The 800 metres,or 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.
Jennifer Brenda "Jenny" Meadows is a retired British athlete. Her main event was the 800 metres,although she previously competed also over the 400 metres. She won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships,and a silver at the 2010 World Indoor Championships. At the European Athletics Championships,Meadows took silver outdoors in 2010 and gold indoors in 2011. She also had some international success as part of the Great Britain women's 4 x 400 metres relay squad.
Charlene Rendina is a retired Australian athlete who specialised in sprint and middle distance events.
Toni Louise Hodgkinson is a New Zealand former middle-distance runner. She represented her country at two Olympic Games and two Commonwealth Games,and currently holds the New Zealand woman's record in the 800 metres.
Francine Niyonsaba is a Burundian runner who specialized in the 800 metres and shifted to longer distances in 2019. She was the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist in the women's 800 metres. Her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Burundi since 1996. Niyonsaba won a silver in the event at the 2017 World Championships.
AjeéWilson is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 meters. She is the 2022 World indoor champion at the 800 meter distance,after earning silver medals in 2016 and 2018. Wilson won bronze medals at both the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships. She is the second-fastest American of all time in the event with a time of 1m 55.61s,and she holds North American indoor record.
Laura Muir is a Scottish middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 metres,having previously finished seventh in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Muir won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships,and has three other top five placings in 1500 m finals at the World Athletics Championships,finishing fifth in 2015,fourth in 2017 and fifth in 2019. She is a two-time European 1500 m champion from 2018 and 2022 as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games 1500 m champion and 800 metres bronze medallist.
Adelle Tracey is a middle-distance runner. Born in the United States,she competes for Jamaica since 2022,having previously represented Great Britain,where she grew up. Tracey competes primarily in the 800 metres. She placed fourth in the event at the 2018 European Athletics Championships,but claimed a bronze in the North American equivalent,the 2022 NACAC Championships representing her new country,Jamaica. The following day,Tracey won silver for Jamaica in the 1500 metres event in the same championships.
Halimah Nakaayi is a Ugandan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 800 metres. She is the 2019 World Champion at the event and won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. Nakaayi is the current Ugandan record holder for the 800 m both outdoors and indoors,and also for the 1000 metres.
Nagmeldin "Peter" Bol is an Australian middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics,placed fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Athing Mu is an American middle-distance runner. She is the youngest woman in history to hold Olympic and world titles in an individual track and field event. At the age of 19,Mu won the gold medal in the 800 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,breaking a national record set by AjeéWilson in 2017,and a continental under-20 record. She took a second gold as part of the women's 4 ×400 m relay. She was the 800 m 2022 World champion,becoming the first American woman to win the world championship title over the distance.
Jemma Reekie is a Scottish middle-distance runner who competed at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
Diribe Welteji Kejelcha is an Ethiopian middle-distance runner. She won the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 2023 World Championships and placed fourth in the 800 metres at the 2022 World Championships.
Mary Moraa is a Kenyan athlete who specialises in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships,a bronze medal in the event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and a gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Keely Nicole Hodgkinson is an English middle-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 800 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Charlie Hunter is an Australian middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres.
The women's 800 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships took place on 19–20 March 2022.
The following table is an overview of national records in the 800 metres.
Jarinter Mwasya is a Kenyan track and field athlete. She was the 2022 African champion over 800 metres.
Ellie Sanford is an Australian track and field athlete who competes over 800 metres.
