Maria de Lurdes Mutola is a retired female track and field athlete from Mozambique who specialised in the 800 metres running event. She is only the fourth female track and field athlete to compete at six Olympic Games. She is a three-time world champion in this event and a one-time Olympic champion.
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.
Paul Ereng is a former Kenyan athlete, and the surprise winner of the 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
William Kiptarus Tanui is a Kenyan former athlete, winner of 800 m at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
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.
David Mark Everett is an American retired middle-distance runner who won the bronze medal in the 800-meter event at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo. The following year, Everett finished second in the US Olympic Trials in New Orleans behind Johnny Gray. A few weeks later Everett beat Gray at the Bislett Games in Oslo, setting a new personal best of 1:43.40. Everett and Gray went to Barcelona as favorites for the gold and silver medals. However, Everett did not finish the race and Gray won the Olympic bronze behind William Tanui and Nixon Kiprotich.
Thomas McKean is a British former middle-distance runner. He was a world and European indoor 800 metres champion. Outdoors, McKean medalled twice each at European and Commonwealth level.
Lee Jin-Il is a retired South Korean athlete who competed in the 800 metres. His personal best time is 1.44.14 in 800 metres, achieved in June 17, 1994 in the South Korean Athletics Championships. This is the current South Korean record. It was also the Asian record until it was broken by Yusuf Saad Kamel in 2004.
Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei is a Kenyan middle distance runner and former world champion.
Moses Ndiema Kipsiro is a Ugandan long-distance runner who specialises in the 5000 metres. He was the bronze medallist in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. He represented Uganda at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, coming fourth over 5000 m.
Amine Laâlou is a Moroccan track and field athlete, who specializes in middle-distance running. He has represented his country at the Summer Olympics on two occasions; in 2004 and 2008. He began his career as an 800 metres specialist and made his global debut at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. He won medals at smaller international competitions, including the 2004 Pan Arab Games and 2005 Mediterranean Games. He reached his first global final at the 2007 World Championships, taking sixth, and was a semi-finalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Japheth Kimutai is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialized in 800 metres.
The men's 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 70 competitors from 53 nations, with nine qualifying heats (70), four second-round races (32) and two semifinals (16), before the final (8) took off on Monday September 26, 1988. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Paul Ereng of Kenya, the first time a Kenyan runner had won the 800 metres; the nation had previously taken silver in 1968 and bronze in 1964 and 1972. Joaquim Cruz of Brazil did not defend his 1984 gold, finishing second; the silver medal made him the ninth man to win two medals in the event. Saïd Aouita took bronze, Morocco's first medal in the men's 800 metres.
Asbel Kipruto Kiprop is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, who specialises in the 1500 metres. He was awarded the 1500 m gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics after the original winner, Rashid Ramzi, tested positive for doping. Kiprop has won three World Championship titles in the event, in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Kiprop failed his own doping test in November 2017 and received a four-year doping ban.
The men's 800 metres was an event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total number of 59 participating athletes from 48 nations, with eight qualifying heats. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by William Tanui of Kenya, the second straight Games in which a Kenyan man won the 800 metres. Johnny Gray returned the United States to podium after a 16-year absence.
Mark Kiprotich Mutai, also spelled Muttai, is a runner from Kenya, who specializes in 400 metres. He is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Samuel Tirop is a former Kenyan middle-distance runner who ran in the 800 metres.
Stephen Kiprotich is a Ugandan long-distance runner. He is an Olympic marathon champion, having won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Kiprotich also won a gold at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. After Gezahegne Abera, he is the second person to follow an Olympic marathon title with a world championship gold medal for the same event.
George Kiprotich "Kip" Rono is a Kenyan former steeplechase runner. He won a gold medal in the event at the 1979 African Championships in Athletics and was the first African steeplechase winner at the 1979 IAAF World Cup.
Habitam Alemu Bayih is an Ethiopian middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres.
