Athletics 1500 metres | |
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Olavi Salsola, Olavi Salonen and Olavi Vuorisalo (The three Olavis) break the 1,500 m world record in 1957 in Turku, Finland. | |
World records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
Olympic records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
World Championship records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers or approximately 15⁄16 miles. The event is closely associated with its slightly longer cousin, the mile race, from which it derives its nickname "the metric mile".[1]
The demands of the race are similar to that of the 800 metres, but with a slightly higher emphasis on aerobic endurance and a slightly lower sprint speed requirement. The 1500 metre race is predominantly aerobic, but anaerobic conditioning is also required.[2]
Each lap run during the world-record race run by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1998 in Rome, Italy averaged just under 55 seconds (or under 13.8 seconds per 100 metres).[3]
1,500 metres is three and three-quarter laps around a 400-metre track. During the 1970s and 1980s this race was dominated by British runners, along with an occasional Finn, American, or New Zealander. Through the 1990s, many African runners began to win Olympic medals in this race, especially runners from Kenya, Ethiopia, and East Africa, as well as North African runners from Morocco and Algeria. In the 2020s, European runners began to emerge again in the men's event, with Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the youngest of a dynasty of Norwegian middle-distance runners, winning Olympic Gold in 2021, and Scottish and British runner Jake Wightman winning the World Championship title the following year at the head of an all-European podium. Faith Kipyegon of Kenya maintained Africa's grip on the global titles in the female event in the same time period, although here again, Europeans Sifan Hassan and Laura Muir, and Americans such as Jenny Simpson also contended for the podium.
In the Modern Olympic Games, the men's 1,500-metre race has been contested from the beginning, and at every Olympic Games since. The first winner, in 1896, was Edwin Flack of Australia, who also won the first gold medal in the 800-metre race. The women's 1,500-metre race was first added to the Summer Olympics in 1972, and the winner of the first gold medal was Lyudmila Bragina of the Soviet Union. During the Olympic Games of 1972 through 2008, the women's 1,500-metre race has been won by three Soviets plus one Russian, one Italian, one Romanian, one Briton, one Kenyan, and two Algerians. The 2012 Olympic results are still undecided as a result of multiple doping cases. The best women's times for the race were controversially[4] set by Chinese runners, all set in the same race on just two dates four years apart at the Chinese National Games. At least one of those top Chinese athletes has admitted to being part of a doping program.[5] This women's record was finally broken by Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia in 2015.
In American high schools, the 1,600-metre run, also colloquially referred to as "metric mile", is the designated official distance by the National Governing Body the NFHS. Because of the legacy, since US customary units are better-known in America, the mile run (which is 1609.344 metres in length) is more frequently run than the 1,500-metre run. For convenience, national rankings are standardized by converting all 1,500-metre run times to their mile run equivalents.[6]
Many 1500 metres events, particularly at the championship level, turn into slow, strategic races, with the pace quickening and competitors jockeying for position in the final lap to settle the race in a final sprint. Such is the difficulty of maintaining the pace throughout the duration of the event, most records are set in planned races led by pacemakers or "rabbits" who sacrifice their opportunity to win by leading the early laps at a fast pace before dropping out.
The person who wins the race is behind watching.
— Filbert Bayi, former world record holder[7]
Area | Men | Women | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time | Athlete | Nation | Time | Athlete | Nation | |
Africa (records) | 3:26.00 WR | Hicham El Guerrouj | ![]() |
3:50.07 WR | Genzebe Dibaba | ![]() |
Asia (records) | 3:29.14 | Rashid Ramzi | ![]() |
3:50.46 | Yunxia Qu | ![]() |
Europe (records) | 3:28.32 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | ![]() |
3:51.95 | Sifan Hassan | ![]() |
North, Central America and Caribbean (records) |
3:29.30 | Bernard Lagat | ![]() |
3:54.99 | Shelby Houlihan | ![]() |
Oceania (records) | 3:29.66 | Nick Willis | ![]() |
3:58.81 | Jessica Hull | ![]() |
South America (records) | 3:33.25 | Hudson de Souza | ![]() |
4:05.67 | Letitia Vriesde | ![]() |
See also: 1500 metres world record progression |
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 3:26.00 | Hicham El Guerrouj | ![]() |
14 JUL 1998 | Rome | |
2 | 3:26.12 | El Guerrouj #2 | 24 AUG 2001 | Brussels | |||
2 | 3 | 3:26.34 | Bernard Lagat | ![]() |
24 AUG 2001 | Brussels | |
4 | 3:26.45 | El Guerrouj #3 | 12 AUG 1998 | Zürich | |||
3 | 5 | 3:26.69 | Asbel Kiprop | ![]() |
17 JUL 2015 | Monaco | [11] |
6 | 3:26.89 | El Guerrouj #4 | 16 AUG 2002 | Zürich | |||
7 | 3:26.96 | El Guerrouj #5 | 08 SEP 2002 | Rieti | |||
8 | 3:27.21 | El Guerrouj #6 | 11 AUG 2000 | Zürich | |||
9 | 3:27.34 | El Guerrouj #7 | 19 JUL 2002 | Monaco | |||
4 | 10 | 3:27.37 | Noureddine Morceli | ![]() |
12 JUL 1995 | Nice | |
11 | 3:27.40 | Lagat #2 | 06 AUG 2004 | Zürich | |||
12 | 3:27.52 | Morceli #2 | 25 JUL 1995 | Monaco | |||
13 | 3:27.64 | El Guerrouj #8 | 6 AUG 2004 | Zürich | |||
5 | 13 | 3:27.64 | Silas Kiplagat | ![]() |
18 JUL 2014 | Monaco | [12] |
15 | 3:27.65 | El Guerrouj #9 | 24 AUG 1999 | Seville | |||
16 | 3:27.72 | Kiprop #2 | 19 JUL 2013 | Monaco | [13] | ||
17 | 3:27.91 | Lagat #3 | 19 JUL 2002 | Monaco | |||
6 | 18 | 3:28.12 | Noah Ngeny | ![]() |
11 AUG 2000 | Zürich | |
7 | 19 | 3:28.28 | Timothy Cheruiyot | ![]() |
09 JUL 2021 | Monaco | [14] |
8 | 20 | 3:28.32 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | ![]() |
07 AUG 2021 | Tokyo | [15] |
21 | 3:28.37 | Morceli #3 | 09 SEP 1995 | Monaco | |||
El Guerrouj #10 | 08 AUG 1998 | Monaco | |||||
23 | 3:28.38 | El Guerrouj #11 | 06 JUL 2001 | Saint-Denis | |||
24 | 3:28.40 | El Guerrouj #12 | 05 SEP 2003 | Brussels | |||
25 | 3:28.41 | Cheruiyot #2 | 20 JUL 2018 | Monaco | |||
9 | 3:28.75 | Taoufik Makhloufi | ![]() |
17 JUL 2015 | Monaco | [16] | |
10 | 3:28.76 | Mohamed Katir | ![]() |
09 JUL 2021 | Monaco | [17] | |
11 | 3:28.79 | Abdalaati Iguider | ![]() |
17 JUL 2015 | Monaco | ||
12 | 3:28.80 | Elijah Manangoi | ![]() |
21 JUL 2017 | Monaco | [18] | |
13 | 3:28.81 | Mo Farah | ![]() |
19 JUL 2013 | Monaco | [13] | |
Ronald Kwemoi | ![]() |
18 JUL 2014 | Monaco | [19] | |||
15 | 3:28.95 | Fermín Cacho | ![]() |
13 AUG 1997 | Zürich | ||
16 | 3:28.98 | Mehdi Baala | ![]() |
05 SEP 2003 | Brussels | ||
17 | 3:29.02 | Daniel Kipchirchir Komen | ![]() |
14 JUL 2006 | Rome | ||
18 | 3:29.05 | Josh Kerr | ![]() |
07 AUG 2021 | Tokyo | [20] | |
19 | 3:29.14 | Rashid Ramzi | ![]() |
14 JUL 2006 | Rome | ||
20 | 3:29.18 | Venuste Niyongabo | ![]() |
22 AUG 1997 | Brussels | ||
21 | 3:29.23 | Jake Wightman | ![]() |
19 JUL 2022 | Eugene | [21] | |
22 | 3:29.29 | William Chirchir | ![]() |
24 AUG 2001 | Brussels | ||
23 | 3:29.46 | Said Aouita | ![]() |
23 AUG 1985 | Berlin | ||
Daniel Komen | ![]() |
16 AUG 1997 | Monaco | ||||
25 | 3:29.47 | Augustine Choge | ![]() |
14 JUN 2009 | Berlin | [22] |
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 3:50.07 | Genzebe Dibaba | ![]() |
17 JUL 2015 | Monaco | [24] |
2 | 2 | 3:50.37 | Faith Kipyegon | ![]() |
10 AUG 2022 | Monaco | [25] |
3 | 3 | 3:50.46 | Yunxia Qu | ![]() |
11 SEP 1993 | Beijing | |
4 | 4 | 3:50.98 | Bo Jiang | ![]() |
18 OCT 1997 | Shanghai | |
5 | 3:51.07 | Kipyegon #2 | 09 JUL 2021 | Monaco | [26] | ||
5 | 6 | 3:51.34 | Yinglai Lang | ![]() |
18 OCT 1997 | Shanghai | |
6 | 7 | 3:51.92 | Junxia Wang | ![]() |
11 SEP 1993 | Beijing | |
7 | 8 | 3:51.95 | Sifan Hassan | ![]() |
05 OCT 2019 | Doha | [27] |
8 | 9 | 3:52.47 | Tatyana Kazankina | ![]() |
13 AUG 1980 | Zürich | |
10 | 3:52.59 | Kipyegon #3 | 28 MAY 2022 | Eugene | [28] | ||
11 | 3:52.96 | Kipyegon #4 | 18 JUL 2022 | Eugene | [29] | ||
12 | 3:53.11 | Kipyegon #5 | 06 AUG 2021 | Tokyo | [30] | ||
13 | 3.53.23 | Kipyegon #6 | 21 AUG 2021 | Eugene | [31] | ||
14 | 3:53.60 | Hassan #2 | 09 JUL 2021 | Monaco | [32] | ||
15 | 3:53.63 | Hassan #3 | 10 JUN 2021 | Florence | |||
9 | 16 | 3:53.91 | Lili Yin | ![]() |
18 OCT 1997 | Shanghai | |
17 | 3:53.91 | Kipyegon #7 | 10 JUN 2021 | Florence | |||
10 | 18 | 3:53.96 | Paula Ivan | ![]() |
01 OCT 1988 | Seoul | |
11 | 19 | 3:53.97 | Lixin Lan | ![]() |
18 OCT 1997 | Shanghai | |
12 | 20 | 3:54.01 | Gudaf Tsegay | ![]() |
20 JUN 2021 | Chorzów | |
21 | 3:54.11 | Dibaba #2 | 08 JUL 2015 | Barcelona | |||
22 | 3:54.21 | Tsegay #2 | 28 MAY 2022 | Eugene | [33] | ||
23 | 3:54.22 | Kipyegon #8 | 05 OCT 2019 | Doha | |||
13 | 24 | 3:54.23 | Olga Dvirna | ![]() |
27 JUL 1982 | Kyiv | |
25 | 3:54.38 | Tsegay #3 | 05 OCT 2019 | Doha | [34] | ||
14 | 3:54.50 | Laura Muir | ![]() |
06 AUG 2021 | Tokyo | [35] | |
15 | 3:54.52 | Zhang Ling | ![]() |
18 OCT 1997 | Shanghai | ||
16 | 3:54.99 | Shelby Houlihan | ![]() |
05 OCT 2019 | Doha | ||
17 | 3:55.07 | Yanmei Dong | ![]() |
18 OCT 1997 | Shanghai | ||
18 | 3:55.30 | Hassiba Boulmerka | ![]() |
08 AUG 1992 | Barcelona | ||
19 | 3:55.33 | Sureyya Ayhan | ![]() |
05 SEP 2003 | Brussels | ||
20 | 3:55.68 | Yuliya Fomenko | ![]() |
08 JUL 2006 | Saint-Denis | ||
21 | 3:56.12 | Gabriela DeBues-Stafford | ![]() |
05 OCT 2019 | Doha | [34] | |
22 | 3:56.14 | Zamira Zaitseva | ![]() |
27 JUL 1982 | Kyiv | ||
23 | 3:56.18 | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | ![]() |
27 AUG 2006 | Rieti | ||
24 | 3:56.28 | Freweyni Hailu | ![]() |
09 JUL 2021 | Monaco | [36] | |
25 | 3:56.29 | Shannon Rowbury | ![]() |
17 JUL 2015 | Monaco |
Main article: 1500 metres at the Olympics |
Main article: 1500 metres at the World Championships in Athletics |
Main article: List of European Athletics Championships medalists (men) § 1500 meters |
Main article: List of European Athletics Championships medalists (women) § 1500 meters |
1,500 metres is also an event in swimming, speed skating, and wheelchair racing. The world records for the distance in swimming for men are 14:31.02 (swum in a 50-metre pool) by Sun Yang, 14:08.06 (swum in a 25-metre pool) by Gregorio Paltrinieri; and by women 15:25.48 (swum in a 50-metre pool)[38] by Katie Ledecky, and 15:19.71 (swum in a 25-metre pool) by Mireia Belmonte García.
The world records for the distance in speed skating are 1:40.17 by Kjeld Nuis and 1:49.83 by Miho Takagi.
The records for wheelchair racing vary by disability classification: