800 metres at the World Athletics Championships

The 800 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 800 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has two qualifying rounds leading to a final between eight athletes.

800 metres
at the World Athletics Championships
The men's 2011 final
Overview
GenderMen and women
Years heldMen: 19832023
Women: 19832023
Championship record
Men1:42.34 Donavan Brazier (2019)
Women1:54.68 Jarmila Kratochvílová (1983)
Reigning champion
Men Marco Arop (CAN)
Women Mary Moraa (KEN)

The championship records for the event are 1:43.06 for men, set by Billy Konchellah in 1987, and 1:54.68 for women, set by Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983. Set at the inaugural championships, Kratochvílová's record is the longest-standing record of the competition.[1] The 800 m world record has never been broken at the competition by either men or women.[2]

Maria Mutola is the most successful athlete of the event: from a period spanning 1993 to 2003, she won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze in the World Championships 800 m. The most successful man is Wilson Kipketer, who won three straight titles from 1995 to 1999. Only two other people, Billy Konchellah and Ana Fidelia Quirot, have won two world championship titles in the event. Yuriy Borzakovskiy, though never a champion, has won the most medals in the men's competition, with two silver and two bronze medals.

Kenya is the most successful nation in the discipline, with five gold medals in the men's, two in the women's race, and a total of 13 medals overall. The actions of Mutola and Kipketer alone rank Mozambique at the top of the women's rankings and Denmark second in the men's medal table. Cuba—the second most successful nation among women—has won three women's gold medals. South Africa is the only nation besides Kenya to have provided both a men's and women's winner. Russia has the second highest overall medal tally, with eleven medals across the men's and women's divisions, but it has also provided six of the eight athletes sanctioned for doping at this World Championship distance.

Age records

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Distinction Male Female
Athlete Age Date Athlete Age Date
Youngest champion   Mohammed Aman (ETH) 19 years, 215 days 13 Aug 2011   Caster Semenya (RSA) 18 years, 224 days 19 Aug 2009
Youngest medalist   Mohammed Aman (ETH) 19 years, 215 days 13 Aug 2011   Caster Semenya (RSA) 18 years, 224 days 19 Aug 2009
Youngest finalist   Belal Mansour Ali (BHR) 16 years, 301 days 14 Aug 2005   Caster Semenya (RSA) 18 years, 224 days 19 Aug 2009
Youngest participant   Mohamed Abd el Rahman (SUD) 15 years, 237 days[nb1] 26 Aug 1999   Hind Musa (SUD) 14 years, 334 days 9 Aug 2001
Oldest champion   Paul Ruto (KEN) 32 years, 287 days 17 Aug 1993   Ana Quirot (CUB) 34 years, 139 days 9 Aug 1997
Oldest medalist   Paul Ruto (KEN) 32 years, 287 days 17 Aug 1993   Letitia Vriesde (SUR) 36 years, 311 days 12 Aug 2001
Oldest finalist   Osmar Barbosa dos Santos (BRA) 34 years, 315 days 31 Aug 2003   Lyubov Gurina (RUS) 38 years, 7 days 13 Aug 1995
Oldest participant   Babacar Niang (SEN) 36 years, 330 days 5 Aug 1995   Letitia Vriesde (SUR) 40 years, 306 days 7 Aug 2005

nb The exact date of birth of the youngest male participant, Mohamed Abd el Rahman, is unknown but he remains the youngest given his known year of birth and calculating from 1 January of that year.[4]

Doping

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A total of nine athletes, all of them women and seven of them Russian, have had their 800 m results annulled at the World Championships due to doping infractions. The first was Delisa Floyd of the United States (1991 semi-finalist) was among the first few women to be disqualified from the championships for doping. The 1993 finalist Liliya Nurutdinova was the only woman disqualified at the 1993 championships. Another Russian, Lyubov Tsyoma, had her semi-final run in 1997 annulled. Ten years passed without incident until a third Russian, Svetlana Cherkasova was struck from the heats for doping in 2007.[5]

Two women semi-finalists were disqualified for doping in 2009: a fourth Russian, Svetlana Klyuka, and Tetiana Petlyuk of Ukraine. Petlyuk was retrospectively banned through a biological passport anomaly and this also took in her run at the 2011 World Championships. That same year two more Russians were disqualified, both of them finalists: Yuliya Rusanova and Yekaterina Kostetskaya.[5][6] In 2017, the third Russian finalist, gold medalist Mariya Savinova was banned for life, retroactive to 2010, making it a clean sweep of disqualified Russians in 2011, as well as taking Savinova's silver in 2013. Both times Alysia Johnson Montaño advanced to take the bronze medal.

Medalists

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Championships Gold Silver Bronze
1983 Helsinki
details
  Willi Wülbeck (FRG)   Rob Druppers (NED)   Joaquim Cruz (BRA)
1987 Rome
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  Billy Konchellah (KEN)   Peter Elliott (GBR)   José Luíz Barbosa (BRA)
1991 Tokyo
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  Billy Konchellah (KEN)   José Luíz Barbosa (BRA)   Mark Everett (USA)
1993 Stuttgart
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  Paul Ruto (KEN)   Giuseppe D'Urso (ITA)   Billy Konchellah (KEN)
1995 Gothenburg
details
  Wilson Kipketer (DEN)   Arthémon Hatungimana (BDI)   Vebjørn Rodal (NOR)
1997 Athens
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  Wilson Kipketer (DEN)   Norberto Téllez (CUB)   Rich Kenah (USA)
1999 Seville
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  Wilson Kipketer (DEN)   Hezekiél Sepeng (RSA)   Djabir Saïd-Guerni (ALG)
2001 Edmonton
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  André Bucher (SUI)   Wilfred Bungei (KEN)   Paweł Czapiewski (POL)
2003 Saint-Denis
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  Djabir Saïd-Guerni (ALG)   Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS)   Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (RSA)
2005 Helsinki
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  Rashid Ramzi (BHR)   Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS)   William Yiampoy (KEN)
2007 Osaka
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  Alfred Kirwa Yego (KEN)   Gary Reed (CAN)   Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS)
2009 Berlin
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  Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (RSA)   Alfred Kirwa Yego (KEN)   Yusuf Saad Kamel (BHR)
2011 Daegu
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  David Rudisha (KEN)   Abubaker Kaki (SUD)   Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS)
2013 Moscow
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  Mohammed Aman (ETH)   Nick Symmonds (USA)   Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI)
2015 Beijing
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  David Rudisha (KEN)   Adam Kszczot (POL)   Amel Tuka (BIH)
2017 London
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  Pierre-Ambroise Bosse (FRA)   Adam Kszczot (POL)   Kipyegon Bett (KEN)
2019 Doha
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  Donavan Brazier (USA)   Amel Tuka (BIH)   Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich (KEN)
2022 Eugene
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  Emmanuel Korir (KEN)   Djamel Sedjati (ALG)   Marco Arop (CAN)
2023 Budapest
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  Marco Arop (CAN)   Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)   Ben Pattison (GBR)

Medalists by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Kenya (KEN) 7 3 4 14
2   Denmark (DEN) 3 0 0 3
3   United States (USA) 1 1 2 4
4   Algeria (ALG) 1 1 1 3
  South Africa (RSA) 1 1 1 3
  Canada (CAN) 1 1 1 3
7   Bahrain (BHR) 1 0 1 2
8   Ethiopia (ETH) 1 0 0 1
   Switzerland (SUI) 1 0 0 1
  West Germany (FRG) 1 0 0 1
  France (FRA) 1 0 0 1
12   Russia (RUS) 0 2 2 4
13   Poland (POL) 0 2 1 3
14   Brazil (BRA) 0 1 2 3
15   Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) 0 1 1 2
  Great Britain (GBR) 0 1 1 2
17   Italy (ITA) 0 1 0 1
  Netherlands (NED) 0 1 0 1
  Sudan (SUD) 0 1 0 1
  Burundi (BDI) 0 1 0 1
  Cuba (CUB) 0 1 0 1
22   Djibouti (DJI) 0 0 1 1
  Norway (NOR) 0 0 1 1

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Period Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Wilson Kipketer   Denmark (DEN) 1995–1999 3 0 0 3
2 Billy Konchellah   Kenya (KEN) 1987–1993 2 0 1 3
3 David Rudisha   Kenya (KEN) 2011–2015 2 0 0 2
4 Alfred Kirwa Yego   Kenya (KEN) 2007–2009 1 1 0 2
5 Djabir Saïd-Guerni   Algeria (ALG) 1999–2003 1 0 1 2
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi   South Africa (RSA) 2003–2009 1 0 1 2
  Canada (CAN) 2022-2023 1 0 1 2
8 Yuriy Borzakovskiy   Russia (RUS) 2003–2011 0 2 2 4
9 Adam Kszczot   Poland (POL) 2015-2017 0 2 0 2
10 José Luiz Barbosa   Brazil (BRA) 1987–1991 0 1 1 2
Amel Tuka   Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) 2015-2019 0 1 1 2

Women

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Championships Gold Silver Bronze
1983 Helsinki
details
  Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH)   Lyubov Gurina (URS)   Yekaterina Podkopayeva (URS)
1987 Rome
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  Sigrun Wodars (GDR)   Christine Wachtel (GDR)   Lyubov Gurina (URS)
1991 Tokyo
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  Liliya Nurutdinova (URS)   Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB)   Ella Kovacs (ROU)
1993 Stuttgart
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  Maria Mutola (MOZ)   Lyubov Gurina (RUS)   Ella Kovacs (ROU)
1995 Gothenburg
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  Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB)   Letitia Vriesde (SUR)   Kelly Holmes (GBR)
1997 Athens
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  Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB)   Yelena Afanasyeva (RUS)   Maria Mutola (MOZ)
1999 Seville
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  Ludmila Formanová (CZE)   Maria Mutola (MOZ)   Svetlana Masterkova (RUS)
2001 Edmonton
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  Maria Mutola (MOZ)   Stephanie Graf (AUT)   Letitia Vriesde (SUR)
2003 Saint-Denis
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  Maria Mutola (MOZ)   Kelly Holmes (GBR)   Natalya Khrushcheleva (RUS)
2005 Helsinki
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  Zulia Calatayud (CUB)   Hasna Benhassi (MAR)   Tatyana Andrianova (RUS)
2007 Osaka
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  Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN)   Hasna Benhassi (MAR)   Mayte Martínez (ESP)
2009 Berlin
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  Caster Semenya (RSA)   Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN)   Jenny Meadows (GBR)
2011 Daegu
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  Caster Semenya (RSA)   Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN)   Alysia Johnson Montaño (USA)
2013 Moscow
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  Eunice Sum (KEN)   Brenda Martinez (USA)   Alysia Johnson Montaño (USA)
2015 Beijing
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  Maryna Arzamasava (BLR)   Melissa Bishop (CAN)   Eunice Sum (KEN)
2017 London
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  Caster Semenya (RSA)   Francine Niyonsaba (BDI)   Ajeé Wilson (USA)
2019 Doha
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  Halimah Nakaayi (UGA)   Raevyn Rogers (USA)   Ajeé Wilson (USA)
2022 Eugene
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  Athing Mu (USA)   Keely Hodgkinson (GBR)   Mary Moraa (KEN)
2023 Budapest
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  Mary Moraa (KEN)   Keely Hodgkinson (GBR)   Athing Mu (USA)

Medalists by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Kenya (KEN) 3 2 2 7
2   Mozambique (MOZ) 3 1 1 5
3   Cuba (CUB) 3 1 0 4
4   South Africa (RSA) 3 0 0 2
5   United States (USA) 1 2 5 8
6   Soviet Union (URS) 1 1 2 4
7   East Germany (GDR) 1 1 0 2
8   Belarus (BLR) 1 0 0 1
  Czech Republic (CZE) 1 0 0 1
  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1 0 0 1
  Uganda (UGA) 1 0 0 1
12   Russia (RUS) 0 2 3 5
13   Morocco (MAR) 0 2 0 2
14   Great Britain (GBR) 0 3 2 5
15   Suriname (SUR) 0 1 1 2
16   Austria (AUT) 0 1 0 1
17   Romania (ROM) 0 0 2 2
18   Spain (ESP) 0 0 1 1
19   Burundi (BDI) 0 1 0 1
  Canada (CAN) 0 1 0 1

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Period Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Maria Mutola   Mozambique (MOZ) 1993–2003 3 1 1 5
2 Caster Semenya   South Africa (RSA) 2009–2017 3 0 0 3
3 Ana Fidelia Quirot   Cuba (CUB) 1991–1997 2 1 0 3
4 Janeth Jepkosgei   Kenya (KEN) 2007–2011 1 1 1 3
5 Mariya Savinova   Russia (RUS) 2011–2013 1 1 0 2
6 Athing Mu   United States (USA) 2022-2023 1 0 1 2
Mary Moraa   Kenya (KEN) 2022-2023 1 0 1 2
8 Lyubov Gurina   Soviet Union (URS)
  Russia (RUS)
1983–1993 0 2 1 3
9 Keely Hodgkinson   Great Britain (GBR) 2022-2023 0 2 0 2
Hasna Benhassi   Morocco (MAR) 2005–2007 0 2 0 2
11 Letitia Vriesde   Suriname (SUR) 1995–2001 0 1 1 2
Kelly Holmes   Great Britain (GBR) 1995–2003 0 1 1 2
13 Ella Kovacs   Romania (ROM) 1991–1993 0 0 2 2
Ajeé Wilson   United States (USA) 2017-2019 0 0 2 2
Alysia Johnson Montaño   United States (USA) 2011-2013 0 0 2 2

Championship record progression

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Men's 800 metres World Championships record progression[7]
Time Athlete Nation Year Round Date
1:46.32 James Robinson   United States (USA) 1983 Heats 1983-08-07
1:45.84 David Mack   United States (USA) 1983 Heats 1983-08-07
1:45.62 Joaquim Cruz   Brazil (BRA) 1983 Semi-final 1983-08-08
1:45.24 Hans-Peter Ferner   West Germany (FRG) 1983 Semi-final 1983-08-08
1:43.65 Willi Wülbeck   West Germany (FRG) 1983 Final 1983-08-09
1:43.06 Billy Konchellah   Kenya (KEN) 1987 Final 1987-09-01
1:42.34 Donovan Brazier   United States (USA) 2019 Final 2019-10-01

Women

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Women's 800 metres World Championships record progression[8]
Time Athlete Nation Year Round Date
2:02.08 Margrit Klinger   West Germany (FRG) 1983 Heats 1983-08-07
1:59.55 Yekaterina Podkopayeva   Soviet Union (URS) 1983 Semi-finals 1983-08-08
1:59.33 Lyubov Gurina   Soviet Union (URS) 1983 Semi-finals 1983-08-08
1:54.68 Jarmila Kratochvílová   Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1983 Final 1983-08-09

Finishing times

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Top ten fastest World Championship times

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References

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  1. ^ Championships Records. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-07-12.
  2. ^ IAAF World Championships: IAAF Statistics Handbook Daegu 2011, pp. 595–6 (archived). IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-07-06.
  3. ^ "World Athletics Championships - Budapest 23 Statistical Booklet" (PDF). www.worldathletics.org: 42–45.
  4. ^ Butler 2013, p. 34–7.
  5. ^ a b Butler 2013, p. 67–9.
  6. ^ "List of athletes currently serving a period of ineligibility as a result of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under IAAF Rules as at: 28.07.14". IAAF. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  7. ^ Main > Men, 800 m > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-07-07.
  8. ^ Main > Women, 800 m > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-07-07.
  9. ^ "Men's 800m".
  10. ^ "Women's 800m".

Bibliography

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