Men's 400 metres European record progression

The following table shows the European record progression in the men's 400 metres, as ratified by the EAA[1] [2]

Hand timing

Time Athlete Nationality Venue Date
47.8* Beauchamp Day  United Kingdom Perth, Australia April 1, 1907
47.6 Eric Liddell  United Kingdom Paris, France July 12, 1924
46.7 Godfrey Brown  United Kingdom Berlin, Germany August 7, 1936
46.0 Rudolf Harbig  Germany Frankfurt, Germany August 12, 1939
46.0 Ardalion Ignatyev  Soviet Union Moscow, Russia June 25, 1955
45.8 Carl Kaufmann  West Germany Cologne, Germany September 19, 1959
45.7 Carl Kaufmann  West Germany Cologne, Germany June 15, 1960
45.4 Carl Kaufmann  West Germany Berlin, Germany July 24, 1960
44.9 Carl Kaufmann  Germany Rome, Italy September 6, 1960
44.9 Martin Jellinghaus  Germany Mexico City, Mexico October 17, 1968
44.7 Karl Honz  West Germany Munich, Germany July 21, 1972

* Performance timed over 440 yards

Automatic timing

Time Athlete Nationality Venue Date
44.70 Karl Honz  West Germany Munich, Germany July 21, 1972
44.60 Viktor Markin  Soviet Union Moscow, Russia July 30, 1980
44.50 Erwin Skamrahl  West Germany Munich, Germany July 26, 1983
44.48 Thomas Schönlebe  East Germany Potsdam, Germany August 21, 1987
44.33 Thomas Schönlebe  East Germany Rome, Italy September 3, 1987
44.26 Matt Hudson-Smith  United Kingdom Budapest, Hungary August 22, 2023

References