The Fastest Women in the World Every Year 1902 - 2026

Welcome to Wolf Data, from 1902 to 2026, women’s sprinting evolved dramatically as generations of athletes pushed the limits of speed in the 100 metres. Early performances predate standardized international record keeping; the first officially recognized women’s 100m world record came in 1922, when Marie Mejzlíková ran 13.6 seconds, before Mary Lines lowered it to 12.8 later that same month. World Athletics Legends such as Fanny Blankers-Koen, Wilma Rudolph, Wyomia Tyus, Renate Stecher, Marlies Göhr, Evelyn Ashford, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Marion Jones, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah defined different generations of the event. Griffith-Joyner’s extraordinary 10.49 seconds in 1988 remains the official world record in 2026, while Thompson-Herah came closest with 10.54 in 2021. Athletic Stats In 2026, Adaejah Hodge produced the year’s fastest legal performance at 10.63 seconds as of the available World Athletics rankings. World Athletics This 1902–2026 timeline follows the fastest female 100m sprinter of each year, revealing more than a century of progress in training, technique, track surfaces, timing technology and sports science. ⚡🏃‍♀️🌍 ⛲Sources: ▫️World Athletics Historical Results ▫️Annual 100m Toplists and Women’s 100m World-Record Progression 💻Editor: ▫️Filmora 🖼️Thumbnails: ▫️Canva Sprinters featured in the video: Marlies Goehr Evelyn Ashford Elaine Thompson-Herah Florence Griffith-Joyner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Merlene Ottey Gail Devers Irina Privalova Gwen Torrence Marion Jones Zhanna Pintusevich-Block Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie Chryste Gaines Ivet Lalova-Collio Chandra Sturrup Sherone Simpson Veronica Campbell-Brown Torri Edwards Carmelita Jeter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Tori Bowie Marie-Josee Ta Lou Shericka Jackson Sha'Carri Richardson