Athletics / Guide 07
The finish and timing
World Athletics · 2026In short
What crosses the line first · Official times
What crosses the line first
Finish order is decided by the torso reaching the vertical plane of the nearer edge of the finish line. The head, neck, arms, legs, hands and feet do not decide the placing. A photo finish can therefore place a runner ahead even when another runner's foot crossed first.
Official times
Recognised systems include hand timing, fully automatic photo-finish timing and transponders for designated events. Times are rounded upward to the unit required for that system and event; fully automatic track times up to 10,000 m are recorded to the next longer hundredth. A road runner's personal chip time from crossing the start is not the official gun-to-finish time.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Independent explanations of the supplied World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules, including amendments through 1 July 2026. Event-specific regulations may add conditions. References use PDF viewer page numbers; guide numbers are editorial.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗