The 800 meters are two laps of future drama, tactic, and speed. It is the ultimate test of the mental and physical endurance of a runner. It blends the lung-busting sprint of the 400 with the tactical chess match of the mile. It’s where the champions are made.
It is where records are shattered. It all happens in the span of a heart-pounding minute and change. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman; if you love the thrill of heart-pounding speed, 800 meters is for you.
The 800 meters are a race where legends come to life. One split second can make or break dreams.
From the adrenaline rush of the first lap to the grueling fight to the finish, this race is not just about who’s the fastest, but who’s the smartest, the toughest, and the most daring.
Ready to dive into the world of the 800m Let’s lace up and hit the track!
However, before hitting the tracks and learning about the 800m world record, you need to know what exactly 800 meters is.
What is 800 meters?
The 800 meters is a common track-running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. This is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-meter) track. 800-meter race became an Olympic event since the first modern games in 1896.
However, in the winter track season, the event is usually run by completing four laps of an indoor 200-meter track.
The 800 meters owes its origin to the imperial measurement of a half a mile (880 yards). It is a traditional British racing distance. 800 m is 4.67 m less than a half mile.
The 800- meter event combines aerobic endurance with anaerobic conditioning and sprint speed. So, the athlete trains for both. Runners for this event are sometimes fast enough to compete in the 400-meter race but also have enough endurance to ‘double up’ in the 1500-meter race.
However, only Alberto Juantorena and Jarmila Kratochvílová have won major international titles at 400m and 800m.
Race Tactics Used for the 800m world record
The 800m is also known for its tactical racing. Because it is the shortest middle-distance event that has all the runners converge into one lane (after the first bend), positioning on the cut-in and the position of the pack are critical to the outcome of the race.
Scoring a front position early in the race is often advantageous.
This saves you from occasionally trips that happen while running in a pack. However, Olympic champions Dave Wottle, Kelly Holmes, and others have defied that logic by running more evenly paced.
They lagged behind the pack and later passed the slowing early leaders. The winner of elite 800-meter races is not always the fastest runner.
It is the athlete best positioned near the end of the race. As an athlete directly behind another runner, she has to switch to an outer lane to overtake, so she has to run further—and might be blocked by a third runner alongside.
800 meter athletes are usually run a positive split. In a positive split, they run faster in the first lap. However, in negative split, they run as a tactic.
Theoretically, an even split is the most efficient running mode, but it is difficult to pace correctly. The current 800m world record (by David Rudisha) was run with a positive split in the 2012 Olympics.
Rudisha ran the first lap in 49.28 seconds and the second in 51.63 seconds.
800m world record for male
The 800m world record for male is held by David Rudisha. He is a Kenyan national. The time duration for his world record is 1:40:91. He set this world record during the London 2012 Olympics games in the United Kingdom.
Davud Rudisha, now retired, is a middle-distance runner. He holds the 800m world record for male. He is also an 800m Olympic record holder. He won gold medals in the 800m at the 2012 London and 2016 Olympic games.
He is also a two-time World Champion (2011 and 2015) and two-time Diamond League champion (2010 and 2011) in the 800 meters.
He is the first and only person to ever run 800 m under 1:41, and he holds the three fastest times ever run in this event.
800m World Record for Female
The 800m world record for females is held by Jarmila Kratochvílová. She is a Czechoslovakia national. The time duration for her world record is 1:53.28. She set this world record during the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
Jarmila Kratochvílová is a Czechoslovak former track and field athlete. She won the 400 meters and 800 meters at the 1983 World Championships. During this event, she set a world record in the 400 meters.
In 1983, she also set the 800m World Record for Female. This still stands and is currently the longest-standing world record in athletics. Only two athletes, Pamela Jelimo of Kenya (2008) and Caster Semenya of South Africa (2018), have come within a second of Kratochvílová's mark since it was set.
Since her retirement, Kratochvílová has worked as an athletics coach and with the Czech national team.
800 meters Olympic Record
The 800 meters at the Summer Olympics have been organized since the first edition of the modern Olympics. The men’s 800 m has been contested since 1896 in the Olympics. However, the women’s event was first held in 1928.
This was the first distance running event for women. In a bizarre turn of events, it was not held again until 1960. Since then, it has been on a permanent fixture in olympics. The competition format for 800 meters is quite simple.
It is typically having three rounds: a qualifying round, a semi-final stage, and a final between eight runners.
In male athletes, David Rudisha of Kenya, Africa, set the 800m Olympic Record of 1:40:91 in the 2012 London Olympics Games. This record is considered one of the most dominant in track history.
In females, Nadiya Olizarenko of the Soviet Union set the 800m Olympic Record of 1:53.43 in 1980. It was held in Moscow. Olizarenko's mark is the joint longest-standing women's Olympic record and the joint second-longest after the men's long jump record by Bob Beamon. Her time remains the second fastest ever for the event.
The 800m Olympic record has been broken or equaled ten times at the Olympics; the men's record was broken in 1912, 1932, 1968, 1976, and 2012; the women's record was improved in 1928, 1960, 1964, 1976, and 1980.
The United States is the most successful nation, having won nine gold medals and a total of 24 medals, followed by Great Britain with eight gold and 12 medals overall and Kenya with six gold among its 15 medals.
Conclusion
The 800 meters is more than just a race. It is a showcase of athletic brilliance. This is where strategy, speed, and sheer willpower collide. It is a unique event that demands not only physical endurance but also sharp tactical thinking.
This makes 800 meters one of the most thrilling spectacles in athletics.
The 800-meter world record is nothing less than a testament to the extraordinary capabilities of athletes. David Rudisha and Jarmila Kratochvílová, who set the 800m world record for males and the 800m world record for female runners, are prime examples of it. Their win still remains iconic to this day.
The 800-meter Olympic Records again nail our respect to the 80-meter runners. Again, Rudisha set the 800m Olympic record in the 2012 London Olympics Games.
However, Nadiya Olizarenko set the 800m Olympic record for female runners. This sporting event continues to inspire athletes world-wide to push the boundaries of human performance.
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