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.
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
Aerobic means "requiring air," in which "air" usually means oxygen.
Aerobic may also refer to
* Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity
* Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise
* Aerobic respiration, the aerobic process of cel ...
endurance with
anaerobic
Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to:
* Anaerobic adhesive, a bonding a ...
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
The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athlet ...
. Only
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...
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.
800 metre participants usually run a positive split, where the first lap is faster, but a
negative split
A negative split is a racing strategy that involves completing the second half of a race faster than the first half. It is defined by the intentional setting of a slower initial pace, followed by a gradual or sudden increase of speed towards the en ...
is occasionally run as a tactic. The current world record (by
David Rudisha) was run with a positive split in the 2012
Olympics. 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
*Updated 25 September 2021.
All-time top 25
Men (outdoor)
*Correct as of August 2021.
Women (outdoor)
*Correct as of August 2021.
Annulled marks
*
Yelena Soboleva (
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
) ran 1:54.85 in
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...
on 18 July 2007, but her performance was annulled due to doping offences.
*
Mariya Savinova (
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
) ran 1:55.87 in
Tula on 5 July 2008, but her performance was annulled due to doping offences.
Men (indoor)
*Correct as of February 2022.
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).
*
Donavan Brazier also ran 1:44.22 (2020) and 1:44.41 (2019).
*
Yuriy Borzakovskiy also ran 1:44.34 (2003), 1:44.35 (2000), 1:44.49 (2001), and 1:44.58 (2004).
Women (indoor)
*Correct as of February 2022.
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
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 9 August 2012) and
Pamela Jelimo
Pamela Jelimo (born 5 December 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, specialising in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal in 800 metres at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing at the age of 18. She is the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold ...
(1:54.01,
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
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
*
Known as the ''World Indoor Games''
Season's bests
Men
Women
References
External links
IAAF list of 800-metres records in XML
{{DEFAULTSORT:800 Metres
Events in track and field
Middle-distance running
Summer Olympic disciplines in athletics