World Championships: Women's 800m
Just over half a hour after winning her 400m semi-final in 51.08, Czechoslovakian Jarmila Kratochvilova easily won 800m gold in the first two-lap final in Helsinki.
She opened up only in the final 200m, which took her just 27.3 seconds – superior to three of the men’s finalists. Despite her earlier race and the pace not being that testing, her 1:54.68 put her second on the all-time list.
Unfair British selection policies aren’t just confined to the present as no Britons were there, even though 2:13.80 proved enough to make the semi-finals and last 16.
Britain selected someone in 1987 in Rome and Diane Edwards was inside two minutes in her semi-final but failed to make the final.
Kratochvilova tried to defend her title but faded after the leaders passed 400m in a vicious 56.30. The battle for gold was close with Sigrun Wodars edging out East German team-mate Christine Wachtel in 1:55.26. Ana Quirot ran 1:55.84 but failed to win a medal.
In Tokyo in 1991, the Cuban Quirot ran slower but at least won a medal in a dramatic final, which saw the first four covered by 0.13 of a second.
Quirot had edged ahead in the last 100m, but Liliya Nurutdinova, who had led at 400m in 56.44, battled back past Quirot to win by five hundredths of a second. Ella Kovacs collided with Maria Mutola but survived a protest to take bronze as Mutola’s 1:57.63 gave her a world junior record, though not a medal. Briton Ann Williams did well to make the final in seventh and last was Svetlana Masterkova. The Russian was to win double Olympic gold in 1996.
The Mozambique athlete matured and was a clear favourite for Stuttgart in 1993. Meredith Rainey ran a less than wise 55.49 first lap with Mutola seventh. Mutola moved up to take the lead at 600m and a 29.47 last 200m was all that was required for her to open up a 15m winning margin, clocking 1:55.43 ahead of 1987 bronze medallist Lyubov Gurina’s 1:57.10.
It was a memorable event for defender Nurutdinova, who along with China’s Liu Li was brought down as Tina Paulino fell, and walked across the line in 3:19.18, then failed doping tests and was disqualified.
With the three fallers, Edwards (now Modahl) finished fourth. Kelly Holmes, in her first major event, ran 1:58.64 in her semi-final, but was still some way from the top four in the race and failed to qualify.
Four years later, though, Holmes was a genuine contender and a possible medal chance increased when Mutola was sensationally disqualified for stepping inside her lane after winning her semi-final to end a 42-race unbeaten streak going back to the 1992 Olympics. In the final, Rainey again acted as pacemaker through 400m in 56.42 and was still ahead at 600m in 85.91, but faded near the finish though and 32 year-old Quirot proved the strongest – winning in 1:56.11 with Letitia Vriesde in second and Holmes third in a British record 1:56.95.
Mutola was back for Athens in 1997 and led for most of the race until 50m from the finish – Quirot kicking past to win in 1:57.14 as Mutola faded to third.
Olympic champion Masterkova was joint favourite along with Mutola in 1999 in Seville. The pair fought for victory along the straight but were both overtaken by a fast-finishing Ludmila Formanova, who had been fifth in 1997.
Holmes, who had been injured in Athens, just missed out on making the final and she wasn’t at her best in Edmonton in 2001 either as she came sixth in a very close race won by Mutola’s late kick in 1:57.17 to deny Stephanie Graf by 0.03 of a second. Mutola thus became the only athlete to win the 2000 Olympics and a world indoor and outdoor title in 2001.
Mutola looked even more dominant in Paris in 2003 and she and Holmes, who was by then her training partner, controlled the race. Holmes was ahead until the last 50 metres, but the Briton finished a clear second, two metres behind Mutola. Holmes was to gain her revenge in the following year’s Olympics.
Mutola was still a factor in Helsinki in 2005 and led at 400m but eventually faded to fourth as Cuban Zulia Calatayud kicked to a clear victory over Moroccan Olympic silver medallist, Hasna Benhassi.
Benhassi was again second in Osaka in 2007 but was well beaten by Janeth Jepkosgei. The Kenyan shot through 200m in 26.58, which is 1:46 pace, and survived a 56.16 first 400m to win in 1:56.04. By now in her ninth World Championships and an incredible eighth final, Mutola was again in medal contention but suffered a muscle spasm in the finishing straight and had to drop out.
Jepkosgei tried similar tactics in Berlin in 2009 and led through 200m in 26.83 but was overtaken by the powerful Caster Semenya at 400m in 56.83. The South African was a different class to the opposition in the last 200m and won in 1:55.45, two seconds ahead of the Kenyan. A late run by Jenny Meadows snatched bronze while fellow Briton Marilyn Okoro also made the final but faded after a 57.3 first lap.
Semenya could not compete for the next year due to medical irregularities but returned for Daegu in 2011 and led into the straight but was run down by fast-finishing Mariya Savinova, who won in 1:55.87 to Semenya’s 1:56.35. The records now show that Meadows was second in her semi final but didn’t make the final as Yuliya Rusanova finished ahead of her, much later to be disqualified for a doping infringement.
Savinova didn’t quite defend her title in front of her home crowd in Moscow in 2013 as gold surprisingly went to the stronger Eunice Sum in 1:57.38.
Year | Winner | Time | GB position and mark
1983 Jarmila Kratochvilova (TCH) 1:54.68 no competitor
1987 Sigrun Wodars (GDR) 1:55.26 6th sf Diane Edwards 1:59.34
1991 Liliya Nurutdinova (URS) 1:57.50 7 Ann Williams 2:01.01 (2:00.30 sf)
1993 Maria Mutola (MOZ) 1:55.43 4 Diane Modahl 1:59.42 (1:59.12 ht)
1995 Ana Quirot (CUB) 1:56.11 3 Kelly Holmes 1:56.95
1997 Ana Quirot (CUB) 1:57.14 no competitor
1999 Ludmila Formanova (CZE) 1:56.68 4sf Kelly Holmes 2:00.77 (1:59.72 ht)
2001 Maria Mutola (MOZ) 1:57.17 6 Kelly Holmes 1:59.76
2003 Maria Mutola (MOZ) 1:59.89 2 Kelly Holmes 2:00.18
2005 Zulia Calatayud (CUB) 1:58.82 8sf Susan Scott 2:01.17
2007 Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN) 1:56.04 4sf Marilyn Okoro 1:59.63
2009 Caster Semenya (RSA) 1:55.45 3 Jenny Meadows 1:57.93
2011 Mariya Savinova (RUS) 1:55.87 2sf Jenny Meadows 1:59.07
2013 Eunice Sum (KEN) 1:57.38 7sf Marilyn Okoro 2:02.26 (1:59.43 ht)
Points table (8 for 1st etc)
1. RUS 81
2. JAM 49
3. USA 39
4. CUB 36
5. KEN 34
6= URS 30
6= GBR 30
8. GER 29
9. SUR 22
10. MAR 19
» Find other event-by-event history features here
