800 metres world record progression

Last updated

The following table shows the world record progression in the men's and women's 800 metres, officially ratified by the IAAF.

Contents

Men

Sir Peter Snell KNZM OBE (15948021602).jpg
Sir Peter Snell KNZM OBE (15948021602).jpg
Peter Snell in 1962, about to set an 880 yd world record; the hand timers and photo finish equipment in the background have registered his 800 m world record en route.

The first world record in the men's 800 metres was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1912. [1]

As of June 21, 2011, 23 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event. [2] "y" denotes time for 880 yards (804.68 m) ratified as a record for the 800 m.

Pre-IAAF records
MarkAthleteNationalityLocationDate
2.06.0y A. Wood Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Unknown1830 [3]
2.05.0y J. Blackwood Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Addiscombe April 25, 1857 [3]
2.04.0y Wiliam Way Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Oxford November 25, 1859 [3]
2.03.0y Charlie Grey Flag of Ireland.svg   Ireland Dublin June 27, 1861 [3]
2.03.0y Percy Thornton Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain London December 16, 1865 [3]
2.02.5y Percy Thornton Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain London December 16, 1865 [3]
2.02.4y Francis Pelham Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Cambridge March 23, 1867 [3]
2.01.0y Kinross Gair Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Edinburgh June 26, 1867 [3]
2.01.0y George Templer Flag of the United States.svg   United States London March 27, 1872 [3]
2.01.0y Thomas Christie Flag of the United States.svg   United States London March 27, 1872 [3]
1.59.8y Arthur Pelham Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Cambridge March 26, 1873 [3]
1.59.5y Walter Slade Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Dublin June 5, 1876 [3]
1.58.8y Walter Slade Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Dublin June 6, 1876 [3]
1.58.2y Walter Slade Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Belfast June 10, 1876 [3]
1.57.5y Frederic Elborough Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain London October 7, 1876 [3]
1.56.2y Lawrence Myers Flag of the United States.svg   United States New York City July 17, 1880 [3]
1.55.8y Lawrence Myers Flag of the United States.svg   United States London July 2, 1881 [3]
1.55.6y Lawrence Myers Flag of the United States.svg   United States New York City October 8, 1881 [3]
1.55.6y Lawrence Myers Flag of the United States.svg   United States New York City September 16, 1882 [3]
1.55.4y Lawrence Myers Flag of the United States.svg   United States Birmingham July 7, 1884 [3]
1.55.4y Lawrence Myers Flag of the United States.svg   United States New York City October 3, 1885 [3]
1.54.6y Francis Cross Flag of the United Kingdom.svg   Great Britain Oxford March 9, 1888 [3]
1.54.5y Walter Dohm Flag of the United States.svg   United States New York City September 19, 1891 [3]
1.53.4y Charles Kilpatrick Flag of the United States.svg   United States New York City September 21, 1895 [3]
1.52.8 Melvin Sheppard Flag of the United States.svg   United States London July 21, 1908 [3]
1.52.1y Emilio Lunghi Flag of Italy.svg   Italy Montreal September 15, 1909 [3]
TimeAutoAthleteDateLocation
1:51.9+Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  Ted Meredith  (USA)1912-07-08 Stockholm, Sweden [1]
1:51.6yFlag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Otto Peltzer  (GER)1926-07-03 London, United Kingdom [1]
1:50.6Flag of France.svg  Sera Martin  (FRA)1928-07-14Paris, France [1]
1:49.81:49.70Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Tommy Hampson  (GBR) 1932-08-02 Los Angeles, United States [1]
1:49.8yFlag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  Ben Eastman  (USA)1934-06-16 Princeton, United States [1]
1:49.7Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  Glenn Cunningham  (USA)1936-08-20 Stockholm, Sweden [1]
1:49.6yFlag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  Elroy Robinson  (USA)1937-07-11New York, United States [1]
1:48.4+Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sydney Wooderson  (GBR)1938-08-20 London, United Kingdom [1]
1:46.6Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Rudolf Harbig  (GER)1939-07-15 Milan, Italy [1]
1:45.7Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Roger Moens  (BEL)1955-08-03 Oslo, Norway [1]
1:44.3+Flag of New Zealand.svg  Peter Snell  (NZL)1962-02-03 Christchurch, New Zealand [1]
1:44.31:44.40Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Ralph Doubell  (AUS) 1968-10-15 Mexico City, Mexico [1]
1:44.3Flag of the United States.svg  Dave Wottle  (USA)1972-07-01 Eugene, United States [1]
1:43.7Flag of Italy.svg  Marcello Fiasconaro  (ITA)1973-06-27 Milan, Italy [1]
1:43.51:43.50Flag of Cuba.svg  Alberto Juantorena  (CUB) 1976-07-25 Montreal, Canada [1]
1:43.41:43.44Flag of Cuba.svg  Alberto Juantorena  (CUB)1977-08-21 Sofia, Bulgaria [1]
1:42.41:42.33Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sebastian Coe  (GBR)1979-07-05 Oslo, Norway [1]
1:41.73Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sebastian Coe  (GBR)1981-06-10 Florence, Italy [1]
1:41.73Flag of Denmark.svg  Wilson Kipketer  (DEN)1997-07-07 Stockholm, Sweden [1]
1:41.24Flag of Denmark.svg  Wilson Kipketer  (DEN)1997-08-13 Zürich, Switzerland [1]
1:41.11Flag of Denmark.svg  Wilson Kipketer  (DEN)1997-08-24 Cologne, Germany [1]
1:41.09Flag of Kenya.svg  David Rudisha  (KEN)2010-08-22 Berlin, Germany [2]
1:41.01Flag of Kenya.svg  David Rudisha  (KEN)2010-08-29 Rieti, Italy [2]
1:40.91Flag of Kenya.svg  David Rudisha  (KEN) 2012-08-09 London, United Kingdom [4]

(+) - indicates en route time from longer race.

The "Time" column indicates the ratified mark; the "Auto" column indicates a fully automatic time that was also recorded in the event when hand-timed marks were used for official records, or which was the basis for the official mark, rounded to the 10th of a second, depending on the rules then in place.

Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000 m from 1981. [1] Hence, Sebastian Coe's record at 1:42.4 was rendered as 1:42.33 from that year.

Women

The first world record in the women's 800 metres was recognized by the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSFI) in 1922, [5] which was absorbed by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1936.

As of June 21, 2009, the IAAF (and the FSFI before it) have ratified 29 world records in the event. [5] "y" denotes time for 880 yards (804.672 m) ratified as a record for the 800 m.

TimeAutoAthleteDateLocation
2:30.4+Flag of France.svg  Georgette Lenoir  (FRA)1922-08-20Paris, France [5]
2:26.6yFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Mary Lines  (GBR)1922-08-30 London, United Kingdom [5]
2:23.8Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Lina Radke  (GER)1927-08-07 Breslau, Germany [5]
2:20.4Flag of Sweden.svg  Inga Gentzel  (SWE)1928-06-16 Stockholm, Sweden [5]
2:19.6Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Lina Radke  (GER)1928-07-01 Brieg, Germany [5]
2:16.8Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Lina Radke  (GER)1928-08-02 Amsterdam, Netherlands [5]
2:16.4*Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Zdeněk Koubek  (CSK)1934-06-14 Prague, Czechoslovakia [6] [7]
2:12.4*Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Zdeněk Koubek  (CSK)1934-08-?? London, United Kingdom [6] [7]
2:15.9Flag of Sweden.svg  Anna Larsson  (SWE)1944-08-28 Stockholm, Sweden [5]
2:14.8Flag of Sweden.svg  Anna Larsson  (SWE)1945-08-19 Hälsingborg, Sweden [5]
2:13.8Flag of Sweden.svg  Anna Larsson  (SWE)1945-08-30 Stockholm, Sweden [5]
2:13.0Flag of the Soviet Union (1936 - 1955).svg  Yevdokia Vasilyeva  (URS)1950-07-17Moscow, Soviet Union [5]
2:12.2Flag of the Soviet Union (1936 - 1955).svg  Valentina Pomogayeva  (URS)1951-07-26Moscow, Soviet Union [5]
2:12.0Flag of the Soviet Union (1936 - 1955).svg  Nina Otkalenko  (URS)1951-08-26 Minsk, Soviet Union [5]
2:08.5Flag of the Soviet Union (1936 - 1955).svg  Nina Otkalenko  (URS)1952-06-15 Kiev, Soviet Union [5]
2:07.3Flag of the Soviet Union (1936 - 1955).svg  Nina Otkalenko  (URS)1953-08-27Moscow, Soviet Union [5]
2:06.6Flag of the Soviet Union (1936 - 1955).svg  Nina Otkalenko  (URS)1954-09-16 Kiev, Soviet Union [5]
2:05.0Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Nina Otkalenko  (URS)1955-09-24 Zagreb, Yugoslavia [5]
2:04.3Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Lyudmila Shevtsova  (URS)1960-07-03Moscow, Soviet Union [5]
2:04.32:04.50Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Lyudmila Shevtsova  (URS)1960-09-07 Rome, Italy [5]
2:01.2+Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Dixie Willis  (AUS)1962-03-03 Perth, Australia [5]
2:01.1Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Ann Packer  (GBR)1964-10-20 Tokyo, Japan [5]
2:01.0Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Judy Pollock  (AUS)1967-06-28 Helsinki, Finland [5]
2:00.5Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Vera Nikolic  (YUG)1968-07-20 London, United Kingdom [5]
1:58.51:58.45Flag of Germany.svg  Hildegard Falck  (FRG)1971-07-11 Stuttgart, Germany [5]
1:57.51:57.48Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Svetla Zlateva  (BUL)1973-08-24 Athens, Greece [5]
1:56.0Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Valentina Gerasimova  (URS)1976-06-12 Kiev, Soviet Union [5]
1:54.91:54.94Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Tatyana Kazankina  (URS)1976-07-26 Montreal, Canada [5]
1:54.91:54.85Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Nadezhda Olizarenko  (URS)1980-06-12Moscow, Soviet Union [5]
1:53.51:53.43Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Nadezhda Olizarenko  (URS)1980-07-27Moscow, Soviet Union [5]
1:53.28Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Jarmila Kratochvílová  (TCH)1983-07-26 Munich, West Germany [5]

(+) - indicates en route time from longer race.
(*) - Zdeněk Koubek's world records were rescinded by the IAAF after he transitioned to become male. [6] [7]

The "Time" column indicates the ratified mark; the "Auto" column indicates a fully automatic time that was also recorded in the event when hand-timed marks were used for official records, or which was the basis for the official mark, rounded to the 10th of a second, depending on the rules then in place.

Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000 m from 1981. [5] Hence, Nadezhda Olizarenko's record at 1:53.5 was rendered as 1:53.43 from that year.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 548. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "IAAF World Championships: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Daegu 2011" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2011. pp. Pages 595, 597. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Main > Men, 800 m > World Records Progression" . Track and Field Statistics  [ d ].
  4. "IAAF 800 Metres Records". IAAF. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 641–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 "Zdeněk Koubek". Translide.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  7. 1 2 3 "Zdena / Zdeněk Koubková / Koubek". Internetová Encyklopedie Dějin Brna (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-08-08.