The women's 800m is now one of track and field's most anticipated events, a stark contrast to its controversial history. The event was removed from the Olympic program for 32 years after false reports claimed competitors suffered extreme exhaustion following the 1928 race.
The women's 800m debuted at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, one of five women's track and field events added that year alongside the 100m, high jump, discus and 400m hurdles. German athlete Karoline Radke won the first Olympic gold medal in the event.
The International Olympic Committee removed the 800m from subsequent Olympics, citing unfounded claims that women were too delicate to compete over the two-lap distance. Radke remained the only Olympic champion in the event for more than three decades.
The 800m returned to the Olympic program in 1960. Four years later, at the 1964 Tokyo Games, British runner Ann Brightwell won gold with a world record of two minutes 01.1 seconds, becoming the first British woman to win an Olympic track medal.
Brightwell, then 22, said she did not immediately understand the significance of her achievement. "I didn't give it a thought at the time," she said. "But now I realise I played a very small part in women running longer distances."
She recalled the resistance women faced in distance running. "Men weren't happy about women competing in these very high profile events," Brightwell said. "We were considered too frail and too delicate." She added that opponents "took it upon themselves to make it look really bad. They were saying women were collapsing on the way round. But it was all a lie."
During her era, female athletes struggled to balance careers and sports. Many "either had to take unpaid leave or resign, or they got sacked because they were trying to juggle their sports with their career," Brightwell said. She was fortunate her school supported her athletic pursuits.
Today, the women's 800m regularly receives headline status at major competitions. The rivalry between Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson of Britain and European champion Audrey Werro of Switzerland has recently drawn fan interest.
The 800m's reintroduction in 1960 opened the door for expansion of women's long-distance running in the Olympics. The women's 1500m was added in 1972, followed by the women's marathon in 1984.
