| | Event type

800 metres, Women

Date	23 – 26 July 1976
Status	Olympic
Location	Stade olympique, Parc olympique, Montréal, Québec
Participants	35 from 20 countries

By the time of the 1976 Olympics, Soviet 800 runners led the world. In June Valentina Gerasimova broke the world record with 1:56.0, but in Montréal she would not get out of the semi-finals. The final was opened by Anita Weiß (GDR) taking the lead, but she was passed just before the bell by several runners. The pace was very fast with 400 passed in 55.05. At 600 metres, Tatyana Kazankina was in sixth place but moved outside and started passing runners. Leading into the homestretch, she switched gears and won easily in a world record 1:54.94. The first four runners also surpassed Gerasimova’s world record in the fastest women’s 800 race ever run to that date. Four days later Kazankina returned to add the 1,500 and win the 800/1,500 double.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	340	Tatyana Kazankina	URS	2:00.15 (1 h5)	1:57.49 (2 h1)	1:54.94 (1)	Gold	WR
2	45	Nikolina Shtereva	BUL	2:01.02 (2 h2)	1:57.35 (2 h2)	1:55.42 (2)	Silver
3	168	Elfi Zinn	GDR	2:01.54 (1 h4)	1:57.56 (3 h2)	1:55.60 (3)	Bronze
4	166	Anita Weiß	GDR	2:00.48 (1 h2)	1:56.53 (1 h1)	1:55.74 (4)
5	352	Svetlana Styrkina	URS	2:00.12 (1 h1)	1:57.28 (1 h2)	1:56.44 (5)
6	56	Svetla Zlateva	BUL	1:59.24 (1 h3)	1:57.93 (3 h1)	1:57.21 (6)
7	143	Doris Gluth	GDR	2:00.70 (3 h1)	1:59.32 (4 h1)	1:58.99 (7)
8	297	Mariana Suman	ROU	2:00.00 (4 h3)	2:00.01 (4 h2)	2:02.21 (8)
5 h1 r2/3	7	Judy Pollock	AUS	2:00.66 (2 h1)	1:59.93 (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r2/3	8	Charlene Rendina	AUS	2:01.76 (2 h4)	2:00.29 (5 h2)	–
6 h1 r2/3	294	Ileana Silai	ROU	2:02.82 (3 h4)	2:02.22 (6 h1)	–
6 h2 r2/3	336	Valentina Gerasimova	URS	1:59.68 (2 h3)	2:01.00 (6 h2)	–
7 h1 r2/3	373	Wendy Koenig-Knudson	USA	1:59.91 (3 h3)	2:02.31 (7 h1)	–
7 h2 r2/3	53	Lilyana Todorova	BUL	2:00.54 (2 h5)	2:01.97 (7 h2)	–
8 h1 r2/3	220	Gabriella Dorio	ITA	2:01.63 (3 h2)	2:02.46 (8 h1)	–
8 h2 r2/3	370	Madeline Manning-Jackson	USA	2:00.62 (3 h5)	2:07.25 (8 h2)	–
4 h1 r1/3	30	Rita Thijs	BEL	2:04.39 (4 h1)	–	–
4 h2 r1/3	311	Jozefína Čerchlanová	TCH	2:02.36 (4 h2)	–	–
4 h4 r1/3	114	Angela Creamer	GBR	2:03.48 (4 h4)	–	–
4 h5 r1/3	70	Yvonne Saunders	CAN	2:03.54 (4 h5)	–	–
5 h1 r1/3	63	Abby Hoffman	CAN	2:05.32 (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r1/3	387	Kathy Weston	USA	2:03.31 (5 h2)	–	–
5 h3 r1/3	109	Liz Barnes	GBR	2:01.70 (5 h3)	–	–
5 h4 r1/3	202	Magdolna Lázár	HUN	2:04.05 (5 h4)	–	–
5 h5 r1/3	31	Anne-Marie Van Nuffel	BEL	2:04.09 (5 h5)	–	–
6 h1 r1/3	90	Carmen Valero	ESP	2:06.14 (6 h1)	–	–
6 h2 r1/3	73	Joan Wenzel	CAN	2:03.62 (6 h2)	–	–
6 h3 r1/3	79	Céléstine N'Drin	CIV	2:04.54 (6 h3)	–	–
6 h4 r1/3	281	Ileana Hocking	PUR	2:08.46 (6 h4)	–	–
6 h5 r1/3	121	Chris McMeekin	GBR	2:04.54 (6 h5)	–	–
7 h1 r1/3	212	Lilja Guðmundsdóttir	ISL	2:07.26 (7 h1)	–	–
7 h3 r1/3	249	Maria Ritter	LIE	2:14.39 (7 h3)	–	–
7 h4 r1/3	302	Ndew Niang	SEN	2:09.32 (7 h4)	–	–
7 h5 r1/3	255	Anne Garrett	NZL	2:05.78 (7 h5)	–	–
AC h2 r1/3	303	Chee Swee Lee	SGP	– (DNF h2)	–	–
DNS	95	Nina Holmén	FIN	– (DNS h4)	–	–

Round One

Date	23 July 1976 — 16:50
Format	Top three in each heat and next fastest advanced to the semi-finals.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)
1	56	Svetla Zlateva	BUL	1:59.24	Q
2	336	Valentina Gerasimova	URS	1:59.68	Q
3	373	Wendy Koenig-Knudson	USA	1:59.91	Q
4	297	Mariana Suman	ROU	2:00.00	q
5	352	Svetlana Styrkina	URS	2:00.12	Q
6	340	Tatyana Kazankina	URS	2:00.15	Q
7	166	Anita Weiß	GDR	2:00.48	Q
8	53	Lilyana Todorova	BUL	2:00.54	Q
9	370	Madeline Manning-Jackson	USA	2:00.62	Q
10	7	Judy Pollock	AUS	2:00.66	Q
11	143	Doris Gluth	GDR	2:00.70	Q
12	45	Nikolina Shtereva	BUL	2:01.02	Q
13	168	Elfi Zinn	GDR	2:01.54	Q
14	220	Gabriella Dorio	ITA	2:01.63	Q
15	109	Liz Barnes	GBR	2:01.70
16	8	Charlene Rendina	AUS	2:01.76	Q
17	311	Jozefína Čerchlanová	TCH	2:02.36
18	294	Ileana Silai	ROU	2:02.82	Q
19	387	Kathy Weston	USA	2:03.31
20	114	Angela Creamer	GBR	2:03.48
21	70	Yvonne Saunders	CAN	2:03.54
22	73	Joan Wenzel	CAN	2:03.62
23	202	Magdolna Lázár	HUN	2:04.05
24	31	Anne-Marie Van Nuffel	BEL	2:04.09
25	30	Rita Thijs	BEL	2:04.39
=26	79	Céléstine N'Drin	CIV	2:04.54
=26	121	Chris McMeekin	GBR	2:04.54
28	63	Abby Hoffman	CAN	2:05.32
29	255	Anne Garrett	NZL	2:05.78
30	90	Carmen Valero	ESP	2:06.14
31	212	Lilja Guðmundsdóttir	ISL	2:07.26
32	281	Ileana Hocking	PUR	2:08.46
33	302	Ndew Niang	SEN	2:09.32
34	249	Maria Ritter	LIE	2:14.39
DNF	303	Chee Swee Lee	SGP	–
DNS	95	Nina Holmén	FIN	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	352	Svetlana Styrkina	URS	2:00.12	Q
2	7	Judy Pollock	AUS	2:00.66	Q
3	143	Doris Gluth	GDR	2:00.70	Q
4	30	Rita Thijs	BEL	2:04.39
5	63	Abby Hoffman	CAN	2:05.32
6	90	Carmen Valero	ESP	2:06.14
7	212	Lilja Guðmundsdóttir	ISL	2:07.26

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	–		57.43

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	166	Anita Weiß	GDR	2:00.48	Q
2	45	Nikolina Shtereva	BUL	2:01.02	Q
3	220	Gabriella Dorio	ITA	2:01.63	Q
4	311	Jozefína Čerchlanová	TCH	2:02.36
5	387	Kathy Weston	USA	2:03.31
6	73	Joan Wenzel	CAN	2:03.62
DNF	303	Chee Swee Lee	SGP	–

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	–		57.74

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	56	Svetla Zlateva	BUL	1:59.24	Q
2	336	Valentina Gerasimova	URS	1:59.68	Q
3	373	Wendy Koenig-Knudson	USA	1:59.91	Q
4	297	Mariana Suman	ROU	2:00.00	q
5	109	Liz Barnes	GBR	2:01.70
6	79	Céléstine N'Drin	CIV	2:04.54
7	249	Maria Ritter	LIE	2:14.39

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	–		57.29

Heat #4

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	168	Elfi Zinn	GDR	2:01.54	Q
2	8	Charlene Rendina	AUS	2:01.76	Q
3	294	Ileana Silai	ROU	2:02.82	Q
4	114	Angela Creamer	GBR	2:03.48
5	202	Magdolna Lázár	HUN	2:04.05
6	281	Ileana Hocking	PUR	2:08.46
7	302	Ndew Niang	SEN	2:09.32
DNS	95	Nina Holmén	FIN	–

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	–		58.57

Heat #5

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	340	Tatyana Kazankina	URS	2:00.15	Q
2	53	Lilyana Todorova	BUL	2:00.54	Q
3	370	Madeline Manning-Jackson	USA	2:00.62	Q
4	70	Yvonne Saunders	CAN	2:03.54
5	31	Anne-Marie Van Nuffel	BEL	2:04.09
6	121	Chris McMeekin	GBR	2:04.54
7	255	Anne Garrett	NZL	2:05.78

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	–		59.58

Semi-Finals

Date	24 July 1976 — 15:50
Format	Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)
1	166	Anita Weiß	GDR	1:56.53	QOR
2	352	Svetlana Styrkina	URS	1:57.28	Q
3	45	Nikolina Shtereva	BUL	1:57.35	Q
4	340	Tatyana Kazankina	URS	1:57.49	Q
5	168	Elfi Zinn	GDR	1:57.56	Q
6	56	Svetla Zlateva	BUL	1:57.93	Q
7	143	Doris Gluth	GDR	1:59.32	Q
8	7	Judy Pollock	AUS	1:59.93
9	297	Mariana Suman	ROU	2:00.01	Q
10	8	Charlene Rendina	AUS	2:00.29
11	336	Valentina Gerasimova	URS	2:01.00
12	53	Lilyana Todorova	BUL	2:01.97
13	294	Ileana Silai	ROU	2:02.22
14	373	Wendy Koenig-Knudson	USA	2:02.31
15	220	Gabriella Dorio	ITA	2:02.46
16	370	Madeline Manning-Jackson	USA	2:07.25

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	166	Anita Weiß	GDR	1:56.53	QOR
2	340	Tatyana Kazankina	URS	1:57.49	Q
3	56	Svetla Zlateva	BUL	1:57.93	Q
4	143	Doris Gluth	GDR	1:59.32	Q
5	7	Judy Pollock	AUS	1:59.93
6	294	Ileana Silai	ROU	2:02.22
7	373	Wendy Koenig-Knudson	USA	2:02.31
8	220	Gabriella Dorio	ITA	2:02.46

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	–		54.44

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	352	Svetlana Styrkina	URS	1:57.28	Q
2	45	Nikolina Shtereva	BUL	1:57.35	Q
3	168	Elfi Zinn	GDR	1:57.56	Q
4	297	Mariana Suman	ROU	2:00.01	Q
5	8	Charlene Rendina	AUS	2:00.29
6	336	Valentina Gerasimova	URS	2:01.00
7	53	Lilyana Todorova	BUL	2:01.97
8	370	Madeline Manning-Jackson	USA	2:07.25

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	–		55.86

Final Round

Date	26 July 1976 — 18:20

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Automatic)
1	340	Tatyana Kazankina	URS	1:54.94	WR
2	45	Nikolina Shtereva	BUL	1:55.42
3	168	Elfi Zinn	GDR	1:55.60
4	166	Anita Weiß	GDR	1:55.74
5	352	Svetlana Styrkina	URS	1:56.44
6	56	Svetla Zlateva	BUL	1:57.21
7	143	Doris Gluth	GDR	1:58.99
8	297	Mariana Suman	ROU	2:02.21

Split Times

Time	Athlete(s)	NOC	Result	Notes
400 m	Svetlana Styrkina		55.05