Top 10 Fastest Woman in the World 2024

The Fastest woman in the world usually takes 11 seconds or less to complete a sprint. The late Florence Griffith Joyner set the current women’s world record of 10.49 seconds in 1988. Nicknamed FloJo, she is the fastest woman of all time. Her 100-meter and 200-meter records remain unbeaten to this day.

In addition to her athleticism, Griffith Joyner was known for her daring fashion choices. She wore neon running suits, sported long painted nails, and wore jewelry during races—something most sprinters avoided for fear it would slow them down. Her incredible records eventually brought about suspicion due to the dramatic improvement of her times over such a short period of time.

As of 2024, here are the top 10 fastest female sprinters in the world:

Top 10 World Fastest Woman in 2024

10. Evelyn Ashford

100-meter record: 10.76 seconds

Retired American athlete Evelyn Ashford was the first woman to break the 11-second barrier at an Olympic Games, and she is a five-time Olympic medalist, four of them gold. Ashford’s first world record was set in 1983 at the National Sports Festival when she ran the 100 meters in 10.97 seconds. Her personal record of 10.76 seconds came in 1984,

9. Veronica Campbell Brown

100-meter record: 10.76 seconds

where it still ranks as the number eight individual all-time. Ashford also won three consecutive gold medals in the 4x100m relay at the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympics. During her career, she ran under the 11-second barrier over 30 times. She was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1997.

Veronica Campbell Brown achieved her personal best time of 10.76 seconds in the 100 meters in 2011, 27 years after Evelyn Ashford did. Born in Jamaica, Campbell Brown is an eight-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in the 200-meter events in both 2004 and 2008. She is one of only nine athletes to win World Championships at the youth, junior, and senior levels.

8. Kerron Stewart

100-meter record: 10.75 seconds

Kerron Stewart holds one of the fastest non-winning times for the women’s 100 meters. Born in Kingston, her impressive time of 10.75 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championships wasn’t enough to beat fellow Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser’s winning time of 10.73 seconds. Stewart also anchored her team in the 4x100m relay, helping the Jamaican team to victory in a time of 42.6 seconds. Stewart’s junior record includes a silver medal in the 4×100 meter relay at the World Junior Championships.

7. Merlene Ottey

100-meter record: 10.74 seconds

Merlene Ottey had the longest career of any top-level international sprinter, beginning with the PanAm Games in 1979 and finishing at the 2012 European Championships at the age of 52. Ottey represented Jamaica from 1978 until competing for Slovenia from 2002 to 2012. She ranks fourth on the all-time list for the 60 meters, eighth for the 100 meters, and fifth for the 200 meters.

Ottey never achieved gold at the Olympics but earned three silver medals and six bronze Olympic medals. She has won 14 World Championship medals and was named Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year 13 times between 1979 and 1995.

7. English Gardner

100-meter record: 10.74 seconds

Sharing Merlene Ottey’s personal best of 10.74 seconds is English Gardner. In 2016, Gardner’s time of 10.74 seconds, set during the United States Olympic trials, placed her in the top 10 all-time for the 100 meters. As part of the 4×100 meter relay team, Gardner has one Olympic gold medal and two silver World Championship medals.

6. Christine Arron

100-meter record: 10.73 seconds

French former track and field sprinter Christine Arron competed internationally for her country in the 60m, 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay races. With a 100m time of 10.73 seconds, Arron currently holds the European record and is one of the 10 fastest female 100-meter sprinters of all time.

The record was set in 1998 when she won at the European Championships. Arron openly criticized Marion Jones, her strongest career rival, who admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs and was stripped of all her Olympic medals.

5. Sha’Carri Richardson

100-meter record: 10.72 seconds

American track and field sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson has taken the world of athletics by storm, already becoming one of the 10 fastest female runners in history. While a freshman at Louisiana State University in 2019, Richardson ran a time of 10.75 seconds at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships.

In April 2021, she dropped this time to 10.72 seconds, making her the 4th fastest American woman of all time. However, Richardson’s athletic career hasn’t been smooth. Following her final 100 meters at the United States Olympic trials, she tested positive for THC, leading to her ineligibility to compete in the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics.

4. Marion Jones

100-meter record: 10.65 seconds

Former world champion sprinter Marion Jones was one of the most famous athletes linked to the BALCO scandal involving performance-enhancing substances. Jones was stripped of her Sydney Olympics medals and retired from the sport after publicly admitting to taking steroids in 2007.

3. Carmelita Jeter

100-meter record: 10.64 seconds

Carmelita Jeter is a retired American sprinter and holds the title of the third-fastest female runner ever in the 100 meters. She has three Olympic medals and seven World Championships, three of which are gold. Jeter’s fastest run came at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics final with a time of 10.67 seconds.

A week later, at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, she achieved her record time of 10.64 seconds. You can also check out other articles, like Top 10 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World.

2. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

100-meter record: 10.63 seconds

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, with her speed and short stature, is one of the most decorated athletes in history. At the World Athletics Championships, she has won 10 gold medals and two silvers, as well as two Olympic gold medals. Fraser-Pryce has run the most recorded races for a female sprinter in under 10.80 seconds.

1. Elaine Thompson-Herah

100-meter record: 10.54 seconds

Elaine Thompson-Herah is the first female Jamaican sprinter to win the 100m and 200m at the same Olympic Games. Her impressive record of 10.54 seconds makes her the fastest woman in the world as of 2024. Thompson-Herah continues to dominate the track, setting new standards in women’s sprinting.

When you win, win with grace. Act like you've been there before.#history#historybook#persistence#resilience#wolfpack#athlete#brusselsdl🇧🇪💎#pumarunning pic.twitter.com/qH6i2TBwVD

— Elaine Thompson-Herah (@FastElaine) September 10, 2023

These remarkable athletes have left an indelible mark on the world of track and field, inspiring future generations of sprinters to push the limits of human speed.

Sure! Here’s a detailed table of the top 10 fastest women in the world for 2024 based on their 100m sprint times:

Fastest Woman in the World 2024

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