To qualify for the men's 100 metres at the 2028 Olympics, athletes must now run 9.93 or faster. For the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the bar was 10.00. The qualifying standard has been raised continuously this century, with athletes requiring a time of 10.27 for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and 10.16 for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
9.93 was the slowest time that qualified a sprinter for the men's final at the 2024 Olympics, run by the USA's Kenny Bednarek. The slowest time in the final was Oblique Seville's 9.91.
For the women's 100 metres, the bar is set at 10.96. Only four women ran 10.96 or faster in the 2024 final, with gold medalist Julien Alfred running 10.72.
The international athletics governing body also confirmed a change to qualifying, introducing a dual pathway. Instead of splitting entrants 50/50 between those who met the entry standards and those who qualified through world rankings, 40% of athletes are expected to qualify via the entry standards and the remaining 60% via the world rankings.
If the number of athletes qualifying via the entry standard exceeds the quota, those with the best qualifying times will be granted a ticket to the Olympics, within the quota. No athletes will qualify via the world rankings in this case, World Athletics confirmed.
Qualifying periods vary per discipline. Marathon runners can qualify from November 1st, 2026, to April 30th, 2028, athletes competing in the 10,000 metres, combined events, race walks, and relays can qualify between December 19th, 2026, and June 18th, 2028, while all other events have a qualifying period between June 19th, 2027, and June 18th, 2028.
The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA, will take place between July 15-30.
