The women’s 200-metre dash covers 200 metres. It is a sprint made up of a bend and a finishing straight, so it demands both acceleration and the ability to maintain speed through the second half.
Unlike the 100 metres, the 200 metres begins on a staggered start because runners occupy lanes around a curve. The stagger ensures that every athlete has the same total distance to the finish. After negotiating the bend, runners enter the straight and race to the line in their lanes.
The women’s 200 metres has been part of the Olympic athletics programme continuously since 1948. Florence Griffith-Joyner set the still-standing world record of 21.34 seconds at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, while more recent Olympic champions include Elaine Thompson-Herah and Gabrielle Thomas.
A frequent mix-up is treating the event as two separate 100-metre races. Although the distance is twice the 100 metres, the curve, stagger, pacing and speed endurance make it a distinct sprint event.