| Women's 800 metres at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad |
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| Venue | Olympic Stadium | |||||||||
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| Competitors | 43 | |||||||||
| Winning time | 1:56.38 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
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| «2000 | 2008» | |||||||||
| Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track events | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| 800 m | men | women | ||
| 1500 m | men | women | ||
| 5000 m | men | women | ||
| 10,000 m | men | women | ||
| 100 m hurdles | women | |||
| 110 m hurdles | men | |||
| 400 m hurdles | men | women | ||
| 3000 m steeplechase |
men | |||
| 4×100 m relay | men | women | ||
| 4×400 m relay | men | women | ||
| Road events | ||||
| Marathon | men | women | ||
| 20 km walk | men | women | ||
| 50 km walk | men | |||
| Field events | ||||
| Long jump | men | women | ||
| Triple jump | men | women | ||
| High jump | men | women | ||
| Pole vault | men | women | ||
| Shot put | men | women | ||
| Discus throw | men | women | ||
| Javelin throw | men | women | ||
| Hammer throw | men | women | ||
| Combined events | ||||
| Heptathlon | women | |||
| Decathlon | men | |||
The women's 800 metres at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics was won by Briton Kelly Holmes, who ran a tactical race, coming from the back of the field. Hasna Benhassi of Morocco and Jolanda Čeplak of Slovenia finished strongly, taking Silver and Bronze respectively, and beating defending champion, pre-race favourite and Holmes' training partner, Maria de Lurdes Mutola of Mozambique, who finished fourth.
Contents |
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 2004 Summer Olympics.
| World record | Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) | 1:53.28 | Munich, West Germany | 26 July 1983 |
| Olympic record | Nadezhda Olizarenko (URS) | 1:53.43 | Moscow, Soviet Union | 27 July 1980 |
| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Maria Cioncan | Romania | 1:59.64 | Q, PB |
| 2 | 2 | Agnes Samaria | Namibia | 2:00.05 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Élisabeth Grousselle | France | 2:00.31 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Natalya Khrushchelyova | Russia | 2:00.56 | q |
| 5 | 5 | Jolanda Čeplak | Slovenia | 2:00.61 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 2:00.81 | Q |
| 6 | 5 | Mayte Martínez | Spain | 2:00.81 | Q |
| 8 | 5 | Nicole Teter | United States | 2:01.16 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | Diane Cummins | Canada | 2:01.19 | q |
| 10 | 1 | Hasna Benhassi | Morocco | 2:01.20 | Q |
| 11 | 3 | Jearl Miles Clark | United States | 2:01.33 | Q |
| 12 | 5 | Luciana de Paula Mendes | Brazil | 2:01.36 | q |
| 13 | 1 | Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 2:01.50 | Q |
| 14 | 3 | Michelle Ballentine | Jamaica | 2:01.52 | Q |
| 15 | 3 | Letitia Vriesde | Suriname | 2:01.70 | q |
| 16 | 1 | Tetyana Petlyuk | Ukraine | 2:02.07 | Q |
| 17 | 1 | Marian Burnett | Guyana | 2:02.12 | q |
| 18 | 5 | Lucia Klocova | Slovakia | 2:02.17 | q |
| 19 | 1 | Nedia Semedo | Portugal | 2:02.61 | |
| 20 | 3 | Tamsyn Lewis | Australia | 2:02.67 | |
| 21 | 2 | Miho Sugimori | Japan | 2:02.82 | |
| 22 | 5 | Binnaz Uslu | Turkey | 2:03.46 | |
| 23 | 4 | Svetlana Cherkasova | Russia | 2:03.60 | Q |
| 24 | 4 | Amina Aït Hammou | Morocco | 2:03.70 | Q |
| 25 | 4 | Joanne Fenn | Great Britain | 2:03.72 | Q |
| 26 | 6 | Tatyana Andrianova | Russia | 2:03.77 | Q |
| 27 | 4 | Claudia Gesell | Germany | 2:03.87 | |
| 28 | 6 | Seltana Aït Hammou | Morocco | 2:03.95 | Q |
| 29 | 4 | Akosua Serwaa | Ghana | 2:03.96 | |
| 30 | 6 | Zulia Calatayud | Cuba | 2:03.99 | Q |
| 31 | 6 | Anita Bragger | Switzerland | 2:04.00 | |
| 32 | 6 | Hazel Clark | United States | 2:05.67 | |
| 33 | 6 | Noelly Mankatu Bibiche | DR Congo | 2:06.23 | |
| 34 | 4 | Faith Macharia | Kenya | 2:06.31 | |
| 35 | 3 | Tatyana Roslanova | Kazakhstan | 2:06.39 | |
| 36 | 1 | Olga Cristea | Moldova | 2:08.97 | |
| 37 | 2 | Adama Njie | Gambia | 2:10.02 | |
| 38 | 1 | Marlyse Nsourou | Gabon | 2:12.35 | NR |
| 39 | 6 | Tanya Blake | Malta | 2:19.34 | |
| 40 | 5 | Marie-Lyne Joseph | Dominica | 2:20.23 | |
| 41 | 4 | Emilia Mikue Ondo | Equatorial Guinea | 2:22.88 | |
| 42 | 3 | Sanna Abubkheet | Palestine | 2:32.10 | |
| 3 | Anhel Cape | Guinea-Bissau | DNF |
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 1:57.98 | Q, SB |
| 2 | Tatyana Andrianova | Russia | 1:58.41 | Q |
| 3 | Jearl Miles Clark | United States | 1:58.71 | q |
| 4 | Zulia Calatayud | Cuba | 1:59.21 | q, SB |
| 5 | Agnes Samaria | Namibia | 1:59.37 | SB |
| 6 | Élisabeth Grousselle | France | 2:00.21 | |
| 7 | Amina Aït Hammou | Morocco | 2:00.66 | |
| 8 | Michelle Ballentine | Jamaica | 2:00.94 |
Leader after 400m: Jearl Miles Clark (USA) - 57.18
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hasna Benhassi | Morocco | 1:58.59 | Q, SB |
| 2 | Jolanda Čeplak | Slovenia | 1:58.80 | Q |
| 3 | Tetyana Petlyuk | Ukraine | 1:59.48 | PB |
| 4 | Nicole Teter | United States | 1:59.50 | |
| 5 | Natalya Khrushchelyova | Russia | 2:00.68 | |
| 6 | Lucia Klocova | Slovakia | 2:00.79 | SB |
| 7 | Marian Burnett | Guyana | 2:02.21 | |
| 8 | Mayte Martínez | Spain | 2:03.30 |
Leader after 400m: Jolanda Čeplak (SLO) - 57.85
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 1:59.30 | Q |
| 2 | Maria Cioncan | Romania | 1:59.44 | Q, PB |
| 3 | Svetlana Cherkasova | Russia | 1:59.80 | |
| 4 | Diane Cummins | Canada | 2:00.30 | |
| 5 | Joanne Fenn | Great Britain | 2:00.60 | |
| 6 | Seltana Aït Hammou | Morocco | 2:00.64 | |
| 7 | Luciana de Paula Mendes | Brazil | 2:02.00 | |
| 8 | Letitia Vriesde | Suriname | 2:06.95 |
Leader after 400m: Maria de Lurdes Mutola (MOZ) - 57.84
The final started with a fast first 200 metres, but Kelly Holmes and Maria de Lurdes Mutola were last at this stage. As the pace slowed, Mutola and Holmes moved forwards through the field. The time at 400metres was 56.37 seconds, with American Jearl Miles Clark leading. They entered the finishing straight with Mutola taking the lead, before Holmes took the lead and held off Mutola to take gold. Hasna Benhassi and Jolanda Čeplak finished strongly, both with a time of 1:56.43s, Benhassi winning silver in a photo finish. Mutola was forced into fourth place. Holmes' face lit up as she crossed the line, but then, unsure of the result, she anxiously waited for the times to come up.
Holmes had only decided to enter the 800 metres at the last moment, and went on to also win gold in her preferred event, the 1500 m. This feat made her one of the UK's most successful ever athletes ; the Olympic 800/1500 metres double was never accomplished by any of their great 1980s middle distance trio, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett or Steve Cram.
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 1:56.38 | SB | |
| Hasna Benhassi | Morocco | 1:56.43 | NR | |
| Jolanda Čeplak | Slovenia | 1:56.43 | SB | |
| 4 | Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 1:56.51 | SB |
| 5 | Tatyana Andrianova | Russia | 1:56.88 | |
| 6 | Jearl Miles Clark | United States | 1:57.27 | SB |
| 7 | Maria Cioncan | Romania | 1:59.62 | |
| 8 | Zulia Calatayud | Cuba | 2:00.95 |
Leader after 400m: Jearl Miles Clark (USA) - 56.37
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