The 800m has moved into the realms of
the long sprint. Today's 800m athlete will need to be a 45/46
second 400m athlete, who needs to feel comfortable going through
the 1st 400m of the 2 lap race close to 50 seconds. The event
requires both endurance and tactical 'know how', which in
itself produces great excitement for athlete and spectator..
A brief history
The 800m has come about due to the English
mile. It is believed the 800m was born in England during the
14th century. At the first professional competitions, races
were contested over 880 yards or half a mile (804.67m). In
1876, Walter Slade improved what can be regarded as the first
world record at the distance by three times, slashing it to
1’58’’1/5. The first, acknowledged, master
of the discipline was the American Melvin Sheppard, a double
Olympic champion in 1908 at London over 800 and 1500m. From
Tom Hampson, as regular as a metronome, to John Woodruff and
his formidable stride (he measured 1.90 m), the 800m provided
some titanic tussles. In 1962, Peter Snell made his mark on
the distance when he shattered the world record with 1’44’’3
on the grass at Christchurch. Others who enjoyed spells of
dominance include Fiasconaro, Wohlhuter and Juantorena…
before the reign of a certain Sebastian Coe.
The basic principles
The 800m is basically all about suffering, but this is less
intense than at 400m. For while on a single lap of the track,
the athlete goes all out without holding anything back, the
800-metre runner has to be able to concentrate his efforts
at the right moment.
A combination of ingenuity, anticipation and positional
sense, the 800m demands true tactical intelligence in order
not to remain trapped in the pack. It is no surprise that
the discipline is open to a wide range of profiles, consisting
of athletes moving up from the 400m, formidable for their
burst of speed towards the end of a tactical race, or those
moving down from longer distances, adept at pacing themselves.
However, the one characteristic a future record holder must
display is raw speed.
The major figures
Over the years, there have been a number of greats who have made
their mark on the distance .
Sebastian Coe (GBR): Was an athlete who displayed considerable 
ability
over 1500m, as well. And is the last truly great Champion to double
up successfully. This British 1500m specialist was twice Olympic
champion at that distance as well as improving the World Record
for 800m on two occasions. The first, on the 5 July 1979 in Oslo,
he bettered Juantorena’s world record to 1’42’’33,
an improvement by over a second from 1:43.44. In the process demonstrating
the virtue of a tactical race. 800m Silver medallist at the 1980
Moscow Games, he delivered a masterclass one year later at Florence,
completing the two laps of the track in 1’41’’73.
In two years under Coe’s impetus, the 800m made a staggering
progression. His world record would remain intact for an incredible
16 years, until in August 1997, Wilson Kipketer outstripped it at
Zurich in 1’41’’24.
Maria Mutola (MOZ): The talismanic figure of the 800m,
she has 
dominated
the discipline almost unchallenged for the past decade, and in 2000
at Sydney, the Mozambican received the recognition she deserved
when she was crowned Olympic champion. 10 years on from her first
title triumph in Stuttgart, the twice world champion has her eyes
on a treble at Paris Saint-Denis 2003, although her rivals, the
Austrian Stephanie Graf and Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia look determined
to deny Mutola that prestige.
With more input at a later stage
The Future
Yuriy
Borzakovskiy (RUS): Borzakovskiy is undoutedly the most naturally
talented athlete to line-up for the 800m distance in the last couple
of years. With a PB of 1.42.47 set in 2001, he seems to have it
all. In 2002, he took a year off 800m running to concentrate on
his 400m speed and this year he has returned a different athlete.
Renowned for his kick, and the lack of commitment to go with the
early pace, 2003 has seen him return with a new determined attitude.
2003 has seen him run 1:43.93, as well as defeat all the main protagonists
in the 800m.
Jolanda Ceplak (SLO): This flowing blond haired athlete
from Slovenia, 
seems set to dominate the 800m distance with a zest
and desire to attack the World Record like no athlete before her.
And with the strong competition from Austria's Stephanie Graf promised
for the future, a sub 1:54 clocking may certainly be on the cards.
Edit: Unfortunately, Stephanie Graf has retired
in 2004
More input shall be provided to this subject in the future
