The women's 800 metres was the longest of the four women's track races in the

Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the athletics competition included 36 events, 24 for men and 12 for women. The women's 400 metres and women's pentathlon events were newly introduced at these Games. There were a total number of 1016 particip ...

program in

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. It was held on 18 October, 19 October, and 20 October 1964. 24 athletes from 16 nations entered, with 1 not starting the first round. The first round was held on 18 October, the semifinals on 19 October, and the final on 20 October. The 1964 race was run with the contemporary break after a single turn, a style that changed and was reverted over the next decade and a half.

Results

First round

The top five runners in each of the 3 heats advanced, as well as the next fastest runner from across the heats.

Heat 1

All three of the eventual medallists were in the first heat.

Heat 2

Heat 3

Semifinals

The top four runners in each semifinal advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

Semifinal 2

Final

After winning a silver medal in the 400 metres Ann Packer had no plans to run in the 800 metres and had a shopping trip planned until her fiancé,

Robbie Brightwell Robert Ian Brightwell MBE (27 October 1939 – 6 March 2022) was a British track and field athlete and silver medallist.

finished fourth in the 400 metres. Disappointed for him, she turned to the 800 metres, an event which she had only raced in five times before. Packer, who had placed fifth in her first round heat and third in her semifinal, started the final as the second slowest of the eight contestants. After the break in the final Zsuzsa Szabó took the lead with

Maryvonne Dupureur Maryvonne Samson Dupureur (24 May 1937 – 7 January 2008) was a French middle-distance runner. Competing in the 800 m event she won silver medals at the 1964 Olympics and 1967 European Indoor Games; she also took part in the 1960 and 1968 Olym ...

and Antje Gleichfeld in close order behind her. Coming off the second turn Dupureur took the lead. At the bell she accelerated further. Packer was sixth at 400 metres, tagging along at the back of the pack behind Dupureur. Along the backstretch, Dupureur opened a gap which she extended through the final turn, five girls hit the 600 mark virtually shoulder to shoulder, with Packer a step behind the wall. Laine Erik was the outside of the wall but had more speed through the turn, the only one in the field looking to have enough speed to try to make progress on the now five metre lead of Dupureur. Women 800 m final 1964 Olympics 1964b

Suddenly halfway through the final turn, Packer launched into a sprint, running around the other competitors. She took the lead in the final straight her sprinting speed taking her past Dupureur in a completely different gear to take the gold medal in world record time.Ann Packer
''The Times'' The first five runners beat the Olympic record time (set by Dupureur in the semifinals).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics At The 1964 Summer Olympics - Women's 800 Metres Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics 800 metres at the Olympics 1964 in women's athletics Women's events at the 1964 Summer Olympics