800 metres world record progression
The following table shows the world record progression in the men's and women's 800 metres, officially ratified by the IAAF.
Men
The first world record in the men's 800 metres was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1912.[1]
| Ratified | |
| Not ratified | |
| Ratified but later rescinded | |
| Pending ratification |
Indoor
Indoor records are run over four laps of a shorter 200 m track. "y" indicates marks were set over the 880 yards (804.67 m) imperial distance, and an asterisk indicates a record was repeated. All records since Coe's 1:44.91 in 1983 were ratified by the IAAF.[2]
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Location of race | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:54.6y | Eli Parsons | Buffalo, United States | 19 March 1904 | |
| 1:54.0 | Alan Helffrich | Washington, D.C., United States | 21 February 1925 | |
| 1:53.8y | Lloyd Hahn | New York, United States | 8 January 1928 | |
| 1:51.4y | Lloyd Hahn | New York, United States | 3 March 1928 | |
| [1:47.7] | John Woodruff | Hanover, United States | 14 March 1940 | |
| 1:51.4y | John Borican | New York, United States | 21 February 1942 | |
| 1:50.0 | John Borican | New York, United States | 25 March 1942 | |
| 1:49.7 | Arnold Sowell | New York, United States | 9 February 1957 | |
| 1:49.9y | Peter Snell | Tokyo, Japan | 18 March 1962 | |
| 1:49.5 | Jörg Lawrenz | West Berlin | 9 March 1963 | |
| 1:49.5* | Bill Crothers | New York, United States | 30 January 1964 | |
| 1:49.8y | Peter Farrell | New York, United States | 11 February 1965 | |
| 1:47.4 | Ted Nelson | West Berlin | 7 April 1965 | |
| 1:46.6 | Dieter Fromm | Belgrade, Yugoslavia | 8 March 1969 | |
| 1:46.37 | Carlo Grippo | Milan, Italy | 24 February 1977 | |
| 1:46.0 | Sebastian Coe | Cosford, United Kingdom | 11 February 1981 | |
| 1:44.91 | Sebastian Coe | Cosford, United Kingdom | 12 March 1983 | |
| 1:44.84 | Paul Ereng | Budapest, Hungary | 4 March 1989 | |
| 1:43.96 | Wilson Kipketer | Paris, France | 7 March 1997 | |
| 1:42.67 | Wilson Kipketer | Paris, France | 9 March 1997 | |
| 1:42.50 | Josh Hoey | Boston, United States | 24 January 2026 |
Outdoor
As of June 21, 2011, 23 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event.[3] "y" denotes time for 880 yards (804.68 m) ratified as a record for the 800 m.
| Mark | Athlete | Nationality | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:06.0y | A. Wood | Unknown | 1830[4] | |
| 2:05.0y | J. Blackwood | Addiscombe, United Kingdom | 25 April 1857[4] | |
| 2:04.0y | Wiliam Way | Oxford, United Kingdom | 25 November 1859[4] | |
| 2:03.0y | Charlie Grey | Dublin, Ireland | 27 June 1861[4] | |
| 2:03.0y | Percy Thornton | London, United Kingdom | 16 December 1865[4] | |
| 2:02.5y | Percy Thornton | London, United Kingdom | 16 December 1865[4] | |
| 2:02.4y | Francis Pelham | Cambridge, United Kingdom | 23 March 1867[4] | |
| 2:01.0y | Kinross Gair | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 26 June 1867[4] | |
| 2:01.0y | George Templer | London, United Kingdom | 27 March 1872[4] | |
| 2:01.0y | Thomas Christie | London, United Kingdom | 27 March 1872[4] | |
| 1:59.8y | Arthur Pelham | Cambridge, United Kingdom | 26 March 1873[4] | |
| 1:59.5y | Walter Slade | Dublin, Ireland | 5 June 1876[4] | |
| 1:58.8y | Walter Slade | Dublin, Ireland | 6 June 1876[4] | |
| 1:58.2y | Walter Slade | Belfast, United Kingdom | 10 June 1876[4] | |
| 1:57.5y | Frederic Elborough | London, United Kingdom | 7 October 1876[4] | |
| 1:56.2y | Lawrence Myers | New York City, United States | 17 July 1880[4] | |
| 1:55.8y | Lawrence Myers | London, United Kingdom | 2 July 1881[4] | |
| 1:55.6y | Lawrence Myers | New York City, United States | 8 October 1881[4] | |
| 1:55.6y | Lawrence Myers | New York City, United States | 16 September 1882[4] | |
| 1:55.4y | Lawrence Myers | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 7 July 1884[4] | |
| 1:55.4y | Lawrence Myers | New York City, United States | 3 October 1885[4] | |
| 1:54.6y | Francis Cross | Oxford, United Kingdom | 9 March 1888[4] | |
| 1:54.5y | Walter Dohm | New York City, United States | 19 September 1891[4] | |
| 1:53.4y | Charles Kilpatrick | New York City, United States | 21 September 1895[4] | |
| 1:52.8 | Melvin Sheppard | London, United Kingdom | 21 July 1908[4] | |
| 1:52.1y | Emilio Lunghi | Montreal, Canada | 15 September 1909[4] |
| Time | Auto | Athlete | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:51.9+ | 1912-07-08 | Stockholm, Sweden[1] | ||
| 1:51.6y | 1926-07-03 | London, United Kingdom[1] | ||
| 1:50.6 | 1928-07-14 | Paris, France[1] | ||
| 1:49.8 | 1:49.70 | 1932-08-02 | Los Angeles, United States[1] | |
| 1:49.8y | 1934-06-16 | Princeton, United States[1] | ||
| 1:49.7 | 1936-08-20 | Stockholm, Sweden[1] | ||
| 1:49.6y | 1937-07-11 | New York City, United States[1] | ||
| 1:48.4+ | 1938-08-20 | London, United Kingdom[1] | ||
| 1:46.6 | 1939-07-15 | Milan, Italy[1] | ||
| 1:45.7 | 1955-08-03 | Oslo, Norway[1] | ||
| 1:44.3+ | 1962-02-03 | Christchurch, New Zealand[1] | ||
| 1:44.3 | 1:44.40 | 1968-10-15 | Mexico City, Mexico[1] | |
| 1:44.3 | 1972-07-01 | Eugene, United States[1] | ||
| 1:43.7 | 1973-06-27 | Milan, Italy[1] | ||
| 1:43.5 | 1:43.50 | 1976-07-25 | Montreal, Canada[1] | |
| 1:43.4 | 1:43.44 | 1977-08-21 | Sofia, Bulgaria[1] | |
| 1:42.4 | 1:42.33 | 1979-07-05 | Oslo, Norway[1] | |
| 1:41.73 | 1981-06-10 | Florence, Italy[1] | ||
| 1:41.73 | 1997-07-07 | Stockholm, Sweden[1] | ||
| 1:41.24 | 1997-08-13 | Zurich, Switzerland[1] | ||
| 1:41.11 | 1997-08-24 | Cologne, Germany[1] | ||
| 1:41.09 | 2010-08-22 | Berlin, Germany[3] | ||
| 1:41.01 | 2010-08-29 | Rieti, Italy[3] | ||
| 1:40.91 | 2012-08-09 | London, United Kingdom[5] |
(+) - indicates en route time from longer race.
The "Time" column indicates the ratified mark; the "Auto" column indicates a fully automatic time that was also recorded in the event when hand-timed marks were used for official records, or which was the basis for the official mark, rounded to the 10th of a second, depending on the rules then in place.
Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000 m from 1981.[1] Hence, Sebastian Coe's record at 1:42.4 was rendered as 1:42.33 from that year.
Women
The first world record in the women's 800 metres was recognized by the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSFI) in 1922,[6] which was absorbed by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1936.
As of June 21, 2009, the IAAF (and the FSFI before it) have ratified 29 outdoor world records in the event.[6] "y" denotes time for 880 yards (804.672 m) ratified as a record for the 800 m.
Indoor
Indoor records are run over four laps of a shorter 200 m track. "y" indicates marks were set over the 880 yards (804.67 m) imperial distance, and an asterisk indicates a record was repeated. All records since Wodar's 1:58.42 in 1987 were ratified by the IAAF.[7]
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:38.6y | Catherine Donovan | Newark, United States | 28 January, 1928 | |
| 2:22.6 | Polina Solopova | Leningrad, Soviet Union | 17 March, 1951 | |
| 2:19.9 | Anna Dyachkova | Leningrad, Soviet Union | 18 March, 1952 | |
| 2:17.1 | Aleksandra Kiryushkina | Leningrad, Soviet Union | 1 March, 1953 | |
| 2:15.5 | Galina Falkovskaya | Leningrad, Soviet Union | 16 March, 1953 | |
| 2:12.5 | Bedřiška Müllerová | East Berlin, East Germany | 26 February, 1961 | |
| 2:10.9 | Anita Wörner | West Berlin | 9 March, 1963 | |
| 2:10.6 | Irene Hansen | East Berlin, East Germany | 13 February, 1965 | |
| 2:10.5y | Zsuzsa Nagy | Los Angeles, United States | 13 February, 1965 | |
| 2:09.4 | Gertrud Schmidt | East Berlin, East Germany | 21 February, 1965 | |
| 2:07.1 | Antje Gleichfeld | West Berlin | 8 April, 1965 | |
| 2:06.2 | Karin Burneleit | East Berlin, East Germany | 9 February, 1968 | |
| 2:05.3 | Barbara Wieck | Belgrade, Yugoslavia | 9 March, 1969 | |
| 2:03.3 | Hildegard Falck | Kiel, West Germany | 27 February, 1971 | |
| 2:03.2 | Svetla Zlateva | Sofia, Bulgaria | 18 February, 1973 | |
| 2:02.9 | Svetla Zlateva | Lyon, France | 25 February, 1973 | |
| 2:02.65 | Stefka Yordanova | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 11 March, 1973 | |
| 2:01.8 | Mary Decker-Slaney | San Diego, United States | 17 February, 1974 | |
| 2:01.1 | Nikolina Shtereva | Sofia, Bulgaria | 25 January, 1976 | |
| 2:01.12 | Jane Colebrook-Finch | San Sebastián, Spain | 13 March, 1977 | |
| 1:59.9 | Ursula Hook | Dortmund, West Germany | 21 January, 1979 | |
| 1:58.4 | Olga Vakhrusheva | Moscow, Soviet Union | 16 February, 1980 | |
| 1:58.42 | Sigrun Wodars | Vienna, Austria | 1 February, 1987 | |
| 1:57.64 | Christine Wachtel | Turin, Italy | 10 February, 1988 | |
| 1:56.40 | Christine Wachtel | Vienna, Austria | 13 February, 1988 | |
| 1:55.82 | Jolanda Ceplak | Vienna, Austria | 3 March, 2002 | |
| 1:54.87 | Keely Hodgkinson | Lievin, France | 20 February, 2026 |
Outdoor
| Time | Auto | Athlete | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30.4+ | 1922-08-20 | Paris, France[6] | ||
| 2:26.6y | 1922-08-30 | London, United Kingdom[6] | ||
| 2:23.8 | 1927-08-07 | Breslau, Germany[6] | ||
| 2:20.4 | 1928-06-16 | Stockholm, Sweden[6] | ||
| 2:19.6 | 1928-07-01 | Brieg, Germany[6] | ||
| 2:16.8 | 1928-08-02 | Amsterdam, Netherlands[6] | ||
| 2:16.4* | 1934-06-14 | Prague, Czechoslovakia[8][9] | ||
| 2:12.4* | 1934-08-?? | London, United Kingdom[8][9] | ||
| 2:15.9 | 1944-08-28 | Stockholm, Sweden[6] | ||
| 2:14.8 | 1945-08-19 | Hälsingborg, Sweden[6] | ||
| 2:13.8 | 1945-08-30 | Stockholm, Sweden[6] | ||
| 2:13.0 | 1950-07-17 | Moscow, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 2:12.2 | 1951-07-26 | Moscow, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 2:12.0 | 1951-08-26 | Minsk, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 2:08.5 | 1952-06-15 | Kyiv, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 2:07.3 | 1953-08-27 | Moscow, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 2:06.6 | 1954-09-16 | Kyiv, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 2:05.0 | 1955-09-24 | Zagreb, Yugoslavia[6] | ||
| 2:04.3 | 1960-07-03 | Moscow, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 2:04.3 | 2:04.50 | 1960-09-07 | Rome, Italy[6] | |
| 2:01.2+ | 1962-03-03 | Perth, Australia[6] | ||
| 2:01.1 | 1964-10-20 | Tokyo, Japan[6] | ||
| 2:01.0 | 1967-06-28 | Helsinki, Finland[6] | ||
| 2:00.5 | 1968-07-20 | London, United Kingdom[6] | ||
| 1:58.5 | 1:58.45 | 1971-07-11 | Stuttgart, Germany[6] | |
| 1:57.5 | 1:57.48 | 1973-08-24 | Athens, Greece[6] | |
| 1:56.0 | 1976-06-12 | Kyiv, Soviet Union[6] | ||
| 1:54.9 | 1:54.94 | 1976-07-26 | Montreal, Canada[6] | |
| 1:54.9 | 1:54.85 | 1980-06-12 | Moscow, Soviet Union[6] | |
| 1:53.5 | 1:53.43 | 1980-07-27 | Moscow, Soviet Union[6] | |
| 1:53.28 | 1983-07-26 | Munich, West Germany[6] |
(+) – indicates en route time from longer race.
(*) – Zdeněk Koubek's world records were rescinded by the IAAF after he transitioned to become male.[8][9]
The "Time" column indicates the ratified mark; the "Auto" column indicates a fully automatic time that was also recorded in the event when hand-timed marks were used for official records, or which was the basis for the official mark, rounded to the 10th of a second, depending on the rules then in place.
Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000 m from 1981.[6] Hence, Nadezhda Olizarenko's record at 1:53.5 was rendered as 1:53.43 from that year.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 548. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ "Main > Records Progression - World Indoor Records Men, 800 m". trackfield.brinkster.net.
- ^ a b c "IAAF World Championships: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Daegu 2011" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2011. pp. Pages 595, 597. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Main > Men, 800 m > World Records Progression". Track and Field Statistics.
- ^ "IAAF 800 Metres Records". IAAF. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 641–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ "Main > Records Progression - World Indoor Records Women, 800 m". trackfield.brinkster.net.
- ^ a b c "Zdeněk Koubek". Translide.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ^ a b c "Zdena / Zdeněk Koubková / Koubek". Encyklopedie dějin Brna (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
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