World records
Men
| EVENT | ATHLETE | MARK | DATE | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 metres |  Saïd Aouita (MAR)
|
4:50.81 | 16 July | Paris |
| 5,000 metres | Saïd Aouita (MAR)
|
12:58.39 | 22 July | Rome, Italy |
| High jump |  Patrik Sjöberg (SWE)
|
2.42 m | 30 June | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Pole vault |  Sergey Bubka (URS)
|
6.03 m | 23 June | Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Shot put |  Alessandro Andrei (ITA)
|
22.72m | 12 August | Viareggio, Italy |
| Alessandro Andrei (ITA)
|
22.84m | 12 August | Viareggio, Italy | |
| Alessandro Andrei (ITA)
|
22.91m | 12 August | Viareggio, Italy | |
| Javelin (new) |  Jan Železný (TCH)
|
87.66 m | 31 May | Nitra, Czechoslovakia |
Carl Lewis (USA) equalled the world record in the men's 100 metres held by countryman Calvin Smith since 1983-07-03, clocking 9.93 seconds on 1987-08-30 at the World Championships in Rome, Italy.
Women
| EVENT | ATHLETE | MARK | DATE | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100m hurdles |  Ginka Zagorcheva (BUL)
|
12.25 s | 8 August | Drama, Greece |
| High Jump | Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)
|
2.09 m | 30 August | Rome, Italy |
| Shot put | Natalya Lisovskaya (URS)
|
22.60 m | 7 June | Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Natalya Lisovskaya (URS)
|
22.63 m | 7 June | Moscow, Soviet Union | |
| Javelin (old) |  Petra Meier (GDR)
|
78.90 m | 29 July | Leipzig, East Germany |
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) equalled the world record in the women's long jump held by East Germany's Heike Drechsler since 1986-06-21, jumping 7.45 metres on 1987-08-13 at a meet in Indianapolis.
