Hand timing
(a) Sometimes given as 3:47.5.
(b) Sometimes given as 3:40.5.
The following table shows the European record progression in the men's 1500 metres, as ratified by the EAA. [1] [2]
The current European record is 3:27.14 by Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, pending ratification. The record was set on 16 July 2023 at the 2023 Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. [3]
(a) Sometimes given as 3:47.5.
(b) Sometimes given as 3:40.5.
| Ratified | |
| Not ratified | |
| Ratified but later rescinded | |
| Pending ratification |
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:32.03 (a) | Sebastian Coe |  United Kingdom | Zürich, Switzerland | August 15, 1979 |
| 3:32.09 (a) | Steve Ovett | United Kingdom | Oslo, Norway | July 15, 1980 |
| 3:31.36 | Steve Ovett | United Kingdom | Koblenz, Germany | August 27, 1980 |
| 3:30.77 | Steve Ovett | United Kingdom | Rieti, Italy | September 4, 1983 |
| 3:29.67 | Steve Cram | United Kingdom | Nice, France | July 16, 1985 |
| 3:28.95 | Fermín Cacho |  Spain | Zürich, Switzerland | August 13, 1997 |
| 3:28.81 | Mo Farah | United Kingdom | Monaco | July 19, 2013 |
| 3:28.68 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen |  Norway | Monaco | August 14, 2020 |
| 3:28.32 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | Tokyo, Japan | August 7, 2021 |
| 3:27.95 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | Oslo, Norway | June 15, 2023 |
| 3:27.14 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | Chorzów, Poland | July 16, 2023 |
| 3:26.73 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway | Monaco | July 12, 2024 |
(a) = Timed electronically at a time when records were ratified at intervals of one tenth of a second, these were considered equivalent performances.
The Prefontaine Classic is a track and field meet held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Organized by the Oregon Track Club, it was previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, and is now part of the Diamond League. The meet is one of the few international competitions to host the imperial distances of the Mile run and 2 Mile run.
The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers or approximately 15⁄16 miles. The event is closely associated with its slightly longer cousin, the mile race, from which it derives its nickname "the metric mile".
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to 3 miles 188 yards or 16,404 feet 2 inches. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over 12+1⁄2 laps of a standard track. The same distance in road running is called a 5K run; referring to the distance in metres rather than kilometres serves to disambiguate the two events. The 5000 m has been present on the Olympic programme since 1912 for men and since 1996 for women. Prior to 1996, women had competed in an Olympic 3000 metres race since 1984. The 5000 m has been held at each of the World Championships in Athletics in men's competition and since 1995 in women's.
The mile run is a middle-distance foot race.
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meeting competitions.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is a Norwegian middle- and long-distance runner, who is the current world record holder for the indoor 1500 metres and the 2000 metres, and holds the world best time over the two mile distance. Ingebrigtsen is a two-time World champion, winning gold medals in the 5000 metres in 2022 and 2023 and a four-time European champion, winning gold medals in the 1500 m and 5000 m in 2018 and 2022. He also won a gold medal in the 1500 m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, setting an Olympic and European record. In addition to the 1500 m, Ingebrigtsen holds European records in the mile and 5000 m, and is one of only three men to run a sub-3:30 1500 m, sub-7:30 3000 m and a sub-12:50 5000 m.
Josh Kerr is a Scottish middle-distance runner who competes primarily in the 1500 metres. A double World Champion, 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. Indoors he is the 2024 World Indoor champion in the 3000 metres. He holds the world record time in the indoor 2 mile and the European record in the indoor mile, along with the British record in the outdoor mile.
Femke Bol is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in hurdling and sprinting. She specialises in the 400 metres hurdles, where she is the 2023 World Champion, and in the 400 metres, where she is the 2024 World Indoor Champion and the short track world record holder. In the 4 × 400 metres relay, she is the 2023 World Champion and the 2024 World Indoor Champion with the Dutch women's team.
Yared Nuguse is an American professional middle-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 meters. He was the 2019 NCAA Division I champion in the event. Nuguse is the North American outdoor record holder over 1500 meters and one mile, and the North American indoor record holder for the 1500 meters, one mile and 3000 meters.
The following table is an overview of national records in the 1500 metres.
The 2023 Prefontaine Classic was the 48th edition of the annual outdoor track and field meeting in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Held on 16-17 September at Hayward Field, it served as the finals of 2023 Diamond League – the highest-level international track and field circuit. It was the first time that the Diamond League finals were held in the United States.