STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF WORLD ATHLETICS: HURDLES
With this post, we continue our statistical analysis of world athletics, focusing on the Hurdles. We hope you find it of interest.
The data are presented in Google Data Studio, allowing readers to select and filter the information. The tool is publicly available and free to access.
We include interactive results tables too that can be filtered directly by different criteria, while Google Data Studio is used for charts and maps.
The underlying data have been collected from the European Athletics website, and World Athletics. Additional sources have been consulted to complement the study.
We hope you find the content interesting.
OVERVIEW
Objective of the Analysis
The aim of the analysis is to provide a historical overview of Hurdles events, showing results and participation by athletes and countries, while also benchmarking performance against other athletics disciplines.
Methodology
The report, created in Google Data Studio (Looker Studio), allows the data to be segmented by several parameters, including countries, time period, gender, and so on. This makes it possible to perform different comparisons by applying the appropriate filters and analysing the data from the desired perspective.
The report contains four pages, which can be accessed by clicking the titles in the top navigation bar.
Although the layout adapts to the viewing interface, we recommend using a computer or, at least, a tablet for the best viewing experience.
Interactive Tables
The tables shown in the post are interactive and can be filtered using the drop-down menus in the header. They provide a quick overview of performances, athletes, and countries.
Data selection criteria
For the results, data were collected for all athletes who scored more than 1,100 Hungarian points in the world rankings. For events where there were fewer than 50 athletes per year scoring more than 1,100 points, the top 50 athletes were selected. The aim is to obtain a representative sample, by country, of the number of high-level athletes, without disadvantaging events with lower scoring potential. Of course, this approach assumes that Hungarian points provide a perfectly balanced comparison between performances in different events, which may be a rather strong assumption.
It is important to note that, in all cases, only each athlete’s best performance has been selected. Therefore, each athlete appears only once in any given ranking, based on their personal best.
The analysis period covers 2001 to 2025. However, to provide a more complete picture, world-record data from any date have also been included.
HURDLES TOP 20 RESULTS TABLE
The table shows all performances by athletes included under the selection criteria mentioned above, from 2001 to 2025. The Gender, Country, and Event filters can be used to narrow down the results. The table displays 20 results per page, ordered from best to worst; you can change pages using the controls below the table.
| Year | Athlete | Gender | Country | Event | Mark | Result HP |
|---|
REPORT PAGE I : HURDLES IN WORLD ATHLETICS 2001-2025
The first page of the report presents information on world records and the top 20 performances for each event, the progression of results across the four jumping disciplines, and results by country.
Access to the report (Page I): https://datastudio.google.com/s/qDOtOG0YEXE
Data Selection Controls
At the top of the report, you will find dropdown controls, in this page Country, Gender & Year selection are included, so the information displayed in all subsequent tables and charts will be affected in case of filtering
The drop-downs allow you to select one, several or all available options intuitively. The report automatically updates to reflect the selected data.
You can also filter the information by clicking directly on data points in most of the charts and tables throughout the report.
All Time World Records & TOP 20 historical results
The first chart shows the current records for each event, including the performance expressed in Hungarian points (HP) and the age of each record.
The second chart shows the top 20 all time performances ranked by Hungarian points. Each athlete appears only once, based on their best performance.
Unlike the jumping and throwing events, where many records and top performances date back to the 1980s and 1990s, all hurdles records were set this century, as were virtually all of the top 20 performances (considering all the events, in case of event filter you can find more old historical results). These data are highlighted in orange.
(Remember that you can filter the data using the dropdown menus above, or by clicking on data points in most charts and tables)
2001-2025 Performance Evolution
The first chart shows the average results along the time by events. Clicking on the upper bar of the graphic "optional Metrics" you can change Average / Max Hungarian points.
The second chart shows the number of athletes with more than 1100 HP by year in each event. In case of less than 50 by gender, the first 50 by gender are in the graphic.
On average, performance trends have risen slightly in recent years, and the number of athletes exceeding 1,100 Hungarian points has increased clearly.
(Remember that you can filter the data using the dropdown menus above, or by clicking on data points in most charts and tables)
Performance by Countries
The following table shows each country’s performance in each event, including the average Hungarian points score and the maximum score.
The map below displays the countries, with bubble size representing the number of athletes from each country and the color scale indicating each country’s maximum Hungarian points score. The drop-down menus at the top can be used to filter the view by a specific event.
Here we can see the overwhelming dominance of the United States in terms of athlete numbers, with more than 1,300 athletes exceeding 1,100 points during the analysis period. It also holds two current world records and nine of the top 20 performances.
PAGE II : HURDLES Events Versus Other Disciplines
On the second page, we compare Hurdles events with the other athletics disciplines.
Access to the report (Page II): https://datastudio.google.com/s/rqrXj4GcZew
Data Selection Controls
The drop-downs allow you to select one, several or all available options intuitively. The report automatically updates to reflect the selected data.
You can also filter the information by clicking directly on data points in most of the charts and tables throughout the report.
Comparison Across Events: Number of Athletes, Maximum Score, and Average Hungarian Points
The chart compares the different event categories, including the total number of athletes and the average and maximum Hungarian points achieved during the analysis period (2001–2025). (You can select by events or events type using the arrows on the upper bar)
Hurdles rank fifth in terms of the number of athletes (Please note that hurdles comprise three events, whereas other disciplines include more). Selecting by events in the upper bar, we can see 400 hurdles in the 7th position considering number of athletes.
The following table provides a more detailed breakdown by event - type, event and gender, initially sorted by average Hungarian points in descending order. It highlights the events with the highest average scores among athletes exceeding 1,100 points—or the top 50 athletes where that threshold is not reached.
Please remember that you can filter these data using the dropdown controls above or by clicking on any of the charts.
Data Trends Over Time (2001–2025)
The first chart uses stacked bars to show the number of athletes scoring above 1,100 points—or the top 50 athletes where that threshold is not reached. Excluding the COVID-affected year, athletics shows steady progress in performance quality, while hurdles events remain relatively in the middle of the ranking. It should be noted that some disciplines include only one event, whereas jumping comprises three (considering 100 mv (W) and 110 mv (M) as the same event).
The second chart shows the trend in average Hungarian points over time. Aside from the COVID-related dip, it also reflects a gradual improvement in performances across all event categories, including Hurdles events.
Please remember that you can filter these data using the dropdown controls above or by clicking on any of the charts.
PAGE III & IV : EVENT DETAILS
The following pages present detailed information on each of the three hurdles events. As the format is the same for all of them, we show here Page III, which covers the 400 m Hurdles. The page IV related to 100 mh & 110 mh is available through the link
Access Page III (400 mh): https://datastudio.google.com/s/r4UXBQj0uus
Access Page IV (100 / 110 mh): https://datastudio.google.com/s/geo71kBCwKA
Data Selection Controls
The drop-downs allow you to select one, several or all available options intuitively. The report automatically updates to reflect the selected data.
You can also filter the information by clicking directly on data points in most of the charts and tables throughout the report.
400 m Hurdles Evolution: Number of Athletes, Average / Max Hungarian Points and WR
The following two charts show the evolution of the 400 hurdles over the analysis period: the first for female athletes and the second for male athletes. They include the number of athletes, average and maximum Hungarian points, and WR as a reference too
For the women’s event the increase in athletes exceeding 1,100 points has been remarkable in recent years, reaching 240 in 2025. This period also includes Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 2024 world record.
In the men’s event we see the same pattern as in the women’s category: a sharp increase since the COVID-affected year, along with Karsten Warholm’s 2021 world record.
Please remember that you can filter these data using the dropdown controls above or by clicking on any of the charts.
400 m Hurdles by Countries
(Only the women’s section is shown in the image as an example)
Here, we present 400 mh performance by country, separately for women and men. The maps show the number of athletes within the study period (bubble size) and the highest Hungarian points score achieved (colour intensity).
The tables rank the top 10 countries, showing the number of athletes, best performance, and highest Hungarian points score. They also include the world record and the gap between each country’s best performance and the record, expressed in Hungarian points.
For women, the United States clearly leads with 592 athletes and the world’s best performance, followed by Jamaica, which ranks second in number of athletes and fourth in best performance.
For men, the same pattern is repeated: the United States dominates, with 852 athletes and the second-best performance of all time. The best result is for Norway, with the Karsten Warholm world record.
Please remember that you can filter these data using the dropdown controls above or by clicking on any of the charts.
400 m Hurdles by ATHLETES
(Only the women’s section is shown in the image as an example)
Here, we present 400mh performance by athletes, separately for women and men.
The first table rank the top 10 athletes, showing the country, t
he years in which the athlete exceeded 1,100 Hungarian points
, best performance, the best mark, and highest Hungarian points score. They also include the world record and the gap between each athlete’s best performance and the record, expressed in Hungarian points.
The following chart shows the progression of the top 10 athletes over the analysis period.
In the women’s category six American athletes feature in the top 10, led by world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, followed by Dutch athlete Femke Bol, who holds the second-best performance of all time.
In the men’s category; the ranking is led by Norway’s Karsten Warholm, the world-record holder, who spent 10 years among the athletes exceeding 1,100 points. Also noteworthy are American athlete Kerron Clement, with 15 years in this group, and Dominican athlete Félix Sánchez, with 14 years.
Please remember that you can filter these data using the dropdown controls above or by clicking on any of the charts.
INTERACTIVE REPORT
The report is embedded here for your convenience. In the shaded toolbar at the bottom of the report, you will find two links: one to open the report in full-screen mode and another to open it directly in Google Data Studio.
For greater flexibility, we recommend opening the report directly in Google Data Studio. It is safe and free to use.
Due to the complexity of the report, we recommend viewing it on a computer, or at least on a tablet.
(in case of use the embedded report, Click on the bottom-left navigation bar to move between the different pages of the report)
CONCLUSION
The hurdles data indicate that the discipline is in excellent health worldwide: the records date from this century, and the number of athletes exceeding 1,100 Hungarian points continues to grow.
However, a large share of these figures comes from the United States, which continues to produce a growing number of hurdlers. In the women’s events, Jamaica also contributes strongly in both the short and long hurdles, while Femke Bol stands out in the 400 m hurdles.
That’s all for now. We will soon continue with the Sprint disciplines.. Please notify me any mistake or suggestion about how to improve our analysis.
Any comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thank you for your attention.
