The men's 800 metres was middle-distance running event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics

1900 Summer Olympics

The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...

 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. It was held on July 14 and July 16, 1900. The races were held on a track of 500 metres in circumference. 18 athletes from seven nations competed.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.

World Record	1:53.4(*)	Charles Kilpatrick Charles Kilpatrick Charles Henry Kilpatrick was an American athlete. His best event was the 880 yard run, in which he became the national champion three times and established a long-lived world record time of 1:53.4.-Biography:...	New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	September 21, 1895
Olympic Record	2:10.0	Edwin Flack	Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...  (GRE Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... )	April 6, 1896 (NS Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter... )

(*) unofficial 880 yards (= 804.68 m)

In the first heat of the first round David Hall

David Hall (athlete)

David Connolly Hall was an American middle distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 800 metres track & field athletics race at the II Olympic Games in Paris in 1900. His time in the final is unknown...

set a new Olympic record with 1:59.0.

First round

In the first round, there were three heats. The top two runners in each advanced to the final.

First round, heat 1

Place	Athlete	Time
1		1:59.0 OR
2		(1:59.4)
3		(2:00.2)
4		Unknown
5		Unknown
6-7		Unknown
		Unknown

Hall's Olympic record time surprised most of those present, as Tysoe had been the favorite in the heat.

First round, heat 2

Place	Athlete	Time
1		2:00.6
2		(2:01.1)
3		(2:01.8)
4-6		Unknown
		Unknown
		Unknown

Deloge finished three yards in front of Spiedl, with the other runners trailing.

First round, heat 3

Place	Athlete	Time
1		2:03.0
2		(2:03.9)
3		(2:04.5)
4-5		Unknown
		Unknown

Cregan won the slowest of the three heats by six yards.

Final

Place	Athlete	Time
1		2:01.2
2		2:03.0
3		(2:03.8)
4		Unknown
5		Unknown
6		Unknown

Deloge led early, but was passed just before the final straight by Tysoe and Cregan. Hall, who had set an Olympic record in the heats, was just barely able to catch Deloge to finish third, but had no chance of passing the two leaders.

Sources

• International Olympic Committee.
• De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically at .