The 800 metres, or 800 meters, is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the first modern games in 1896. During the winter track season the event is usually run by completing four laps of an indoor 200-metre track.
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 0.16 seconds 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.
The men's 800 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, was held at the Olympic Stadium on 6–9 August. Fifty-five athletes from 43 nations competed. The event was won in a world record time of 1:40:91 by David Rudisha of Kenya, the second consecutive and fourth overall title for Kenya in the event. Rudisha would later become the fourth man to successfully defend his Olympic 800 metres title, and the 11th to win two medals of any kind in the event. Nijel Amos' silver medal was the first Olympic medal ever for Botswana. Timothy Kitum of Kenya won the bronze medal.
The men's 800 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 12–15 August at the Olympic Stadium. Fifty-eight athletes from 39 nations competed. The event was won by 0.46 seconds by David Rudisha of Kenya, the fourth man to successfully defend Olympic gold in the 800 metres. Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria took silver, the first medal for the nation in the 800 metres since 2000. The United States had an even longer medal-less streak broken, as Clayton Murphy's bronze was their first since 1992.
Marco Arop is a Canadian track and field athlete competing in the middle distance events. Arop is the reigning world champion in the 800 m, winning gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championship, after winning bronze the previous year at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He was the first Canadian to win a world championship in the 800 m. Arop was also the 2019 Pan American Games champion in 800 m.
Bryce Hoppel is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is the reigning 800 metres world indoor champion having won gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. He also is a seven-time U.S. champion and two-time NCAA champion over the distance. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Hoppel set an American record in the event, with a time of 1:41.67 to become the seventh fastest man and the second fastest North American man at the distance.
The men's 800 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha from 28 September to 1 October 2019.
Gabriel Tual is a French middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres.
Djamel Sedjati is an Algerian middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 meters. He is the fifth fastest man in history at the distance, behind Marco Arop, Emanuel Wanyonyi, Wilson Kipketer and world record holder David Rudisha. Sedjati won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 800 metres event.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi is a Kenyan middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 metres, who won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in this event. With his personal best of 1:41.11 set at the 2024 Lausanne Diamond League, Wanyonyi and Wilson Kipketer are tied for second place in the all-time 800 meter list, behind only Wanyonyi's compatriot David Rudisha, who holds the world record. Wanyonyi also briefly held the world record in the road mile, with a time of 3:54.56, from April 2024 to September 2024.
The men's 800 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships took place on 18 and 19 March 2022.
The following table is an overview of national records in the 800 metres.
The men's 800 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships was held at the Hayward Field in Eugene from 20 to 23 July 2022.
Hobbs Kessler is an American middle-distance runner. He competes professionally for Adidas, having turned professional directly after high school. He holds the North American U20 record in the 1500 meters, having run 3:34.36 in 2021 during his senior year in high school. He briefly held the world record in the road mile set at the 2023 World Road Running Championships until it was broken by Emmanuel Wanyonyi on April 27, 2024.
The men's 800 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary from 22 to 26 August 2023.
The women's 400 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in four rounds at the Stade de France in Paris, France, between 5 and 9 August 2024. This was the sixteenth time that the women's 400 metres was contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 48 athletes were able to qualify for the event by entry standard or ranking.
The men's 400 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in four rounds at the Stade de France in Paris, France, between 4-7 August 2024. This was the 30th time that the men's 400 metres was contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 48 athletes were able to qualify for the event by entry standard or ranking.
The women's 800 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in four rounds at the Stade de France in Paris, France, between 2 and 5 August 2024. This was the eighteenth time that the women's 800 metres is contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 48 athletes will be able to qualify for the event by entry standard or ranking.
The women's 1500 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in four rounds at the Stade de France in Paris, France, between 6 and 10 August 2024. This was the fourteenth time the women's 1500 metres was contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 45 athletes were able to participate after qualifying by entry standard or their World Athletics Ranking.
The 2024 Meeting de Paris was the 29th edition of the annual outdoor track and field meeting in Paris, France. Though held in the same city as the 2024 Summer Olympics, the meeting was not held at the Olympic stadium track, the Stade de France.
