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.
María Teresa ("Mayte") Martínez Jiménez is a Spanish athlete competing in the 800 m. She has reached 4 consecutive finals in the World Championships, being third with an incredible last straight in Osaka. She took part in 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, being eliminated in the semifinals. She could not participate in 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing with an injury.
Nikolina Pavlova Shtereva is a retired Bulgarian middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 and 1500 metres. She is best known for her silver medal in 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and at the European Indoor Championships she won gold medals in 1976 and 1979 and a bronze medal in 1981. She won fourteen national titles in Bulgaria, and is still the Bulgarian record holder in the 800 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.
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.
Adam Piotr Kszczot is a retired Polish middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. His achievements include silver medals at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships in Athletics, gold at the 2018 World Indoor Championships as well as silver and bronze at the 2014 and 2010 World Indoor Championships respectively. Kszczot won three gold medals in the 800 m at both the European Outdoor and Indoor Championships. He twice competed at the Olympic Games, in 2012 and 2016, narrowly missing the final on both occasions.
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.
Sofia Ennaoui is a Polish middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. She finished fifth in the event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships as the second non-African woman. Ennaoui won the silver medal at the 2018 European Championships, and a bronze at the 2022 European Championships. At the European Indoor Championships, she earned bronze in 2017, silver in 2019 and bronze in 2023. She took two individual age-group medals at the European Cross Country Championships.
Claudia Mihaela Bobocea is a Romanian middle-distance runner competing primarily in the 1500 metres. She won the silver medal in the event at the 2023 European Indoor Championships.
Martina Steuk is a German former track and field athlete who represented East Germany. She competed in the 800 metres and occasionally the 400 metres.
Filip Sasínek is a Czech middle-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
Sofiane Selmouni is an Algerian-born French middle-distance runner. He finished sixth at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
Sarah McDonald is an English middle-distance runner specialising in the 1500 metres. Sarah was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and attended the Royal Grammar School. She represented her country at the 2017 World Championships. In addition, she reached the final at the 2016 European Championships and 2017 European Indoor Championships. She became British Indoor Champion in 2017 over 1500m. In 2016 she became the English 800m Champion. At the European Cross Country Championships in 2017 she won team gold in the inaugural mixed relay, where she ran the fastest leg of the day. She represented England in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast reaching the 1500m Final. In 2019, she became British Champion over 1500m and also reached the Semi-Final of the World Championships in Doha. 2019 she won gold at the European Cross-Country in the mixed relay.
Michał Rozmys is a Polish middle-distance runner. He represented his country in the 800 metres at the 2017 World Championships. In addition, he won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2017 European U23 Championships and a gold at the 2019 Summer Universiade.
Hanna Hermansson is a Swedish middle-distance runner. She represented her country in the 800 metres at the 2017 World Championships reaching the semifinals.
Mohad Abdikadar Sheik Ali is a Somali-born Italian middle-distance runner competing primarily in the 1500 metres. He won a silver medal at the 2015 European U23 Championships in Tallinn.
Thomas Arne Roth is a Norwegian middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres. He reached the final at the 2012 European Championships finishing eighth.
Diana Mezuliáníková is a Czech middle-distance runner specialising in the 1500 metres. She finished 7th at the 2015 European Indoor Championships and 10th at the 2018 European Championships.
Lore Hoffmann is a Swiss middle-distance runner who specialises in the 800 metres. She finished fourth at the 2022 European Championships and fifth at the 2021 European Indoor Championships. She reached the semi-finals of the 2020 Olympics.
Gabriela Gajanová is a Slovak middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres. She won a bronze medal at the 2017 European U20 Championships.
