Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres

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Women's 800 metres
at the Games of the XX Olympiad
Venue Olympic Stadium, Munich, West Germany
Date31 August 1972 & 3 September 1972
Competitors38 from 28 nations
Winning time1:58.55 OR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Hildegard Falck
Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany
Silver medal icon.svg Nijolė Sabaitė
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Bronze medal icon.svg Gunhild Hoffmeister
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany
  1968
1976  

These are the official results of the Women's 800 metres event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on 31 of August and 3 of September. [1] The favorite coming into the Olympics was West German champion and world record holder Hildegard Falck. In the 1971 West German Championships she became the first woman to officially better two minutes. She was the pre Olympic favorite to win the gold on home soil, the rest of the field was wide open to claim the other podium spots. [1]

In the final, like the men's race, the favorite was the slowest starter, though Falck quickly moved into sixth place. By the end of the first lap the field was tightly packed, Ileana Silai, Vera Nikolić and Svetla Zlateva and three abreast for the lead at 58.31. At 500 metres, Falck decided to move and slightly accelerated away from Nijolė Sabaitė and Gunhild Hoffmeister but found herself blocked behind the wall. The wall began to break up during the final turn, Silai the first to start fading allowing Falck some running room, coming off the turn she accelerated into the lead. Pulling away from the field Falck relaxed to cruise across the finish line. Sabaitė made a late run at her from a huge deficit, as she came into view, Falck had to accelerate a little to hold her off for a narrow win. Hoffmeister followed Sabaitė in passing the pack for bronze, but was too far behind to be competitive for higher medals.

While the 2 minute barrier had been broken barely a year before this race, five women finished under 2 minutes here, with the remainder of the field bunched within .17 of a second of 2 minutes. While the world record was 1:58.5 (hand timed at the time), this electronically timed 1:58.55 was intrinsically faster, but that conversion was not included in record keeping. Zlateva would improve the world record the following year.

Heats

The top three runners in each heat (blue) and the next fastest (pink), advanced to the semifinal round.

Heat one

RankAthleteNationLaneTime
1 Hildegard Falck Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 62:01.52
2 Madeline Manning Flag of the United States.svg  United States 72:02.63
3 Cheryl Peasley Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 82:03.11
4 Mary Tracey-Purcell Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 32:04.18
5 Martine Duvivier Flag of France.svg  France 22:04.87
6 Donata Govoni Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 12:05.24
7 Elisabeth Neuenschwander Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 42:06.89
- Arda Kalpakian Flag of Lebanon (1943-1995).svg  Lebanon 5DNS

Heat two

RankAthleteNationLaneTimeNotes
1 Svetla Zlateva Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Bulgaria 71:58.93OR
2 Vera Nikolić Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg  Yugoslavia 61:59.62
3 Sylvia Schenk Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 12:02.22
4 Elżbieta Skowrońska Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg  Poland 22:03.26
5 Jenny Orr Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 82:04.46
6 Cheryl Toussaint Flag of the United States.svg  United States 42:08.90
7 Claire Walsh Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 32:08.98
8 Heather Gooding Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados 52:19.69

Heat three

RankAthleteNationLaneTime
1 Nijolė Sabaitė Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 42:01.50
2 Abby Hoffman Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 52:01.57
3 Maria Sykora Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 72:01.82
4 Gisela Ellenberger Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 12:01.92
5 Maritta Politz Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany 32:02.40
6 Margaret Coomber Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 22:02.99
7 Emesia Chizunga Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 62:19.22
- Malak El-Nasser Flag of Syria (1972-1980).svg  Syria 8DNF

Heat four

RankAthleteNationLaneTime
1 Ileana Silai Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania 52:01.42
2 Annelise Damm Olesen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 32:01.77
3 Magdolna Kulcsár Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 42:02.35
4 Patricia Cropper Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 82:03.55
5 Vasilena Amzina Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Bulgaria 22:05.92
6 Marleen Verheuen Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 72:09.13
7 Raissa Ruus Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 12:11.18
8 Lee Chiu-hsia Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Republic of China 62:11.81

Heat five

RankAthleteNationLaneTime
1 Nina Morhunova Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 62:02.64
2 Gunhild Hoffmeister Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany 72:03.15
3 Rosemary Stirling Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 12:03.64
4 Sue Haden Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 42:04.86
5 Chereno Maiyo Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 52:04.86
6 Wendy Koenig Flag of the United States.svg  United States 32:08.71
7 Malika Hadky Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 22:12.46

Semifinals

Top four in each heat advanced to the final round.

Heat one

RankAthleteNationLaneTime
1 Nijolė Sabaitė Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 32:00.90
2 Gunhild Hoffmeister Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany 72:01.21
3 Abby Hoffman Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 42:01.37
4 Vera Nikolić Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg  Yugoslavia 12:01.49
5 Sylvia Schenk Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 22:01.50
6 Annelisa Damm Olesen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 52:04.19
7 Cheryl Peasley Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 82:04.56
- Magdolna Kulcsár Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 6DNS

Heat two

RankAthleteNationLaneTime
1 Hildegard Falck Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 52:01.41
2 Svetla Zlateva Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Bulgaria 32:01.66
3 Ileana Silai Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania 82:01.85
4 Rosemary Stirling Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 62:02.36
5 Madeline Manning Flag of the United States.svg  United States 22:02.39
6 Maria Sykora Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 42:02.44
7 Gisela Ellenberger Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 72:02.97
8 Nina Morhunova Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 12:04.93

Final

RankAthleteNationLaneTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Hildegard Falck Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 11:58.55OR
Silver medal icon.svg Nijolė Sabaitė Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 51:58.65
Bronze medal icon.svg Gunhild Hoffmeister Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany 61:59.19
4 Svetla Zlateva Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Bulgaria 21:59.72
5 Vera Nikolić Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg  Yugoslavia 81:59.98
6 Ileana Silai Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania 32:00.04
7 Rosemary Stirling Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 42:00.15
8 Abby Hoffman Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 72:00.17

Key: OR = Olympic record; DNS = did not start; DNF = did not finish

References

  1. 1 2 "Athletics at the 1972 Munich Summer Games: Women's 800 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2017.