The women's 100m hurdles are 0.838 meters high.
That height is commonly written as 83.8 centimeters or 33 inches. In a standard race, athletes clear ten hurdles on a straight 100-meter track. The first hurdle stands 13 meters from the start, the hurdles are spaced 8.5 meters apart, and competitors have 10.5 meters from the last hurdle to the finish.
The women's event evolved from earlier hurdle races with different distances and barrier heights. At the Olympics, women initially competed in the 80m hurdles, beginning in 1932. The race became 100 meters from the 1972 Games, using the modern 83.8cm hurdle height.
The most common confusion is with men's hurdles: the men's 110m hurdles use barriers 1.067 meters high. Another distractor, 0.762 meters, refers to the older 80m women's hurdles and some age-group or developmental events. Hurdles are weighted and designed to tip forward when struck, so brushing one is not automatically a disqualification, though it can cost an athlete time and momentum.