![]() |
Moving fast! The 1996 Olympic final in Atlanta
was one of the fastest 800 m races of all time,
No less than four athletes broke 1'43", the first five
all recorded personal best times, and even the number
seven (Gray) ran a respectable 1:44.21.
From left to right: Benyounés Lahlou (MAR, 8), Norberto Téllez (CUB, 4),
Nico Motchebon (GER, 5), David Kiptoo (KEN, 6), Vebjørn Rodal (NOR, gold),
Hezekiél Sepeng (barely visible, RSA, silver), Frederic Onyancha (KEN, bronze)
and early front runner Johnny Gray (USA, 7).
|
| Olympic Games 800 m Roll of Honors | ||||||||||
| Year | City | Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||||||
| 2024 | Paris | Emmanuel Wanyonyi | KEN | 1:41.19 | Marco Arop | CAN | 1:41.20 | Djamel Sedjati | ALG | 1:41.50 |
| 2021 | Tokyo | Emmanuel Korir | KEN | 1:45.06 | Ferguson Rotich | KEN | 1:45.23 | Patryk Dobek | POL | 1:45.39 |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | David Rudisha | KEN | 1:42.15 | Taoufik Makhloufi | ALG | 1:42.61 | Clayton Murphy | USA | 1:42.93 |
| 2012 | London | David Rudisha | KEN | 1:40.91 | Nijel Amos | BOT | 1:41.73 | Timothy Kitum | KEN | 1:42.53 |
| 2008 | Beijing | Wilfred Bungei | KEN | 1:44.65 | Ismail Ahmed Ismail | SUD | 1:44.70 | Alfred Kirwa Yego | KEN | 1:44.82 |
| 2004 | Athene | Yuriy Borzakovskiy | RUS | 1:44.45 | Mbulaeni Mulaudzi | RSA | 1:44.61 | Wilson Kipketer | DEN | 1:44.65 |
| 2000 | Sydney | Nils Schumann | GER | 1:45.08 | Wilson Kipketer | DEN | 1:45.14 | Djabir Saïd-Guerni | ALG | 1:45.16 |
| 1996 | Atlanta | Vebjørn Rodal | NOR | 1:42.58 | Hezekiél Sepeng | RSA | 1:42.74 | Frederic Onyancha | KEN | 1:42.79 |
| 1992 | Barcelona | William Tanui | KEN | 1:43.66 | Nixon Kiprotich | KEN | 1:43.70 | Johnny Gray | USA | 1:43.97 |
| 1988 | Seoul | Paul Ereng | KEN | 1:43.45 | Joaquim Cruz | BRA | 1:43.90 | Said Aouita | MAR | 1:44.06 |
| 1984 | Los Angeles | Joaquim Cruz | BRA | 1:43.00 | Sebastian Coe | GBR | 1:43.64 | Earl Jones | USA | 1:43.83 |
| 1980 | Moskva | Steve Ovett | GBR | 1:45.50 | Sebastian Coe | GBR | 1:45.85 | Nikolay Kirov | URS | 1:45.94 |
| 1976 | Montreal | Alberto Juantorena | CUB | 1:43.50 | Ivo Van Damme | BEL | 1:43.86 | Rick Wohlhuter | USA | 1:44.12 |
| 1972 | München | Dave Wottle | USA | 1:45.86 | Yevgeni Arzhanov | URS | 1:45.89 | Mike Boit | KEN | 1:46.01 |
| 1968 | Mexico City | Ralph Doubell | AUS | 1:44.40 | Wilson Kiprugut | KEN | 1:44.57 | Tom Farrell | USA | 1:45.46 |
| 1964 | Tokyo | Peter Snell | NZL | 1:45.1 | Bill Crothers | CAN | 1:45.6 | Wilson Kiprugut | KEN | 1:45.9 |
| 1960 | Roma | Peter Snell | NZL | 1:46.48 | Roger Moens | BEL | 1:46.55 | George Kerr | JAM | 1:47.25 |
| 1956 | Melbourne | Tom Courtney | USA | 1:47.7 | Derek Johnson | GBR | 1:47.8 | Audun Boysen | NOR | 1:48.1 |
| 1952 | Helsinki | Malvin Whitfield | USA | 1:49.2 | Arthur Wint | JAM | 1:49.4 | Heinz Ulzheimer | GER | 1:49.7 |
| 1948 | London | Malvin Whitfield | USA | 1:49.2 | Arthur Wint | JAM | 1:49.5 | Marcel Hansenne | FRA | 1:49.8 |
| 1936 | Berlin | John Woodruff | USA | 1:52.9 | Mario Lanzi | ITA | 1:53.3 | Phil Edwards | CAN | 1:53.6 |
| 1932 | Los Angeles | Thomas Hampson | GBR | 1:49.8 | Alexander Wilson | CAN | 1:49.9 | Phil Edwards | CAN | 1:51.5 |
| 1928 | Amsterdam | Douglas Lowe | GBR | 1:51.8 | Erik Bylehn | SWE | 1:52.8 | Hermann Engelhard | GER | 1:53.2 |
| 1924 | Paris | Douglas Lowe | GBR | 1:52.4 | Paul Martin | SUI | 1:52.6 | Schuyler Enck | USA | 1:53.0 |
| 1920 | Antwerpen | Albert Hill | GBR | 1:53.4 | Earl Eby | USA | 1:53.6 | Bevil Rudd | RSA | 1:54.0 |
| 1912 | Stockholm | James Meredith | USA | 1:51.9 | Melvin Sheppard | USA | 1:52.0 | Ira Davenport | USA | 1:52.0 |
| 1908 | London | Melvin Sheppard | USA | 1:52.8 | Emilio Lunghi | ITA | 1:54.2 | Hans Braun | GER | 1:55.2 |
| 1904 | Saint Louis | James Lightbody | USA | 1:56.0 | Howard Valentine | USA | 1:56.3 | Emil Breitkreutz | USA | 1:56.4 |
| 1900 | Paris | Alfred Tysoe | GBR | 2.01.2 | John Cregan | USA | 2.01.8 | David Hall | USA | 2.03.0 |
| 1896 | Athene | Edwin Flack | AUS | 2.11.0 | Nandor Dani | HUN | 2.11.8 | Demetrius Golemis | GRE | 2.28.0 |