# Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres

These are the official results of the women's 800 metres event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. There were a total of 37 competitors from 31 countries.

## Medalists

| Gold | Svetlana Masterkova Russia |
| Silver | Ana Fidelia Quirot Cuba |
| Bronze | Maria de Lurdes Mutola Mozambique |

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 1:53.28 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Munich (FRG) | July 26, 1983 |
| Olympic Record | 1:53.43 | Nadiya Olizarenko | Moscow (URS) | July 27, 1980 |

## Results
### Heats

Qualification: First 2 in each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) qualified to the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 1:58.80 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 1:58.98 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | Patricia Djaté-Taillard | France | 1:58.98 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Yelena Afanasyeva | Russia | 1:59.18 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Natasha Dukhnova | Belarus | 1:59.23 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Toni Hodgkinson | New Zealand | 1:59.35 | Q |
| 7 | 5 | Ludmila Formanová | Czech Republic | 1:59.37 | q |
| 8 | 2 | Linda Kisabaka | Germany | 1:59.56 | q |
| 8 | 3 | Dawn Williams | Dominica | 1:59.56 | q |
| 10 | 1 | Svetlana Masterkova | Russia | 1:59.67 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Letitia Vriesde | Suriname | 1:59.71 | Q |
| 12 | 3 | Meredith Rainey | United States | 1:59.96 | q |
| 13 | 4 | Ana Fidelia Quirot | Cuba | 1:59.98 | Q |
| 14 | 2 | Viviane Dorsile | France | 2:00.02 | q |
| 15 | 3 | Lyubov Tsyoma | Russia | 2:00.18 | q |
| 16 | 1 | Luciana Mendes | Brazil | 2:00.25 | |
| 17 | 4 | Stella Jongmans | Netherlands | 2:00.26 | Q |
| 18 | 3 | Charmaine Crooks | Canada | 2:00.27 | |
| 19 | 4 | Joetta Clark | United States | 2:00.38 | |
| 20 | 5 | Suzy Favor-Hamilton | United States | 2:00.47 | |
| 21 | 5 | Inez Turner | Jamaica | 2:01.48 | |
| 22 | 4 | Malin Ewerlöf | Sweden | 2:01.61 | |
| 23 | 4 | Petya Strashilova | Bulgaria | 2:02.13 | |
| 24 | 1 | Nouria Mérah-Benida | Algeria | 2:02.44 | |
| 25 | 4 | Lisa Lightfoot | Australia | 2:02.88 | |
| 26 | 2 | Eduarda Coelho | Portugal | 2:03.22 | |
| 27 | 1 | Jian Zhang | China | 2:04.17 | |
| 28 | 5 | Kutre Dulecha | Ethiopia | 2:04.80 | |
| 29 | 2 | Marta Orellana | Argentina | 2:04.99 | |
| 30 | 4 | Restituta Joseph | Tanzania | 2:08.31 | |
| 31 | 1 | Léontine Tsiba | Republic of the Congo | 2:08.58 | |
| 32 | 1 | Sharette García | Belize | 2:13.52 | |
| 33 | 3 | Yaznee Nasheeda | Maldives | 2:36.85 | |
| | 2 | Diane Modahl | Great Britain | DNF | |
| | 3 | Ana Amelia Menéndez | Spain | DNF | |
| | 5 | Adama Njie | The Gambia | DNF | |
| | 1 | Tina Paulino | Mozambique | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) qualified directly to the final.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 1:57.62 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Yelena Afanasyeva | Russia | 1:57.77 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Patricia Djaté-Taillard | France | 1:57.93 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Svetlana Masterkova | Russia | 1:57.95 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | Ana Fidelia Quirot | Cuba | 1:57.99 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Toni Hodgkinson | New Zealand | 1:58.25 | Q |
| 7 | 2 | Letitia Vriesde | Suriname | 1:58.29 | |
| 8 | 1 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 1:58.49 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Natasha Dukhnova | Belarus | 1:58.67 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Dawn Williams | Dominica | 1:59.06 | |
| 11 | 1 | Linda Kisabaka | Germany | 1:59.23 | |
| 12 | 2 | Ludmila Formanová | Czech Republic | 1:59.28 | |
| 13 | 2 | Meredith Rainey | United States | 1:59.36 | |
| 14 | 1 | Viviane Dorsile | France | 2:00.68 | |
| 15 | 2 | Lyubov Tsyoma | Russia | 2:02.50 | |
| | 1 | Stella Jongmans | Netherlands | DNF | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Svetlana Masterkova | Russia | 1:57.73 |
| | Ana Fidelia Quirot | Cuba | 1:58.11 |
| | Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 1:58.71 |
| 4 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 1:58.81 |
| 5 | Yelena Afanasyeva | Russia | 1:59.57 |
| 6 | Patricia Djaté-Taillard | France | 1:59.61 |
| 7 | Natasha Dukhnova | Belarus | 2:00.32 |
| 8 | Toni Hodgkinson | New Zealand | 2:00.54 |