Men's 400 m prize money
The Diamond League has paid $1,816,500 in the men's 400 m, to 102 athletes across 55 runnings of it, from 2017 to 2026. Kirani James has taken more of it than anyone, $166,250.
The series pays by finishing place and by nothing else, so a win here is worth what a win in any other discipline is worth: $10,000 at a 2026 series meeting, eight places paid, and nothing for ninth. Seven of the 55 runnings were at the series final, which pays on its own ladder: $30,000 for the win at the 2026 final. Five of the 55 runnings were Diamond+, which pays double.
Who the men's 400 m has paid the most
Every running of it on this site, added up
| # | ATHLETE | PAID | WINS | BEST DAY | EARNED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirani James | 19 | 6 | 1st | $166,250 |
| 2 | Collen Kebinatshipi | 16 | 6 | 1st | $145,500 |
| 3 | Vernon Norwood | 34 | 0 | 3rd | $108,750 |
| 4 | Jacory Patterson | 11 | 4 | 1st | $103,000 |
| 5 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | 19 | 5 | 1st | $101,250 |
| 6 | Michael Norman | 6 | 6 | 1st | $100,000 |
| 7 | Zakithi Nene | 18 | 2 | 1st | $73,750 |
| 8 | Michael Cherry | 10 | 2 | 1st | $63,250 |
| 9 | Muzala Samukonga | 12 | 1 | 1st | $60,000 |
| 10 | Steven Gardiner | 6 | 6 | 1st | $60,000 |
| 11 | Bayapo Ndori | 18 | 1 | 2nd | $56,500 |
| 12 | Charles Dobson | 9 | 2 | 1st | $55,750 |
| 13 | Quincy Hall | 10 | 2 | 2nd | $47,000 |
| 14 | Christopher Bailey | 9 | 1 | 1st | $41,000 |
| 15 | Bryce Deadmon | 10 | 0 | 2nd | $38,750 |
| 16 | Fred Kerley | 4 | 1 | 2nd | $37,500 |
| 17 | Jereem Richards | 9 | 0 | 2nd | $33,250 |
| 18 | Rai Benjamin | 5 | 1 | 1st | $32,000 |
| 19 | Akeem Bloomfield | 3 | 2 | 1st | $30,000 |
| 20 | Wayde van Niekerk | 3 | 3 | 1st | $30,000 |
| 21 | Isaac Makwala | 10 | 0 | 2nd | $22,000 |
| 22 | Alexander Doom | 9 | 1 | 1st | $21,250 |
| 23 | Rusheen McDonald | 5 | 1 | 1st | $20,000 |
| 24 | Kahmari Montgomery | 4 | 0 | 2nd | $17,500 |
| 25 | Anthony Zambrano | 3 | 1 | 1st | $16,500 |
| 26 | Liemarvin Bonevacia | 11 | 0 | 3rd | $16,250 |
| 27 | Baboloki Thebe | 4 | 1 | 1st | $15,500 |
| 28 | Khaleb McRae | 6 | 0 | 3rd | $15,000 |
| 29 | Obi Igbokwe | 3 | 0 | 2nd | $15,000 |
| 30 | Deon Lendore | 3 | 0 | 3rd | $14,250 |
| 31 | Leungo Scotch | 7 | 0 | 3rd | $13,250 |
| 32 | Nathan Strother | 3 | 0 | 3rd | $10,000 |
| 33 | Nathon Allen | 4 | 0 | 3rd | $10,000 |
| 34 | Attila Molnár | 6 | 0 | 5th | $9,750 |
| 35 | Davide Re | 3 | 0 | 2nd | $9,500 |
| 36 | Lythe Pillay | 5 | 0 | 3rd | $9,500 |
| 37 | Jonathan Jones | 2 | 0 | 2nd | $9,000 |
| 38 | Lidio Andrés Feliz | 2 | 0 | 2nd | $8,000 |
| 39 | Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen | 5 | 0 | 3rd | $7,750 |
| 40 | Emmanuel Bamidele | 2 | 0 | 2nd | $7,250 |
Kirani James has collected $166,250 of the $1,816,500 this discipline has paid out, 9.2% of it. Kirani James, Collen Kebinatshipi, Michael Norman and Steven Gardiner have won six of them, more than anyone else. 62 of the 102 athletes paid in this discipline were paid in it more than once. The table lists the 40 biggest of 102.
Every Diamond League men's 400 m
Who won it, what the win paid and what the field took
What the men's 400 m paid each season
season running total
The line is the running total. A season's figure is the rate multiplied by how many meetings put the discipline on, so the columns move with the programme rather than with who turned up: 2026 ran it nine times and 2018 once. Nobody has ever shared the win in it, so every figure in the win column is one athlete's cheque.
Where the men's 400 m is run
The meetings that have put it on, and what each has paid for it
| MEETING | RUNNINGS | PAID FOR IT |
|---|---|---|
| AG Memorial Van Damme | 6 | $299,500 |
| Prefontaine Classic | 5 | $184,000 |
| Weltklasse Zürich | 3 | $179,000 |
| Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat | 4 | $119,500 |
| Doha Diamond League | 4 | $110,000 |
| London Athletics Meet | 4 | $109,500 |
| Bauhausgalan | 4 | $109,000 |
| Bislett Games | 4 | $105,000 |
| Golden Gala Pietro Mennea | 4 | $104,500 |
| Xiamen Diamond League | 3 | $95,000 |
| Herculis EBS | 3 | $90,500 |
| Kamila Skolimowska Memorial | 3 | $80,000 |
| Meeting de Paris | 2 | $63,500 |
| Diamond League Shanghai | 2 | $57,500 |
| Birmingham Diamond League | 2 | $55,000 |
| Müller Anniversary Games | 1 | $30,000 |
| Athletissima | 1 | $25,000 |
| 17 meetings | 55 | $1,816,500$1.8m |
Every meeting pays the same ladder, so this column ranks how often each one put the discipline on rather than how generous it is. AG Memorial Van Damme has run it six times and paid $299,500 for it. Each meeting links to everything it has paid across every edition of it.
What each place pays in the men's 400 m
The seven ladders this discipline has been paid under
| PLACE | SERIES | SERIES | SERIES | SERIES + | FINAL | FINAL | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 | $50,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| 2nd | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $20,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| 3rd | $4,000 | $3,500 | $4,000 | $4,000 | $10,000 | $7,000 | $7,000 |
| 4th | $3,000 | $2,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| 5th | $2,500 | $1,250 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| 6th | $2,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $4,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| 7th | $1,500 | $750 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $3,000 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| 8th | $1,000 | $500 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| All eight | $30,000 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | $100,000 | $60,000 | $60,000 |
One column per ladder, and none of them is specific to this discipline: the men's 400 m is paid on the same card as the 100 m and the shot put at the same meeting. There is no appearance money in any of it, nothing for a record, and nothing at all for ninth place. The Diamond+ columns are the five of 55 runnings where the series doubled the discipline's rate for the day.
Frequently asked questions
How much prize money does the Diamond League pay in the men's 400 m?
$1,816,500 across 55 runnings of it, to 102 athletes from 33 countries. That is 3.4% of everything the series has paid, and the 14th biggest of the 41 disciplines on this site.
What does a win in the men's 400 m pay?
$10,000, and double that at a meeting where it is a Diamond+ discipline. It is the same figure in every discipline on a programme, so a win here pays exactly what a win in the 100 m pays. Seven of the 55 runnings were at the series final, which pays on its own ladder: $30,000 for the win at the 2026 final.
Who has earned the most in the men's 400 m?
Kirani James, on $166,250 from 19 paid finishes, six of them wins. 62 of the 102 athletes the discipline has paid were paid in it more than once.
Who has won the most Diamond League men's 400 m titles?
Kirani James, Collen Kebinatshipi, Michael Norman and Steven Gardiner, on six wins apiece. 21 different athletes have won a Diamond League men's 400 m across the 55 runnings on this site.
How often does the Diamond League run the men's 400 m?
55 times across nine seasons, from 2017 to 2026, on the programmes of 17 different meetings. AG Memorial Van Damme has run it six times, more than anywhere else. The series rotates its programme, so no discipline is on every card.
How far down the field does the men's 400 m pay?
Eight places, and ninth pays nothing however good the mark was. 426 payments have gone to 102 athletes in this discipline, and twelve other finishes in the same result tables were worth nothing at all.
Where to next
The rest of the Diamond League money
Diamond League prize money holds all nine seasons on this site, 104 meetings and $53,753,250. The 2026 season is at Diamond League 2026. The other half of the event is at Women's 400 m, which has paid $1,940,000.
Every other Diamond League discipline
- Men's 100 m
- Women's 100 m
- Women's 100 m hurdles
- Women's 800 m
- Women's 400 m
- Men's pole vault
- Men's 800 m
- Men's 200 m
- Men's 400 m hurdles
- Women's 200 m
- Women's 400 m hurdles
- Women's pole vault
- Men's 110 m hurdles
- Women's 1500 m
- Women's high jump
- Men's high jump
- Women's 3000 m steeplechase
- Men's 1500 m
- Women's long jump
- Men's 3000 m steeplechase
- Men's javelin throw
- Men's shot put
- Women's discus throw
- Women's shot put
- Men's discus throw
- Men's long jump
- Women's triple jump
- Men's triple jump
- Women's javelin throw
- Men's 5000 m
- Women's 5000 m
- Women's 3000 m
- Men's 3000 m
- Men's mile
- Women's mile
- Men's 300 m hurdles
- Men's 1000 m
- Women's 1000 m
- Women's 2 miles
- Men's 2 miles
Every Diamond League meeting
- Weltklasse Zürich
- AG Memorial Van Damme
- Prefontaine Classic
- Meeting de Paris
- Doha Diamond League
- Bislett Games
- Athletissima
- Golden Gala Pietro Mennea
- Bauhausgalan
- Herculis EBS
- Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat
- Kamila Skolimowska Memorial
- Shanghai Diamond League
- London Athletics Meet
- Xiamen Diamond League
- Anniversary Games
- Birmingham Diamond League
- Müller Grand Prix Gateshead