS	25/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games	qualification heats
23.4	Marjorie Jackson	AUS	25/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games	semi-final
24.2y	Fanny Blankers - Koen	HOL	29/5/1950	Brescia	International Meeting
24.3y	Marjorie Jackson	AUS	9/2/1950	Auckland	British Empire Games
23.6	Stanislawa Walasiewicz	POL	4/8/1935	Warszawa	Meeting	WR attempt in mixed race
24.3y	Stanislawa Walasiewicz	POL	9/6/1935	Cleveland	North Eastern Ohio AAU Championships	controversial gender status (Stephan Muller, 2025). First 200m record ratified by the IAAF
24.8y	Barbara H. Burke	SAF	22/4/1935	Pretoria	South African Championships
24.6	Tollina (Tollien) Schuurman	NED	13/8/1933	Bruxelles	International Meeting
24.1	Stanislawa Walasiewicz	POL	18/8/1932	Chicago	Post-Olympic meeting	Straight track
24.7	Kinue Kitumi	JPN	19/5/1929	Tokyo	Meeting	Straight track
25.4	Eileen Edwards	GBR	12/6/1927	Berlin	International Women Sport Meeting
26.0	Eileen Edwards	GBR	3/10/1926	Paris	International Meeting
26.2y	Eileen Edwards	GBR	20/8/1924	London	Middlesex AC Evening Meeting
26.8y	Mary Lines	GBR	23/9/1922	Waddon	Inter-Club Meeting
27.8	Alice Cast	GBR	20/8/1922	Paris	Women's World Games	1st record recognised by the FSFI