50 metres
50 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor athletics competitions it is used in the Special Olympics and a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. It is an alternative to the 60 metres running event. The imperial distance for 50 metres is 54.68 yards.
Records and personal bests in the 50 metres are frequently achieved in February and March as these dates coincide with the indoor athletics season.
All-time top ten athletes
Men
Indoor results only. Updated January 2014.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.56 A [B] | Donovan Bailey |  Canada | 9 February 1996 | Reno |
| Maurice Greene |  United States | 13 February 1999 | Los Angeles | ||
| 3. | 5.58 | Leonard Scott | United States | 26 February 2005 | Liévin |
| 4 | 5.61 | Manfred Kokot |  East Germany | 4 February 1973 | Berlin |
| James Sanford | United States | 20 February 1981 | San Diego | ||
| Michael Green |  Jamaica | 16 February 1997 | Liévin | ||
| Deji Aliu |  Nigeria | 21 February 1999 | Liévin | ||
| Jason Gardener |  United Kingdom | 16 February 2000 | Madrid | ||
| Freddy Mayola |  Cuba | 16 February 2000 | Madrid | ||
| 10 | 5.62 | Emmit King | United States | 5 March 1986 | Kobe |
| Andre Cason | United States | 15 February 1992 | Los Angeles | ||
| Carl Lewis | United States | 27 January 1982 | Indianapolis | ||
| Morne Nagel |  South Africa | 24 February 2002 | Liévin |
- B Ben Johnson of Canada ran 5.55 at Ottawa, Canada on 31 January 1987, but this time was rescinded after Johnson admitted to using steroids between 1981 and 1988.
Women
Indoor results only. Updated January 2014.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.96 | Irina Privalova |  Russia | 9 February 1995 | Madrid, Spain |
| 2 | 6.00 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica | 4 February 1994 | Moscow |
| 3 | 6.02 | Gail Devers | United States | 21 February 1999 | Liévin |
| 4 | 6.04 | Chioma Ajunwa | Nigeria | 22 February 1998 | Liévin |
| 5 | 6.05 | Savatheda Fynes |  Bahamas | 13 February 2000 | Liévin |
| Philomena Mensah | Canada | 13 February 2000 | Liévin | ||
| 7 | 6.07 | Gwen Torrence | United States | 9 February 1996 | Reno, NV |
| 8 | 6.08 | Christy Opara-Thompson | Nigeria | 16 February 1997 | Liévin |
| Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 28 January 2012 | New York City | ||
| 10 | 6.09 | Zhanna Block |  Ukraine | 2 February 1993 | Moscow |
Note: Angella Issajenko of Canada ran a world record 6.06 in Ottawa on 13 January 1987, this performance was rescinded after Issajenko's admittance of long term drug use at the Dubin Inquiry in 1989.