Tonja Buford-Bailey

USAWomen

Birth dateDec 13, 1970

Height-

Weight-

Tonja Buford-Bailey is a United States sprinter, born on December 13, 1970. She competes primarily in the 200m, 400m and 100mH.

Her personal bests include 23.16 in the 200m, 52.61 in the 400m, 13.08 in the 100mH, 52.62 in the 400mH and 7.60 in the 55mH. She has earned 1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals in major international competitions. She is currently active on the international athletics circuit, representing United States.

Key facts

400 m hurdles

52.62

#13 all-time

400 Metres Short Track

52.61

2001 season best

54.15

Aug 6, 2001 · Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton (CAN)

2001 season best

Last competition

Melbourne IAAF Grand Prix Final, Melbourne

Sep 9, 2001 · 54.58

Melbourne IAAF Grand Prix Final, Melbourne

Medals

Olympic Games: 1 bronze · World Championships: 1 silver

Age

55 years old

As of Sep 23, 2026: 400 m hurdles 52.62 (#13 all-time), 400 Metres Short Track 52.61, 2001 season best 54.15 (Aug 6, 2001, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton (CAN)) · Last competition: Melbourne IAAF Grand Prix Final, Melbourne, Sep 9, 2001, 54.58 · Olympic Games: 1 bronze · World Championships: 1 silver · 55 years old

Personal bests

23.16

52.61

13.08*

52.62

55mH

7.60

400m-short-track

52.61

300m

38.14

* Wind-assisted (> 2.0 m/s)

🏅

Medals

	🥇	🥈	🥉	Total
Olympic Games	-	-	1	1
World Championships	-	1	-	1
Total	-	1	1	2

Performance Charts

Season bests

Season	Discipline	Result	Wind	Date	Trend	Competitions
2001	400m	53.66	-	Apr 28, 2001	↓	Des Moines, IA (USA)
2001	400mH	54.15	-	Aug 6, 2001	↑	IAAF World Championships, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
2000	200m	24.29	+1.0	May 26, 2000	↓	Houston, TX (USA)
2000	400mH	54.80	-	Jul 17, 2000	↑	Sacramento, CA (USA)
1999	400mH	58.29	-	Jun 24, 1999	↑	Eugene, OR (USA)
1997	400mH	54.05	-	Jun 14, 1997	↑	Indianapolis, IN (USA)
1996	100mH	13.08	+2.6	Apr 13, 1996	-	Champaign, IL (USA)
1996	200m	23.25	+1.3	May 11, 1996	↓	Bloomington, IN (USA)
1996	400m-short-track	52.61	-	Mar 1, 1996	-	USA Indoor Championships
1996	400m	53.07	-	Jan 27, 1996	↓	Atlanta, GA (USA) (i)
1996	400mH	53.22	-	Jul 31, 1996	↑	The XXVI Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, GA
1995	400mH	52.62	-	Aug 11, 1995	↑	IAAF World Championships
1994	400mH	55.85	-	Jul 15, 1994	↑	Crystal Palace, London (GBR)
1993	55mH	7.60	-	Mar 12, 1993	-	Indianapolis, IN (USA) (i)
1993	200m	23.16	+1.1	Jul 2, 1993	↓	Villeneuve d'Ascq (FRA)
1993	400mH	54.38	-	Aug 17, 1993	↑	IAAF World Championships, Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, Stuttgart
1992	300m	38.14	-	Feb 15, 1992	-	Ames, IA (USA) (i)
1992	400mH	54.75	-	Jun 21, 1992	↑	Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne (SUI)

Discipline	Result	Wind	Date	Competitions
400mH	54.58	-	Sep 9	Melbourne IAAF Grand Prix Final, Melbourne
400mH	54.75	-	Sep 5	Goodwill Games, Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Nathan, Brisbane
400mH	54.75	-	Sep 4	Goodwill Games, Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Nathan, Brisbane
400mH	54.75	-	Aug 24	Bruxelles Memorial Van Damme
400mH	54.77	-	Aug 19	Gateshead Norwich Union Classic, International Stadium, Gateshead
400mH	54.45	-	Aug 17	Weltklasse Zürich
400mH	54.55	-	Aug 8	IAAF World Championships, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
400mH	54.15	-	Aug 6	IAAF World Championships, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
400mH	54.99	-	Aug 5	IAAF World Championships, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
400mH	54.15	-	Aug 3	IAAF World Championships, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
400mH	54.55	-	Aug 3	IAAF World Championships, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
400mH	54.99	-	Aug 3	IAAF World Championships, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
400mH	55.00	-	Jul 20	Monte Carlo Herculis
400mH	56.54	-	Jul 17	Stockholm DN Galan, Stockholm
400mH	54.81	-	Jul 13	Oslo ExxonMobil Bislett Games
400mH	55.33	-	Jul 6	Paris-St-Denis Meeting Gaz de France
400mH	54.75	-	Jun 29	Roma Golden Gala
400mH	56.48	-	Jun 27	Luzern Spitzenleichtathletik, Luzern
400mH	55.71	-	Jun 23	USA Championships, Eugene, OR
400mH	55.90	-	Jun 22	USA Championships, Eugene, OR
400mH	57.70	-	Jun 21	USA Championships
400mH	56.05	-	Jun 9	Palo Alto Peregrine Systems US Open, Palo Alto, CA
400mH	56.69	-	May 19	Atlanta Georgia Tech Invitational, Atlanta, GA
400mH	57.20	-	May 5	Austin Texas Inv., Austin, TX
400m	53.66	-	Apr 28	Des Moines Drake Relays Inv., Des Moines, IA
400mH	57.68	-	Apr 21	Bloomington Indiana Triangular, Bloomington, IN

Discipline	Result	Wind	Date	Competitions
400mH	57.02	-	Sep 24	The XXVII Olympic Games
400mH	57.02	-	Sep 22	The XXVII Olympic Games
400mH	56.10	-	Aug 30	Rovereto Palio Città della Quercia, Rovereto
400mH	55.95	-	Aug 28	Gateshead CGU Classic, Gateshead
400mH	56.81	-	Aug 5	London Norwich Union British Grand Prix, Crystal Palace, London
400mH	54.80	-	Jul 17	USA Championships, Sacramento, CA
400mH	55.30	-	Jul 16	USA Championships, Sacramento, CA
400mH	55.64	-	Jul 15	USA Championships, Sacramento, CA
400mH	55.60	-	Jul 1	Palo Alto GMC Envoy Open, Palo Alto, CA
400mH	55.76	-	Jun 17	Raleigh Pontiac GP Invitational, Raleigh, NC
400mH	56.27	-	Jun 8	Houston, TX
400mH	57.00	-	May 26	Houston RunSport All-Comers Meet, Houston, TX
200m	24.29	+1.0	May 26	Houston RunSport All-Comers Meet, Houston, TX
400mH	57.29	-	May 20	Atlanta Georgia Tech Invitational, Atlanta, GA
400mH	56.99	-	May 6	Austin Texas Invitational, Austin, TX
400mH	59.12	-	Apr 22	Champaign, IL
400mH	58.90	-	Apr 16	Walnut Mt.SAC Relays Inv., Walnut, CA

Discipline	Result	Wind	Date	Competitions
400mH	58.79	-	Jun 25	USA Championships
400mH	58.29	-	Jun 24	USA Championships, Eugene, OR
400mH	1:00.22	-	May 30	Eugene Prefontaine Classic, Eugene, OR

Discipline	Result	Wind	Date	Competitions
400mH	54.77	-	Aug 8	IAAF World Championships, Olympic Stadium, Athina
400mH	54.48	-	Aug 6	IAAF World Championships, Olympic Stadium, Athina
400mH	55.25	-	Aug 5	IAAF World Championships, Olympic Stadium, Athina
400mH	54.77	-	Aug 2	IAAF World Championships, Olympic Stadium, Athina

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is Tonja Buford-Bailey's 400 m hurdles personal best?

Tonja Buford-Bailey's 400 m hurdles personal best is 52.62, set on Aug 11, 1995 in Ullevi Stadium, Göteborg (SWE), #13 on the all-time list.

Which events does Tonja Buford-Bailey compete in?

Tonja Buford-Bailey competes in the 400 m hurdles and 400 Metres Short Track.

How did Tonja Buford-Bailey perform in 2001?

2001 season best: 54.15, set on Aug 6, 2001 in Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton (CAN). Last competition: Melbourne IAAF Grand Prix Final, Melbourne on Sep 9, 2001, 54.58.

How many medals has Tonja Buford-Bailey won?

Tonja Buford-Bailey has won 1 Olympic Games medal and 1 World Championships medal.

Tonja Buford-Bailey

Personal bests

Medals

Performance Charts

Season bests

2001

2000

1999

1997

Honours

Frequently asked questions