Men
The first world record in the men's 800 metres was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1912.
As of June 21, 2011, 23 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event. "y" denotes time for 880 yards (804.68 m) ratified as a record for the 800 m.
| Time | Auto | Athlete | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:51.9+ | Ted Meredith (USA) | 1912-07-08 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| 1:51.6y | Otto Peltzer (GER) | 1926-07-03 | London, United Kingdom | |
| 1:50.6 | Sera Martin (FRA) | 1928-07-14 | Paris, France | |
| 1:49.8 | 1.49.70 | Tommy Hampson (GBR) | 1932-08-02 | Los Angeles, USA |
| 1:49.8y | Ben Eastman (USA) | 1934-06-16 | Princeton, USA | |
| 1:49.7 | Glenn Cunningham (USA) | 1936-08-20 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| 1:49.6y | Elroy Robinson (USA) | 1937-07-11 | New York, USA | |
| 1:48.4+ | Sydney Wooderson (GBR) | 1938-08-20 | Motspur Park, United Kingdom | |
| 1:46.6 | Rudolf Harbig (GER) | 1939-07-15 | Milan, Italy | |
| 1:45.7 | Roger Moens (BEL) | 1955-08-03 | Oslo, Norway | |
| 1:44.3+ | Peter Snell (NZL) | 1962-02-02 | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 1:44.3 | 1:44.40 | Ralph Doubell (AUS) | 1968-10-15 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 1:44.3 | Dave Wottle (USA) | 1972-07-01 | Eugene, USA | |
| 1:43.7 | Marcello Fiasconaro (ITA) | 1973-06-27 | Milan, Italy | |
| 1:43.5 | 1:43.50 | Alberto Juantorena (CUB) | 1976-07-16 | Montreal, Canada |
| 1:43.4 | 1:43.44 | Alberto Juantorena (CUB) | 1977-08-21 | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| 1:42.4 | 1:42.33 | Sebastian Coe (GBR) | 1979-07-05 | Oslo, Norway |
| 1:41.73 | Sebastian Coe (GBR) | 1981-06-10 | Florence, Italy | |
| 1:41.73 | Wilson Kipketer (DEN) | 1997-07-07 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| 1:41.24 | Wilson Kipketer (DEN) | 1997-08-13 | Zürich, Switzerland | |
| 1:41.11 | Wilson Kipketer (DEN) | 1997-08-24 | Cologne, Germany | |
| 1:41.09 | David Rudisha (KEN) | 2010-08-22 | Berlin, Germany | |
| 1:41.01 | David Rudisha (KEN) | 2010-08-29 | Rieti, Italy | |
| 1:40.91 | David Rudisha (KEN) | 2012-08-09 | London, United Kingdom |
(+) - indicates en route time from longer race.
Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000 m from 1981. Hence, Sebastian Coe's record at 1:42.4 was rendered as 1:42.33 from that year.
Read more about this topic: 800 Metres World Record Progression
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