Sir Peter George Snell is a New Zealand former middle-distance runner. He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only male since 1920 to win the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964.
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Masterkova is a Russian former middle distance runner and former women's world record holder for the mile and the kilometer. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in both the 800 metres and 1500 metres.
Saïd Aouita is a former Moroccan track and field athlete. He won the 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, as well as the 3000 meters at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He is a former world record holder over 1500 metres (3:29.46), 2000 m (4:50.80), 3000 m (7:29.45), and twice at 5000 m. Aouita was one of the first globally known Arab sportspeople. He lives in Orlando, Florida.
The pentathlon or women's pentathlon is a combined track and field event in which each woman competes in five separate events over one day. The distance or time for each event is converted to points via scoring tables, with the overall ranking determined by total points. Since 1949 the events have been sprint hurdling, high jump, shot put, long jump, and a flat race. The sprint hurdles distance was 80 m outdoors until 1969 and thereafter 100 m; in indoor pentathlon the distance is 60 m. The flat race was 200 m until 1976 and thereafter 800 m. In elite-level outdoor competition, the pentathlon was superseded in 1981 by the heptathlon, which has seven events, with both 200 m and 800 m, as well as the javelin throw. Pentathlon is still contested at school and masters level and indoors.
Nadezhda Fyodorovna Olizarenko was a Soviet middle-distance runner. At the 1980 Olympics she won the 800 m event, setting a world record at 1:53.43, and finished third in the 1500 m. Her 800 m world record was improved in 1983, but still remains the second-best time over that distance. Other than world record holder Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983, only two athletes, Pamela Jelimo of Kenya, in 2008, and Caster Semenya of South Africa, in 2018, have come within a second of Olizarenko's mark since it was set.
Ruth Wysocki is an American middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 meters and 1500 metres.
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.
Rosibel García Mina is a Colombian track and field athlete who specialises in middle-distance running events. She has represented her country at the Summer Olympics and has also competed at the World Championships in Athletics.
The men's 800 metres at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships is held at the QEII Stadium on 22-23 and 26–29 January
Mohammed Aman Geleto is an Ethiopian middle distance runner. Born in Asella, he is the winner of the 800-meter final at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow. Aman also won consecutive 800 m titles at the 2009 and 2011 African Junior Athletics Championships.
Katrina Jane Weston is a former British middle distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. Competing as Jane Colebrook, she equalled the world indoor best to win at the 1977 European Indoor Championships and won a bronze medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Competing as Jane Finch, she won a silver medal at the 1985 World Indoor Games.
Nijel Carlos Amilfitano Amos is a Botswana middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres discipline. He won silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics, which was Botswana's first ever Olympic medal.
Jake Lappin is an Australian wheelchair athletics competitor. He represented Australia in athletics at the 2012 Summer Paralympics but did not medal. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
The 800 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the first edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 800 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. The women's event was first held in 1928, making it the first distance running event for women. However it was not held again until 1960, since when it has been a permanent fixture. It is the most prestigious 800 m race at elite level. The competition format typically has three rounds: a qualifying round, semi-final stage, and a final between eight runners.
Ravilya Agletdinova was a Soviet middle-distance runner who competed in 800 metres, 1500 metres and 3000 metres events.
Noel Stanley Clough is an Australian former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 metres, 800 metres, and 400 metres hurdles.
David Carr is an Australian masters track and field athlete, known for running middle distance races. He is the current world record holder in the M75 800 metres, the M80 Mile, 2000 metres steeplechase and as a member of the 4x400 metres relay team. He also has a hand timed result in the M80 800 metres that is superior to the world record but has not been ratified.
In the sport of athletics, pentathlons have taken various forms over the history of the sport, typically incorporating five track and field events. The only version of the event to remain at a high level of contemporary competition is the women's indoor pentathlon, which is present on the programme for the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Hubert Indra is an Italian male decathlete, who has continued his career into masters athletics.
