50 metres, or 50-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor athletics competitions it is used in the Special Olympics and a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. It is an alternative to the 60 metres running event. The imperial distance for 50 metres is 54.68 yards. Records and personal bests in the 50 metres are frequently achieved in February and March as these dates coincide with the indoor athletics season.

All-time top 25

Indoor results only

• = en route to a longer distance A = affected by altitude

Men

Outdoor best performances

• = en route to 100m mark. N.B. The Seville marks listed are excluding the athlete's reaction times. Bolt's & Su's times are inclusive.

Women

Note: Angella Issajenko of Canada ran a world record 6.06 in Ottawa on 13 January 1987, this performance was rescinded after Issajenko's admittance of long term drug use at the Dubin Inquiry in 1989.

Outdoor best performances

• = en route to 100m mark

Season's bests

Men

Women