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The women’s 4×100 metres relay has one of the oldest and most varied record histories in athletics, stretching back to the pre-federation era when school, club and regional teams set early marks in Europe and the United States. Before official ratification, the event was contested in a mixture of formats, with some performances run over 4×110 yards and others over the metric distance, reflecting the fluid nature of women’s sprint relay racing in the sport’s formative decades.

The pre-federation progression is notable for the strong presence of club teams rather than national quartets. Finnish and German clubs feature prominently in the earliest years, showing how women’s relay sprinting first developed through local athletic structures before becoming a fully international championship event.

Once the FSFI began ratifying records, the event quickly shifted toward national representative teams and major international meetings. Because relay performance depends not only on sprint speed but also on baton exchanges, the progression often reflects the rise of organized national programmes capable of combining depth, precision and continuity across four athletes.

Compared with most individual events, the 4×100 relay record progression also captures the changing geography of women’s sprinting especially clearly, moving from early European club dominance to the later supremacy of national teams from the United States, East Germany, the Soviet Union and Jamaica.

4x100m Relay, women World Record Progression – Data Table

Performance	Athlete	Country	Date	Location	Competition	Notes
40.82	Tianna Madison Allyson Felix Bianca Knight Carmelita Jeter	USA	10/8/2012	London	The XXX Olympic Games
41.37	Silke Gladish Sabine Rieger Ingrid Auerswald Marlies Göhr	GDR	6/10/1985	Canberra	World Cup
41.53	Silke Gladisch Marita Koch Ingrid Auerswald Marlies Göhr	GDR	31/7/1983	Berlin (Ost)	World Championships test
41.60	Romy Müller Bärbel Wöckel Ingrid Auerswald Marlies Göhr	GDR	1/8/1980	Moskva	Olympic Games
41.85	Romy Müller Bärbel Wöckel Ingrid Auerswald Marlies Göhr	GDR	13/7/1980	Potsdam	Olympic Test
42.09	Romy Müller Bärbel Wöckel Ingrid Auerswald Marlies Göhr	GDR	9/7/1980	Berlin (Ost)	Olympic Test
42.09	Christina Brehmer Romy Schneider Ingrid Wuerswald Marlies Göhr	GDR	4/8/1979	Torino	European Cup Final
42.10	Marita Koch Romy Schneider Ingrid Auerswald Marlies Göhr	GDR	10/6/1979	Karl-Marx-Stadt	international Match GDR - CAN
42.27	Johanna Klier Monika Hammann Carla Bodendorf Marlies Göhr	GDR	19/8/1978	Potsdam	EC Test
42.50	Marlies Oelsner Renate Stecher Carla Bodedorf Martina Blos	GDR	29/5/1976	Karl-Marx-Stadt	Olympic qualification
44.1y	Inge Helten Birgit Wilkes Annegret Kroniger Barbel Eckert	FRG	18/7/1975	Durham	International Match USA-FRA-Panafrica
42.5 / 42.51	Doris Maletzki Renate Stecher Christina Heinich B?rbel Eckert	GDR	8/9/1974	Roma	European Championships
42.6	Doris Maletzki Renate Stecher Christina Heinich B?rbel Eckert	GDR	24/8/1974	Berlin (Ost)	EC Test
44.2y	Natalyan Kamankova Lyudmilla Maslakova Marina Sidorrova Nadexhda Besfamilnaya	URS	5/7/1974	Durham	International Match USA-URS
42.6	Petra Kandarr Renate Stecher Christina Heinich Doris Selmigkeit	GDR	1/9/1973	Potsdam	GDR Cup final
42.8	Christiane Krause Ingrid Mickler Annegret Richter Heidemarie (Heide) Rosendahl	FRG	10/9/1972	München	The XX Olympic Games
44.7y	Diane Hughes Debra Wedgeworth Mttilin Render Iris Davis	USA	9/7/1971	Bakersfield	AAU Champioships	Tennessee State TC
42.8	Barbara Ferrell Margaret Bailes Mildrette Netter Wyomia Tyus	USA	20/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games
43.4	Barbara Ferrell Margaret Bailes Mildrette Netter Wyomia Tyus	USA	19/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games	(heat 1)
43.4	Wilhelmina Van Den Berg Mieke Sterk Truus Hennipman Corrie Bakker	NED	19/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games	(heat 2)
43.6	Lyudmila Zharkova Galina Bukharina Vera Popkova Lyudmila Samotyosova	URS	27/9/1968	Ciudad de México	Pre-Olympic Test
45.0y	Anita Neil Janet Simpson Maureen Tranter Lillian Board	GBR	14/9/1968	Portsmouth	Olympic Test
43.9	Liliya Tkachenko Galina Bukharina Vera Popkova Lyudmila Samotyosova	URS	16/8/1968	Leninakan	Soviet Championships
43.9	Willye White Wyomia Tyus Marilyn White Edith McGuire	USA	21/10/1964	Tokyo	The XVIII Olympic Games
45.2y	Madelleine Cobb Mry Rand Daphne Arden Dorothy Hyman	GRB	5/8/1963	London	International Match GBR-USA
44.3	Willye White Ernestine Pollards Vivianne Brown Wilma Rudolph	USA	15/7/1961	Moskva	URS-USA Int. Match
44.4	Martha Hudson Lucinda Williams Barbara Jones Wilma Rudolph	USA	7/9/1960	Roma	The XVII Olympic Games
45.3y	Madelein Weston Cobb June Aul Dorothy Hyman Heather Young	GBR	26/7/1958	Cardiff	Commowealth Games	(England)
45.6y	Shirley Sgtrickland Norma Croker Fleur Mellor Elizabeth (Betty) Cuthbert	AUS	5/12/1956	Sydney	3 way match
44.9	Shirley Sgtrickland Norma Croker Fleur Mellor Elizabeth (Betty) Cuthbert	AUS	1/12/1956	Melbourne	The XVI Olympic Games
44.9	Maria Sander (FRG) Christa Stubnik (GDR) - Gisela Köhler Barbara Mayer (GDR)	EUA	1/12/1956	Melbourne	The XVI Olympic Games
44.5	Shirley Sgtrickland Norma Croker Fleur Mellor Elizabeth (Betty) Cuthbert	AUS	1/12/1956	Melbourne	The XVI Olympic Games
45.1	Erika Fisch (FRG) Christa Stubnik (GDR) Gisela Köhler Barbara Mayer (GDR)	EUA	30/9/1956	Dresden	Final Olympic Test and Harbig Day	FRG and DDR
45.8	Gisela Henning Christa Stubnick Gisela Kohler Barbara Mayer	GDR	29/7/1956	Rostock	Olympic Test
45.2	Vera Krepkina Olga Kosheleva Mariya Itkina Irina Bochkaryova	URS	27/7/1956	Kiev	Olympic Test
45.6	Lidiya Polinichenko Galina Vinogradova Zinaida Safronova Mariya Itkina	URS	11/9/1955	Moskva	International Match URS-GBR
45.6	Vera Kalashnikova Zinaida Safronova Nadezhda Khnykina Irina Turova	URS	20/9/1953	Budapest	International Match HUN-URS
46.3y	Shirley Strickland Verna Johnston Winsome Cripps Marjorie Jackson	AUS	4/8/1952	London	International Match Commonwealth - USA
46.1	Shirley Strickland Verna Johnston Winsome Cripps Marjorie Jackson	AUS	27/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games
45.9	Mae Faggs Barbara Jones Janet Moreau Catherine Hardy	USA	27/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games
45.9	Ursula Knab Maria Sander Helga Klein Marga Petersen	FRG	27/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games
46.9y	Shirley Strickland Verna Johnston Winsome Cripps Marjorie Jackson	AUS	5/7/1952	London	Olympic Test
46.9y	Florence Wills Sally Black Edna Maskell Daphne Robb Hasenjager	SAF	26/3/1951	Pretoria	World Record attempt
47.3y	Florence Wills Sally Black Edna Maskell Daphne Robb Hasenjager	SAF	10/4/1950	Kimberley	Handicap Race. 1223m above the sea level
47.4y	Fanny Blankers Xenia Stad - de Long Jeanette (Nettie) Timmer Gerba van der Kade - Koudijs	HOL	25/7/1948	Rijwijk	World Record attempt
48.8y	Fanny Blankers M. Janny Adema Jeanette (Nettie) Timmer Gerba Koudijs	HOL	18/5/1944	Amsterdam	Hadicap Race
46.4	Emmi Albus Käthe Krauss Marie Dollinger Ilse Dörffeldt	GER	8/8/1936	Berlin	The XI Olympic Games
46.5	Emmi Albus Käthe Krauss Marie Dollinger Grete Winkels	GER	21/6/1936	Köln	2nd Olympic Rely Test
46.9	Mary Carew Evelyn Furtsch Anette Rogers Wilhelmina von Bremen	USA	7/8/1932	Los Angeles	The X Olympic Games
48.8	Rosa Kellner Luise Holzer Agathe Karrer Lisa Gelius	GER	20/7/1930	Nurberg	South German Championship	SV 1860 M?nchen team
49.0	Ottilie Fleischer Detta Lorenz Emmy Haux ? Kohler	GER	30/6/1929	Mannheim	German Championships	Eintracht Frnkfurt Team
48.4	Fanny Rosenfeld Ethel Smith Florence Bell Myrtle Cook	CAN	5/8/1928	Amsterdam	The IX Olympic Games
50.0	Georgette Gagneux Lucienne Velu Yvonne Carme Marguerite Radideu	FRA	15/7/1928	Paris	Pre-Olympic Meeting	Linnets Saint-Maur Team
49.8	Rosa Kellner Luise Holzer Agathe Karrer Lisa Gelius	GER	15/7/1928	Berlin	German Championships	SV 1860 M?nchen team
50.0	Anneliese Jacke Hellmann Rose Drieling Ilse Drieling	GER	7/8/1927	Breslau	German Championships	Victoria Magdeburg team
49.8y	Doris Scoular Florence Haynes Eileen Edwards Rose Thompson	GBR	29/8/1926	Göteborg	Women's World Games
49.8y	Doris Scoular Florence Haynes Eileen Edwards Rose Thompson	GBR	29/8/1926	Göteborg	Women's World Games	Fists WR ratified by the IAAF
50.4	Lili Henoch Charlotte Köhler Gerda Pöting Clare Voss	GER	11/7/1926	Köln	German Games	Berliner Sport-Club
51.0y	Starks, Kennedy, Foots, Vaughan	USA	1924	Georgetown	Meeting	George School
51.4	Mary Lines Daisy Leach Gwendoline Poter Nora Callebout	GBR	20/8/1922	Paris	Women's World Games
53.2	Marie I Mejzlíková Marie Bakovská Marie I Jirásková Marie II Mejzlíková	TCH	21/5/1922	Paris	International Match TCH-FRA	First WR ratified by FSFI

See also: [Men’s 100m WR Progression][Women’s 100m WR Progression][Men’s 4x100m Relay WR Progression]