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

Last updated

Contents

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.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 Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 42:06.89
- Arda Kalpakian Flag of Lebanon.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.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.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.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.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.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.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

Related Research Articles

The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 21 to 25.

The men's 800 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 25 to 28. Seventy-two athletes from 58 nations competed. The event was won by Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia, the first medal for the nation in the event. Wilson Kipketer of Denmark became the 10th man to win a second medal in the 800 metres.

Nikolina Pavlova Shtereva is a retired Bulgarian middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 and 1500 metres. She is best known for her silver medal in 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and at the European Indoor Championships she won gold medals in 1976 and 1979 and a bronze medal in 1981. She won fourteen national titles in Bulgaria, and is still the Bulgarian record holder in the 800 metres.

Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Womens 800 metres

The women's 800 metres was the longest of the four women's track races in the Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics program in Tokyo. 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.

Nijolė Sabaitė is a retired Lithuanian middle distance runner who represented internationally the USSR. She trained at VSS Nemunas in Vilnius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hildegard Falck</span>

Hildegard Falck is a retired West German runner. At the 1972 Olympics she won a gold medal in the 800 m and a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay with West German team. In the 800 m final she finished 0.1 seconds ahead of Nijolė Sabaitė and Gunhild Hoffmeister.

The men's 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 70 competitors from 53 nations, with nine qualifying heats (70), four second-round races (32) and two semifinals (16), before the final (8) took off on Monday September 26, 1988. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Paul Ereng of Kenya, the first time a Kenyan runner had won the 800 metres; the nation had previously taken silver in 1968 and bronze in 1964 and 1972. Joaquim Cruz of Brazil did not defend his 1984 gold, finishing second; the silver medal made him the ninth man to win two medals in the event. Saïd Aouita took bronze, Morocco's first medal in the men's 800 metres.

The men's 800 metres event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne was held on 23, 24, and 26 November 1956. There were a total number of 38 competitors from 24 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Tom Courtney, the last of a streak of four American victories in the event and the seventh overall United States victory. Derek Johnson's silver put Great Britain back on the podium for the first time since that nation's own four-Games gold streak ended in 1932. Norway received its first men's 800 metres medal with Audun Boysen's bronze.

Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Mens 1500 metres

The men's 1500 metres was an event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The final was held on August 11, 1984. Fifty-nine athletes from 40 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Sebastian Coe of Great Britain, the first man to successfully defend an Olympic 1500 metres title. Steve Cram's silver made it the first time a nation had gone 1–2 in the event since Great Britain had done it in 1920. José Manuel Abascal's bronze was Spain's first medal in the event.

Totka Nikolaeva Petrova is a retired female middle distance runner who represented Bulgaria in the 1970s and the early 1980s. She specialized in the 800 and 1500 metres, and won numerous international medals. She is still the Bulgarian 1500 metres record holder.

Svetla Stefanova Zlateva is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle-distance runner who specialized in the 400 and 800 metres. She is a former world record holder in the latter event.

Lilyana Tomova-Todorova, born 9 August 1946) is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle-distance runner who specialized in the 400, 800 and 1500 metres.

Alysia Montaño American middle-distance runner

Alysia Montaño is an American middle distance runner. She is a six-time USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 800 metres champion. She gained significant publicity for the 2014 race that she competed while 8 months pregnant.

Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Mens 800 metres

The men's 800 metres event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal was held on July 23, 1976, July 24, 1976, and on July 25, 1976. Forty-two athletes from 31 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Alberto Juantorena of Cuba, the nation's first medal in the event; Juantorena would later complete an unusual double in winning the 400 metres as well. Ivo van Damme's silver was Belgium's first medal in the event since 1960, matching the 1960 silver for best result for the nation.

Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Womens 800 metres

The Women's 800 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium on 8–11 August. The race was won by Mariya Savinova, but she has since been stripped of the gold medal for doping.

Uganda at the 2012 Summer Olympics Sporting event delegation

Uganda competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation there marked its 13th appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1956 Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of eleven track and field athletes that included Moses Ndiema Kipsiro, Benjamin Kiplagat, and Stephen Kiprotich, one each in badminton and weightlifting, and two swimmers. Ekiring, Ssekyaaya, Mugula, and Lunkuse had qualified through wildcard places, while the rest of the delegation satisfied the Games' qualification standards for their respective events. Mugula was selected as the team captain. Mugula was also selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. The country's best result at these Games was a gold medal for Kiproitch in the men's marathon, its first such medal since the 1972 Munich Olympics.

These are the official results of the Women's 400 metres event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on 2 & 7 of September. The favorite coming into the Olympics was Monika Zehrt of East Germany who equaled the world record in the previous July. The other world record holder was Marilyn Neufville of Jamaica, who was also favored to win, but was injured and unable to compete. This left the field open to challenge the world record holder for the top prize.

These are the official results of the Women's 1500 metres event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The competition was held on 4 of September & 9 of September. This was the first time this distance was held for women at the Olympics.

Rosemary Olivia Wright is a former British sprinter and middle-distance runner. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 1969 European Championships, and a gold medal in the 800m at the 1970 Commonwealth Games. Her 800m best of 2:00.15, stood as the Scottish record for 30 years (1972-2002).

The women's 800 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 15–18 August.

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.