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 1500 m came about as a result of running 3+3⁄4 laps of a 400 m outdoor track or 7+1⁄2 laps of a 200 m indoor track, which were commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century.
Noureddine Morceli is a retired Algerian middle-distance runner. He was the winner of the 1500 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics and won three straight gold medals at that distance at the World Championships in Athletics. He set world records in the 1500 m, mile run and the 3000 metres.
Brigitte Heike Meissner is a retired German athlete. She competed mainly in the 400 metres hurdles, but also spent two seasons specializing in the 800 metres. Notable achievements include a silver medal at the 2002 European Championships, medals in 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1994 European Championships and the 1997 World Indoor Championships and a fourth place at the 1995 World Championships.
José Luíz Barbosa, known as Zequinha Barbosa is a Brazilian former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. José participated in 4 Olympic Games: 1984 Los Angeles; 1988 Soul Korea; 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta. He is the 1987 World Indoor Champion, and a two-time World Championship medallist, winning silver in 1991 and bronze in 1987. 1995 Pan American gold medalist 800m 1987 Silver medalist, 1983 Silver medalist 800m and Silver 4x400m. Jose was ranked number one in the world in the 800m in 1991.
Rudolf Waldemar Harbig was a German athlete. As a middle distance runner he was best known for the 800 metres world record that he set in Milan in 1939. He also held the European record in the 400 metres from 1939 until 1955.
Dmitrijs Miļkevičs is a former Latvian track athlete who competed in 400 metres and 800 metres.
Johan Botha is a South African middle-distance runner who won the gold medal over 800 metres at the World Indoor Championships in Athletics in Maebashi in 1999. In the course of the race he defeated world record holder Wilson Kipketer and Nico Motchebon in a winning time of 1:45.47. In the same season he ran his indoor personal best of 1:45.45 in Stuttgart. At the 2001 World Indoor Championships in Lisbon Botha came close to defending his title but was defeated by future Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy and won silver.
Andrey Valeryevich Zadorozhniy is a Russian middle-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. His sole major international medal was a bronze at the 1998 European Indoor Championships. He won five national titles in the 1500 m at the Russian Athletics Championships, between 1997 and 2002, and four national titles indoors, including had a 1500 m/3000 metres double at the 2003 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships.
James Nolan is an Irish athletics coach and a former international runner for the Republic of Ireland from 1996 until 2008. He was a two time Olympian who specialized in the 800 metres between 1996 and 2000 before changing to the 1500 metres later that year.
Helga-Beate Gummelt (née Anders; born 4 February 1968, is a German track and field athlete. She competed in the 1980s until 2000 in the walk. Before 1991, she competed for East Germany.
David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. He is a two-time back-to-back Olympic champion from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, a two-time World champion from the 2011 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics, and world record holder at the event with a time of 1:40.91 set at the 2012 London Games on 9 August 2012. Rudisha is the first and only person to ever run 800 metres under 1:41, and he holds the three fastest, six of the eight fastest, and half of the twenty fastest times ever run in this event.
Casimir Loxsom is a retired American middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. In addition to attending and running at Pennsylvania State University, Loxsom has represented the United States in international competition. Loxsom ran professionally for Brooks Beasts Track Club from 2013 until his retirement in 2018.
Dmitriy Anatolyevich Bogdanov is a Russian middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. His personal best times are 1:44.33 minutes in the 800 metres and 46.50 seconds in the 400 metres.
Kai Kazmirek is a German track and field athlete who competes in the decathlon. He holds a personal best of 8580 points for the event achieved in Rio 2016, as well as an indoor heptathlon best of 6173 points. He is a member of LG Rhein-Wied athletics club.
Erik Wijmeersch is a Belgian former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. His greatest success was a gold medal in the 200 metres at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in 1996. His best time of 20.66 remains the Belgian indoor record for the event. He also holds bests of 10.17 seconds for the 100 metres and 6.69 seconds for the indoor 60 metres.
Kathleen Friedrich is a German former middle-distance runner who specialised in the 1500 metres. She has a personal best of 4 minutes 4.27 seconds, as well as an 800 metres best of 2:01.45.
Martina Steuk is a German former track and field athlete who represented East Germany. She competed in the 800 metres and occasionally the 400 metres.
Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir is a Kenyan middle-distance runner. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and 2022 World champion in the 800 metres. Korir won the silver medal in the event at the 2018 African Championships in Athletics.
Tony van Diepen is a Dutch track and field athlete competing in the 400 and 800 metres. He won the bronze medal in the 400 m at the 2019 European Indoor Championships and silver at the 2021 European Indoor Championships. Van Diepen earned five medals with Dutch 4 × 400 m relays, either men's or mixed, at major championships, including silver for the men's relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Mohamed Ali Gouaned is an Algerian middle-distance runner specializing in the 400 meters and 800 meters. He holds the Junior World best in 600 meters with a time of 1:14:79 set in Algiers on 26 March 2021 breaking the record held by Wilfred Bungei since 1 September 1999 with a time of 1:14:94.
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