The men's 800 metre event at the 1928 Olympic Games took place between July 29 & July 31.
Forty-nine athletes from 24 nations competed.
[ NOCs were limited to 4 competitors each.][Official Report, p. 374.]
The event was won by Douglas Lowe of Great Britain, successfully defending his 1924 championship (the first man to do so in the 800 metres). It was the third of what ultimately would be four straight British victories in the event, and the fourth overall title for Great Britain in the 800 metres. Erik Byléhn
Bror Erik Byléhn (15 January 1898 – 14 November 1986) was a middle-distance runner from Sweden who competed at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. In 1924 he won a silver medal in the 4 × 400 m relay and failed to reach the finals of individual 400 ...
's silver was Sweden's first 800 metres medal. Hermann Engelhard matched Germany's best-ever result in the event (Germany had previously won bronze in 1908).
Background
This was the eighth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Three finalists from 1924 returned: gold medalist Douglas Lowe of Great Britain, silver medalist Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006.
The son o ...
of Switzerland, and ninth-place finisher Harry Houghton
Harry Frederick Houghton (7 June 1905 – 23 May 1985) was a British Naval SNCO and a spy for the Polish People's Republic and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He was a member of the Portland Spy Ring.
Early life
Houghton was born in Lin ...
of Great Britain. The competitive field was led by Lowe (defending champion and 1928 AAA winner), Otto Peltzer
Otto Paul Eberhard Peltzer (8 March 1900 – 11 August 1970) was a German middle distance runner who set world records in the 1920s. Over the 800 m Peltzer improved Ted Meredith's long-standing record by 0.3 seconds to 1:51.6 min in London in J ...
of Germany (880 yard world record holder), Séra Martin
Séraphin "Séra" Martin (2 July 1906 – 23 April 1993) was a French middle-distance runner who set world records in the 800 metres and 1000 metres. He competed at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics and placed sixth and eighth in the 800 metres, respec ...
of France (800 metres world record holder), and Lloyd Hahn
Lloyd Hahn (August 7, 1898 – January 1983) was an American runner who competed at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. In 1924 he finished sixth in the 1500 m. He failed to reach the final in this event in 1928, but finished fifth in the 800 m even ...
of the United States (1928 AAU champion, who had broken the world record at the U.S. Olympic trials a few days before Séra Martin ran even faster; Hahn's record was never ratified).
Competition format
The competition used the three-round format introduced in 1912, with the nine-man final introduced in 1920. There were eight first-round heats of between 4 and 7 athletes each; the top three runners in each heat advanced to the semifinals. There were three semifinals with 8 athletes each; the top three runners in each semifinal advanced to the nine-man final.[Official Report, pp. 413–17.]
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1928 Summer Olympics.
Douglas Lowe broke the Olympic record by 0.1 seconds in the final, setting the new record at 1:51.8.
Schedule
Results
Round 1
The first three finishers in each of the eight heats advanced to the semifinal round.
Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3
Heat 4
Heat 5
Heat 6
Heat 7
Heat 8
Semifinals
The three fastest runners from each of the three heats advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Semifinal 3
Final
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics At The 1928 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 Metres
Men's 800 metre
800 metres at the Olympics
Men's events at the 1928 Summer Olympics