1988 in the sport of athletics

This page contains an overview of the year 1988 in athletics.

International events

World records

Men

EVENT	ATHLETE	MARK	DATE	VENUE
100 metres	Carl Lewis (USA)	9.92	24 September	Seoul, South Korea
400 metres	Butch Reynolds (USA)	43.29	17 August	Zurich, Switzerland
4 × 400 metres relay	United States (USA) • Danny Everett • Steve Lewis • Kevin Robinzine • Butch Reynolds	2:56.16	1 October	Seoul, South Korea
High Jump	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	2.43m	8 September	Salamanca, Spain
Pole Vault	Sergey Bubka (URS)	6.05m	9 June	Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
Pole Vault	Sergey Bubka (URS)	6.06m	10 July	Nice, France
Shot Put	Ulf Timmermann (GDR)	23.06m	22 May	Chania, Greece
Marathon	Belayneh Dinsamo (ETH)	2:06:50	17 April	Rotterdam, Netherlands

Carl Lewis finished behind Ben Johnson (9.79) who was disqualified for a failed drugs test
4 × 400 team equalled the record by the United States on October 20, 1968 by Vincent Matthews, Ron Freeman, Larry James and Lee Evans.

Women

EVENT	ATHLETE	MARK	DATE	VENUE
100 metres	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	10.49	16 July	Indianapolis, United States
200 metres	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	21.56	29 September	Seoul, South Korea
200 metres	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	21.34	29 September	Seoul, South Korea
25,000 metres	Karolina Szabó (HUN)	1:29:29.2	22 April	Budapest, Hungary
30,000 metres	Karolina Szabó (HUN)	1:47:05.6	22 April	Budapest, Hungary
100 metres hurdles	Yordanka Donkova (BUL)	12.21	20 August	Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
4 × 400 m Relay	Soviet Union (URS) • Tatyana Ledovskaya • Olga Nazarova • Mariya Pinigina • Olga Bryzgina	3:15.17	1 October	Seoul, South Korea
Long jump	Galina Chistyakova (URS)	7.52 m	11 June	Leningrad, Soviet Union
Discus throw	Gabriele Reinsch (GDR)	76.80 m	9 July	Neubrandenburg, East Germany
Javelin throw	Petra Felke (GDR)	80.00 m	9 September	Potsdam, East Germany
Heptathlon	Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)	7215	16 July	Indianapolis, United States
Heptathlon	Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)	7291	24 September	Seoul, South Korea

Many observers believe Griffith-Joyner's time of 10.49 should not have been accepted as a record due to excessive following wind
Christyakova equalled the previous record of 7.45m with a prior jump

Men's Best Year Performers

100 metres

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 100 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Carl Lewis (USA)	9.92
2.	Linford Christie (GBR)	9.97
—	Calvin Smith (USA)	9.97
4.	Joe DeLoach (USA)	10.03
—	Dennis Mitchell (USA)	10.03

200 metres

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 200 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Joe DeLoach (USA)	19.75
2.	Carl Lewis (USA)	19.79
3.	Lorenzo Daniel (USA)	19.87
4.	Robson da Silva (BRA)	20.04
5.	Roy Martin (USA)	20.05
—	Albert Robinson (USA)	20.05

400 metres

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 400 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Butch Reynolds (USA)	43.29
2.	Steve Lewis (USA)	43.87
3.	Danny Everett (USA)	43.98
4.	Roberto Hernández (CUB)	44.22
5.	Darren Clark (AUS)	44.38

800 metres

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 800 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Johnny Gray (USA)	1:42.65
2.	José Luiz Barbosa (BRA)	1:43.20
3.	Steve Cram (GBR)	1:43.42
4.	Paul Ereng (KEN)	1:43.45
5.	Saïd Aouita (MAR)	1:43.86

1,500 metres

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 1,500 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Steve Cram (GBR)	3:30.95
2.	Jim Spivey (USA)	3:31.01
3.	Saïd Aouita (MAR)	3:32.69
4.	Peter Elliott (GBR)	3:32.94
5.	Jens-Peter Herold (GDR)	3:33.33

Mile

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Steve Cram (GBR)	3:48.85
2.	Peter Elliott (GBR)	3:49.20
3.	Jens-Peter Herold (GDR)	3:49.22
4.	Abdi Bile (SOM)	3:49.40
5.	Steve Scott (USA)	3:50.09

3,000 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Sydney Maree (USA)	7:38.79
2.	Brahim Boutayeb (MAR)	7:43.22
3.	Pierre Délèze (SUI)	7:43.46
4.	Paul Arpin (FRA)	7:43.58
5.	Saïd Aouita (MAR)	7:43.65

5,000 metres

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 5,000 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	John Ngugi (KEN)	13:11.70
2.	Dieter Baumann (FRG)	13:15.52
3.	José Regalo (POR)	13:15.62
4.	Hansjörg Kunze (GDR)	13:15.73
5.	Sydney Maree (USA)	13:15.85

10,000 metres

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 10,000 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Brahim Boutayeb (MAR)	27:21.46
2.	Eamonn Martin (GBR)	27:23.06
3.	Salvatore Antibo (ITA)	27:23.55
4.	Arturo Barrios (MEX)	27:25.07
5.	Kipkemboi Kimeli (KEN)	27:25.16

Half Marathon

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	John Treacy (IRL)	1:01:00

Marathon

Main race this year: Men's Olympic Marathon

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Belayneh Dinsamo (ETH)	2:06:50
2.	Hussein Ahmed Salah (DJI)	2:07:07
3.	Abebe Mekonnen (ETH)	2:07:35
4.	Hiromi Taniguchi (JPN)	2:07:40
5.	Stephen Jones (WAL)	2:08:20

110m Hurdles

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 110m Hurdles

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Roger Kingdom (USA)	12.97
2.	Colin Jackson (GBR)	13.11
3.	Mark McKoy (CAN)	13.17
—	Tonie Campbell (USA)	13.17
5.	Aleksandr Markin (URS)	13.20

400m Hurdles

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 400m Hurdles

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Andre Phillips (USA)	47.19
2.	Amadou Dia Bâ (SEN)	47.23
3.	Edwin Moses (USA)	47.37
4.	Kevin Young (USA)	47.72
5.	Danny Harris (USA)	47.74

3,000m Steeplechase

Main race this year: Men's Olympic 3,000m Steeplechase

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Julius Kariuki (KEN)	8:05.51
2.	Peter Koech (KEN)	8:06.79
3.	Mark Rowland (GBR)	8:07.96
4.	Patrick Sang (KEN)	8:12.00
5.	Alessandro Lambruschini (ITA)	8:12.17

High Jump

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic High Jump

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	HEIGHT
1.	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	2.43
2.	Sergey Malchenko (URS)	2.38
—	Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS)	2.38
4.	Tom McCants (USA)	2.37
—	Jerome Carter (USA)	2.37
—	Sorin Matei (ROU)	2.37
—	Patrik Sjöberg (SWE)	2.37

Long Jump

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic Long Jump

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Carl Lewis (USA)	8.76
2.	Larry Myricks (USA)	8.74
3.	Mike Powell (USA)	8.49
4.	Leonid Voloshin (URS)	8.46
5.	Eric Metcalf (USA)	8.44

Triple Jump

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic Triple Jump

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Khristo Markov (BUL)	17.77
2.	Igor Lapshin (URS)	17.69
3.	Oleg Protsenko (URS)	17.68
4.	Mike Conley (USA)	17.59
5.	Māris Bružiks (URS)	17.56

Discus

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic Discus Throw

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Jürgen Schult (GDR)	70.46
2.	Yuriy Dumchev (URS)	70.30
3.	Romas Ubartas (URS)	70.06
4.	Mike Buncic (USA)	68.92
5.	Vladimir Zinchenko (URS)	68.88

Shot Put

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic Shot Put

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Ulf Timmermann (GDR)	23.06
2.	Werner Günthör (SUI)	22.75
3.	Randy Barnes (USA)	22.42
4.	Udo Beyer (GDR)	22.10
5.	Sergey Smirnov (URS)	21.88

Hammer

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Yuriy Syedikh (URS)	85.14
2.	Sergey Litvinov (URS)	84.80
3.	Jüri Tamm (URS)	84.16
4.	Igor Nikulin (URS)	83.78
5.	Igor Astapkovich (URS)	83.44

Javelin (new design)

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic Javelin Throw

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Jan Železný (TCH)	86.88
2.	Tapio Korjus (FIN)	86.50
3.	Klaus Tafelmeier (FRG)	85.96
4.	Einar Vilhjálmsson (ISL)	84.66
5.	Silvio Warsönke (GDR)	84.14

Pole Vault

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic Pole Vault

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	HEIGHT
1.	Sergey Bubka (URS)	6.06
2.	Rodion Gataullin (URS)	5.95
3.	Miroslaw Chmara (POL)	5.90
4.	Kory Tarpenning (USA)	5.89
5.	Earl Bell (USA)	5.87

Decathlon

Main competition this year: Men's Olympic Decathlon

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	POINTS
1.	Christian Plaziat (FRA)	8512
2.	Valter Külvet (EST)	8506
3.	Christian Schenk (GDR)	8488
4.	Robert de Wit (NED)	8447
5.	Alexander Apaychev (UKR)	8424

Women's Best Year Performers

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 100 metres

100 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	10.49
2.	Evelyn Ashford (USA)	10.81
3.	Sheila Echols (USA)	10.83
4.	Anelia Nuneva (BUL)	10.85
5.	Diane Williams (USA)	10.86

200 metres

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 200 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	21.34
2.	Grace Jackson (JAM)	21.72
3.	Heike Drechsler (GDR)	21.84
4.	Pam Marshall (USA)	21.93
5.	Merlene Ottey (JAM)	21.99

400 metres

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 400 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Olga Bryzgina (URS)	48.65
2.	Olga Nazarova (URS)	49.11
3.	Petra Müller (GDR)	49.30
4.	Aelita Yurchenko (URS)	49.47
5.	Grace Jackson (JAM)	49.57

800 metres

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 800 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Inna Yevseyeva (URS)	1:56.0
—	Nadiya Olizarenko (URS)	1:56.0
3.	Sigrun Wodars (GDR)	1:56.10
4.	Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB)	1:56.36
5.	Paula Ivan (ROU)	1:56.42

1,500 metres

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 1,500 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Paula Ivan (ROU)	3:53.96
2.	Mary Slaney (USA)	3:58.92
3.	Laimutė Baikauskaitė (URS)	4:00.24
4.	Tatyana Samolenko (URS)	4:00.30
5.	Regina Jacobs (USA)	4:00.46

Mile

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Mary Slaney (USA)	4:21.25
2.	Paula Ivan (ROU)	4:25.80

3,000 metres

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 3,000 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Tatyana Samolenko (URS)	8:26.53
2.	Paula Ivan (ROU)	8:27.15
3.	Yvonne Murray (GBR)	8:29.02
4.	Yelena Romanova (URS)	8:30.45
5.	Natalya Artyomova (URS)	8:31.67

5,000 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Liz McColgan (GBR)	15:03.29
2.	Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR)	15:10.89
3.	Olga Bondarenko (URS)	15:11.16
4.	Lynn Jennings (USA)	15:11.83
5.	Lynn Nelson (USA)	15:12.7

10,000 metres

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 10,000 metres

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Olga Bondarenko (URS)	31:05.21
2.	Liz McColgan (GBR)	31:06.99
3.	Yelena Zhupiyeva (URS)	31:19.82
4.	Kathrin Ullrich (GDR)	31:26.79
5.	Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR)	31:31.37

Half Marathon

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Grete Waitz (NOR)	1:08:49

Marathon

Main race this year: Women's Olympic Marathon

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Lisa Martin (AUS)	2:23:51
2.	Rosa Mota (POR)	2:24:30
3.	Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR)	2:25:41
4.	Katrin Dörre (GDR)	2:26:21
5.	Tatyana Polovinskaya (URS)	2:27:05

100m Hurdles

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 100m Hurdles

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Yordanka Donkova (BUL)	12.21
2.	Ginka Zagorcheva (BUL)	12.48
—	Gloria Siebert (GDR)	12.48
—	Nataliya Grygoryeva (URS)	12.48
5.	Cornelia Oschkenat (GDR)	12.52

400m Hurdles

Main race this year: Women's Olympic 400m Hurdles

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.	Debbie Flintoff-King (AUS)	53.17
2.	Tatyana Ledovskaya (URS)	53.18
3.	Ellen Fiedler (GDR)	53.63
4.	Sabine Busch (GDR)	53.69
5.	Sally Gunnell (GBR)	54.03

High Jump

Main competition this year: Women's Olympic High Jump

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	HEIGHT
1.	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	2.07 m
2.	Louise Ritter (USA)	2.03 m
3.	Silvia Costa (CUB)	2.02 m
4.	Olga Turchak (URS)	2.00 m
—	Larisa Kositsyna (URS)	2.00 m
—	Alina Astafei (ROU)	2.00 m

Long Jump

Main competition this year: Women's Olympic Long Jump

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Galina Chistyakova (URS)	7.52 m
2.	Heike Drechsler (GDR)	7.48 m
3.	Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)	7.40 m
4.	Yelena Belevskaya (URS)	7.36 m
5.	Yelena Khlopotnova (URS)	7.29 m

Shot Put

Main competition this year: Women's Olympic Shot Put

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Natalya Lisovskaya (URS)	22.55 m
2.	Li Meisu (CHN)	21.76 m
3.	Natalya Akhrimenko (URS)	21.73 m
4.	Huang Zhihong (CHN)	21.28 m
5.	Heike Hartwig (GDR)	21.27 m

Discus throw

Main competition this year: Women's Olympic Discus Throw

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Gabriele Reinsch (GDR)	76.80 m
2.	Ilke Wyludda (GDR)	74.40 m
3.	Daniela Costian (ROM)	73.84 m
4.	Diana Gansky (GDR)	72.94 m
5.	Martina Hellmann (GDR)	72.30 m

Javelin (old design)

Main competition this year: Women's Olympic Javelin Throw

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	DISTANCE
1.	Petra Felke (GDR)	80.00 m
2.	Tiina Lillak (FIN)	73.30 m
3.	Tessa Sanderson (GBR)	71.70 m
4.	Silke Renk (GDR)	71.00 m
5.	Ivonne Leal (CUB)	70.48 m

Heptathlon

Main competition this year: Women's Olympic Heptathlon

RANK	1988 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	POINTS
1.	Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)	7291
2.	Sabine John (GDR)	6897
3.	Anke Behmer (GDR)	6858
4.	Chantal Beaugeant (FRA)	6702
5.	Ines Schulz (GDR)	6660

Births

January 17 — Anna Bulgakova, Russian hammer thrower
January 21 — Ashton Eaton, American decathlete
January 26 — Gilbert Yegon, Kenyan long-distance runner
April 29 — Jan Kudlička, Czech pole vaulter
May 20 — Yomara Hinestroza, Colombian sprinter
May 26 — Dani Samuels, Australian discus thrower
June 22 — Yekaterina Yevseyeva, Kazakh high jumper
July 5 — Vincent Chepkok, Kenyan long-distance runner
August 4 — Liam Zamel-Paez, Australian high jumper
August 10 — Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, Kenyan marathon runner
August 24 — Matteo Galvan, Italian sprinter
August 29 — Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, English sprinter
September 5 — Chu Yafei, Chinese race walker
October 31 — Eglė Balčiūnaitė, Lithuanian middle distance runner
December 17 — David Rudisha, Kenyan middle distance runner

Deaths

July 8 — Ray Barbuti (83), American athlete (b. 1905)

References

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