Who decides which heat and which lane an athlete gets?
I · Intermediate · Rounds, penalties and kit · 8 of 9Athletes are ranked on recent performances and spread across the heats so that the best are kept apart. In the first round lanes are drawn by lot. In later rounds the highest-ranked teams are drawn into the middle lanes and the lowest-ranked into the lanes that are left, usually lanes 1 and 2 or 1 and 8.
How it works
- First round: athletes are ranked from a list of valid performances in a set period. This ranking is called seeding.
- Into heats: athletes are placed in the heats in a zigzag, so with three heats the top three go one to each heat and the next three are spread in the reverse order.
- Order of heats: decided by draw after the heats have been made up.
- Later rounds: athletes are ranked on their places and times in the round before: the fastest heat winner first, then the other winners, then the second-placed athletes in order of time, ending with those who qualified on time.
- First-round lanes: drawn by lot.
- Later lanes on an eight-lane track: three separate draws.
- Relays up to the 4 × 400 m: the four highest-ranked teams draw for lanes 4, 5, 6 and 7; the fifth and sixth for lanes 3 and 8; the two lowest for lanes 1 and 2.
- Nine lanes: the same idea with the draws adjusted.
- Spare lanes: when there are more lanes than athletes, the inside lane or lanes are left free.
- A single final: where an event has only one round, lanes or positions are drawn by lot.
- Who does it: the technical delegates, or the organisers where none are appointed.
Tricky cases
Does the fastest qualifier get to choose a lane?
No. They are drawn by lot into one of the lanes set aside for the highest-ranked group.
Are lanes in the first round given out by ranking?
No. Unless the competition's regulations say otherwise, first-round lanes are drawn by lot.
Can two team-mates be drawn in the same heat?
Yes, though the rule says athletes of the same team should be placed in different heats whenever possible.
Can an athlete swap lanes with another by agreement?
No. An athlete may compete only in the heat or lane in which their name appears, unless the technical delegate or the referee accepts that the circumstances justify a change.
Why the rule exists
On a bend the inside lanes are tight and the outside lanes leave a runner unable to see their rivals, so the middle lanes are the ones teams want. Giving them to those who ran best in the round before makes every round worth racing hard. Keeping the best apart in the heats means the final is not thinned out by an unlucky draw.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Athletics rules | As above | TR 20.3 to 20.5; TR 20.7 |
| Nine-lane tracks | Separate draw patterns | TR 20.4.6 to 20.4.8 |
| Invitation meetings | Organisers may seed and allocate lanes by their own method | TR 20.9 |
| Lower-level competitions | The technical delegate or organisers may use different principles | TR 20.2 commentary |
From the rule book
World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules, 2026 Edition, Technical Rules 16.1 and 20.2 to 20.7. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules 2026 (PDF).