1500 metres
| Athletics 1500 metres | |
|---|---|
 Olavi Salsola, Olavi Salonen and Olavi Vuorisalo (The three Olavis) break the 1,500 m world record in 1957 in Turku, Finland. | |
| Men's records | |
| World |
 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 3:26.00 (1998) |
| Olympic |
 Noah Ngeny (KEN) 3:32.07 (2000) |
| Women's records | |
| World |
 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 3:50.07 (2015) |
| Olympic |
 Paula Ivan (ROM) 3:53.96 (1988) |
The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers or approximately 15⁄16 miles.
The demands of the race are similar to that of the 800 metres, but with a slightly higher emphasis on aerobic endurance and a slightly lower sprint speed requirement. The 1500 metre race is predominantly aerobic, but anaerobic conditioning is also required.[1]
Each lap run during the world-record race run by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1998 in Rome, Italy averaged just under 55 seconds (or under 13.8 seconds per 100 metres).[2] 1,500 metres is three and three-quarter laps around a 400-metre track. During the 1970s and 1980s this race was dominated by British runners, along with an occasional Finn, American, or New Zealander, but through the 1990s a large number of African runners began to take over in being the masters of this race, with runners from Kenya, Morocco, and Algeria winning the Olympic gold medals.
In the Modern Olympic Games, the men's 1,500-metre race has been contested from the beginning, and at every Olympic Games since. The first winner, in 1896, was Edwin Flack of Australia, who also won the first gold medal in the 800-metre race. The women's 1,500-metre race was first added to the Summer Olympics in 1972, and the winner of the first gold medal was Lyudmila Bragina of the Soviet Union. During the Olympic Games of 1972 through 2008, the women's 1,500-metre race has been won by three Soviets plus one Russian, one Italian, one Romanian, one Briton, one Kenyan, and two Algerians. The 2012 Olympic results are still undecided as a result of multiple doping cases. The best women's times for the race were controversially[3] set by Chinese runners, all set in the same race on just two dates 4 years apart at the Chinese National Games. At least one of those top Chinese athletes has admitted to being part of a doping program.[4] The women's record was finally surpassed by Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia in 2015.
In American high schools, the mile run (which is 1609.344 metres in length) and the 1,600-metre run, also colloquially referred to as "metric mile", are more frequently run than the 1,500-metre run, since US customary units are better-known in America. Which distance is used depends on which state the high school is in, and, for convenience, national rankings are standardized by converting all 1,600-metre run times to their mile run equivalents.[5]
Strategy
Many 1500 metres events, particularly at the championship level, turn into slow, strategic races, with the pace quickening and competitors jockeying for position in the final lap to settle the race in a final sprint. Such is the difficulty of maintaining the pace throughout the duration of the event, most records are set in planned races led by pacemakers who sacrifice their opportunity to win by leading the early laps at a fast pace before dropping out.
"The person who wins the race is behind watching"
Continental records
| Area | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | |
| Africa (records) | 3:26.00 WR | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco | 3:50.07 WR | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia |
| Asia (records) | 3:29.14 | Rashid Ramzi |  Bahrain | 3:50.46 | Yunxia Qu |  China |
| Europe (records) | 3:28.81 | Mo Farah |  Great Britain | 3:52.47 | Tatyana Kazankina |  Soviet Union |
| North, Central America and Caribbean (records) | 3:29.30 | Bernard Lagat |  United States | 3:56.29 | Shannon Rowbury | United States |
| Oceania (records) | 3.29.66 | Nick Willis |  New Zealand | 4:00.93 | Sarah Jamieson |  Australia |
| South America (records) | 3:33.25 | Hudson de Souza |  Brazil | 4:05.67 | Letitia Vriesde |  Suriname |
All-time top 25
Men
- Correct as of July 2017.
| Rank | Result | Athlete | Nation | Date | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3:26.00 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco | 14 July 1998 | Rome | |
| 2 | 3:26.34 | Bernard Lagat | Kenya | 24 August 2001 | Brussels | |
| 3 | 3:26.69 | Asbel Kiprop | Kenya | 17 July 2015 | Monaco | [7] |
| 4 | 3:27.37 | Noureddine Morceli |  Algeria | 12 July 1995 | Nice | |
| 5 | 3:27.64 | Silas Kiplagat | Kenya | 18 July 2014 | Monaco | [8] |
| 6 | 3:28.12 | Noah Ngeny | Kenya | 11 August 2000 | Zürich | |
| 7 | 3:28.75 | Taoufik Makhloufi | Algeria | 17 July 2015 | Monaco | [9] |
| 8 | 3:28.79 | Abdalaati Iguider | Morocco | 17 July 2015 | Monaco | [10] |
| 9 | 3:28.80 | Elijah Manangoi | Kenya |
21 July 2017 | Monaco | [11] |
| 10 | 3:28.81 | Mo Farah | Great Britain | 19 July 2013 | Monaco | [12] |
| 3:28.81 | Ronald Kwemoi | Kenya | 18 July 2014 | Monaco | [13] | |
| 12 | 3:28.95 | Fermín Cacho |  Spain | 13 August 1997 | Zürich | |
| 13 | 3:28.98 | Mehdi Baala |  France | 5 September 2003 | Brussels | |
| 14 | 3:29.02 | Daniel Kipchirchir Komen | Kenya | 14 July 2006 | Rome | |
| 15 | 3:29.10 | Timothy Cheruiyot | Kenya |
21 July 2017 | Monaco | [14] |
| 16 | 3:29.14 | Rashid Ramzi | Bahrain | 14 July 2006 | Rome | |
| 17 | 3:29.18 | Venuste Niyongabo |  Burundi | 22 August 1997 | Brussels | |
| 18 | 3:29.29 | William Chirchir | Kenya | 24 August 2001 | Brussels | |
| 19 | 3:29.46 | Said Aouita | Morocco | 23 August 1985 | Berlin | |
| 20 | 3:29.46 | Daniel Komen | Kenya | 16 August 1997 | Monaco | |
| 21 | 3:29.47 | Augustine Choge | Kenya | 14 June 2009 | Berlin | [15] |
| 22 | 3:29.50 | Caleb Ndiku | Kenya | 19 July 2013 | Monaco | |
| 23 | 3:29.51 | Ali Saidi-Sief | Algeria | 4 July 2001 | Brussels | |
| 24 | 3:29.53 | Amine Laalou | Morocco | 22 July 2010 | Monaco | |
| 25 | 3:29.58 | Ayanleh Souleiman |  Djibouti | 18 July 2014 | Monaco |
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 3:28.00:
- Hicham El Guerrouj also ran 3:26.12 (2001), 3:26.89 (2002), 3:27.21 (2000), 3:27.64 (2004), 3:27.65 (1999)
- Bernard Lagat also ran 3:27.40 (2004), 3:27.91 (2002)
- Asbel Kiprop also ran 3:27.72 (2013)
Women
- Correct as of August 2016 .[16]
| Rank | Res. | Athlete | Nation | Date | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3:50.07 | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia | 17 July 2015 | Fontvieille | [17] |
| 2 | 3:50.46 | Yunxia Qu | China | 11 September 1993 | Beijing | |
| 3 | 3:50.98 | Bo Jiang | China | 18 October 1997 | Shanghai | |
| 4 | 3:51.34 | Yinglai Lang | China | 18 October 1997 | Shanghai | |
| 5 | 3:51.92 | Junxia Wang | China | 11 September 1993 | Beijing | |
| 6 | 3:52.47 | Tatyana Kazankina | Soviet Union | 13 August 1980 | Zürich | |
| 7 | 3:53.91 | Lili Yin | China | 18 October 1997 | Shanghai | |
| 8 | 3:53.96 | Paula Ivan | Romania | 1 October 1988 | Seoul | |
| 9 | 3:53.97 | Lixin Lan | China | 18 October 1997 | Shanghai | |
| 10 | 3:54.23 | Olga Dvirna | Soviet Union | 27 July 1982 | Kiev | |
| 11 | 3:54.52 | Zhang Ling | China | 18 October 1997 | Shanghai | |
| 12 | 3:55.07 | Yanmei Dong | China | 18 October 1997 | Shanghai | |
| 13 | 3:55.22 | Laura Muir | Great Britain |
27 August 2016 | Saint-Denis | [18] |
| 14 | 3:55.30 | Hassiba Boulmerka | Algeria | 8 August 1992 | Barcelona | |
| 15 | 3:55.33 | Sureyya Ayhan |  Turkey | 5 September 2003 | Brussels | |
| 16 | 3:55.68 | Yuliya Fomenko |  Russia | 8 July 2006 | Paris | |
| 17 | 3:56.05 | Sifan Hassan |  Netherlands |
17 July 2015 | Fontvieille | [19] |
| 18 | 3:56.14 | Zamira Zaitseva | Soviet Union | 27 July 1982 | Kiev | |
| 19 | 3:56.18 | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | Bahrain | 27 August 2006 | Rieti | |
| 20 | 3:56.29 | Shannon Rowbury | United States | 17 July 2015 | Fontvieille | [20] |
| 21 | 3:56.31 | Dong Liu | China | 17 October 1997 | Shanghai | |
| 22 | 3:56.41 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 28 May 2016 | Eugene | [21] |
| 23 | 3:56.43 | Elena Soboleva | Russia | 8 July 2006 | Paris | |
| 24 | 3:56.50 | Tatyana Pozdnyakova | Soviet Union | 27 July 1982 | Kiev | |
| 25 | 3:56.54 | Abeba Aregawi | Ethiopia | 31 May 2012 | Rome |
Note: The following athletes have had their performances annulled due to doping offense:
| Res. | Athlete | Nation | Date | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:56.15 | Mariem Selsouli | Morocco | 6 July 2012 | Paris |
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 3:55.47:
- Genzebe Dibaba also ran 3:54.11 (2015).
- Tatyana Kazankina also ran 3:55.0 (1980).
- Lixin Lan also ran 3:55.01 (1997).
- Yunxia Qu also ran 3:55.38 (1997).
- Zhang Ling also ran 3:55.47 (1997).
Olympic medalists
Men
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Women
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World Championship medalists
Men
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Women
European Championship medalists
Men
Women
World Indoor Championships medalists
Men
Women
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Season's bests
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- "i" indicates performance on 200m indoor track
Other sports
1,500 metres is also an event in swimming and speed skating. The world records for the distance in swimming for men are 14:31.02 (swum in a 50-metre pool) by Sun Yang, 14:08.06 (swum in a 25-metre pool) by Gregorio Paltrinieri; and by women 15:25.48 (swum in a 50-metre pool)[26] by Katie Ledecky, and 15:19.71 (swum in a 25-metre pool) by Mireia Belmonte García.
The world records for the distance in speed skating are 1:41.04 by Shani Davis and 1:50.85 by Heather Richardson-Bergsma.[27]
Notes and references
- ↑ 1500 m - Introduction. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-07.
- ↑ iaaf.org - 0 Toplists M - O
- ↑ "Scandal as controversial Chinese athlete Wang Junxia enters IAAF Hall of Fame". The Daily Telegraph. London. 9 March 2012.
- ↑ "Athletics world records blow as Wang Junxia 'admits' being part of Chinese state-sponsored doping regime". Retrieved 2016-08-13.
- ↑ McCune R. R. (2011-07-11). Verzbicas Breaks Four. Lets Run. Retrieved on 2012-02-07.
- ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/commonwealth-games/cwg-news/bayis-record-may-be-gone-but-it-should-never-be-forgotten.23308390
- ↑ "1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ Mike Rowbottom (18 July 2014). "Kiplagat shows his class with 3:27.64 in Monaco - IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ "1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ↑ Mike Rowbottom (19 July 2013). "Seven world leads on magical night in Monaco – IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ↑ "IAAF Diamond League - 1500m Results". www.diamondleague-monaco.com. 18 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ "1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ↑ "1500m Results". IAAF. 14 June 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ↑ All time Women's 1500 metres. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-07.
- ↑ "IAAF Diamond League Monaco - 1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 27 August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ "IAAF Diamond League Monaco - 1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "IAAF Diamond League Monaco - 1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "Prefontaine Classic 2016 Results". tilastopaja.org. 28 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ↑ "Turkey’s Asli Cakir Alptekin stripped of Olympic 1500m title for doping". The Guardian. 17 August 2015.
- ↑ Gamze Bulet stripped of silver medal, banned for doping
- ↑ Mariem Alaoui Selsouli was banned from The Olympic games 2012 in London after testing positive for the diuretic furosemide, following her competition in Diamond League July 6, 2012 in Paris-Saint-Denis, with the result 3:56.15 min.
- ↑ Mulvenney, Nick (25 July 2012). "UPDATE 1-Olympics-Athletics-Moroccan Selsouli tests positive". Reuters.
- ↑ https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/katie-ledecky-chops-2-seconds-off-1500-free-world-record-at-2015-fina-world-championships/
- ↑ "Current Speedskating World Records". Archived from the original on 2009-10-19.