| | Event type
800 metres, Men
| Date | 14 – 16 October 1964 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Kokuritsu Kyogijo, Shinjuku, Tokyo |
| Participants | 47 from 32 countries |
Peter Snell was the defending champion and was back, hoping to double in the 800/1,500. Since his upset victory in Roma, he had broken the 800 world record with 1:44.3 in Christchurch in 1962. Before Tokyo he had also claimed the world mile record. In the Tokyo final, the first lap was led by Kenyan Wilson Kiprugut in 52.0. Snell was boxed at the bell, but moved out into lane three on the backstretch and blew by everybody. On the final curve, Jamaican George Kerr stayed close but could not never gain on Snell. At the start of the homestretch Canada’s Bill Crothers pulled ahead of Kerr and would win the silver medal, Kiprugut getting bronze. Kiprugut became the first Kenyan runner to win an Olympic medal.Snell defended his 800 metres title, following in the footsteps of Douglas Lowe (1924-28) and Mal Whitfield (1948-52). A few days later he would add the 1,500, also achieving the 800/1,500 double.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 466 | Peter Snell |  NZL | 1:49.0 (1 h4) | 1:46.9 (1 h1) | 1:45.1 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 57 | Bill Crothers |  CAN | 1:49.3 (1 h6) | 1:47.3 (1 h3) | 1:45.6 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 386 | Wilson Kiprugut |  KEN | 1:47.8 (1 h1) | 1:46.1 (2 h2) | 1:45.9 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 375 | George Kerr |  JAM | 1:48.9 (2 h5) | 1:46.1 (1 h2) | 1:45.9 (4) | |||
| 5 | 711 | Tom Farrell |  USA | 1:48.6 (2 h1) | 1:47.8 (2 h3) | 1:46.6 (5) | |||
| 6 | 713 | Jerry Siebert | USA | 1:49.2 (2 h4) | 1:47.0 (2 h1) | 1:47.0 (6) | |||
| 7 | 203 | Dieter Bogatzki |  GER | 1:50.3 (1 h2) | 1:46.9 (3 h2) | 1:47.2 (7) | |||
| 8 | 35 | Jacques Pennewaert |  BEL | 1:49.2 (3 h4) | 1:47.0 (3 h1) | 1:50.5 (8) | |||
| 3 h3 r2/3 | 204 | Manfred Kinder | GER | 1:49.5 (1 h3) | 1:47.9 (3 h3) | – | |||
| 4 h1 r2/3 | 202 | Manfred Matuschewski | GER | 1:50.0 (4 h5) | 1:47.3 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r2/3 | 158 | John Boulter |  GBR | 1:48.9 (1 h5) | 1:47.1 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 4 h3 r2/3 | 156 | Chris Carter | GBR | 1:51.0 (3 h2) | 1:49.1 (4 h3) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | 646 | Valery Bulyshev |  URS | 1:48.6 (3 h1) | 1:47.5 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | 27 | Rudolf Klaban |  AUT | 1:49.9 (4 h6) | 1:47.4 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h3 r2/3 | 648 | Rein Tölp | URS | 1:50.0 (4 h3) | 1:49.1 (5 h3) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | 790 | Mamoru Morimoto |  JPN | 1:49.9 (3 h6) | 1:47.7 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | 647 | Abram Kryvosheiev | URS | 1:49.5 (4 h4) | 1:47.5 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h3 r2/3 | 70 | Ahmed Issa |  CHA | 1:49.7 (2 h3) | 1:49.4 (6 h3) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | 122 | Maurice Lurot |  FRA | 1:49.8 (2 h6) | 1:49.7 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 7 h2 r2/3 | 322 | Derek McCleane |  IRL | 1:49.9 (3 h3) | 1:48.4 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 7 h3 r2/3 | 10 | Tony Blue |  AUS | 1:49.7 (3 h5) | 1:49.6 (7 h3) | – | |||
| 8 h1 r2/3 | 562 | Stig Lindbäck |  SWE | 1:50.8 (2 h2) | 1:49.8 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 8 h2 r2/3 | 101 | Pekka Juutilainen |  FIN | 1:51.0 (4 h2) | 1:50.3 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 8 h3 r2/3 | 36 | Jos Lambrechts | BEL | 1:48.9 (4 h1) | 1:52.8 (8 h3) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | 123 | François Châtelet | FRA | 1:48.9 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | 378 | Neville Myton | JAM | 1:52.4 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | 387 | Peter Francis | KEN | 1:50.1 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | 157 | Alan Dean | GBR | 1:49.6 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 5 h5 r1/3 | 321 | Noel Carroll | IRL | 1:51.1 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| 5 h6 r1/3 | 347 | Francesco Bianchi |  ITA | 1:50.2 (5 h6) | – | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/3 | 330 | Ibrahim Yazdan Panah |  IRI | 1:54.7 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | 408 | Michel Medinger, Jr. |  LUX | 1:52.6 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | 712 | Morgan Groth | USA | 1:51.4 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | 396 | Jeong Gyo-Mo |  KOR | 1:51.8 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 6 h5 r1/3 | 582 | Rolf Jelinek |  SUI | 1:54.6 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 6 h6 r1/3 | 37 | Paul Roekaerts | BEL | 1:50.9 (6 h6) | – | – | |||
| 7 h1 r1/3 | 406 | Hugo Walser |  LIE | 1:57.5 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | 430 | Dulamyn Amarsanaa |  MGL | 1:56.3 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | 78 | José Gregorio Neira |  COL | 1:55.6 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 7 h4 r1/3 | 58 | Don Bertoia | CAN | 1:52.2 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 7 h6 r1/3 | 283 | Mike Field |  HKG | 1:54.0 (7 h6) | – | – | |||
| 8 h1 r1/3 | 598 | Nipon Pensuvapap |  THA | 1:58.8 (8 h1) | – | – | |||
| 8 h2 r1/3 | 478 | Anar Khan |  PAK | 1:56.4 (8 h2) | – | – | |||
| 8 h3 r1/3 | 416 | Ramasamy Subramaniam |  MAS | 1:58.5 (8 h3) | – | – | |||
| 8 h4 r1/3 | 97 | Mamo Sebsibe |  ETH | 1:52.8 (8 h4) | – | – | |||
| 8 h6 r1/3 | 593 | Hassan Dyamwale |  TAN | 1:54.9 (8 h6) | – | – | |||
| AC h5 r1/3 | 341 | Amos Gilad |  ISR | – (DQ h5) | – | – |
Round One (14 October 1964 — 15:30)
Top four in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Wilson Kiprugut | KEN | 1:47.8 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Tom Farrell | USA | 1:48.6 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Valery Bulyshev | URS | 1:48.6 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Jos Lambrechts | BEL | 1:48.9 | |||
| 5 | 1 | François Châtelet | FRA | 1:48.9 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Ibrahim Yazdan Panah | IRI | 1:54.7 | |||
| 7 | 4 | Hugo Walser | LIE | 1:57.5 | |||
| 8 | 7 | Nipon Pensuvapap | THA | 1:58.8 |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Dieter Bogatzki | GER | 1:50.3 | |||
| 2 | 4 | Stig Lindbäck | SWE | 1:50.8 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Chris Carter | GBR | 1:51.0 | |||
| 4 | 7 | Pekka Juutilainen | FIN | 1:51.0 | |||
| 5 | 8 | Neville Myton | JAM | 1:52.4 | |||
| 6 | 3 | Michel Medinger, Jr. | LUX | 1:52.6 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Dulamyn Amarsanaa | MGL | 1:56.3 | |||
| 8 | 2 | Anar Khan | PAK | 1:56.4 |
Heat Three
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Manfred Kinder | GER | 1:49.5 | |||
| 2 | 1 | Ahmed Issa | CHA | 1:49.7 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Derek McCleane | IRL | 1:49.9 | |||
| 4 | 7 | Rein Tölp | URS | 1:50.0 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Peter Francis | KEN | 1:50.1 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Morgan Groth | USA | 1:51.4 | |||
| 7 | 2 | José Gregorio Neira | COL | 1:55.6 | |||
| 8 | 6 | Ramasamy Subramaniam | MAS | 1:58.5 |
Heat Four
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Peter Snell | NZL | 1:49.0 | |||
| 2 | 4 | Jerry Siebert | USA | 1:49.2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Jacques Pennewaert | BEL | 1:49.2 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Abram Kryvosheiev | URS | 1:49.5 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Alan Dean | GBR | 1:49.6 | |||
| 6 | 5 | Jeong Gyo-Mo | KOR | 1:51.8 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Don Bertoia | CAN | 1:52.2 | |||
| 8 | 6 | Mamo Sebsibe | ETH | 1:52.8 |
Heat Five
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | John Boulter | GBR | 1:48.9 | |||
| 2 | 7 | George Kerr | JAM | 1:48.9 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Tony Blue | AUS | 1:49.7 | |||
| 4 | 4 | Manfred Matuschewski | GER | 1:50.0 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Noel Carroll | IRL | 1:51.1 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Rolf Jelinek | SUI | 1:54.6 | |||
| 2 | Amos Gilad | ISR | – |
Heat Six
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Bill Crothers | CAN | 1:49.3 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Maurice Lurot | FRA | 1:49.8 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Mamoru Morimoto | JPN | 1:49.9 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Rudolf Klaban | AUT | 1:49.9 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Francesco Bianchi | ITA | 1:50.2 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Paul Roekaerts | BEL | 1:50.9 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Mike Field | HKG | 1:54.0 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Hassan Dyamwale | TAN | 1:54.9 |
Semi-Finals (15 October 1964 — 15:00)
Top two in each heat and next two fastest advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Peter Snell | NZL | 1:46.9 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Jerry Siebert | USA | 1:47.0 | |||
| 3 | 4 | Jacques Pennewaert | BEL | 1:47.0 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Manfred Matuschewski | GER | 1:47.3 | |||
| 5 | 8 | Valery Bulyshev | URS | 1:47.5 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Mamoru Morimoto | JPN | 1:47.7 | |||
| 7 | 5 | Maurice Lurot | FRA | 1:49.7 | |||
| 8 | 3 | Stig Lindbäck | SWE | 1:49.8 |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | George Kerr | JAM | 1:46.1 | |||
| 2 | 4 | Wilson Kiprugut | KEN | 1:46.1 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Dieter Bogatzki | GER | 1:46.9 | |||
| 4 | 2 | John Boulter | GBR | 1:47.1 | |||
| 5 | 8 | Rudolf Klaban | AUT | 1:47.4 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Abram Kryvosheiev | URS | 1:47.5 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Derek McCleane | IRL | 1:48.4 | |||
| 8 | 5 | Pekka Juutilainen | FIN | 1:50.3 |
Heat Three
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Bill Crothers | CAN | 1:47.3 | |||
| 2 | 7 | Tom Farrell | USA | 1:47.8 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Manfred Kinder | GER | 1:47.9 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Chris Carter | GBR | 1:49.1 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Rein Tölp | URS | 1:49.1 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Ahmed Issa | CHA | 1:49.4 | |||
| 7 | 5 | Tony Blue | AUS | 1:49.6 | |||
| 8 | 1 | Jos Lambrechts | BEL | 1:52.8 |
Final (16 October 1964 — 16:40)
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Peter Snell | NZL | 1:45.1 | |||
| 2 | 4 | Bill Crothers | CAN | 1:45.6 | |||
| 3 | 2 | Wilson Kiprugut | KEN | 1:45.9 | |||
| 4 | 5 | George Kerr | JAM | 1:45.9 | |||
| 5 | 7 | Tom Farrell | USA | 1:46.6 | |||
| 6 | 6 | Jerry Siebert | USA | 1:47.0 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Dieter Bogatzki | GER | 1:47.2 | |||
| 8 | 3 | Jacques Pennewaert | BEL | 1:50.5 |
Splits
| 200 m | 24.9 | Wilson Kiprugut | |
| 400 m | 52.0 | Wilson Kiprugut | |
| 600 m | 1:19.4 | Peter Snell | |