Paris Olympics preview: 800m

Men's 800m

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• Djamel Sedjati is undefeated and has produced two of the 10 fastest times in history in the past month
• World champion Marco Arop quietly confident heading into the Games
• Gabriel Tual could be the host nation’s best hope of a gold medal

Across the course of two races within a five-day span in July, the men’s 800m came alive. And it’s only set to get even more thrilling once the Games get under way.

At the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris, no less, Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati came out on top in an epic battle that resulted in three men finishing inside 1:42. Sedjati won in 1:41.56, just 0.02 ahead of Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi with European champion Gabriel Tual of France just a whisker behind in third, 1:41.61.

It was the first time in history that six men had bettered 1:43 in one race.

But in Monaco just five days later, it happened again.

Sedjati showed that his run in the French capital was no fluke, maintaining his 2024 winning streak to win in a world-leading 1:41.46, consolidating his place at third on the world all-time list. This time, his winning margin was much bigger. Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui took second place in a national record of 1:42.04, finishing 0.06 ahead of Tual.

Wanyonyi, who had won all of his races before the Paris Diamond League, had previously won the Kenyan Trials in 1:41.70. It means that both he and Sedjati head to the Olympics with two sub-1:42 clockings to their name and within touching distance of David Rudisha’s 1:40.91 world record.

But championship 800m racing isn’t all about times. In fact, from 2000 onwards, only two Olympic gold medals (2012 and 2016, both Rudisha) have been earned with sub-1:44 times. And in Tokyo three years ago, the winning time was 1:45.06.

Sedjati, however, can produce a devastating kick finish off the back of a slow pace, which makes him a danger in any racing scenario.

Tual, meanwhile, will have the support of thousands of French fans in the Stade de France, which could provide just enough motivation to carry him to victory.

Wanyonyi, who turns 20 on the first day of athletics at the Olympics, may be one of the youngest in the field, but he is also one of the most consistent 800m runners in the world.

Marco Arop came of age in Budapest last year to win the world title. He followed it with a Canadian record of 1:42.85 at the Diamond League Final in Eugene, then won his first four races of 2024. He finished sixth in Monaco, but was still content with his clocking of 1:42.93. If he’s able to dictate the race in Paris in the same way he did the World Championships final last year, he’ll be tough to beat.

Attaoui, another with a strong kick finish, will also have high hopes after finishing second to Sedjati in Monaco and second to Tual at the European Championships.

World indoor champion Bryce Hoppel has won 10 of his 11 races this year, including heats. He wasn’t part of the super speedy races in Paris or Monaco, but he won the US title in a PB of 1:42.77 in a race with no pacemakers. His only loss this year was in Stockholm, where he finished a second behind Sedjati, 1:43.23 to 1:44.29.

Ben Pattison, the surprise world bronze medallist last year, has built on his 2023 form this season. He finished fifth in Monaco – one place ahead of Arop – to set a PB of 1:42.27, showing that he’s rounding into form at the right time.

British teammate Jake Wightman, the 2022 world 1500m champion, has been selected in this discipline for the Games. Although it’s his secondary event, he’ll want to make the most of the opportunity and is often a danger in a championship setting.

Belgium’s Eliott Crestan and Sweden’s world indoor silver medallist Andreas Kramer have set national records of 1:42.43 and 1:43.13 respectively this past month and could also be a factor in the final.

 

Women's 800m

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• World leader Keely Hodgkinson is undefeated this year and targeting first global gold after three silvers
• World champion Mary Moraa has raced sparingly but is always a danger in championships
• World indoor champion Tsige Duguma hasn’t raced since late May but could spring another surprise

In recent years, the women’s 800m has been all about the big three: Olympic champion Athing Mu, world champion Mary Moraa and European champion Keely Hodgkinson.

Everything looked set for another thrilling showdown between the trio in Paris – that was until Mu fell at the US Trials and missed out on Olympic selection, meaning she won’t defend her title in Paris.

Moraa, who won the world title in Budapest last year, has raced just twice outside of Kenya this year. She won in Doha (1:57.91) and then finished second behind Hodgkinson in Eugene two weeks later. Her only 800m race since then was a runner-up finish at the Kenyan Trials in mid-June.

Hodgkinson, meanwhile, has been in sensational form. She started her season with a 1:55.78 win in Eugene, then she retained her European title in Rome. A few weeks later, she won by more than a second at the FBK Games in Hengelo, then in her final race before heading to Paris she smashed her own British record with a 1:54.61 victory at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London, moving her to sixth on the world all-time list.

The 22-year-old’s confidence and motivation – having taken silver at the past three global championships – have never been higher.

Teammate Jemma Reekie was second in that London race in a PB of 1:55.61, putting her second on this year’s world list. The world indoor silver medallist was fourth in Tokyo three years ago and will be keen to make it on to the podium this time.

The British team is completed by 17-year-old Phoebe Gill, who beat Reekie to the national title and set a PB of 1:57.86 earlier this year.

South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso has shown herself to be a smart racer this season, winning all of her races between March and May, topped by a PB of 1:57.26 to win in Marrakech. Her only loss came at the hands of Hodgkinson in Hengelo.

Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma produced one of the biggest surprises of the World Indoor Championships to take gold. She backed it up a few weeks later with gold at the African Games, then set a PB of 1:57.56 at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Los Angeles. Since then, however, she was eighth in Eugene and seventh in Oslo, and hasn’t raced since the end of May.

Halimah Nakaayi has displayed her best form since 2019, the year in which she won the world title. She set a Ugandan record of 1:57.56 to beat Duguma in Los Angeles, then reduced that to 1:57.26 to finish sixth in London.

Natoya Goule is no stranger to a global championships final. The Jamaican clocked a season’s best of 1:56.83 in London to show she’s coming into form at the right time.

The same is true of three-time European silver medallist Renelle Lamote. The 30-year-old was just fourth at the French Championships, but rebounded with a PB of 1:57.06 in London.

In the absence of Mu, the US team will be led by world finalist Nia Akins, who set a PB of 1:57.36 to win the US Trials. The Olympics will be her first race outside the US this year. She’s joined in the US squad by Allie Wilson and Juliette Whittaker.

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics