Who set the women's 800 metres world record of 1:53.28 in 1983?

Jarmila Kratochvílová set the women’s 800 metres world record of 1:53.28 in Munich on 26 July 1983.

Representing Czechoslovakia, Kratochvílová ran the record at the Olympic Stadium during an international meeting. The time lowered the previous world record and remains the oldest standing world record in an individual outdoor running event recognized by World Athletics.

Kratochvílová was also a world-class 400-metre runner. At the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, she won the 400 metres and 800 metres, becoming the first athlete to complete that double at the championships.

Her 800-metre mark has outlasted several generations of elite runners. The event requires both speed and endurance, with competitors completing two laps of a standard outdoor track.