1988 in the sport of athletics

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

International Events

• African Championships
• Balkan Games
• European Indoor Championships
• Olympic Games
• World Cross Country Championships
• World Junior Championships

World records

Men

EVENT	ATHLETE	MARK	DATE	VENUE
Marathon	Belayneh Dinsamo (ETH)	2:06:50	April 17	Rotterdam, Netherlands
High Jump	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	2.43m	September 8	Salamanca, Spain
Shot Put	Ulf Timmermann (GDR)	23.06m	May 22	Chania, Greece

• What about Butch Reynolds' world record for the 400 metres? 43.29 seconds on 17 August 1988 at Zurich?

• The US relay team in the men's 4x400m, formed by Danny Everett, Steve Lewis, Kevin Robinzine and Butch Reynolds, equal the standing world record at the 1988 Summer Olympics, clocking 2:56.16 on 1988-10-01. The previous mark was also by the United States, on 1968-10-20 by Vincent Matthews, Ron Freeman, Larry James and Lee Evans.

Women

EVENT	ATHLETE	MARK	DATE	VENUE
100 metres	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	10.49	July 16	Indianapolis, United States
200 metres	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	21.34	September 29	Seoul, South Korea
4 × 400 m Relay	Soviet Union (URS) • Tatyana Ledovskaya • Olga Nazarova • Mariya Pinigina • Olga Bryzgina	3:15.17	October 1	Seoul, South Korea
Heptathlon	Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)	7215	July 16	Indianapolis, United States
	Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)	7291	September 24	Seoul, South Korea

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

Race Walking

Main article: 1988 Race Walking Year Ranking

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

Main article: 1988 Hammer Throw Year Ranking

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 Schersing (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
—	Nadezhda 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.	Laima Baikauskaite (URS)	4:00.24
4.	Tatyana Dorovskikh (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 Dorovskikh (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.	Elizabeth 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.	Elizabeth McColgan (GBR)	31:06.99
3.	Yelena Vyazova (URS)	31:19.82
4.	Kathrin Weßel (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 Ondieki (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

Race Walking

Main article: 1988 Race Walking Year Ranking

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

Javelin (old design)

Main competition this year: Women's Olympic Javelin Throw

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

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 Krause (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
• 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

• Year Lists
• 1988 Year Rankings
• Association of Road Racing Statisticians