United States at the World Athletics Championships

The United States has competed at every edition of the World Athletics Championships since its inception in 1983. It has been the most successful nation at the global competition for track and field. By the end of the 2017 World Championships, its athletes had won a total of 352 medals, 155 of them gold – more than double that of the next most successful nation Kenya, as well as more than the combined total of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet states. It has been the top nation in the championships medal table at every edition bar 1983 and 1987 (East Germany), 2001 (Russia) and 2015 (Kenya). It also ranks number one on points in the national placing tables. As one of the foremost nations in the sport internationally, its delegations for the championships are among the largest.

United States at the
World Athletics Championships
IAAF codeUSA
National federationUSA Track & Field
Websitewww.usatf.org/Home.aspx
Medals
Ranked 1st
Gold
155
Silver
106
Bronze
91
Total
352
World Athletics Championships appearances (overview)

The most decorated athlete of the competition's history is American: Allyson Felix has won sixteen World Championships medals, eleven of them gold, competing across the individual and relay sprint events. Among men, the United States has three of the four most decorated men (after Usain Bolt), all of them sprinters; LaShawn Merritt has eleven medals, Carl Lewis won ten and Michael Johnson won eight. All three won eight gold medals. Johnson is the nation's most successful athlete individually (and the third most successful overall), having won six gold medals in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. American Gail Devers is the second most successful woman individually, with four golds and two silver medals from the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles. Felix and Amy Acuff have made the most appearances for the United States, each having represented their country at eight separate editions.

The United States team was affected by doping during the period from 1997 to 2003, principally in sprinting events. The loss of several gold medals in 2001 resulted in the United States dropping to second in the medal rankings for the first time since 1987.

Medal table

Championships Men Women Mixed Total
Gold Silver Bronze Gold Silver Bronze Gold Silver Bronze Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank Athletes
1976 Malmö000No female eventsNo mixed events0000Unranked3
1980 SittardNo male events0000000Unranked6
1983 Helsinki684213897242101
1987 Roma7343121046202
1991 Tokyo9471411088261
1993 Stuttgart8335421375251
1995 Gothenburg7145111225191
1997 Athens416222638171
1999 Seville6034311034171
2001 Edmonton332221553132
2003 Paris640231871161
2005 Helsinki9425411483251
2007 Osaka10364211457261
2009 Berlin6444221066221160
2011 Daegu6536441297281127
2013 Moscow4823637145261137
2015 Beijing432234666183130
2017 London36475510119301167
2019 Doha95146310014114291144
Total1076557615337100169118943521

Multiple medalists

Athlete Gold Silver Bronze Total Years
Allyson Felix1132162005–2017
LaShawn Merritt830112005–2015
Carl Lewis811101983–1993
Michael Johnson80081991–1999
Gail Devers53081991–2001
Sanya Richards-Ross52072003–2015
Jeremy Wariner51062005–2009
Natasha Hastings51062007–2017
Maurice Greene50051997–2001
Jearl Miles-Clark43291991–2003
Allen Johnson40151995–2005
Dwight Phillips40152003–2011
Bershawn Jackson40152005–2011
Kerron Clement40152007–2017
Jackie Joyner-Kersee40041987–1993
Brittney Reese40042009–2017
Justin Gatlin35082005–2017
Gwen Torrence34181991–1995
Butch Reynolds32161987–1995
Lauryn Williams32052003–2007
Carmelita Jeter31372007–2013
Calvin Smith31041983–1987
Tyson Gay31042007–2009
Marion Jones30141997–1999
Angelo Taylor30141999–2011
Greg Foster30031983–1991
Dan O'Brien30031991–1995
John Godina30031995–2001
Christian Taylor30032011–2017

Best placings

Of the 50 events that have been held over the history of the championships, 30 have been won by American athletes (17 men's events and 13 women's events). A further 4 men's and 5 women's events have featured an American medallist at some point. Americans have topped the podium in all sprint and hurdles events, as well as all the men's jumps. By far the weakest events of the United States are men's and women's racewalking and women's throws – only four bronze medals have been won by American athletes in these disciplines, among a total of over 350 medals across events. Americans have featured in the final at some point of every discipline contested at the championships.

This table shows the best place finish by an American athlete by event. Where the best position has been achieved multiple times, the first instance is shown.

Event Men's placing Male athlete Women's placing Female athlete
100 mCarl Lewis (1983)Gail Devers (1993)
200 mCalvin Smith (1983)Inger Miller (1999)
400 mAntonio Pettigrew (1991)Jearl Miles (1993)
800 mNick Symmonds (2013)Brenda Martinez (2013)
1500 mBernard Lagat (2007)Mary Decker (1983)
3000 mNot contestedMary Decker (1983)
5000 mBernard Lagat (2007)6thMolly Huddle (2013)
10,000 m4thGalen Rupp (2013)Kara Goucher (2007)
MarathonMark Plaatjes (1993)Marianne Dickerson (1983)
110/100 m hurdlesGreg Foster (1983)Gail Devers (1993)
400 m hurdlesEdwin Moses (1983)Kim Batten (1995)
3000 m s'chaseEvan Jager (2017)Emma Coburn (2017)
10 km walkNot contested15thLynn Weik (1987)
20 km walk18thAllen James (1993)19thDebbi Lawrence (2001)
50 km walkCurt Clausen (1999)4thKathleen Burnett (2017)
4 × 100 m relayUnited States (1987)United States (1987)
4 × 400 m relayUnited States (1983)United States (1993)
High jumpCharles Austin (1991)Chaunté Howard (2005)
Pole vaultBrad Walker (2007)Stacy Dragila (1999)
Long jumpCarl Lewis (1983)Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1987)
Triple jumpKenny Harrison (1991)11thCynthea Rhodes (1997)
Shot putJohn Godina (1995)Jillian Camarena-Williams (2011)
Discus throwAnthony Washington (199)5thSeilala Sua (2001)
Javelin throwTom Petranoff (1983)8thKara Winger (2015)
Hammer throw5thLance Deal (1995)DeAnna Price (2019)
Decathlon/heptathlonDan O'Brien (1991)Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1987)

Doping

Year Athlete Event Notes
1991Delisa FloydWomen's 800 mSemi-finalist
1993Mike StulceMen's shot putStripped of bronze medal
1997Antonio PettigrewMen's 400 m7th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
1999Antonio PettigrewMen's 400 m5th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
1999Jerome YoungMen's 400 m4th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
2001Ramon ClayMen's 200 mQuarter-finalist
2001Tim MontgomeryMen's 100 mStripped of individual silver and relay gold medals
2001Antonio PettigrewMen's 400 m4th individually, stripped of relay gold medal
2001Jerome YoungMen's 400 mSemi-finalist, stripped of relay gold medal
2001Marion JonesWomen's 100 m, 200 mStripped of 100 m silver, 200 m gold and relay gold medals
2001Kelli WhiteWomen's 100 m, 200 m7th in 100 m, stripped of 200 m bronze and relay gold medals
2003Calvin HarrisonMen's 400 m6th individually, stripped of relay gold
2003Tim MontgomeryMen's 100 m5th in final
2003Chris PhillipsMen's 110 m hurdles5th in final
2003Kevin TothMen's shot put4th in final
2003Jerome YoungMen's 400 mstripped of individual and relay gold medals
2003Regina JacobsWomen's 1500 mSemi-finalist
2003Melissa PriceWomen's hammer throw12th in final
2003Kelli WhiteWomen's 100 m, 200 mstripped of 100 m and 200 m gold medals

References

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