Do Curves Matter?

Do Curves Matter in the 200m or 400m?

Everyone dreads lane 1 for the 200m (curve too tight), or dreads lane 8 (or 9) for the 400m (running scared).

Track and field news has complied the best performance known to have been achieved in each lane of the track in each of the curve-affected events (200, 400, 400H, 4x100m), for both men and women.

Who remembers Yohan Blake’s 19.26 200m in 2011, where he could have (should have) broken the WR if he had a better reaction time? He had Lane 7.

Or Isaac Makwala’s 44.11 400m at the Beijing 2015 World Champs, out in Lane 9?

NOTE: since 1988, for both Olympic and World Championships, the sprinter’s times from prior round have been given lanes 3–6. Your position in the qualification race determines your advancement (i.e. “Q”). Previous to 1988, everybody was in a random draw.

Photo Credits: REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

MEN’S 200
1*	Coby Miller	USA	20.04	1	Athl	Lausanne	1-Jul-03
2	Jason Young	JAM	19.86	1	Inv	Lucerne	7-Jul-12
3	Michael Johnson	USA	19.32	1	OG	Atlanta	1-Aug-96
4	Yohan Blake	JAM	19.44	2	OG	London	9-Aug-12
5	Usain Bolt	JAM	19.19	1	WCh	Berlin	20-Aug-09
6	Walter Dix	USA	19.53	2	VDamme	Brussels	16-Sep-11
7	Yohan Blake	JAM	19.26	1	VDamme	Brussels	16-Sep-11
8	Xavier Carter	USA	19.63	1	Athl	Lausanne	11-Jul-06
9	Alonso Edward	PAN	19.87	4	WCh	Beijing	27-Aug-15
	* Usain Bolt ran from lane 1 in the 2005 World Championship final (Helsinki 1 August). At 150 meters he was in medal position and gaining on eventual winner Justin Gatlin (20.04) but slowed to a jog due to injury.

MEN’S 400
1	Mark Richardson	GBR	44.37	1	Bislett	Oslo	9-Jul-98
2	Larry James	USA	43.97(A)	2	OG	Mexico City	18-Oct-68
2(l-a)	Michael Johnson	USA	44.17	1r1	Athl	Lausanne	10-Jul-91
3	Jeremy Wariner	USA	43.62	1r1	GG	Rome	14-Jul-06
4	Butch Reynolds	USA	43.29	1	WkZ	Zurich	17-Aug-88
5	Michael Johnson	USA	43.18	1	WCh	Seville	26-Aug-99
6	Jeremy Wariner	USA	43.45	1	WCh	Osaka	31-Aug-07
7	Luguelín Santos	DOM	44.11	4	WCh	Beijing	26-Aug-15
8	LaShawn Merritt	USA	43.65	2	WCh	Beijing	26-Aug-15
9	Isaac Makwala	BOT	44.11	1s2	WCh	Beijing	26-Aug-15