Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1500 m came about as a result of running 3+3⁄4 laps of a 400 m outdoor track or 7+1⁄2 laps of a 200 m indoor track, which were commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century.
Noureddine Morceli is a retired Algerian middle-distance runner. He was the winner of the 1500 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics and won three straight gold medals at that distance at the World Championships in Athletics. He set world records in the 1500 m, mile run and the 3000 metres.
Lidia Chojecka-Leandro is a retired Polish middle- and long-distance runner who mainly competed in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres. She won bronze medals in the 1500 m at the 1997 and 1999 World Indoor Championships, and for the 3000 m at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. Chojecka is a six-time European Indoor Championships medallist in the 1500 m and 3000 m events, earning three golds and three silvers. She took the double at the 2007 European Indoor Championships, becoming the first runner, male or female, to win both events at the same championships. She had been one of the most consistent middle-distance runners in Europe throughout the 1990s, and finished fifth and sixth in back-to-back Olympic 1500 m finals in 2000 and 2004.
Mekonnen Gebremedhin Woldegiorg is an Ethiopian middle distance runner, who specializes in the 1500 metres. He is known for consistently placing close to the top three in each Diamond League competition he makes an appearance in.
Matthew Stewart "Matt" Yates is a retired English athlete who specialised in the middle-distance events.
Sinéad Delahunty-Evans is a retired Irish middle-distance runner who competed primarily in the 1500 metres. She represented her country at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, as well as two World Championships. As of June 2023 she has resigned as the head coach of Cross Country/Track & Field at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States.
Stella Jongmans is a retired Dutch athlete who specialised in the 800 metres. She won the gold at the 1995 Summer Universiade and silver at the 1996 European Indoor Championships. In addition, she represented The Netherlands at two Olympic Games, in 1992 and 1996.
Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa is an Ethiopian distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and gold medals for the 3000 metres at the 2016 and 2018 World Indoor Championships. Kejelcha is the world indoor record holder for the mile with a time of 3:47.01, set on 3 March 2019 in Boston.
Esther Guerrero Puigdevall is a Spanish middle-distance runner competing primarily in the 800 metres. She won two medals for the mixed relay at the European Cross Country Championships.
Ovidiu Olteanu is a retired Romanian athlete who competed in middle-distance events. He represented his country at the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well as two outdoor and two indoor World Championships. His biggest success was the silver medal in the 3000 metres at the 1994 European Indoor Championships.
Jacinto Germán Navarrete Rodríguez is a retired Colombian athlete who competed in middle-distance and cross-country events. He represented his country at two World Indoor Championships and currently holds the South American record in the indoor 3000 metres.
Gabriela Maria DeBues-Stafford is a Canadian middle- and long-distance runner. A two-time Olympian, she placed fifth in the women's 1500 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. DeBues-Stafford holds the NACAC area record over the indoor 5000 metres, which she set in February 2022.
Mirosław Żerkowski is a retired Polish middle- and long-distance runner. He represented his country at the 1980 Summer Olympics as well as one outdoor and one indoor World Championships. In addition, he won a bronze medal at the 1981 European Indoor Championships.
Klaus-Peter Nabein was a German middle- and long-distance runner. He won medals at the 1982 and 1987 European Indoor Championships. In addition, he competed at the 1989 World Indoor Championships. Later in his career he competed primarily in road races.
Kalle Anders Berglund is a Swedish middle-distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
Filip Sasínek is a Czech middle-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
Richard Douma is a Dutch middle-distance runner competing primarily in the 1500 metres. He narrowly missed a medal by finishing fourth at the 2016 European Championships.
Josh Kerr is a Scottish middle-distance runner who competes primarily in the 1500 metres. He won a gold medal in the event at the 2023 World Championships, a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and a gold medal at the 2015 European Junior Championships. He holds the European record in the indoor mile, with a time of 3:48.87.
Ismael Debjani is a Belgian middle-distance runner who competes primarily in the 1500 metres. He represented his country at the 2017 World Championships without advancing from the first round.
Selemon Barega Shirtaga is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, silver for the 5,000 metres at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Barega is a two-time 3,000 metres World Indoor Championship medallist, taking silver in 2018, and a gold in 2022.
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