800 metres
The 800 metres, or meters (US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the first modern games in 1896. During the winter track season the event is usually run by completing four laps of an indoor 200-metre track.
Athletics 800 metres | |
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![]() Men's 800 metres final in Daegu 2011. | |
World records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
Olympic records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
World Championship records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
The event was derived from the imperial measurement of a half mile (880 yards), a traditional English racing distance. 800m is 4.67m less than a half mile.
The event combines aerobic endurance with anaerobic conditioning and sprint speed, so the 800m athlete has to combine training for both.
Runners in this event are occasionally fast enough to also compete in the 400 metres but more commonly have enough endurance to 'double up' in the 1500m. Only Alberto Juantorena and Jarmila Kratochvílová have won major international titles at 400m and 800m.
Race tactics
The 800m is also known for its tactical racing. Because it is the shortest middle-distance event that has all the runners converge into one lane (after the first bend), positioning on the cut-in and the position of the pack is critical to the outcome of the race. Gaining a front position early in the race is often advantageous as there are occasionally trips when running in a pack. Olympic champions Dave Wottle, Kelly Holmes and others have defied that logic by running a more evenly paced race, lagging behind the pack and accelerating past the slowing early leaders. Often the winner of elite 800m races is not the fastest runner, but the athlete best positioned near the end of the race: an athlete directly behind another runner, has to switch to an outer lane to overtake, so has to run further—and might be blocked by a third runner alongside.[1]
800 metre participants usually run a positive split, where the first lap is faster, but a negative split is occasionally run as a tactic. The current world record (by David Rudisha) was run with a positive split in the 2012 Olympic. Rudisha ran the first lap in 49.28 seconds and the second in 51.63 seconds. Theoretically, an even split is the most efficient running mode, but it is difficult to pace correctly.
Continental records
Area | Men | Women | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time | Athlete | Nation | Time | Athlete | Nation | |
Africa (records) | 1:40.91 WR | David Rudisha | ![]() | 1:54.01 | Pamela Jelimo | ![]() |
Asia (records) | 1:42.79 | Yusuf Saad Kamel | ![]() | 1:55.54 | Dong Liu | ![]() |
Europe (records) | 1:41.11 | Wilson Kipketer | ![]() | 1:53.28 WR | Jarmila Kratochvílová | ![]() |
North, Central America and Caribbean (records) | 1:42.34 | Donavan Brazier | ![]() | 1:54.44 | Ana Fidelia Quirot | ![]() |
Oceania (records) | 1:44.11 | Peter Bol | ![]() | 1:58.09 | Catriona Bisset | ![]() |
South America (records) | 1:41.77 | Joaquim Cruz | ![]() | 1:56.58 | Letitia Vriesde | ![]() |
All-time top 25
Men (outdoor)
- Correct as of August 2021.[4]
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1:40.91 | David Rudisha | ![]() | 09 AUG 2012 | London | [5] |
2 | 1:41.01 | Rudisha #2 | 29 AUG 2010 | Rieti | |||
3 | 1:41.09 | Rudisha #3 | 22 AUG 2010 | Berlin | |||
2 | 4 | 1:41.11 | Wilson Kipketer | ![]() | 24 AUG 1997 | Cologne | |
5 | 1:41.24 | Kipketer #2 | 13 AUG 1997 | Zürich | |||
6 | 1:41.33 | Rudisha #4 | 10 SEP 2011 | Rieti | |||
7 | 1:41.51 | Rudisha #5 | 10 JUL 2010 | Heusden-Zolder | |||
8 | 1:41.54 | Rudisha #6 | 06 JUL 2012 | London | |||
3 | 9 | 1:41.73 | Sebastian Coe | ![]() | 10 JUN 1981 | Florence | |
9 | 1:41.73 | Kipketer #3 | 07 JUL 1997 | Stockholm | |||
3 | 9 | 1:41.73 | Nijel Amos | ![]() | 09 AUG 2012 | London | |
12 | 1:41.74 | Rudisha #7 | 09 JUN 2012 | New York City | |||
5 | 13 | 1:41.77 | Joaquim Cruz | ![]() | 26 AUG 1984 | Cologne | |
14 | 1:41.83 | Kipketer #4 | 01 SEP 1996 | Rieti | |||
15 | 1:41.89 | Amos #2 | 12 JUL 2019 | Monaco | |||
16 | 1:42.01 | Rudisha #8 | 06 SEP 2009 | Rieti | |||
17 | 1:42.04 | Rudisha #9 | 04 JUN 2010 | Oslo | |||
6 | 18 | 1:42.05 | Emmanuel Korir | ![]() | 22 JUL 2018 | London | [6] |
19 | 1:42.12 | Rudisha #10 | 23 JUN 2012 | Nairobi | |||
20 | 1:42.14 | Amos #3 | 20 JUL 2018 | Monaco | |||
21 | 1:42.15 | Rudisha #11 | 15 AUG 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | |||
22 | 1:42.17 | Kipketer #5 | 16 SEP 1996 | Tokyo | |||
23 | 1:42.20 | Kipketer #6 | 22 AUG 1997 | Brussels | |||
7 | 24 | 1:42.23 | Abubaker Kaki | ![]() | 04 JUN 2010 | Oslo | [7] |
25 | 1:42.27 | Kipketer #7 | 08 SEP 2002 | Rieti | |||
8 | 1:42.28 | Sammy Koskei | ![]() | 26 AUG 1984 | Cologne | ||
9 | 1:42.34 | Wilfred Bungei | ![]() | 08 SEP 2002 | Rieti | ||
Donavan Brazier | ![]() | 01 OCT 2019 | Doha | [8] | |||
11 | 1:42.37 | Mohammed Aman | ![]() | 06 SEP 2013 | Brussels | [9] | |
12 | 1:42.47 | Yuriy Borzakovskiy | ![]() | 24 AUG 2001 | Brussels | ||
13 | 1:42.51 | Amel Tuka | ![]() | 17 JULY 2015 | Monaco | [10] | |
14 | 1:42.53 | Timothy Kitum | ![]() | 09 AUG 2012 | London | ||
Pierre-Ambroise Bosse | ![]() | 18 JUL 2014 | Monaco | ||||
16 | 1:42.54 | Ferguson Rotich | ![]() | 12 JUL 2019 | Monaco | [11] | |
17 | 1:42.55 | André Bucher | ![]() | 17 AUG 2001 | Zürich | ||
18 | 1:42.58 | Vebjørn Rodal | ![]() | 31 JUL 1996 | Atlanta | ||
19 | 1:42.60 | Johnny Gray | ![]() | 28 AUG 1985 | Koblenz | ||
20 | 1:42.61 | Taoufik Makhloufi | ![]() | 15 AUG 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | [12] | |
21 | 1:42.62 | Patrick Ndururi | ![]() | 17 AUG 2001 | Zürich | ||
22 | 1:42.67 | Alfred Kirwa Yego | ![]() | 06 SEP 2009 | Rieti | ||
23 | 1:42.69 | Hezekiél Sepeng | ![]() | 03 SEP 1999 | Brussels | ||
Japheth Kimutai | ![]() | 03 SEP 1999 | Brussels | ||||
25 | 1:42.79 | Frederick Onyancha | ![]() | 31 JUL 1996 | Atlanta | ||
Yusuf Saad Kamel | ![]() | 29 JUL 2008 | Monaco |
Women (outdoor)
- Correct as of August 2021.[13]
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1:53.28 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | ![]() | 26 JUL 1983 | Munich | |
2 | 2 | 1:53.43 | Nadezhda Olizarenko | ![]() | 27 JUL 1980 | Moscow | |
3 | 3 | 1:54.01 | Pamela Jelimo | ![]() | 29 AUG 2008 | Zürich | |
4 | 4 | 1:54.25 | Caster Semenya | ![]() | 30 JUN 2018 | Paris | [14] |
5 | 5 | 1:54.44 | Ana Fidelia Quirot | ![]() | 09 SEP 1989 | Barcelona | |
6 | 1:54.60 | Semenya #2 | 20 JUL 2018 | Monaco | |||
7 | 1:54.68 | Kratochvílová #2 | 09 AUG 1983 | Helsinki | |||
8 | 1:54.77 | Semenya #3 | 09 SEP 2018 | Ostrava | |||
6 | 9 | 1:54.81 | Olga Mineyeva | ![]() | 27 JUL 1980 | Moscow | |
10 | 1:54.82 | Quirot #2 | 24 AUG 1997 | Cologne | |||
11 | 1:54.85 | Olizarenko #2 | 12 JUN 1980 | Moscow | |||
12 | 1:54.87 | Jelimo #2 | 18 AUG 2008 | Beijing | |||
7 | 13 | 1:54.91 | Tatyana Kazankina | ![]() | 26 JUL 1976 | Montreal | |
14 | 1:54.97 | Jelimo #3 | 18 JUL 2008 | Saint-Denis | |||
15 | 1:54.98 | Semenya #4 | 03 MAY 2019 | Doha | |||
16 | 1:54.99 | Jelimo #4 | 01 JUN 2008 | Berlin | |||
17 | 1:55.04 | Kratochvílová #3 | 23 AUG 1983 | Oslo | |||
8 | 17 | 1:55.04 | Athing Mu | ![]() | 21 AUG 2021 | Eugene | [15] |
9 | 19 | 1:55.05 | Doina Melinte | ![]() | 01 AUG 1982 | Bucharest | |
20 | 1:55.16 | Jelimo #5 | 05 SEP 2008 | Brussels | |||
Semenya #5 | 13 AUG 2017 | London | |||||
10 | 22 | 1:55.19 | Maria Mutola | ![]() | 17 AUG 1994 | Zürich | |
Jolanda Čeplak | ![]() | 20 JUL 2002 | Heusden-Zolder | ||||
24 | 1:55.21 | Mu #2 | 03 AUG 2021 | Tokyo | |||
12 | 25 | 1:55.26 | Sigrun Wodars | ![]() | 31 AUG 1987 | Rome | |
13 | 1:55.32 | Christine Wachtel | ![]() | 31 AUG 1987 | Rome | ||
14 | 1:55.42 | Nikolina Shtereva | ![]() | 26 JUL 1976 | Rome | ||
15 | 1:55.46 | Tatyana Providokhina | ![]() | 27 JUL 1980 | Moscow | ||
16 | 1:55.47 | Francine Niyonsaba | ![]() | 21 JUL 2017 | Monaco | [16] | |
17 | 1:55.54 | Ellen van Langen | ![]() | 03 AUG 1992 | Barcelona | ||
Dong Liu | ![]() | 09 AUG 1993 | Beijing | ||||
19 | 1:55.56 | Lyubov Gurina | ![]() | 31 AUG 1987 | Rome | ||
20 | 1:55.60 | Elfi Zinn | ![]() | 26 JUL 1976 | Montreal | ||
21 | 1:55.61 | Ajeé Wilson | ![]() | 21 JUL 2017 | Monaco | [16] | |
22 | 1:55.68 | Ella Kovacs | ![]() | 02 JUN 1985 | Bucharest | ||
23 | 1:55.69 | Irina Podyalovskaya | ![]() | 22 JUN 1984 | Kyiv | ||
24 | 1:55.74 | Anita Weiss | ![]() | 26 JUL 1976 | Montreal | ||
25 | 1:55.87 | Svetlana Masterkova | ![]() | 18 JUN 1999 | Moscow |
Annulled marks
- Yelena Soboleva (Russia) ran 1:54.85 in Kazan on 18 July 2007, but her performance was annulled due to doping offence.
- Mariya Savinova (Russia) ran 1:55.87 in Tula on 5 July 2008, but her performance was annulled due to doping offence.
Men (indoor)
- Correct as of February 2022.[17]
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:44.82:
- Wilson Kipketer also ran 1:43.96 (1997) and 1:44.68 (2003).
- Yuriy Borzakovskiy also ran 1:44.34 (2003), 1:44.35 (2000), 1:44.49 (2001), and 1:44.58 (2004).
- Donavan Brazier also ran 1:44.22 (2020) and 1:44.41 (2019).
Women (indoor)
- Correct as of February 2022.[19]
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:58.19:
- Stephanie Graf also ran 1:56.85 (2002), 1:57.53 (2001), 1:57.61 (2002), 1:57.68 (2001), and 1:57.80 (2000).
- Maria Mutola also ran 1:57.06 (1999), 1:57.13 (1996), 1:57.17 (1999), 1:57.48 (2002, 2004), 1:57.55 (1993), 1:57.62 (1995), 1:57.72 (2004), 1:57.90 (1998), 1:58.02 (1997, 2001), 1:58.05 (2001), and 1:58.16 (1999).
- Jolanda Ceplak also ran 1:57.18 (2002) and 1:57.79 (2002).
Juniors
World junior records (19 and under) are held by Nijel Amos (1:41.73, London, 9 August 2012) and Pamela Jelimo (1:54.01, Zürich, 29 August 2008). Both marks coincidentally rank them as the third fastest ever.
Olympic medalists
Men
Women
World Championships medalists
Men
Women
World Indoor Championships medalists
Men
Women
- A Known as the World Indoor Games
Season's bests
References
- Versaw, Rob. "A Fan's Guide to the 800m". Arizona Milesplit. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- "Men's outdoor 800 Metres | Records". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- "Women's outdoor 800 Metres | Records". worldathletcs.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- "All-time men's best 800m". alltime-athletics.com. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "800 Metres Results". IAAF. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- "800m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- "800m Results". diamondleague-oslo.com. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- "800m Results" (PDF). IAAF. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- "800m Result" (PDF). Diamond League. Omega Timing. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- "800m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- Mike Rowbottom (12 July 2019). "Hassan breaks world mile record in Monaco with 4:12.33 - IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- "Men's 800m Results" (PDF). Rio 2016 official website. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- "All-time women's best 800m". alltime-athletics.com. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- "800m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- "Prefontaine Classic 2021 Complete Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- "800m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- "All-time men's best 800m indoors".
- "Lyles surges at start to win 60m at New York indoor meet". france24.com. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- "All-time women's best 800m indoors".
- "800m Results" (PDF). results.britishathletics.org.uk. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- Jon Mulkeen (17 February 2022). "Ingebrigtsen breaks world indoor 1500m record in Lievin". World Athletics. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- On 10 February 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a four-year ban that effectively stripped of the gold medal of Mariya Savinova of Russia, based upon her biological passport. Caster Semenya of South Africa was advanced to gold, Ekaterina Poistogova of Russia to silver, and Pamela Jelimo of Kenya to bronze. Poistogova herself was later found guilty of doping, but her Olympic results were unaffected, and the IOC decided to upgrade her medal. 1