Michael Duane Johnson is an American retired sprinter who won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships gold medals in the span of his career. He held the world and Olympic records in the 200 m and 400 m, as well as the world record in the indoor 400 m. He also once held the world's best time in the 300 m. Johnson is generally considered one of the greatest and most consistent sprinters in the history of track and field.
Charles Lamont "Charlie" Jenkins is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
James Edwin "Ted" Meredith was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Douglas Gordon Arthur Lowe was a British double Olympic Games champion, winning gold medals in 1924 and 1928. On both occasions he set British 800-metres records of 1:52.4 and 1:51.8 respectively, the latter also being an Olympic record.
John Youie "Long John" Woodruff was an American middle-distance runner, winner of the 800 meter event at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Malvin Greston Whitfield was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed "Marvelous Mal", he was the Olympic champion in the 800 meters at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, and a member of the 1948 gold medal team in the 4 × 400 meters relay. Overall, Whitfield was a five-time Olympic medalist. After his competitive career, he worked for 47 years as a coach, goodwill ambassador, as well as an athletic mentor in Africa on behalf of the United States Information Service.
Thomas Hampson was an English athlete, winner of the 800 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics and the first man to run 800 metres in under 1 minute 50 seconds.
Arthur Godfrey Kilner Brown was a British athlete, winner of a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He later became Headmaster of the Royal Grammar School Worcester, a post which he held from 1950 until his retirement in 1978.
Alan Boone Helffrich was an American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4 × 400 m relay at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Jesse William Mashburn is an American former athlete, winner of gold medal in 4 × 400 m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He is also a homebuilder.
Derek James Neville Johnson was a British track and field athlete.
Lorraine Joyce Thurlow,, née Crapp, is a former Olympic swimming champion representing Australia. In world swimming history, Crapp earned a place as the first woman to break the five-minute barrier in the 400 m freestyle.
John Malcolm Henricks is an Australian Olympic swimmer who won two gold medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Henricks set world records in two freestyle events.
John Konrads was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won the 1500 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In his career, he set 26 individual world records, and after his swimming career ended, was the Australasian director of L'Oréal, as well as campaigning for the Sydney Olympics bid. Along with his sister Ilsa, who also set multiple world records, they were known as the Konrads Kids.
Silas Edward Southern was an American sprinter and hurdler who won a silver medal in the 400 metres hurdles at 1956 Olympics. He won another silver medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 1959 Pan American Games.
The men's 800 metres event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne was held on 23, 24, and 26 November 1956. There were a total number of 38 competitors from 24 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Tom Courtney, the last of a streak of four American victories in the event and the seventh overall United States victory. Derek Johnson's silver put Great Britain back on the podium for the first time since that nation's own four-Games gold streak ended in 1932. Norway received its first men's 800 metres medal with Audun Boysen's bronze.
Arnold Milton Sowell is a former middle distance runner from the United States, who represented his native country at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He finished fourth in the Men's 800-meter race.
Lonnie Vernon "Lon" Spurrier was an American former middle-distance runner who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and set the world's record in the half-mile in 1955.
Mary Kok is a renowned Dutch swimmer. Between 1954 and 1957 she set ten world records from the young age of 15 to 17 years:
Noel Stanley Clough was an Australian track and field athlete who competed in the 400 metres, 800 metres, and 400 metres hurdles.
