World Masters Athletics age grading has been around for decades, but it’s still one of the most misunderstood tools in masters athletics. This post breaks it down clearly — no maths degree required.
What is WMA?
World Masters Athletics (WMA) is the international governing body for masters athletics — track and field, road running, and cross country for athletes aged 35 and over. They maintain the official age grading tables used by competitions worldwide.
The tables: what they actually contain
The WMA tables contain age standards for every track and field event, for both men and women, in five-year age brackets from 35 to 100+. There are standards for 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, mile, 3000m, 5000m, 10000m, all the hurdles events, steeplechase, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, hammer, javelin, half marathon, and marathon.
How the calculation works
For track and road events (where lower is better): divide the age standard by your performance time, multiply by 100. If the 45-year-old male 100m standard is 10.72 seconds and you ran 12.00 seconds, your age grade is (10.72 / 12.00) × 100 = 89.3%.
For field events (where higher is better): divide your performance by the age standard, multiply by 100.
Why the standards change every five years
Age standards change at each five-year bracket because the rate of age-related performance decline varies by event and by decade. Sprinting ability declines faster than endurance capacity, for example.
➡ See your WMA score instantly at themasterathlete.com/
