World Records in Athletics that Lasted at Most a Week

A world record result in athletics that lasts only two days is quite a rare occurrence in the history of athletics.

However, history has seen world records crushed even in the same competition. In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, the triple jump final had as many as three different jumpers hold the world record. The hammer men from the Soviet Union, Juri Sedyh and Jüri Tamm, organised a world record party in one and the same competition in Georgia in May 1980.

World Records in Athletics that Lasted at Most a Week

Does not include relays. There are no mentions of the athlete breaking their own world record within a week.

WR broken in the same day

Zhang Linli – Women´s 3000m – 8.22,06 – 12.9.1993 – Wang Junxia 8.12,19
Daniel Bautista – Men´s 20 km race walk – 1.21.04 – 9.6.1979 – Reima Salonen 1.21.01
Anișoara Cușmir-Stanciu – Women´s long jump – 715 – 1.8.1982 – Valy Ionescu 72
Giuseppe Gentile – Men´s triple jump – 17,22 – 17.10.1968 – Viktor Sanejev 17,23
Viktor Sanejev – Men´s triple jump – 17,23 – 17.10.1968 – Nelson Prudencio 17,27
Nelson Prudencio – Men´s triple jump – 17,27 – 17.10.1968 – Viktor Sanejev 17,39
Thierry Vigneron – Men´s pole vault – 591 – 31.8.1984 – Sergei Bubka 594
Grete Heublein – Women´s discus – 40,84 – 19.6.1932 – Jadwiga Wajs 42,43
Juri Sedyh – Men´s hammer throw – 80,38 – 16.5.1980 – Jüri Tamm 80,46
Jüri Tamm – Men´s hammer throw – 80,46 – 16.5.1980 – Juri Sedyh 80,64
Ewa Gryziecka – Women´s javelin – 62,70 – 11.6.1972 – Ruth Fuchs 65,06
Nadezhda Vinogradova – Women´s pentathlon – 5848 – 30.9.1979 – Silvia Barlag 5878

One Day

Charles Greene – Men´s 100 m – 10,02 – 13.10.1968 – Jim Hines 9.95
Olavi Salsola, Olavi Salonen – Men´s 1500 m – 3.40,2 – 11.7.1957 – Stanislav Jungwirth 3.38,1
Grete Waitz – Women´s marathon– 2.25.29 – 17.4.1983 – Joan Benoit 2.22.43
Simon Schaller – Women´s 80 m hurdles – 11,8 – 3.8.1932 – Babe Didrikson ja Evelyne Hall 11.7
Krystyna Kacperczyk – Women´s 400 m hurdles – 55,44 – 18.8.1978 – Tatyana Zelentsova 55,31
Olga Krishtop – Women´s 10 km race walk – 43.22 – 3.5.1987 – Kerry Saxby 42.52
Melody Smith – Women´s triple jump – 12,51 – 6.5.1983 – Easter Gabriel 12.98

Two Days

Steve Ovett – Men´s mile – 3.48,40 – 26.8.1981 – Sebastian Coe 3.47,33
Dong Yanmei – Women´s 5000 m – 14.31.27 – 21.10.1997 – Jiang Bo 14.28,09
Sifan Hassan – Women´s 10 000 m – 29.06,82 – 6.6.2021 – Letesenbet Gidey 29.01,03

Three Days

Fusashige Suzuki – Men´s marathon – 2.27.49 – 31.3.1935 – Yasuo Ikenaka 2.26.44

Four Days

Ulrike Meyfarth – Women´s high jump– 203 – 21.8.1983 – Tamara Bykova 204
Pierre Quinon – Men´s javelin – 582 – 28.8.1983 – Thierry Vigneron 583

Five Days

Richard Chelimo – Men´s 10 000 m – 27.07,91 – 5.7.1993 – Yobes Ondieki 26.58,38
Josef Dolezal – Men´s 50 km race walk – 4.23.14 – 24.8.1952 – Vladimir Ukhov 4.20.30
Margitta Gummel – Women´s shot put – 20,10 – 11.9.1969 – Nadezhda Chizhova 20,43

Six Days

Doris Brown – Women´s 3000 m – 9.26,9 – 10.7.1971 – Joyce Smith 9.23,4
Lasse Viren – Men´s 5000 m – 13.16,4 – 14.9.1972 – Emiel Puttemans 13.13,0
Vadim Tsvetkov – Men´s 20 km race walk – 1.22.19 – 13.5.1979 – Daniel Bautista 1.22.16
John Lyman – Men´s shot put – 16,48 – 21.4.1934 – Jack Torrance 16,80
Soini Nikkinen – Men´s javelin – 83,56 – 24.6.1956 – Janusz Sidlo 83,66
Ellen Braumüller – Women´s javelin – 44,64 – 12.6.1932 – Nan Gindele 46,75

Seven Days

Sydney Maree – Men´s 1500 m – 3.31,24 – 28.8.1983 – Steve Ovett 3.30,77
Sebastian Coe – Men´s mile – 3.48,53 – 19.8.1981 – Steve Ovett 3.48,40
Naoko Takahashi – Women´s marathon – 2.19.46 – 30.9.2001 – Catherine Ndereba 2.18.47
Justyna Bak – Women´s 3000m steeplec. – 9.22,29 – 5.6.2002 – Alesya Turova 9.21,72
Yohann Diniz – Men´s 20 km race walk – 1.17.02 – 8.3.2015 – Yusuke Suzuki 1.16.36
Bill Nieder – Men´s shot put – 19,45 – 19.3.1960 – Dallas Long 19,67
Dallas Long – Men´s shot put – 19,67 – 26.3.1960 – Bill Nieder 19,99
Lucie Petit – Women´s discus – 27,70 – 14.7.1924 – Lisette Petre 28,33