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The 800m is one of the middle distance race events in the multi-disciplined athletics program at the Summer Olympics. While the men's 800m event has been part of the multi-sport event since 1896, the women's 800m event was introduced in 1928.
With the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching, let's look at the most successful female 800m runners at the Summer Olympics.
(Note: Ranking is based on gold medal count. If athletes have equal number of gold medals, the number of silver medals followed by bronze medals has been used as the deciding factor for the rankings)
(* - Total Medals won here refers to total medals won by the respective athlete only in the individual 800m Olympic event)
#4 - Maria Mutola (Mozambique)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 0, B - 1)
1996: Bronze, 2000: Gold
Maria Mutola won bronze at the 1996 Summer Olympics, clocking a time of 1min 58.71sec.
Four years later, she created history by winning the gold medal with a timing of 1:56.15. That marked Mozambique’s first ever gold at the Summer Olympics.
Mutola also reached the finals of the 800m at the 1992, 2004 and 2008 Games although she was not able to win a medal in those.
Post retirement, Mutola took on the role as coach of Caster Semenya during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
#3 - Kelly Holmes (Great Britain)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 0, B - 1)
2000: Bronze, 2004: Gold
Kelly Holmes won the 800m bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics, clocking a time of 1:56.80
At the age of 34, the British woman also went on to win the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Games with a timing of 1:56.38 in a photo-finish by five hundredths of a second.
Holmes then went on to win gold in Athens in the 1,500m event. With that, she became the oldest female athlete to win either the 800m or the 1,500m.
#2 - Pamela Jelimo (Kenya)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 0, B - 1)
2008: Gold, 2012: Bronze
Pamela Jelimo won gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics, clocking a time of 1:54.87.
Four years later, the Kenyan picked up a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games with a timing of 1:57.59.
#1 - Caster Semenya (South Africa)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 2, S - 0, B - 0)
2012: Gold, 2016: Gold
Caster Semenya won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, clocking a time of 1:57.23.
At the 2016 Rio Games, the South African won a second gold with a timing of 1:55.28.
Semenya is currently embroiled in a legal battle as she hopes to defend her title at the Tokyo Olympics.
Due to changes made in regulations, Semenya will need to undergo medical treatment to lower her naturally high testosterone levels if she wants to continue competing in women's sports.
The South African has taken her fight to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and it remains to be seen what the outcome of her legal battle will be.
(With inputs from the official Olympic website)
Also Read: Most Dominant Female Sprinters In the Summer Olympics
