Wilson Kosgei Kipketer is a Danish former middle distance runner. He is the second fastest of all time over 800 meters, setting the world record and breaking his own record two more times all in 1997. He dominated the 800 m distance for a decade, remaining undefeated for a three-year period and running 8 of the 17 currently all-time fastest times. He won gold medals in three successive editions of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Though unable to compete in the 1996 Olympics near the peak of his career, he earned silver in 2000 and bronze in 2004. Kipketer's 800 meters world record stood for almost 13 years. It was surpassed on 22 August 2010, when David Rudisha beat it by 0.02 seconds, running 1:41.09. Rudisha would eventually go on to further lower the 800m world record to the first and only sub one minute 41 second run. Kipketer still currently holds the indoor world record for the 800 metres.
Nils Schumann is a former German athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics, who retired in 2009. For most of the five years before his retirement he had featured sparingly at an international level due to injuries.
David Robert Moorcroft is a former middle-distance and long-distance runner from England, and former world record holder for 5,000 metres. His athletic career spanned the late-1970s and 1980s. He subsequently served as the Chief Executive of UK Athletics from 1997 to 2007. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1983 and promoted to an Officer (OBE) in 1999, in both cases for services to athletics. In March 2023, he was appointed a Deputy lieutenant of the West Midlands.
Siegrun Siegl is a retired East German athlete who specialised in the pentathlon and later long jump.
Hauke Fuhlbrügge is a German former middle-distance runner.
Nikolina Pavlova Shtereva is a retired Bulgarian middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 and 1500 metres. She is best known for her silver medal in 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and at the European Indoor Championships she won gold medals in 1976 and 1979 and a bronze medal in 1981. She won fourteen national titles in Bulgaria, and is still the Bulgarian record holder in the 800 metres.
Hansjörg Kunze is a German track and field athlete. He represented East Germany as a long distance runner.
Johanna Klier is a former East German hurdler and Olympic gold medallist.
Gunhild Hoffmeister is a retired East German middle-distance runner. She competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won two silver and one bronze medal, becoming the only German distance runner to win three Olympic medals. Together with Hans Grodotzki she is the only German runner to win two medals at the same Olympics. Her personal best time in 1500 metres was 4:01.4, achieved in July 1976 in Potsdam. This places her ninth on the German all-time list.
Jürgen May is a former middle-distance runner, who was a successful athlete and Olympic Games competitor, who escaped from the GDR to continue his career in the FRG.
The men's 800 metres at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany took place on September 2, 1972. Sixty-one athletes from 46 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Dave Wottle of the United States, the first title in the event for an American since 1956 and the eighth overall win in the men's 800 metres for the United States. Yevgeniy Arzhanov won the Soviet Union's first medal in the event with silver, while Mike Boit kept Kenya on the podium for the third straight Games with bronze.
Josef Schmid is a retired West German middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres.
Henry Lauterbach is a retired East German high jumper and long jumper.
Karin Krebs is a retired East German middle-distance runner. She won the 800 metres race at the 1968 European Indoor Games, but failed to reach the 800 m Olympic final the same year. She then focused on the 1500 m event and won it at the 1971 European Championships, setting a new world record at 4:09.6 minutes. She placed fourth at the 1972 Olympics, and her world record was broken earlier in July 1972 by the future Olympic gold medalist Lyudmila Bragina. Krebs had her last intentional success in 1974 when she won the silver medal over 1500 m at the European Indoor Championships.
Rositsa Pekhlivanova is a retired Bulgarian middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 metres.
Ali Hakimi is a Tunisian Swiss middle distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. Born in Tunisia, he formerly represented that country.
Jakub Holuša is a former Czech middle-distance runner. He represented his country in the men's 800 meters at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2016 Olympics, he competed in the 1500 meters.
Detlef Wagenknecht is a German former middle-distance runner. Representing East Germany, he was a finalist in men's 800 metres at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1982 European Championships and placed third at the 1981 IAAF World Cup.
Marcel Philippe is a French middle-distance runner. Born in New York City to a french father, he attended Mater Christi High School, where he set the still standing New York State Record in the 880 yds. While attending Fordham University, he was the 1973 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champion. He still holds the Fordham record for indoor mile, 1000 yards, and outdoor 800m. At the 1976 Summer Olympics he competed in the men's 800 metres. Philippe set multiple french records in the 800m, 1000m and 4x1500m relay distances. He won both the 1973 and 1974 French Athletics Championships in the 800m.
Robert Farken is a German athlete specialising in middle distance running. He is German outdoor champion and a four time German indoor champion, earning him the nickname “Farken fast”.
