1500 metres at the Olympics

Middle distance track event since 1896

1500 metres
at the Olympic Games

The 2012 Olympic women's 1500 m heats

Overview
Sport| Athletics
Gender| Men and women
Years held| Men: 1896–2024
Women: 1972–2024
Olympic record
Men| 3:27.65 Cole Hocker (2024)
Women| 3:51.29 Faith Kipyegon (2024)
Reigning champion
Men|  Cole Hocker (USA)
Women|  Faith Kipyegon (KEN)

The 1500 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the first edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 1500 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. The women's event was not introduced until over seventy years later, but it has been a permanent fixture since it was first held in 1972. The Olympics final and the World Athletics Championships final are the most prestigious 1500 m races at an elite level. The competition format comprises three rounds: a heats stage, semi-finals, then a final typically between twelve athletes.

The 1500 meters was one of four individual events documented exclusively by Olympic documentary filmmaker Bud Greenspan.[1]

The Olympic records for the event are 3:27.65 minutes for men, set by Cole Hocker in Paris in 2024, and 3:51.29 minutes for women, set by Faith Kipyegon in 2024. The 1500 metres world record has been broken several times at the Olympics: the men's record was beaten in 1900, 1936, and 1960, while the women's record was improved in 1972 (three times) and in 1980.[2]

Faith Kipyegon was the first athlete to win three times, with gold medals in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Two other athletes have defended the Olympic 1500 m title: Tatyana Kazankina became the first person to win two gold medals in the event in 1980 (repeating her 1976 win) and, soon after, Sebastian Coe became the first man to do so in 1980 and 1984. Historically, athletes in this event have also had success in the 800 metres at the Olympics. Kelly Holmes was the last athlete to win both events at the same Olympics in 2004. The 2012 1500m gold medalist Taoufik Makhloufi made both podiums without winning gold in 2016.

Kenya is the most successful nation in the event, having won seven gold medals. Great Britain has the next highest number of gold medals, with six. The United States is the only nation to have swept the medals in the event, having done so in St. Louis in 1904, albeit in a final between seven Americans and two foreigners.

## Medal summary

[edit]

### Men

[edit]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

edit

1896 Athens
details | Edwin Flack
Australia | Arthur Blake
United States | Albin Lermusiaux
France
1900 Paris
details | Charles Bennett
Great Britain | Henri Deloge
France | John Bray
United States
1904 St. Louis
details | Jim Lightbody
United States | Frank Verner
United States | Lacey Hearn
United States
1908 London
details | Mel Sheppard
United States | Harold Wilson
Great Britain | Norman Hallows
Great Britain
1912 Stockholm
details | Arnold Jackson
Great Britain | Abel Kiviat
United States | Norman Taber
United States
1920 Antwerp
details | Albert Hill
Great Britain | Philip Baker
Great Britain | Lawrence Shields
United States
1924 Paris
details | Paavo Nurmi
Finland | Willy Schärer
Switzerland | H. B. Stallard
Great Britain
1928 Amsterdam
details | Harri Larva
Finland | Jules Ladoumègue
France | Eino Purje
Finland
1932 Los Angeles
details | Luigi Beccali
Italy | Jerry Cornes
Great Britain | Phil Edwards
Canada
1936 Berlin
details | Jack Lovelock
New Zealand | Glenn Cunningham
United States | Luigi Beccali
Italy
1948 London
details | Henry Eriksson
Sweden | Lennart Strand
Sweden | Willem Slijkhuis
Netherlands
1952 Helsinki
details | Josy Barthel
Luxembourg | Bob McMillen
United States | Werner Lueg
Germany
1956 Melbourne
details | Ron Delany
Ireland | Klaus Richtzenhain
United Team of Germany | John Landy
Australia
1960 Rome
details | Herb Elliott
Australia | Michel Jazy
France | István Rózsavölgyi
Hungary
1964 Tokyo
details | Peter Snell
New Zealand | Josef Odložil
Czechoslovakia | John Davies
New Zealand
1968 Mexico City
details | Kipchoge Keino
Kenya | Jim Ryun
United States | Bodo Tümmler
West Germany
1972 Munich
details | Pekka Vasala
Finland | Kipchoge Keino
Kenya | Rod Dixon
New Zealand
1976 Montreal
details | John Walker
New Zealand | Ivo Van Damme
Belgium | Paul-Heinz Wellmann
West Germany
1980 Moscow
details | Sebastian Coe
Great Britain | Jürgen Straub
East Germany | Steve Ovett
Great Britain
1984 Los Angeles
details | Sebastian Coe
Great Britain | Steve Cram
Great Britain | José Manuel Abascal
Spain
1988 Seoul
details | Peter Rono
Kenya | Peter Elliott
Great Britain | Jens-Peter Herold
East Germany
1992 Barcelona
details | Fermín Cacho
Spain | Rachid El Basir
Morocco | Mohamed Suleiman
Qatar
1996 Atlanta
details | Noureddine Morceli
Algeria | Fermín Cacho
Spain | Stephen Kipkorir
Kenya
2000 Sydney
details | Noah Ngeny
Kenya | Hicham El Guerrouj
Morocco | Bernard Lagat
Kenya
2004 Athens
details | Hicham El Guerrouj
Morocco | Bernard Lagat
Kenya | Rui Silva
Portugal
2008 Beijing
details | Asbel Kiprop
Kenya | Nick Willis
New Zealand | Mehdi Baala
France
2012 London
details | Taoufik Makhloufi
Algeria | Leonel Manzano
United States | Abdalaati Iguider
Morocco
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details | Matthew Centrowitz Jr.
United States | Taoufik Makhloufi
Algeria | Nick Willis
New Zealand
2020 Tokyo
details | Jakob Ingebrigtsen
Norway | Timothy Cheruiyot
Kenya | Josh Kerr
Great Britain
2024 Paris
details | Cole Hocker
United States | Josh Kerr
Great Britain | Yared Nuguse
United States

#### Multiple medalists

[edit]

Rank  | Athlete  | Nation  | Olympics  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Sebastian Coe |  Great Britain (GBR) | 1980–1984 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2
2 | Kipchoge Keino |  Kenya (KEN) | 1968–1972 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
2 | Fermin Cacho |  Spain (ESP) | 1992–1996 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
2 | Hicham El Guerrouj |  Morocco (MAR) | 2000–2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
2 | Taoufik Makhloufi |  Algeria (ALG) | 2012–2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
6 | Luigi Beccali |  Italy (ITA) | 1932–1936 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
7 | Bernard Lagat |  Kenya (KEN) | 2000–2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
7 | Nick Willis |  New Zealand (NZL) | 2008-2016 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
7 | Josh Kerr |  Great Britain (GBR) | 2020-2024 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2

#### Medals by country

[edit]

Map of countries' best results - Men's 1500 metres Rank  | Nation  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|

1 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 5 | 6 | 4 | 15
2 |  United States (USA) | 4 | 7 | 5 | 16
3 |  Kenya (KEN) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9
4 |  New Zealand (NZL) | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7
5 |  Finland (FIN) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4
6 |  Algeria (ALG) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3
7 |  Australia (AUS) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3
8 |  Morocco (MAR) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4
9 |  Spain (ESP) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3
10 |  Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
11 |  Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
12= |  Ireland (IRL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
12= |  Luxembourg (LUX) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
12= |  Norway (NOR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
15 |  France (FRA) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5
16= |  East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
16= |  Germany (GER)[nb] | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
18= |  Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
18= |  Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
18= |  Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
21 |  West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2
22= |  Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
22= |  Hungary (HUN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
22= |  Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
22= |  Portugal (POR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
22= |  Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1

* nb The German total includes teams both competing as Germany and the United Team of Germany, but not East or West Germany.

### Women

[edit]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

edit

1972 Munich
details | Lyudmila Bragina
Soviet Union | Gunhild Hoffmeister
East Germany | Paola Pigni
Italy
1976 Montreal
details | Tatyana Kazankina
Soviet Union | Gunhild Hoffmeister
East Germany | Ulrike Klapezynski
East Germany
1980 Moscow
details | Tatyana Kazankina
Soviet Union | Christiane Wartenberg
East Germany | Nadezhda Olizarenko
Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles
details | Gabriella Dorio
Italy | Doina Melinte
Romania | Maricica Puică
Romania
1988 Seoul
details | Paula Ivan
Romania | Laimutė Baikauskaitė
Soviet Union | Tetyana Samolenko
Soviet Union
1992 Barcelona
details | Hassiba Boulmerka
Algeria | Lyudmila Rogachova
Unified Team | Qu Yunxia
China
1996 Atlanta
details | Svetlana Masterkova
Russia | Gabriela Szabo
Romania | Theresia Kiesl
Austria
2000 Sydney
details | Nouria Mérah-Benida
Algeria | Violeta Szekely
Romania | Gabriela Szabo
Romania
2004 Athens
details | Kelly Holmes
Great Britain | Tatyana Tomashova
Russia | Maria Cioncan
Romania
2008 Beijing
details | Nancy Langat
Kenya | Iryna Lishchynska
Ukraine | Nataliya Tobias
Ukraine
2012 London
details | Maryam Yusuf Jamal
Bahrain[3] | Abeba Aregawi
Ethiopia | Shannon Rowbury
United States
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details | Faith Kipyegon
Kenya | Genzebe Dibaba
Ethiopia | Jennifer Simpson
United States
2020 Tokyo
details | Faith Kipyegon
Kenya | Laura Muir
Great Britain | Sifan Hassan
Netherlands
2024 Paris
details | Faith Kipyegon
Kenya | Jessica Hull
Australia | Georgia Bell
Great Britain

#### Multiple medalists

[edit]

Rank  | Athlete  | Nation  | Olympics  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Faith Kipyegon |  Kenya (KEN) | 2016–2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3
2 | Tatyana Kazankina |  Soviet Union (URS) | 1976–1980 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2
3 | Gunhild Hoffmeister |  East Germany (GDR) | 1972–1976 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2
4 | Gabriela Szabo |  Romania (ROU) | 1996–2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2

#### Medalists by country

[edit]

Map of countries' best results - Women's 1500 metres Rank  | Nation  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total

|
|
|
|
|

1 |  Kenya (KEN) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4
2 |  Soviet Union (URS) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6
3 |  Algeria (ALG) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2
4 |  Romania (ROU) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7
6 |  Russia (RUS) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2
5 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3
7 |  Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2
8 |  East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4
9= |  Ethiopia (ETH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
9= |  Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
10 |  Bahrain (BRN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
11= |  Unified Team (EUN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
11= |  Australia (AUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
13= |  Austria (AUT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
13= |  China (CHN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
13= |  Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1
13= |  United States (USA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1

## Intercalated Games

[edit]

The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[4]

At this event a men's 1500 m was held and the reigning 800 metres and 1500 m champion from the 1904 Olympics, James Lightbody, was the winner. Two 1908 Olympic participants, Britain's John McGough and Sweden's Kristian Hellström were the silver and bronze medalists.[5]

Games  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

1906 Athens
details |  James Lightbody (USA) |  John McGough (GBR) |  Kristian Hellström (SWE)

## References

[edit]

Participation and athlete data

* Athletics Men's 1500 metres Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
* Athletics Women's 1500 metres Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.

Olympic record progressions

* Mallon, Bill (2012). TRACK & FIELD ATHLETICS - OLYMPIC RECORD PROGRESSIONS. Track and Field News. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.

Specific

1. ^ "Bud Greenspan Films". Archived from the original on 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
2. ^ "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 549. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
3. ^ On 17 August 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport says it approved a settlement agreed to by Turkish athlete Aslı Çakır Alptekin and the IAAF. Alptekin has agreed to forfeit her 1500 metres Olympic title and serve an eight-year ban for blood doping.12 On 29 March 2017, Turkish athlete Gamze Bulut was banned for doping and lost her Olympic silver medal. Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain was advanced to gold, the silver medal was awarded to Tatyana Tomashova of Russia, and the bronze medal was awarded to Abeba Aregawi of Ethiopia. Tomashova was earlier found guilty of doping and missed the 2008 Olympics because of that, and was banned after the Olympics for failing another drug test.3
4. ^ 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
5. ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's 1500 metres. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.

## External links

[edit]

* IAAF 1500 metres homepage
* Official Olympics website
* Olympic athletics records from Track & Field News

* v
* t
* e

1500 metres at the Olympic Games

Summary

Men|

* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Women|

* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

* v
* t
* e

Athletics at the Summer Olympics

Editions|

* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1906 (Intercalated)
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Events|

| Track|

* 100 m
* 200 m
* 400 m
* 800 m
* 1500 m
* 5000 m
* 10,000 m
* 4 × 100 m relay
* 4 × 400 m relay
* Sprint hurdles
* 400 m hurdles
* Steeplechase

|

Field|

* Shot put
* Discus throw
* Hammer throw
* Javelin throw
* Pole vault
* High jump
* Long jump
* Triple jump

Others|

* Combined events
* Marathon
* Race walking

Defunct|

* Cross country
* Team races
* 60 metres
* Weight throw
* Wheelchair racing
* Professional events
* Handicap events

* List of medalists
* men
* women
* Records
* Venues
* Medal sweeps

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