How the race they said women couldn't run took centre stage
After making its debut at the 1928 Olympics, the women's 800m was cut from the programme. Now, it's often billed as the must-see event of major athletics championships. So, how did we get here?
For 32 years, women's 800m was absent from the Olympics due to claims that competitors were too frail. The event was reintroduced at the 1960 Rome Olympics, and Ann Brightwell became the first British woman to win Olympic gold in the 800m in 1964, setting a world record. Brightwell's achievement sparked controversy, as men accused women of collapsing during the race, but these claims were later proven false.
Brightwell's time stood as the record for nearly three years before Judy Pollock broke it in 1967. In 1979, Hildegard Falck from Germany became the first woman to break the two-minute barrier, and in 1971, Britain's Christina Boxer-Cahill became the first British woman to do so. The women's 800m world record has been broken six times between 1971 and 1983, with Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova holding the record since 1974.
However, recent controversy has surrounded Kratochvilova's record due to allegations of doping during the Eastern Bloc era.
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- How the race they said women couldn't run took centre stage sports.yahoo.com
