What happens if an athlete steps out of their lane?
B · Beginner · Running and finishing · 5 of 7Each athlete must keep within their lane. On a bend, stepping on or inside the line on the left means disqualification, with one allowance: a single touch of that line in the whole event is let go if nobody was obstructed and nothing was gained. Running wide or straying on the straight is no fault unless it obstructs someone.
How it works
- The duty: in a race run in lanes "each athlete shall keep within their allocated lane from start to finish".
- On a bend: an athlete "shall not step or run on or inside the left-hand lane line". In lane 1 that line is the kerb or the line marking the inside of the track.
- The penalty: disqualification, on the report of a judge or umpire.
- Not a fault, being pushed: an athlete "pushed or forced by another person or object" out of their lane is not disqualified.
- Not a fault, on the straight or to the outside: stepping or running outside the lane on the straight, or outside the outer line of the lane on the bend.
- Not a fault, one touch: an athlete who "touches once the line on their left, or the kerb or line marking the border of the inside of the track on a bend".
- The condition: these exceptions apply only if no other athlete is jostled or obstructed and "no material advantage is gained".
- Once in the whole event: in an event with several rounds the single touch is allowed once across all the rounds. "A second action will result in the disqualification of that athlete whether it was made in the same round or in another round of the same event."
- In the results: a lane infringement of this kind is shown with the letter L.
Tricky cases
A sprinter's foot touches the inside line of their lane once on the bend. Are they disqualified?
No, if it is their first such touch in the event, nobody was obstructed and nothing was gained. It is recorded and counts against them in later rounds.
The foot lands completely inside the line, in the next lane, without touching the line. Is that covered by the single-touch allowance?
No. The commentary says some part of the shoe must be touching the line for the allowance to apply. A step wholly inside the line on a bend means disqualification.
An athlete drifts into the lane outside theirs on the home straight. Are they disqualified?
No, unless another athlete was obstructed or an advantage was gained.
An athlete touched the line in the heat and touches it again in the final. What happens?
They are disqualified. The allowance is used up once in the whole event.
Why the rule exists
The inside line of a lane is the shortest path round a bend, so stepping inside it shortens the race. The outside line gives nothing, which is why running wide is left alone. The single-touch allowance was added so that one small misstep on the line does not end an athlete's event, while a second one does.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Athletics rules | As above | TR 17.2; TR 17.3 |
| Combined events | The allowance does not carry from one race of the combined event to the next | TR 17.3 commentary |
| Records | A record can stand after a first single touch, and not after a second | CR 31.14 |
| A different distance | The carry-forward applies within one event only | TR 17.3 commentary |
From the rule book
World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules, 2026 Edition, Technical Rules 17.2 to 17.4 with the commentary printed under them, and Competition Rule 25.5. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules 2026 (PDF).