This week marks 30 years since East German runner Marita Koch broke the world record for the 400m at the 1985 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Cup in Canberra.

Her feat has become one of the longest standing world records in athletics, and has added weight to accusations that East German athletes had used performance-enhancing drugs.

Koch's record-breaking run was seen by large crowds at the three-day international tournament held at Bruce Stadium in Canberra.

Several world records were broken during the three days, which featured 350 athletes from around the world.

Some of the biggest names in the history of athletics competed at the event, including pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, long jumper Heike Drechsler, and hurdler Andre Phillips.

Sorry, this video has expired Watch Ben Johnson in the 100m final ( Supplied: YouTube )

One of the most famous drug cheats the sport has ever seen also travelled to Canberra.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson won the 100 metres in a time of 10.00 seconds, beating Nigerian Chidi Imoh and East German Frank Emmelman for the gold medal.

Three years later Johnson was stripped of the Olympic title he won in Seoul for doping offences.

Koch's career was also dogged by rumours of anabolic steroid use, as were the careers of numerous other East German and Soviet athletes and swimmers during the 1970s and 1980s.

But despite the rumours, Koch never admitted to any drug use, and her record still stands today.

Brawl ignites in finals event of world cup

The East German flew around the track faster than any other woman, before or since, to win in a record time of 47.6 seconds.

To put that time in perspective, the fastest run of the last decade to 2015 was by American Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006, with the American clocking 48.7 seconds.

Despite the stagger, Koch had beaten most of her opponents by the first bend to dominate the race, with only Olga Vladykina from the USSR staying within sight of her.

The crowd was awestruck, but it was not to know that record would stand for the next three decades.

Instead the main controversy at the time of the meet came in the final event of the three days.

There was a "brawl" during a baton change in the Men's 4x400m relay.

Australian Darren Clark and a Soviet runner pushed each other, and Nigerian Innocent Egbunike also dropped his baton metres from the finish line when he was bumped.

Despite not having initiated any contact, Egbunike was the only runner to be disqualified by race officials, due to crossing the finish line without his baton.