Born in Hanover, Jamaica, Merlene Ottey is a legend and one of the greatest women sprinters of all time. 
 
With an impressive track record for 200 metre Short Track spanning over three decades, she was truly the “Queen of the Track”. She has built one of the most highly decorated careers in sprinting, winning nine Olympic medals (3 silver, 6 bronze),14 World Championship medals, and competing in seven Olympic Games.  
 
Her world record was set on a tight indoor track, where fast times are rare. She ran a remarkable 21.87 seconds indoors in 1993 and remains the only woman to have run under 22 seconds indoors. 
 
More than three decades later, Merlene’s mark still stands as does her place in sports history.

From his first triple jump among the trees in the countryside of England, Jonathan Edwards felt a resonance with the sport. Fast forward, and the world watches as he steps onto the runway at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, and jumps further than any human ever had… twice!  
 
On August 7^th 1995, this “ordinary man” (in his words) became the first triple jump competitor to break the 18-metre barrier twice in the same final, with a final jump that reached 18.29 metres. This defining leap remains unmatched today, a long-lasting symbol of precision and control.  
 
Jonathan is now widely acknowledged as one of the most technically gifted triple jumpers the sport has ever seen.

Widely regarded as the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt needs little introduction. 
 
Born in a rural community in Jamaica, Usain rose to fame in the late 2000s with his trademark long strides and remarkable speed – factors which led him to win 8 Olympic gold medals and establish himself as the most dominant sprinter of his era. 
 
Already holding world records from the 2008 Beijing Oylmpics, Usain went on to smash his previous records at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, where, in the space of four days, Bolt set two new world records, running 9.58 seconds in the 100 metres on August 16, then 19.19 seconds in the 200 metres on August 20. 
 
More than a decade later, these marks still stand and remain the benchmark for speed in modern athletics, firmly establishing Usain as one of the greatest of all time.

Together with his team mates, Usain added another world record to his name in 2012, when the Jamaican 4×100-meter relay team crossed the finish line in 36.84 seconds.

Hailing from the west coast of Norway, Karsten Warholm has redefined what is possible in the 400 metre hurdles. 
 
Originally a multi-event athlete, Karsten brings unusual speed and vigour to the event. His attacking style between hurdles quickly set him apart from the rest of the field. 
 
His most recent peak came at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. In a historic final, Karsten ran 45.94 seconds, becoming the first athlete to break the 46-second barrier in the event. 
 
Decked out in a full PUMA outfit, the performance reset expectations for the event and marked one of the fastest hurdle races ever recorded.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh arrived on the global stage as a teenager and quickly became one of the most consistent jumpers in the sport. Known for her calm approach and efficient technique, she showed a steady rise as she moved through international competitions. 
 
In Paris in 2024, she produced the jump that changed the record books. Clearing 2.10 metres, Yaroslava broke a world record that had stood since 1987 (that’s 37 years!). 
 
This legendary performance closed one of the longest chapters in track and field history and signalled a new era in women’s high jump.

Finally, few athletes have reshaped an event as consistently as Armand “Mondo” Duplantis. 
 
Raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, with a pole-vaulting family and competing internationally for Sweden (due to his mother’s heritage), Duplantis grew up around the runway and the bar. By his early twenties, he had already taken control of the event, combining elite sprint speed with precise technique. 
 
Rather than breaking the record just once, Duplantis has made a habit of improving it incrementally. Since first setting the world record in 2020, he has raised the bar several times, pushing the event into territory few had imagined. 
 
With his 15^th pole vault record just set at 6.31 metres at the 2026 Mondo Classic, Duplantis continues to redefine the limits of the pole vault. A part of the PUMA family, he remains a dominant figure in the event and the one athlete most likely to raise the record again.

The Final Word

World records capture a moment when human potential moves forward. For PUMA athletes, holding these records year after year turns those performances into lasting milestones in the history of the sport.

Hear more from some of the world record holders on the PUMA Go Wild Podcast: