Biggest Winning Margins in a World Indoor Championships


The history of World Athletics Indoor Championships entails both tight battles and overwhelming dominance.
Etusuora: 17.03.2022 07:38Athletics
Biggest Winning Margins in a World Indoor Championships
Photo: Olavi Kaljunen / Trackpic
Carolina Klüft.
A good example of exceptional dominance was Wilson Kipketer's world record of 1:42.67 at men's 800 metres in Paris 1997 – the Dane beat his runner-up, Mahjoud Haida, by over 3 seconds.

In Budapest 1989, Javier Sotomayor overpowered the high jump contest by a difference of 8 centimeters with the indoor track world record of 243. The same winning margin was achieved for women's high jump by Mariya Lasitskene in Birmingham 2018. The pole vaulter Steve Hooker beat his runner-up, Malte Mohr, by a huge difference – 31 centimetres – in Doha 2010.

The two most overwhelming wins in triple jump, 40 cm (2004) and 35 cm (2003) margins, belong to the double indoor track champion Christian Olsson.

In his top years, Ashton Eaton showed total dominance in both outdoor and indoor tracks. In the 2012 world indoor championships in Istanbul, the American crushed others by an astonishing gap of 574 wit th WR result of 6645. Carolina Kluft also beat her rivals hands down (by 218 points) at pentathlon in Birmingham 2003.

In Barcelona 1995, Irina Privalova timed 50.23 at women's 400 metres, winning by 1.15 seconds. A legend at 800 metres, Maria Mutola achieved an incredible seven world indoor championship titles, one of which was with a margin of over 2 seconds to the runner-up. True dominance was also seen at women's 1,500 metres in Sopot 2014, when Sweden's Abeba Aregawi won the championship with 4:00.61 – beating the runner-up, Axumawit Embaye, by over 6.5 seconds.

Sally Pearson's championship at 60 metres hurdles by .21 seconds in Istanbul is another example of overwhelming victory.

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Largest winning margins


Men


60 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.08Justin Gatlin6.462012
0.07Andrés Simón6.521989
0.07Justin Gatlin6.462003


200 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.36Geir Moen20.581995
0.33John Regis20.541989
0.16Kirk Baptiste20.731987
0.16Frank Fredericks20.101999


400 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.50Antonio McKay45.591989
0.49Butch Reynolds45.261993
0.37Tyler Christopher45.672008
0.37Pavel Maslák45.472018


800 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
3.09Wilson Kipketer1:42.671997
1.93Yuriy Borzakovskiy1:44.492001
1.71Paul Ereng1:44.841989


1500 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
1.93Hicham El Guerrouj3.35.311997
1.16Marcus O'Sullivan3.36.641989
1.11Noureddine Morceli3.41.571991


3000 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
4.13Haile Gebrselassie7:34.711997
2.50Frank O'Mara7:41.141991
1.96Kenenisa Bekele7:39.322006


60 m H.

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.11Tonie Campbell7.511987
0.09Liu Xiang7.462008
0.07Allen Johnson7.362004


High jump

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.08Javier Sotomayor2431989
0.05Ivan Ukhov2362010



Pole vault

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.31Steve Hooker6012010
0.22Renaud Lavillenie6022016
0.20Sergey Bubka6001991


Long jump

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.31Iván Pedroso8511995
0.27Iván Pedroso8432001
0.22Larry Myricks8231987


Triple jump

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.40Christian Olsson17.832004
0.35Christian Olsson17.702003
0.28Mike Conley17.541987
0.28Phillips Idowu17.752008


Shot put

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.95Reese Hoffa22.112006
0.89Tom Walsh21.782016
0.87Tom Walsh22.312018


Heptathlon

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
574.00Ashton Eaton66452012
329.00Ashton Eaton66322014
288.00Ashton Eaton64702016


Women


60 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.13Merlene Ottey6.971995
0.09Gail Devers7.61997
0.08Murielle Ahouré6.972018


200 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.61Merlene Ottey22.341989
0.58Irina Privalova22.151993
0.39Heike Drechsler22.271987



400 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
1.15Irina Privalova50.231995
0.97Sanya Richards-Ross50.792012
0.92Courtney Okolo50.552018


800 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
2.17Maria Mutola1:57.621995
1.63Maria Mutola1:57.551993
0.84Pamela Jelimo1:58.832012


1500 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
6.51Abeba Aregawi4:00.612014
2.00Genzebe Dibaba4:05.782012
1.78Kutre Dulecha4:06.402004


3000 m

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
12.34Yvonne Murray8:50.551993
6.83Genzebe Dibaba8:47.432016
6.38Meseret Defar8:38.802006


60 m H.

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.21Sally Pearson7.732012
0.14Lolo Jones7.722010
0.13Lolo Jones7.802008


High jump

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.08Mariya Lasitskene2012018
0.04Yelena Slesarenko2042004


Pole vault

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.20Svetlana Feofanova4802003
0.10Yelena Isinbayeva4802012


Long jump

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.25Brittney Reese7232012
0.16Heike Drechsler7101987
0.15Brittney Reese7222016


Triple jump

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
0.46Inessa Kravets14.441991
0.46Tatyana Lebedeva15.362004
0.37Yargelis Savigne15.052008


Shot put

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
1.10Valerie Adams20.192008
1.02Valerie Adams20.492010
0.96Valerie Adams20.542012


Pentathlon

Winning marginAthleteResultYear
218.00Carolina Klüft49332003
202.00Svetlana Moskalets48341995
139.00Natallia Sazanovich48502001