Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics

With the Americans leading a boycott supported by about 60 nations, many of the track & field athletics competitions in Moskva were devalued. Notably the sprints and hurdles, among both the men and women, were missing many of the world’s top athletes. But there were some outstanding performances in Moskva, and Track & Field News noted that it “was still an outstanding meet.” There were numerous complaints, however, about the officiating, noting a number of fouls being called against leading non-Soviets in the triple jump, the measurement of a flat throw in the javelin by eventual champion Dainis Kūla , and the mismarking of several important throws in the discus. The leading athlete was likely Ethiopian Miruts Yifter , who won the 5K/10K double, after having been denied his chance in Montréal. The men’s 800 and 1,500 metres were noteworthy for the competition between British middle-distance runners Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe , and they split the gold medals. Overall there were three world records set by the men (high jump, pole vault, and hammer throw), and five by the women (800, 4x100, and three in the pentathlon).