800 metres

The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event

Middle distance track event

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 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...

. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track (400 meter track) and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps. It was included in the first woman's track program in 1928, but suspended until 1960.

The event combines sprinting speed and aerobic endurance. Both the aerobic and anaerobic systems are being taxed to a high extent.

Records

800 m runners are often fast enough to run in the 4x400 m relay but only Alberto Juantorena

Alberto Juantorena

Alberto Juantorena Danger is a Cuban former track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles....

 and Jarmila Kratochvílová

Jarmila Kratochvílová

Jarmila Kratochvílová is a Czech former sprinter and middle distance runner. In 1983, she set world record times for both the 400 metres and 800 metres, and won gold medals in both distances at the World Championships....

 have won major international titles at 400 m and 800 m. Competing successfully at 800 m and 1500 m is more common.

World Record for men:

• David Rudisha
  David Rudisha
  David Lekuta Rudisha is a Kenyan middle distance runner and world record holder in the 800 metres with a time of 1:41.01. Rudisha holds four of the ten fastest times for this event.-Early life:...
  
   1:41.01 Rieti
  Rieti
  Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
  
   29 August 2010

World Record for women:

• Jarmila Kratochvílová
  Jarmila Kratochvílová
  Jarmila Kratochvílová is a Czech former sprinter and middle distance runner. In 1983, she set world record times for both the 400 metres and 800 metres, and won gold medals in both distances at the World Championships....
  
   1:53.28 Munich
  Munich
  Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
  
    26 July 1983

World Junior Record (19 and under) for men:

• Abubaker Kaki Khamis
  Abubaker Kaki Khamis
  Abubaker Kaki Khamis is a Sudanese runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is a two-time World Indoor Champion over the distance and also won gold at the 2007 All-Africa Games. He represented Sudan at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Career:...
  
    1:42.69 Oslo  6 June 2008

World Junior Record (19 and under) for women:

• Pamela Jelimo
  Pamela Jelimo
  Pamela Jelimo is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, specialising in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She is the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold medal and also the first Kenyan to win the Golden League Jackpot...
  
    1:54.01 Zürich
  Zürich
  Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
  
    29 August 2008

• Athletes from 10 different countries have won the men's 800 m title.

Top ten all-time athletes on the men's 800 m

Updated August 2010

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Location	Ref
1	1:41.01	David Rudisha David Rudisha David Lekuta Rudisha is a Kenyan middle distance runner and world record holder in the 800 metres with a time of 1:41.01. Rudisha holds four of the ten fastest times for this event.-Early life:...		29 August 2010	Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
2	1:41.11	Wilson Kipketer Wilson Kipketer Wilson Kosgei Kipketer is a Kenyan born Danish former middle distance runner. He holds the current indoor world records at the 1000 and 800 metres distance. While dominating the 800 m distance for a decade, remaining undefeated for a three-year period and running 8 of the 17 currently all-time...		24 August 1997	Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
3	1:41.73	Sebastian Coe		10 June 1981	Florence Florence Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
4	1:41.77	Joaquim Cruz Joaquim Cruz Joaquim Carvalho Cruz is a former Brazilian athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He is one of only four men to run the 800 m in less than 1:42....		26 August 1984	Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
5	1:42.23	Abubaker Kaki Khamis Abubaker Kaki Khamis Abubaker Kaki Khamis is a Sudanese runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is a two-time World Indoor Champion over the distance and also won gold at the 2007 All-Africa Games. He represented Sudan at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Career:...		4 June 2010	Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
6	1:42.28	Sammy Koskei Sammy Koskei Sammy Koskei is a former Kenyan middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres.Koskei was one of the best Kenyan 800m competitors in 80's, setting fast times, but lacked success at the international major championships. His breakthrough year was 1982 when the youngster broke 1:45 second...		26 August 1984	Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
7	1:42.34	Wilfred Bungei Wilfred Bungei Wilfred Kipkemboi Bungei is a Kenyan middle distance runner, who won the 800 m gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing...		8 September 2002	Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
8	1:42.47	Yuriy Borzakovskiy Yuriy Borzakovskiy Yuriy Mikhailovich Borzakovskiy is a Russian middle distance athlete specializing in the 800 metres.-Athletic career:Borzakovskiy's first major international success was a victory at the 2000 European Indoor Championships when he was only 18 years old. At the 2000 Summer Olympics he reached the...		24 August 2001	Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
9	1:42.55	Andre Bucher André Bucher André Bucher is a retired Swiss 800 metres runner. He is best known for winning the gold medal at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton in his event. Bucher also won the indoor bronze that same year....		17 August 2001	Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
10	1:42.58	Vebjørn Rodal Vebjørn Rodal Vebjørn Rodal is a Norwegian former middle distance athlete, his career high point coming when he won the gold medal in the 800 m at the 1996 Summer Olympics.-Biography:...		31 July 1996	Atlanta

Top ten all-time athletes on the women's 800 m

Updated April 2010.

Rank	Time	Athlete	Country	Date	Location	Ref
1	1:53.28	Jarmila Kratochvílová Jarmila Kratochvílová Jarmila Kratochvílová is a Czech former sprinter and middle distance runner. In 1983, she set world record times for both the 400 metres and 800 metres, and won gold medals in both distances at the World Championships....		July 26, 1983	Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
2	1:53.43	Nadezhda Olizarenko Nadezhda Olizarenko Nadezhda Fyodorovna Olizarenko is a retired athlete, who competed mainly in the 800 metres. She represented the Soviet Union.Olizarenko competed for Soviet Union in the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Russia in the 800 metres, where she won the gold medal ahead of country women Olga Mineyeva...		July 27, 1980	Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
3	1:54.01	Pamela Jelimo Pamela Jelimo Pamela Jelimo is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, specialising in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She is the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold medal and also the first Kenyan to win the Golden League Jackpot...		August 29, 2008	Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
4	1:54.44	Ana Fidelia Quirot Ana Fidelia Quirot Ana Fidelia Quirot is a female athlete from Cuba, who specialised in the 800 m but was also successful over 400 m....		September 9, 1989	Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
5	1:54.81	Olga Mineyeva Olga Mineyeva Olga Pavlovna Mineyeva is a Soviet athlete, who competed for the USSR at the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Russia. There she won the silver medal in the 800 metres in 1:54.81 minutes, splitting team mates Nadezhda Olizarenko and Tatyana Providokhina for a Soviet cleansweep of the medals...		July 27, 1980	Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
6	1:54.94	Tatyana Kazankina Tatyana Kazankina Tatyana Vasilyevna Kazankina is a Soviet/Russian former runner who set seven world records and won a total of three gold medals at the Olympic Games. She was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and the title Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1976...		July 26, 1976	Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
7	1:55.05	Doina Melinte Doina Melinte Doina Ofelia Melinte is a retired Romanian athlete.She won gold medals over 1500 metres at the European Indoor Championships in 1985, 1988 and 1990, the latter race even being a European record time with 4:00.27...		August 1, 1982	Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
8	1:55.19	Maria de Lurdes Mutola		August 17, 1994	Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
		Jolanda Čeplak Jolanda Ceplak Jolanda Čeplak is a Slovenian middle distance athlete. She was born in Celje and lived in Velenje until moving to Monaco.-Running career:...		July 20, 2002	Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder is a municipality located in the Belgian province of province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769...
10	1:55.26	Sigrun Grau Sigrun Wodars Sigrun Grau is an East German former middle distance athlete, who was born Sigrun Ludwigs in Neu-Kaliß. She started out as a 400 m runner in Schwerin, and proved successful in this event in junior meets...		August 31, 1987	Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

Men's Seasons Best (Outdoor)

Year	1970	1:44.80		Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
1971	1:44.7		Stellenbosch
1972	1:44.3		Eugene Eugene, Oregon Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
1973	1:43.7		Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
1974	1:43.5		Eugene Eugene, Oregon Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
1975	1:43.79		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
1976	1:43.50		Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
1977	1:43.44		Sofia Sofia Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
1978	1:43.84		Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
1979	1:42.33		Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
1980 1980 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*Olympic Boycott Games*Olympic Games*World Cross Country Championships-World Best Year Performance:-January:*January 1 — Masumi Aya, Japanese hammer thrower*January 2 — Yusuke Yachi, Japanese race walker...	1:44.53		Eugene Eugene, Oregon Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
1981 1981 in athletics (track and field) -International events:*Asian Championships*Central American and Caribbean Championships*European Indoor Championships*South American Championships*World Cross Country Championships-100 metres:-200 metres:-400 metres:-800 metres:-1,500 metres:...	1:41.73		Florence Florence Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
1982 1982 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*African Championships*Asian Games*Central American and Caribbean Championships*Commonwealth Games*European Championships*European Indoor Championships*World Cross Country Championships-Men:-Women:...	1:44.45		London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1983 1983 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*Asian Championships*Balkan Games*Central American and Caribbean Championships*European Indoor Championships*Mediterranean Games*Pan American Games*South American Championships*World Championships*World Cross Country Championships...	1:43.61		Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
1984 1984 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*African Championships in Rabat, Morocco*Balkan Games in Athens, Greece*European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden*World Cross Country Championships in New York, United States*Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States-Men:...	1:41.77		Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
1985 1985 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Balkan Games* Bolivarian Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* European Indoor Championships* South American Championships* Pan Arab Games* World Cross Country Championships...	1:42.49		Koblenz Koblenz Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
1986 1986 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* Asian Games* Balkan Games* European Championships* European Indoor Championships* Commonwealth Games* Goodwill Games* World Junior Championships-Men:-Women:...	1:43.19		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
1987 1987 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* All-Africa Games* Asian Championships* Central American and Caribbean Championships* European Indoor Championships* Mediterranean Games* Pan American Games* World Championships* World Indoor Championships...	1:43.06		Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
1988 1988 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Balkan Games* European Indoor Championships* Olympic Games* World Cross Country Championships* World Junior Championships-Men:...	1:42.65		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
1989 1989 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Bolivarian Games* European Indoor Championships* Jeux de la Francophonie* South American Championships...	1:43.16		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
1990 1990 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Asian Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Commonwealth Games* European Championships* European Indoor Championships* Goodwill Games* World Cross Country Championships...	1:42.97		Seville Seville Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
1991 1991 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* All-Africa Games* Asian Championships* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Mediterranean Games* Pan American Games* South American Championships* World Championships* World Cross Country Championships...	1:43.08		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
1992 1992 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Balkan Games* European Indoor Championships* Olympic Games* Pan Arab Games* World Cross Country Championships* World Junior Championships-Men:-Women:-100 metres:-200 metres:-400 metres:-800 metres:...	1:42.80		New Orleans
1993 1993 in athletics (track and field) -International events:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Bolivarian Games* Central American and Caribbean Games* Central American Championships* East Asian Games* Maccabiah Games* Mediterranean Games* Chinese National Games...	1:43.54		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
1994 1994 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* Asian Games* Balkan Games* Commonwealth Games* European Championships* European Indoor Championships* Jeux de la Francophonie* Goodwill Games* World Cross Country Championships* World Junior Championships-Women:...	1:43.17		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
1995	1:42.87		Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
1996	1:41.83		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
1997	1:41.11		Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
1998 1998 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 1998 year in athletics throughout the world.-Championships:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Asian Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Games* Commonwealth Games...	1:42.75		Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
1999 1999 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 1999 year in athletics throughout the world.-International Events:* All-Africa Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Pan American Games* Pan Arab Games...	1:42.27		Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
2000 2000 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2000.The primary athletics competition for the 2000 season was at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.-World:...	1:43.12		Lausanne Lausanne Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
2001 2001 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2001.The foremost competition of the season was the 2001 World Championships in Athletics in Edmonton, Canada...	1:42.47		Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
2002 2002 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2002.There was no primary championships that season, although continental championships were held in Africa, Asia and Europe. The foremost athletics competitions at...	1:42.32		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
2003 2003 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2003.The foremost competition of the year was the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, followed by the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships...	1:42.52		Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
2004 2004 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2004.The major competition of the year was the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the event, Yelena Isinbayeva cleared a world record 4.91 m in the pole vault...	1:43.08		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
2005 2005 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 2005 year in athletics throughout the world.-World:* World Championships* World Athletics Final* World Cross Country Championships* World Half Marathon Championships* World Youth Championships...	1:43.70		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
2006 2006 in athletics (track and field) The following events in athletics took place in 2006:-Championships:* March: 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships * March: 2006 Commonwealth Games...	1:43.09		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
2007 2007 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2007.-World:*World Championships in Athletics*World Athletics Final*World Cross Country Championships...	1:43.74		Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
2008 2008 in athletics (track and field) -International events:*2008 Summer Olympic Games, held in Beijing, China*African Championships, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia*European Cup, super league held in Annecy, France*World Indoor Championships, held in Valencia, Spain...	1:42.69		Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
2009 2009 in athletics (track and field) This page contains an overview of the year 2009 in athletics.The major competition of the year was the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. At the event, Usain Bolt reaffirmed himself as one of the world's foremost athletes with world records in the 100 and 200 metres...	1:42.01		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
2010 2010 in athletics (track and field) In 2010 there was no obvious, primary athletics championship, as neither the Summer Olympics nor the World Championships in Athletics occurred in the year...	1:41.01		Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...

Women's Seasons Best (Outdoor)

Year	1976	1:54.94		Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
1977	1:57.39		Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
1978	1:55.80		Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
1979	1:56.2		Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
1980 1980 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*Olympic Boycott Games*Olympic Games*World Cross Country Championships-World Best Year Performance:-January:*January 1 — Masumi Aya, Japanese hammer thrower*January 2 — Yusuke Yachi, Japanese race walker...	1:53.43		Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
1981 1981 in athletics (track and field) -International events:*Asian Championships*Central American and Caribbean Championships*European Indoor Championships*South American Championships*World Cross Country Championships-100 metres:-200 metres:-400 metres:-800 metres:-1,500 metres:...	1:56.98		Leningrad Leningrad Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
1982 1982 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*African Championships*Asian Games*Central American and Caribbean Championships*Commonwealth Games*European Championships*European Indoor Championships*World Cross Country Championships-Men:-Women:...	1:55.05		Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
1983 1983 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*Asian Championships*Balkan Games*Central American and Caribbean Championships*European Indoor Championships*Mediterranean Games*Pan American Games*South American Championships*World Championships*World Cross Country Championships...	1:53.28		Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
1984 1984 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:*African Championships in Rabat, Morocco*Balkan Games in Athens, Greece*European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden*World Cross Country Championships in New York, United States*Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States-Men:...	1:55.69		Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
1985 1985 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Balkan Games* Bolivarian Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* European Indoor Championships* South American Championships* Pan Arab Games* World Cross Country Championships...	1:55.68		Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
1986 1986 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* Asian Games* Balkan Games* European Championships* European Indoor Championships* Commonwealth Games* Goodwill Games* World Junior Championships-Men:-Women:...	1:56.2		Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
1987 1987 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* All-Africa Games* Asian Championships* Central American and Caribbean Championships* European Indoor Championships* Mediterranean Games* Pan American Games* World Championships* World Indoor Championships...	1:55.26		Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
1988 1988 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Balkan Games* European Indoor Championships* Olympic Games* World Cross Country Championships* World Junior Championships-Men:...	1:56.00		Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... Kharkov
1989 1989 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Bolivarian Games* European Indoor Championships* Jeux de la Francophonie* South American Championships...	1:54.44		Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
1990 1990 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Asian Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Commonwealth Games* European Championships* European Indoor Championships* Goodwill Games* World Cross Country Championships...	1:55.87		Split Split (city) Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
1991 1991 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* All-Africa Games* Asian Championships* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Mediterranean Games* Pan American Games* South American Championships* World Championships* World Cross Country Championships...	1:57.23		Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
1992 1992 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* African Championships* Balkan Games* European Indoor Championships* Olympic Games* Pan Arab Games* World Cross Country Championships* World Junior Championships-Men:-Women:-100 metres:-200 metres:-400 metres:-800 metres:...	1:55.54		Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
1993 1993 in athletics (track and field) -International events:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Bolivarian Games* Central American and Caribbean Games* Central American Championships* East Asian Games* Maccabiah Games* Mediterranean Games* Chinese National Games...	1:55.43		Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
1994 1994 in athletics (track and field) -International Events:* Asian Games* Balkan Games* Commonwealth Games* European Championships* European Indoor Championships* Jeux de la Francophonie* Goodwill Games* World Cross Country Championships* World Junior Championships-Women:...	1:55.19		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
1995	1:55.72		Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
1996	1:56.04		Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
1997	1:54.82		Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
1998 1998 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 1998 year in athletics throughout the world.-Championships:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Asian Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Games* Commonwealth Games...	1:56.11		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
1999 1999 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 1999 year in athletics throughout the world.-International Events:* All-Africa Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Pan American Games* Pan Arab Games...	1:55.87		Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
2000 2000 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2000.The primary athletics competition for the 2000 season was at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.-World:...	1:56.15		Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
2001 2001 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2001.The foremost competition of the season was the 2001 World Championships in Athletics in Edmonton, Canada...	1:56.85		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
2002 2002 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2002.There was no primary championships that season, although continental championships were held in Africa, Asia and Europe. The foremost athletics competitions at...	1:55.19		Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder is a municipality located in the Belgian province of province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769...
2003 2003 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2003.The foremost competition of the year was the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, followed by the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships...	1:55.55		Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
2004 2004 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2004.The major competition of the year was the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the event, Yelena Isinbayeva cleared a world record 4.91 m in the pole vault...	1:56.23		Tula Tula, Russia Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
2005 2005 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 2005 year in athletics throughout the world.-World:* World Championships* World Athletics Final* World Cross Country Championships* World Half Marathon Championships* World Youth Championships...	1:56.07		Tula Tula, Russia Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
2006 2006 in athletics (track and field) The following events in athletics took place in 2006:-Championships:* March: 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships * March: 2006 Commonwealth Games...	1:56.66		Lausanne Lausanne Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
2007 2007 in athletics (track and field) This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field, cross country and road running, in the year 2007.-World:*World Championships in Athletics*World Athletics Final*World Cross Country Championships...	1:56.04		Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
2008 2008 in athletics (track and field) -International events:*2008 Summer Olympic Games, held in Beijing, China*African Championships, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia*European Cup, super league held in Annecy, France*World Indoor Championships, held in Valencia, Spain...	1:54.01		Zurich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
2009 2009 in athletics (track and field) This page contains an overview of the year 2009 in athletics.The major competition of the year was the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. At the event, Usain Bolt reaffirmed himself as one of the world's foremost athletes with world records in the 100 and 200 metres...	1:55.45		Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
2010 2010 in athletics (track and field) In 2010 there was no obvious, primary athletics championship, as neither the Summer Olympics nor the World Championships in Athletics occurred in the year...	1:57.34		Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...