# Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres

The men's 800 metres race was the second-longest of the four flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The preliminary heats were the third event held on 6 April. The nine competitors were split into two groups. The top two athletes in each heat advanced to the final, which was held on 9 April.

## Background

This was the first appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The unofficial world record holder: Charles Kilpatrick of the United States, did not compete in Athens. Edwin Flack of Australia was the favourite among those who competed.

## Competition format

The competition consisted of two rounds, heats and a final. There were two heats, scheduled to have 7 runners each. The top two runners in each heat advanced to the final.
The track was 330 metres in circumference (unlike modern tracks which are 400 metres), so the race was more than two laps. The track had very sharp turns and was made of loose cinders, making running difficult. Runners turned clockwise rather than the current counterclockwise turns.

## Records

| World record | Charles Kilpatrick (USA) | 1:53.4 (y)(u) | New York City, United States | 21 September 1895 |
| Olympic record | New event | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Edwin Flack set the initial Olympic record of 2:10.0 in the first heat; that time was not beaten in the second heat or the final.

## Schedule

The precise times of the events are not recorded. For the first round, the heats were the third event of the day on Monday. The final was held during the afternoon session on Thursday, which began at 2:30 p.m.; it was the first event of the session.
| Date | Date | Round |
| Gregorian | Julian | Round |
| Monday, 6 April 1896 | Monday, 25 March 1896 | Round 1 |
| Thursday, 9 April 1896 | Thursday, 28 March 1896 | Final |

## Results
### Semifinals

The two heats of the preliminary round were held on 6 April. The top two runners in each heat advanced.

#### Semifinal 1

Flack beat Dáni by four feet, with Traun a further 20 yards behind in third. Flack's time of 2:10.0 was the inaugural Olympic record.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Edwin Flack | Australia | 2:10.0 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Nándor Dáni | Hungary | 2:10.2 | Q |
| 3 | Friedrich Traun | Germany | 2:13.4 | |
| 4 | George Marshall | Great Britain | Unknown | |

#### Semifinal 2

Lermusiaux beat Golemis by 1¼ yards.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Albin Lermusiaux | France | 2:16.6 | Q |
| 2 | Dimitrios Golemis | Greece | 2:16.8 | Q |
| 3 | Georges de la Nézière | France | Unknown | |
| 4 | Angelos Fetsis | Greece | Unknown | |
| 5 | Dimitrios Tomprof | Greece | Unknown | |

### Final

Lermusiaux scratched from the final to save himself for the marathon. Flack beat Dáni by five meters, easing up, with Golemis finishing a further 90 meters back in third.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| | Edwin Flack | Australia | 2:11.0 |
| | Nándor Dáni | Hungary | 2:11.8 |
| | Dimitrios Golemis | Greece | 2:28.0 |
| – | Albin Lermusiaux | France | DNS |

## Results summary

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Semifinal | Final | Notes |
| | Edwin Flack | Australia | 2:10.0 | 2:11.0 | OR |
| | Nándor Dáni | Hungary | 2:10.2 | 2:11.8 | |
| | Dimitrios Golemis | Greece | 2:16.8 | 2:28.0 | |
| — | Albin Lermusiaux | France | 2:16.6 | DNS | |
| 5 | Friedrich Traun | Germany | 2:13.4 | Did not advance | |
| 6 | Georges de la Nézière | France | Unknown | Did not advance | 3rd in semifinal |
| 7 | Angelos Fetsis | Greece | Unknown | Did not advance | 4th in semifinal |
| 7 | George Marshall | Great Britain | Unknown | Did not advance | 4th in semifinal |
| 9 | Dimitrios Tomprof | Greece | Unknown | Did not advance | 5th in semifinal |