Two American records fell yesterday so I was curious as to how the current American records compare to the current world records. The United States is a powerhouse in Track & Field so most of the American records do stack up. In fact, many American records are the current world record!
I did a quick analysis and discovered that a few of the American records are soft, or likely to fall. To categorize a record as a soft record, the world record must be >=3% farther or faster than American record. Look for many of these records to fall over the course of the summer. Note that the two American records that fell this weekend are still on the list (in red) so they are likely to fall again in this world championships season.
Soft Women's American Records
4x800m Relay, 08:19.90 (WR is 07:50.17, 6.3% faster)
3,000m, 08:25.83 (WR is 08:06.11, 4.1% faster)
3,000m Steeplechase, 09:29.32 (WR is 09:01.59, 5.1% faster)
10,000m Race Walk, 44:41.87 (WR is 41:56.23, 6.6% faster)
10,000m, 30:52.32 (WR is 29:31.78, 4.5% faster)
20,000m Race Walk, 1:33:28.15 (WR is 1:26:52.30, 7.6% faster)
Discus Throw, 66.1m (WR is 76.8m, 13.9% farther)
Hammer Throw, 73.87m (WR is 77.8m, 5.1% farther)
Javelin Throw, 64.19m (WR is 71.7m, 10.5% farther)
Pole Vault, 4.84m (5.01m, 3.4% farther)
Shot Put, 20.18 (WR is 22.63, 10.8% farther)
Triple Jump, 14.45m (WR is 15.5m, 6.8% farther)
Soft Men's American Records
3,000m Steeplechase, 08:08.82 (WR is 07:53.63, 3.2% faster)
10,000m, 27:13.98 (WR is 26:17.53, 3.6% faster)
20,000m Race Walk, 1:23:40.00 (WR is 1:17:25.60, 8.1% faster)
Hammer Throw, 82.52m (WR is 86.74m, 4.9% farther)
Javelin Throw, 90.71m (WR is 98.48m, 7.9% farther)
