# List of British champions in 800 metres

The list of British 800 metres athletics champions covers four competitions;
* the Amateur Athletic Club Championships (1866-1879)
* the AAA Championships (1880-2006),
* the UK Athletics Championships which existed from 1977 until 1993, with a single further event in 1997, and ran concurrently with the AAA Championships.
* the current British Athletics Championships which was founded in 2007,

## Background

The AAA Championships were open to international athletes but a guest international was not considered the National Champion in this list if they won the relevant Championship, that title going to the highest placed British athlete in the event. Despite this, the AAA Championships were regarded as more prestigious than the British-only UK Championships event for most of the latter's existence, although both were recognised as national championships. The UK Championships were ended in 1997, while the AAA Championships were supplanted by the British Athletics Championships in 2007. While the AAA Championships continue, they are no longer regarded as crowning a British champion.
Michael Rimmer with seven titles, and Diane Modahl née Edwards and Kelly Holmes, with eight titles each, are the most successful British athletes in the history of the event domestically.

## Past winners

AAC Championships
880 yards, mens event only :
| Year | Men's champion |
| 1866 | Percy Thornton |
| 1867 | William Frere |
| 1868 | Edward Colbeck |
| 1869 | Robert Somers-Smith |
| 1870 | Robert Somers-Smith |
| 1871 | Arthur Pelham |
| 1872 | Thomas Christie / George Templer |
| 1873 | Arthur Pelham |
| 1874 | Edward Sandford |
| 1875 | Edward Sandford |
| 1876 | Frederick Elborough |
| 1877 | Frederick Elborough |
| 1878 | Henry Whately / Lees Knowles |
| 1879 | William Bolton / Charles Hazen-Wood |
AAA Championships
880 yards, men's event only :
| Year | Men's champion |
| 1880 | Samuel Holman |
| 1881 | Sidney Baker |
| 1882 | Walter George |
| 1883 | William Birkett |
| 1884 | Walter George |
| 1885 | G.W. Wathen |
| 1886 | Ernest Robinson |
| 1887 | Francis Cross |
| 1888 | Alfred Le Maitre |
| 1889 | Henry Tindall |
| 1890 | Thomas Pitman |
| 1891 | William Holmes |
| 1892 | William Holmes |
| 1893 | Edgar Bredin |
| 1894 | Edgar Bredin |
| 1895 | Edgar Bredin |
| 1896 | William King |
| 1897 | Albert Relf |
| 1898 | Albert Relf |
| 1899 | Alfred Tysoe |
| 1900 | Alfred Tysoe |
| 1901 | John Cleave |
| 1902 | Arthur Manning |
| 1903 | Bernard Blunden |
| 1904 | Herbert Workman |
| 1905 | Bernard Blunden |
| 1906 | Arthur Astley |
| 1907 | Ivo Fairbairn-Crawford |
| 1908 | Theodore Just |
| 1909 | Arthur Astley |
| 1910 | Eddie Owen |
| 1911 | NBA |
| 1912 | James Soutter |
| 1913 | Cyril Frisby |
| 1914 | Albert Hill |
| 1919 | Albert Hill |
| 1920 | Albert Hill |
| 1921 | Edgar Mountain |
AAA Championships & WAAA Championships :
| Year | Men's champion | Year | Women's champion |
| 880 yards ||||
| 1922 | Edgar Mountain | 1922 | Mary Lines |
| 1923 | Cecil Griffiths | 1923 | Edith Trickey |
| 1924 | Henry Stallard | 1924 | Edith Trickey |
| 1925 | Cecil Griffiths | 1925 | Edith Trickey |
| 1926 | Dougles Lowe | 1926 | Edith Trickey |
| 1927 | Dougles Lowe | 1927 | Edith Trickey |
| 1928 | Dougles Lowe | 1928 | Ivy Barber |
| 1929 | Cyril Ellis | 1929 | Violet Streater |
| 1930 | Tommy Hampson | 1930 | Gladys Lunn |
| 1931 | Tommy Hampson | 1931 | Gladys Lunn |
| 1932 | Tommy Hampson | 1932 | Gladys Lunn |
| 1933 | Clifford Whitehead | 1933 | Ruth Christmas |
| 1934 | Jack Cooper | 1934 | Gladys Lunn |
| 1935 | James Stothard | 1935 | Nellie Halstead |
| 1936 | Jack Powell | 1936 | Olive Hall |
| 1937 | Arthur Collyer | 1937 | Gladys Lunn |
| 1938 | Arthur Collyer | 1938 | Nellie Halstead |
| 1939 | Godfrey Brown | 1939 | Olive Hall |
| 1945 | nc | 1945 | Phyllis Richards |
| 1946 | Tom White | 1946 | Phyllis Richards |
| 1947 | Tom White | 1947 | Nellie Batson |
| 1948 | John Parlett | 1948 | Nellie Batson |
| 1949 | John Parlett | 1949 | Hazel Spears |
| 1950 | Roger Bannister | 1950 | Margaret Hume |
| 1951 | Frank Evans | 1951 | Nellie Batson |
| 1952 | Roger Bannister | 1952 | Margaret Taylor |
| 1953 | Brian Hewson | 1953 | Anne Oliver |
| 1954 | Brian Hewson | 1954 | Diane Leather |
| 1955 | Derek Johnson | 1955 | Diane Leather |
| 1956 | Mike Rawson | 1956 | Phyllis Perkins |
| 1957 | Mike Rawson | 1957 | Diane Leather |
| 1958 | Brian Hewson | 1958 | Joy Jordan |
| 1959 | Brian Hewson | 1959 | Joy Jordan |
| 1960 | Tom Farrell | 1960 | Joy Jordan |
| 1961 | Tony Harris | 1961 | Joy Jordan |
| 1962 | Sid Purkis | 1962 | Joy Jordan |
| 1963 | NBA | 1963 | Phyllis Perkins |
| 1964 | Chris Carter | 1964 | Anne Smith |
| 1965 | Chris Carter | 1965 | Anne Smith |
| 1966 | Chris Carter | 1966 | Anne Smith |
| 1967 | John Boulter | 1967 | Anne Smith |
| 1968 | John Davies | 1968 | Lillian Board |
| 800 metres - metrification ||||
| 1969 | Dave Cropper | 1969 | Pat Lowe |
| 1970 | Andy Carter | 1970 | Sheila Carey |
| 1971 | Peter Browne | 1971 | Rosemary Stirling |
| 1972 | Andy Carter | 1972 | Pat Cropper |
| 1973 | Andy Carter | 1973 | Rosemary Wright |
| 1974 | Steve Ovett | 1974 | Lesley Kiernan |
| 1975 | Steve Ovett | 1975 | Angela Creamer |
| 1976 | Steve Ovett | 1976 | Angela Creamer |
AAA Championships/WAAA Championships & UK Athletics Championships
dual championships era 1977-1987 :
| Year | AAA Men | Year | WAAA Women | Year | UK Men | UK Women |
| 1977 | Sebastian Coe | 1977 | Christina Boxer | 1977 | Dave Warren | Lesley Kiernan |
| 1978 | Dave Warren | 1978 | Christina Boxer | 1978 | Sebastian Coe | Jane Colebrook |
| 1979 | Garry Cook | 1979 | Christine Benning | 1979 | Dane Joseph | Christina Boxer |
| 1980 | Paul Forbes | 1980 | Anne Clarkson | 1980 | Dave Warren | Christina Boxer |
| 1981 | Sebastian Coe | 1981 | Anne Clarkson | 1981 | Rob Harrison | Gillian Dainty |
| 1982 | Peter Elliott | 1982 | Lorraine Baker | 1982 | Paul Forbes | Anne Clarkson |
| 1983 | Peter Elliott | 1983 | Shireen Bailey | 1983 | Peter Elliott | Shireen Bailey |
| 1984 | Steve Cram | 1984 | Christina Boxer | 1984 | Peter Elliott | Christina Boxer |
| 1985 | John Gladwin | 1985 | Christina Boxer | 1985 | Tom McKean | Liz MacArthur |
| 1986 | Steve Cram | 1986 | Diane Edwards | 1986 | Peter Elliott | Anne Purvis |
| 1987 | Peter Elliott | 1987 | Diane Edwards | 1987 | John Gladwin | Diane Edwards |
AAA Championships & UK Athletics Championships
dual championships era 1988-1997 :
| Year | Men AAA | Women AAA | Year | Men UK | Women UK |
| 1988 | Steve Cram | Kirsty Wade | 1988 | Paul Herbert | Christina Cahill |
| 1989 | Ikem Billy | Diane Edwards | 1989 | Nick Smith | Ann Williams |
| 1990 | Tom McKean | Ann Williams | 1990 | Ann Williams | Helen Thorpe |
| 1991 | Tom McKean | Paula Fryer | 1991 | David Sharpe | Paula Fryer |
| 1992 | Curtis Robb | Diane Edwards | 1992 | Curtis Robb | Lynne Robinson |
| 1993 | Martin Steele | Kelly Holmes | 1993 | Martin Steele | Kelly Holmes |
| 1994 | Craig Winrow | Diane Modahl | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1995 | Curtis Robb | Kelly Holmes | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1996 | Curtis Robb | Kelly Holmes | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1997 | Noel Edwards | Amanda Crowe | 1997 | Andy Hart | Kelly Holmes |
AAA Championships
second era 1998-2006 :
| Year | Men's champion | Women's champion |
| 1998 | Jason Lobo | Diane Modahl |
| 1999 | Mark Sesay | Kelly Holmes |
| 2000 | James McIlroy | Kelly Holmes |
| 2001 | Neil Speaight | Kelly Holmes |
| 2002 | James McIlroy | Susan Scott |
| 2003 | Ricky Soos | Lucy Vaughan |
| 2004 | Sam Ellis | Kelly Holmes |
| 2005 | Tim Bayley | Susan Scott |
| 2006 | Michael Rimmer | Becky Lyne |
British Athletics Championships
2007 to present :
| Year | Men's champion | Women's champion |
| 2007 | Michael Rimmer | Jemma Simpson |
| 2008 | Michael Rimmer | Marilyn Okoro |
| 2009 | Michael Rimmer | Jemma Simpson |
| 2010 | Michael Rimmer | Jemma Simpson |
| 2011 | Andrew Osagie | Jenny Meadows |
| 2012 | Andrew Osagie | Lynsey Sharp |
| 2013 | Michael Rimmer | Marilyn Okoro |
| 2014 | Michael Rimmer | Lynsey Sharp |
| 2015 | Kyle Langford | Lynsey Sharp |
| 2016 | Elliot Giles | Shelayna Oskan-Clarke |
| 2017 | Elliot Giles | Shelayna Oskan-Clarke |
| 2018 | Elliot Giles | Laura Muir |
| 2019 | Spencer Thomas | Shelayna Oskan-Clarke |
| 2020 | Daniel Rowden | Keely Hodgkinson |
| 2021 | Elliot Giles | Keely Hodgkinson |
| 2022 | Max Burgin | Jemma Reekie |
| 2023 | Daniel Rowden | Keely Hodgkinson |
| 2024 | Ben Pattison | Phoebe Gill |
* NBA = No British athlete in final
* nc = not contested