Port Moresby, also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific outside of Australia and New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the south-western coast of the Papuan Peninsula of the island of New Guinea. The city emerged as a trade centre in the second half of the 19th century. During World War II, it was a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43 as a staging point and air base to cut off Australia from Southeast Asia and the Americas.
Letitia Alma Vriesde is a former track and field athlete from Suriname, who specialised in the 800 metres but was also successful over 1500 metres. She is the first sportsperson from Suriname to compete at five Olympic Games. She won a silver medal at the 1995 World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships. Vriesde holds the South American records for the 800 metres, 1000 metres and 1500 metres and also for the 3000 metres (indoors).
Brigita Langerholc is a Slovenian middle distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres.
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.
The 15th Pacific Games, also known as Port Moresby 2015 or POM 2015, was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from 4 to 18 July 2015. It was the fifteenth staging of the Pacific Games as well as the third to be hosted in Port Moresby.
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. In 1973, she was the winner of the first Balkan Athlete of the Year award.
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 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.
Hannah Lucy Cockroft is a British wheelchair racer specialising in sprint distances in the T34 classification and TV presenter.
Maryna Aliaksandrauna Arzamasova is a Belarusian middle-distance runner. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the Women's 800 metres. She won a bronze medal at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in the 800 metres. In August 2014, Arzamasova won 2014 European Athletics Championships in the 800 metres in a European leading time of 1:58.15. One year later she became world champion in the 800 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing.
Anneliese Rubie is an Australian sprinter. Also known as Anneliese Rubie-Renshaw, she was a semi finalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. She also ran in the semi-finals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She ran the second leg for the women's 4 × 400 m which made the Olympic final in 2016.
Shelayna Oskan-Clarke is a British middle-distance runner. Shelayna is currently the British 800m champion. She competed in the 800 metres event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, Where she finished 5th in the final. In 2016, she won the women's 800m at the Anniversary Games, and also reached the semi-final at the Rio Olympic Games, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. In 2019, Shelayna took the gold medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Raevyn Rogers is an American middle-distance athlete. She won a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the fourth fastest woman in U.S. history in the event. At the 2019 World Championships, Rogers came from seventh with 100m remaining in the race to place silver over USA teammate Ajeé Wilson in bronze. She earned a world indoor title as a member of national 4x400 m relay squad that took gold at the 2018 World Indoor 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.
Anita Horvat is a Slovenian sprinter and middle-distance runner. She placed seventh in the 800 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Horvat won the silver medal in the event at the 2023 European Indoor Championships.
Lois Jackman-Lax is discus thrower from Australia who also represented Nauru.
Gabriela Gajanová is a Slovak middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres. Gajanová won a bronze medal at the 2017 European U20 Championships. She won silver in the 800 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy.
Bendere Opamo Oboya is an Australian athlete. She competed in the women's 400 metres event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Oboya competed in both the women's 400 meters and was a member of the Australian team that competed in the women's 4 x 400 meter relay. She came fifth in her individual event in her heat and was eliminated. As a member of the team of Ellie Beer, Kendra Hubbard and Annaliese Rubie-Renshaw they finished 7th in their heat and did not contest the final.
Salitia Pipit is a former Papua New Guinean athlete who competed in a wide range of running events and won multiple gold medals at the South Pacific Games.
