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1500 metres facts for kids

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Athletics
1500 metres
The three Olavis.jpg
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  Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 3:26.00 (1998)
Women  Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 3:49.11 (2023)
Short track world records
Men  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:30.60 (2022)
Women  Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) 3:53.09 (2021)
Olympic records
Men  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:28.32 (2021)
Women  Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 3:53.11 (2021)
World Championship records
Men  Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 3:27.65 (1999)
Women  Sifan Hassan (NED) 3:51.95 (2019)
World junior (U20) records
Men  Ronald Kwemoi (KEN) 3:28.81 (2014)
Women  Lang Yinglai (CHN) 3:51.34 (1997)

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 1516 miles. The event is closely associated with its slightly longer cousin, the mile race, from which it derives its nickname "the metric mile".

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.

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).

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 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. 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.

Strategy

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.

Continental records

  • Updated 16 September 2023.
Area Men Women
Time Athlete Nation Time Athlete Nation
Africa (records) 3:26.00 WR Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 3:49.11 WR Faith Kipyegon  Kenya
Asia (records) 3:29.14 Rashid Ramzi  Bahrain 3:50.46 Qu Yunxia  China
Europe (records) 3:27.14 Jakob Ingebrigtsen  Norway 3:51.95 Sifan Hassan  Netherlands
North, Central America
and Caribbean (records)
3:29.02 Yared Nuguse  United States 3:54.99 Shelby Houlihan  United States
Oceania (records) 3:29.41 Oliver Hoare  Australia 3:56.92 Linden Hall  Australia
South America (records) 3:33.25 Hudson de Souza  Brazil 4:05.67 Letitia Vriesde  Suriname

All-time top 25

Men (outdoor)

  • Updated 16 July 2023.
Ath.# Perf.# Time Athlete Nation Date Place
1 1 3:26.00 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 14 July 1998 Rome
2 3:26.12 El Guerrouj #2 24 August 2001 Brussels
2 3 3:26.34 Bernard Lagat  Kenya 24 August 2001 Brussels
4 3:26.45 El Guerrouj #3 12 August 1998 Zürich
3 5 3:26.69 Asbel Kiprop  Kenya 17 July 2015 Monaco
6 3:26.89 El Guerrouj #4 16 August 2002 Zürich
7 3:26.96 El Guerrouj #5 8 September 2002 Rieti
4 8 3:27.14 Jakob Ingebrigtsen  Norway 16 July 2023 Chorzów
9 3:27.21 El Guerrouj #6 11 August 2000 Zürich
10 3:27.34 El Guerrouj #7 19 July 2002 Monaco
5 11 3:27.37 Noureddine Morceli  Algeria 12 July 1995 Nice
12 3:27.40 Lagat #2 6 August 2004 Zürich
13 3:27.52 Morceli #2 25 July 1995 Monaco
14 3:27.64 El Guerrouj #8 6 August 2004 Zürich
6 14 3:27.64 Silas Kiplagat  Kenya 18 July 2014 Monaco
16 3:27.65 El Guerrouj #9 24 August 1999 Seville
17 3:27.72 Kiprop #2 19 July 2013 Monaco
18 3:27.91 Lagat #3 19 July 2002 Monaco
19 3:27.95 Ingebrigtsen #2 15 June 2023 Oslo
7 20 3:28.12 Noah Ngeny  Kenya 11 August 2000 Zürich
21 3:28.21+ El Guerrouj #10 7 July 1999 Rome
8 22 3:28.28 Timothy Cheruiyot  Kenya 9 July 2021 Monaco
23 3:28.32 Ingebrigtsen #3 7 August 2021 Tokyo
24 3:28.37 Morceli #3 9 September 1995 Monaco
El Guerrouj #11 8 August 1998 Monaco
9 3:28.75 Taoufik Makhloufi  Algeria 17 July 2015 Monaco
10 3:28.76 Mohamed Katir  Spain 9 July 2021 Monaco
11 3:28.79 Abdalaati Iguider  Morocco 17 July 2015 Monaco
12 3:28.80 Elijah Manangoi  Kenya 21 July 2017 Monaco
13 3:28.81 Mo Farah  Great Britain 19 July 2013 Monaco
Ronald Kwemoi  Kenya 18 July 2014 Monaco
15 3:28.95 Fermín Cacho  Spain 13 August 1997 Zürich
16 3:28.98 Mehdi Baala  France 5 September 2003 Brussels
17 3:29.02 Daniel Kipchirchir Komen  Kenya 14 July 2006 Rome
Yared Nuguse  United States 15 June 2023 Oslo
19 3:29.05 Josh Kerr  Great Britain 7 August 2021 Tokyo
20 3:29.11 Abel Kipsang  Kenya 16 July 2023 Chorzów
21 3:29.14 Rashid Ramzi  Bahrain 14 July 2006 Rome
22 3:29.18 Vénuste Niyongabo  Burundi 22 August 1997 Brussels
Mario García  Spain 15 June 2023 Oslo
24 3:29.23 Jake Wightman  Great Britain 19 July 2022 Eugene
25 3:29.26 Azeddine Habz  France 15 June 2023 Oslo

Women (outdoor)

  • Updated April 2024.
Ath.# Perf.# Time Athlete Nation Date Place
1 1 3:49.11 Faith Kipyegon  Kenya 2 June 2023 Florence
2 2 3:50.07 Genzebe Dibaba  Ethiopia 17 July 2015 Monaco
3 3 3:50.30 Gudaf Tsegay  Ethiopia 20 April 2024 Xiamen
4 3:50.37 Kipyegon #2 10 August 2022 Monaco
4 5 3:50.46 Qu Yunxia  China 11 September 1993 Beijing
6 3:50.72 Kipyegon #3 16 September 2023 Eugene
5 7 3:50.98 Jiang Bo  China 18 October 1997 Shanghai
8 3:51.07 Kipyegon #4 9 July 2021 Monaco
6 9 3:51.34 Lang Yinglai  China 18 October 1997 Shanghai
10 3:51.41+ Kipyegon #5 21 July 2023 Monaco
7 11 3:51.92 Wang Junxia  China 11 September 1993 Beijing
8 12 3:51.95 Sifan Hassan  Netherlands 5 October 2019 Doha
9 13 3:52.47 Tatyana Kazankina  Soviet Union 13 August 1980 Zürich
14 3:52.59 Kipyegon #6 28 May 2022 Eugene
15 3:52.96 Kipyegon #7 18 July 2022 Eugene
16 3:53.11 Kipyegon #8 6 August 2021 Tokyo
10 17 3:53.22 Birke Haylom  Ethiopia 20 April 2024 Xiamen
18 3:53.23 Kipyegon #9 21 August 2021 Eugene
19 3:53.60 Hassan #2 9 July 2021 Monaco
20 3:53.63 Hassan #3 10 June 2021 Florence
11 21 3:53.91 Yin Lili  China 18 October 1997 Shanghai
21 3:53.91 Kipyegon #10 10 June 2021 Florence
12 23 3:53.93 Diribe Welteji  Ethiopia 16 September 2023 Eugene
13 24 3:53.96 Paula Ivan  Romania 1 October 1988 Seoul
14 25 3:53.97 Lan Lixin  China 18 October 1997 Shanghai
15 3:54.23 Olga Dvirna  Soviet Union 27 July 1982 Kyiv
16 3:54.50 Laura Muir  Great Britain 6 August 2021 Tokyo
17 3:54.52 Zhang Ling  China 18 October 1997 Shanghai
18 3:54.87 Hirut Meshesha  Ethiopia 16 July 2023 Chorzów
19 3:54.99 Shelby Houlihan  United States 5 October 2019 Doha
20 3:55.07 Dong Yanmei  China 18 October 1997 Shanghai
21 3:55.30 Hassiba Boulmerka  Algeria 8 August 1992 Barcelona
22 3:55.33 Süreyya Ayhan  Turkey 5 September 2003 Brussels
23 3:55.68 Yuliya Chizhenko  Russia 8 July 2006 Saint-Denis
Freweyni Hailu  Ethiopia 16 September 2023 Eugene
25 3:55.87 Ciara Mageean  Ireland 8 September 2023 Brussels

Men (indoor)

  • Updated 11 February 2024.
Rank Time Athlete Nation Date Place Ref
1 3:30.60 Jakob Ingebrigtsen  Norway 17 February 2022 Liévin
2 3:31.04 Samuel Tefera  Ethiopia 16 February 2019 Birmingham
3 3:31.18 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 2 February 1997 Stuttgart
4 3:31.25+ Yomif Kejelcha  Ethiopia 3 March 2019 Boston
5 3:31.76 Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia 1 February 1998 Stuttgart
6 3:32.11 Laban Rotich  Kenya 1 February 1998 Stuttgart
7 3:32.35 Ollie Hoare  Australia 13 February 2021 New York City
8 3:32.48 Neil Gourley  Great Britain 25 February 2023 Birmingham
9 3:32.86+ Josh Kerr  Great Britain 27 February 2022 Boston
10 3:32.97 Selemon Barega  Ethiopia 17 February 2021 Toruń
11 3:33.08 Daniel Komen  Kenya 13 February 2005 Karlsruhe
12 3:33.10 Deresse Mekonnen  Ethiopia 20 February 2010 Birmingham
13 3:33.17 Vénuste Niyongabo  Burundi 22 February 1998 Liévin
14 3:33.22+ Yared Nuguse  United States 11 February 2023 New York City
15 3:33.23 Augustine Choge  Kenya 19 February 2011 Birmingham
16 3:33.28 Adel Mechaal  Spain 25 February 2023 Birmingham
17 3:33.32 Andrés Manuel Díaz  Spain 24 February 1999 Piraeus
18 3:33.34+ Bernard Lagat  Kenya 11 February 2005 Fayetteville
19 3:33.36 Abel Kipsang  Kenya 20 March 2022 Belgrade
20 3:33.49 Andrew Coscoran  Ireland 25 February 2023 Birmingham
21 3:33.59 Teddese Lemi  Ethiopia 20 March 2022 Belgrade
22 3:33.66 Hobbs Kessler  United States 4 February 2024 Boston
23 3:33.76+ Edward Cheserek  Kenya 9 February 2018 Boston
24 3:33.86+ George Mills  Great Britain 11 February 2024 New York City
25 3:33.96 Haron Keitany  Kenya 8 February 2009 Ghent

Women (indoor)

  • Updated 11 February 2024.
Rank Time Athlete Nation Date Place Ref
1 3:53.09 Gudaf Tsegay  Ethiopia 9 February 2021 Liévin
2 3:55.17 Genzebe Dibaba  Ethiopia 1 February 2014 Karlsruhe
3 3:55.28 Freweyni Hailu  Ethiopia 6 February 2024 Toruń
4 3:55.47 Diribe Welteji  Ethiopia 6 February 2024 Toruń
5 3:56.47 Hirut Meshesha  Ethiopia 6 February 2024 Toruń
6 3:57.91 Abeba Aregawi  Sweden 6 February 2014 Stockholm
7 3:58.28 Yelena Soboleva  Russia 18 February 2006 Moscow
8 3:58.43 Birke Haylom  Ethiopia 4 February 2024 Boston
9 3:58.79 Tigist Girma  Ethiopia 6 February 2024 Toruń
10 3:59.58 Laura Muir  Great Britain 9 February 2021 Liévin
11 3:59.75 Gelete Burka  Ethiopia 9 March 2008 Valencia
12 3:59.79 Maryam Yusuf Jamal  Bahrain 9 March 2008 Valencia
13 3:59.87+ Konstanze Klosterhalfen  Germany 8 February 2020 New York City
14 3:59.98 Regina Jacobs  United States 1 February 2003 Boston
15 4:00.20+ Elle Purrier  United States 8 February 2020 New York City
16 4:00.27+ Doina Melinte  Romania 9 February 1990 East Rutherford
17 4:00.28 Dawit Seyaum  Ethiopia 28 February 2016 Boston
18 4:00.46 Sifan Hassan  Netherlands 19 February 2015 Stockholm
19 4:00.52+ Jemma Reekie  Great Britain 8 February 2020 New York City
20 4:00.72 Natalya Gorelova  Russia 27 February 2003 Moscow
21 4:00.8h Mary Decker  United States 8 February 1980 New York City
4:00.80+ Gabriela DeBues-Stafford  Canada 8 February 2020 New York City
23 4:00.97 Habitam Alemu  Ethiopia 10 February 2024 Liévin
24 4:01.17 Beatrice Chepkoech  Kenya 6 February 2024 Toruń
25 4:01.19+ Jessica Hull  Australia 11 February 2024 New York City

U20 records and U18 world bests

  • Updated 16 July 2023.
Age group Men Women
Time Athlete Nation Time Athlete Nation
U20 (records) 3:28.81 Ronald Kwemoi  Kenya 3:51.34 Lang Yinglai  China
U18 (world bests) 3:33.26 Cameron Myers  Australia 3:54.52 Zhang Ling  China

Olympic medalists

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
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

Women

Games Gold Silver Bronze
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
Nadiya 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
Tatyana Tomashova
 Russia
Abeba Aregawi
 Ethiopia
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

World Championships medalists

Men

Championships Gold Silver Bronze
1983 Helsinki
details
 Steve Cram (GBR)  Steve Scott (USA)  Saïd Aouita (MAR)
1987 Rome
details
 Abdi Bile (SOM)  José Luis González (ESP)  Jim Spivey (USA)
1991 Tokyo
details
 Noureddine Morceli (ALG)  Wilfred Kirochi (KEN)  Hauke Fuhlbrügge (GER)
1993 Stuttgart
details
 Noureddine Morceli (ALG)  Fermín Cacho (ESP)  Abdi Bile (SOM)
1995 Gothenburg
details
 Noureddine Morceli (ALG)  Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)  Vénuste Niyongabo (BDI)
1997 Athens
details
 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)  Fermín Cacho (ESP)  Reyes Estévez (ESP)
1999 Seville
details
 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)  Noah Ngeny (KEN)  Reyes Estévez (ESP)
2001 Edmonton
details
 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)  Bernard Lagat (KEN)  Driss Maazouzi (FRA)
2003 Saint-Denis
details
 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)  Mehdi Baala (FRA)  Ivan Heshko (UKR)
2005 Helsinki
details
 Rashid Ramzi (BHR)  Adil Kaouch (MAR)  Rui Silva (POR)
2007 Osaka
details
 Bernard Lagat (USA)  Rashid Ramzi (BHR)  Shedrack Kibet Korir (KEN)
2009 Berlin
details
 Yusuf Saad Kamel (BHR)  Deresse Mekonnen (ETH)  Bernard Lagat (USA)
2011 Daegu
details
 Asbel Kiprop (KEN)  Silas Kiplagat (KEN)  Matthew Centrowitz (USA)
2013 Moscow
details
 Asbel Kiprop (KEN)  Matthew Centrowitz (USA)  Johan Cronje (RSA)
2015 Beijing
details
 Asbel Kiprop (KEN)  Elijah Manangoi (KEN)  Abdalaati Iguider (MAR)
2017 London
details
 Elijah Manangoi (KEN)  Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN)  Filip Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
2019 Doha
details
 Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN)  Taoufik Makhloufi (ALG)  Marcin Lewandowski (POL)
2022 Eugene
details
 Jake Wightman (GBR)  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)  Mohamed Katir (ESP)
2023 Budapest
details
 Josh Kerr (GBR)  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)  Narve Gilje Nordås (NOR)

Medalists by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Kenya (KEN) 5 6 1 12
2  Morocco (MAR) 4 2 2 8
3  Algeria (ALG) 3 1 0 4
4  Great Britain (GBR) 3 0 0 3
5  Bahrain (BHR) 2 1 0 3
6  United States (USA) 1 2 3 6
7  Somalia (SOM) 1 0 1 2
9  Spain (ESP) 0 3 3 6
10  Norway (NOR) 0 2 2 4
11  France (FRA) 0 1 1 2
12  Ethiopia (ETH) 0 1 0 1
13  Burundi (BDI) 0 0 1 1
 Germany (GER) 0 0 1 1
 Poland (POL) 0 0 1 1
 Portugal (POR) 0 0 1 1
 South Africa (RSA) 0 0 1 1
 Ukraine (UKR) 0 0 1 1

Women

Championships Gold Silver Bronze
1983 Helsinki
details
 Mary Decker (USA)  Zamira Zaytseva (URS)  Yekaterina Podkopayeva (URS)
1987 Rome
details
 Tetyana Samolenko (URS)  Hildegard Körner (GDR)  Doina Melinte (ROU)
1991 Tokyo
details
 Hassiba Boulmerka (ALG)  Tetyana Dorovskikh (URS)  Lyudmila Rogachova (URS)
1993 Stuttgart
details
 Liu Dong (CHN)  Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL)  Hassiba Boulmerka (ALG)
1995 Gothenburg
details
 Hassiba Boulmerka (ALG)  Kelly Holmes (GBR)  Carla Sacramento (POR)
1997 Athens
details
 Carla Sacramento (POR)  Regina Jacobs (USA)  Anita Weyermann (SUI)
1999 Seville
details
 Svetlana Masterkova (RUS)  Regina Jacobs (USA)  Kutre Dulecha (ETH)
2001 Edmonton
details
 Gabriela Szabo (ROU)  Violeta Szekely (ROU)  Natalya Gorelova (RUS)
2003 Saint-Denis
details
 Tatyana Tomashova (RUS)  Süreyya Ayhan (TUR)  Hayley Tullett (GBR)
2005 Helsinki
details
 Tatyana Tomashova (RUS)  Olga Yegorova (RUS)  Bouchra Ghezielle (FRA)
2007 Osaka
details
 Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)  Iryna Lishchynska (UKR)  Daniela Yordanova (BUL)
2009 Berlin
details
 Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)  Lisa Dobriskey (GBR)  Shannon Rowbury (USA)
2011 Daegu
details
 Jennifer Simpson (USA)  Hannah England (GBR)  Natalia Rodríguez (ESP)
2013 Moscow
details
 Abeba Aregawi (SWE)  Jennifer Simpson (USA)  Hellen Obiri (KEN)
2015 Beijing
details
 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)  Faith Kipyegon (KEN)  Sifan Hassan (NED)
2017 London
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 Faith Kipyegon (KEN)  Jennifer Simpson (USA)  Caster Semenya (RSA)
2019 Doha
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 Sifan Hassan (NED)  Faith Kipyegon (KEN)  Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)
2022 Eugene
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 Faith Kipyegon (KEN)  Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)  Laura Muir (GBR)
2023 Budapest
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 Faith Kipyegon (KEN)  Diribe Welteji (ETH)  Sifan Hassan (NED)

Medalists by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Kenya (KEN) 3 2 1 6
2  Russia (RUS) 3 1 1 5
3  United States (USA) 2 4 1 7
4  Algeria (ALG) 2 0 1 3
5  Bahrain (BHR) 2 0 0 2
7  Ethiopia (ETH) 1 2 2 5
 Soviet Union (URS) 1 2 2 5
9  Romania (ROU) 1 1 1 3
10  Netherlands (NED) 1 0 2 3
11  Portugal (POR) 1 0 1 2
12  China (CHN) 1 0 0 1
 Sweden (SWE) 1 0 0 1
14  Great Britain (GBR) 0 3 2 5
15  East Germany (GDR) 0 1 0 1
 Ireland (IRL) 0 1 0 1
 Ukraine (UKR) 0 1 0 1
 Turkey (TUR) 0 1 0 1
19  Bulgaria (BUL) 0 0 1 1
 France (FRA) 0 0 1 1
 Spain (ESP) 0 0 1 1
 Switzerland (SUI) 0 0 1 1

European Championships medalists

Men

Women

World Indoor Championships medalists

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1985 Paris  Michael Hillardt (AUS)  José Luis González (ESP)  Joseph Chesire (KEN)
1987 Indianapolis
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 Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)  José Manuel Abascal (ESP)  Han Kulker (NED)
1989 Budapest
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 Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)  Hauke Fuhlbrügge (GDR)  Jeff Atkinson (USA)
1991 Seville
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 Noureddine Morceli (ALG)  Fermín Cacho (ESP)  Mário Silva (POR)
1993 Toronto
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 Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)  David Strang (GBR)  Branko Zorko (CRO)
1995 Barcelona
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 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)  Mateo Cañellas (ESP)  Erik Nedeau (USA)
1997 Paris
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 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)  Rüdiger Stenzel (GER)  William Tanui (KEN)
1999 Maebashi
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 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH)  Laban Rotich (KEN)  Andrés Manuel Díaz (ESP)
2001 Lisbon
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 Rui Silva (POR)  Reyes Estévez (ESP)  Noah Ngeny (KEN)
2003 Birmingham
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 Driss Maazouzi (FRA)  Bernard Lagat (KEN)  Abdelkader Hachlaf (MAR)
2004 Budapest
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 Paul Korir (KEN)  Ivan Heshko (UKR)  Laban Rotich (KEN)
2006 Moscow
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 Ivan Heshko (UKR)  Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (KEN)  Elkanah Angwenyi (KEN)
2008 Valencia
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 Deresse Mekonnen (ETH)  Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (KEN)  Juan Carlos Higuero (ESP)
2010 Doha
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 Deresse Mekonnen (ETH)  Abdalaati Iguider (MAR)  Haron Keitany (KEN)
2012 Istanbul
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 Abdalaati Iguider (MAR)  İlham Tanui Özbilen (TUR)  Mekonnen Gebremedhin (ETH)
2014 Sopot
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 Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI)  Aman Wote (ETH)  Abdalaati Iguider (MAR)
2016 Portland
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 Matthew Centrowitz Jr. (USA)  Jakub Holuša (CZE)  Nick Willis (NZL)
2018 Birmingham
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 Samuel Tefera (ETH)  Marcin Lewandowski (POL)  Abdalaati Iguider (MAR)
2022 Belgrade
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 Samuel Tefera (ETH)  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)  Abel Kipsang (KEN)
2024 Glasgow
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 Geordie Beamish (NZL)  Cole Hocker (USA)  Hobbs Kessler (USA)

Women

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1985 Paris  Elly van Hulst (NED)  Fița Lovin (ROU)  Brit McRoberts (CAN)
1987 Indianapolis
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 Doina Melinte (ROU)  Tatyana Samolenko (URS)  Svetlana Kitova (URS)
1989 Budapest
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 Doina Melinte (ROU)  Svetlana Kitova (URS)  Yvonne Mai (GDR)
1991 Seville
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 Lyudmila Rogachova (URS)  Ivana Kubešová (TCH)  Tudorita Chidu (ROU)
1993 Toronto
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 Yekaterina Podkopayeva (RUS)  Violeta Beclea (ROU)  Sandra Gasser (SUI)
1995 Barcelona
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 Regina Jacobs (USA)  Carla Sacramento (POR)  Maite Zúñiga (ESP)
1997 Paris
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 Yekaterina Podkopayeva (RUS)  Patricia Djaté-Taillard (FRA)  Lidia Chojecka (POL)
1999 Maebashi
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 Gabriela Szabo (ROU)  Violeta Beclea-Szekely (ROU)  Lidia Chojecka (POL)
2001 Lisbon
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 Hasna Benhassi (MAR)  Violeta Beclea-Szekely (ROU)  Natalya Gorelova (RUS)
2003 Birmingham
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 Regina Jacobs (USA)  Kelly Holmes (GBR)  Yekaterina Rozenberg (RUS)
2004 Budapest
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 Kutre Dulecha (ETH)  Carmen Douma-Hussar (CAN)  Gulnara Galkina (RUS)
2006 Moscow
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 Yuliya Fomenko (RUS)  Yelena Soboleva (RUS)  Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)
2008 Valencia
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 Gelete Burka (ETH)  Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)  Daniela Yordanova (BUL)
2010 Doha
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 Kalkidan Gezahegne (ETH)  Natalia Rodríguez (ESP)  Gelete Burka (ETH)
2012 Istanbul
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 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)  Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (MAR)  Hind Dehiba (FRA)
2014 Sopot
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 Abeba Aregawi (SWE)  Axumawit Embaye (ETH)  Nicole Sifuentes (CAN)
2016 Portland
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 Sifan Hassan (NED)  Dawit Seyaum (ETH)  Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)
2018 Birmingham
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 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)  Laura Muir (GBR)  Sifan Hassan (NED)
2022 Belgrade
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 Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)  Axumawit Embaye (ETH)  Hirut Meshesha (ETH)
2024 Glasgow
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 Freweyni Hailu (ETH)  Nikki Hiltz (USA)  Emily Mackay (USA)
  • Known as the World Indoor Games

Season's bests

  • "i" indicates performance on 200m indoor track

Other sports

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) 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:

  • T51: 4:53.50 by Hélder Mestre
  • T52: 3:29.79 by Raymond Martin
  • T53 and T54: 2:51.84 by Brent Lakatos
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