World Record Progression

200 m. men

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A. OFFICIALLY RATIFIED

Automatic timing
19" 30. Usain Bolt, JAM, 20 Aug 08, Beijing
19" 32. Michael Johnson, USA, 01 Aug 96, Atlanta
19" 66. Michael Johnson, USA, 23 Jun 96, Atlanta
19" 72. Pietro Mennea, ITA, 12 Sep 79, Mexico City
19" 83. Tommie Smith, USA, 16 Oct 68, Mexico City

Hand timing
19" 8   Donald Quarrie, JAM 03 AUg 71, Cali
19" 8/19"9y Don Quarrie, JAM, 07 Jun 75, Eugene
19" 8   Tommie Smith, USA, 16 Oct 68, Mexico City
20" 0y Tommie Smith, USA, 11 Jun 68, Sacramento
20" 2y Henry Carr, USA, 04 Apr 64, Tempe
20" 3y Henry Carr, USA, 23 Mar 63, Tempe
20" 5y Paul Drayton  USA, 23 Jun 62, Walnut
20" 5   Livio Berruti  ITA, 03 Sep 60, Rome
20" 5   Livio Berruti  ITA, 03 Sep 60, Rome
20" 5   Ray Norton, USA, 02 Jul 60, Stanford
20" 5   Stone Johnson, USA, 02 Jul 60, Stanford
20" 5y Peter Radford, GBR, 28 May 60, Wolverhampton
20" 6   Ray Norton, USA, 30 Apr 60, Philadelphia
20" 6   Ray Norton, USA, 19 Mar 60, Berkeley
20" 6   Bobby Morrow, USA, 27 Nov 56, Melbourne
20" 6   Thane Baker, USA, 23 Jun 56, Bakersfield
20" 6   Andrew Stanfield, USA, 28 Jun 52, Los Angeles
20" 6y Andrew Stanfield, USA, 26 May 51, Philadelphia
21" 2y Willie Applegarth, GBI, 04 Jul 14, London

B. PERFORMANCES STATISTICALLY VALID, BUT UNRATIFIED FOR VARIOUS REASONS

Automatic timing
19.92. John Carlos, USA, 12 Sep 68, Echo Summit

Hand timing
20.4y  Henry Carr, USA, 19 Mar 63, Tempe
20.5y  Bob Hayes, USA, 092 Mar 63, Coral Gables
20.5    Bob Hayes, USA,10 Feb 63, Pointe--Pierre
20.6    Ray Norton USA, 02 May 59, San Jose
20.6    Ray Norton, USA, 04 Aug 59, Göteborg
20.6    Thane Baker, USA, 27 Oct 56, Santa Ana
20.6    Bobby Morrow, USA, 30 Jun 56, Los Angeles
20.6    Andrew Stanfield, USA, 23 Jun 56, Bakersfield
20.6    Bobby Morrow, USA, 16 Jun 56,  Berkeley
20.6    Heinz Fotterer, FRG, 04 Sep 55, Koln
20.6    Arthur Bragg, USA, 29 Jul 53, Koln
21.0    Ralph Metcalfe, USA, 06 Aug 33, Berlin
20.6y  James Carlton, AUS, 16 Jan 32, Sydney
20.6y  Roland Locke, USA, 01 May 26, Lincoln
21.2y  Harry Evans, USA, 04 Oct 24, Colombes
21.2y  Charles Paddock, USA, 06 May 23, Paris

C. UNOFFICIAL PROGRESSION BEFORE IAAF

24.0y  Percy Thornton, GBR, 24 Feb 1866, London
23.2y  Charles Emery, GBR, 19 May 1886, London
23.0y  William Colett, GBR, 24 Nov 1866, London
22.8y  Edward Colbeck, GBR, 31 May 1867, London
22.8y  John Reay, GBR, 17 May 1873, London
22.8y  Montague Sherman, 1875, GBR.
22.6y  Frederic Elborough, GBR, 07 Oct 1876, London
22.5y  Lawrence Myers, USA, 15 Sep 1881, New York
22.2y  Milroy Cowie, GBR, 22 Sep 1883, London
21.8y  Harry Hutchens, GBR, 11 May 1885, London
21.8 y Luther Cary, USA, 31 May 1891, New York
21.6y  Harry Jewett, USA, 14 Sep 1892, Montreal
21.4y  Jim Maybury, USA, 05 Jun 1897, Chicago
21.4y  Robert Kerr, CAN, 11 Sep 1908, Toronto
21.4    Robert Kerr, CAN, 26 Sep 1908, Toronto
21.3y  Jack Donaldson, AUS, 26 Jul 1911, Glasgow

y denotes 220 yards (= 201.17 m)
The IAAF first distinguished between records made on a full turn and those made on a straight track in 1951

D. BEST LOW ALTITUDE MARKS SET WHILE A HIGH ALTITUDE WORLD RECORD (IN PARENTHESES) WAS STANDING

20" 30. Valeriy Borzov (19"83), URS, 13 Aug 71, Helsinki
20" 28. Larry Black (19"83), USA, 03 Sep 72, München
20" 00. Valeriy Borzov (19"83), URS, 04 Sep 72, München
19" 96. Pietro Mennea (19"72), ITA, 17 Aug 80, Barletta
19" 75. Carl Lewis (19"72), USA, 19 Jun 83, Indianapolis
19" 75. Joe DeLoach (19"72), USA, 28 Sep 88, Seoul
19" 73. Michael Marsh (19"72), USA, 05 Aug 92, Barcelona