{
  "id": 8187145,
  "title": "How the race they said women couldn't run took centre stage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/how-the-race-they-said-women-couldnt-run-took-centre-stage-8187145",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T06:06:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/race-said-women-couldnt-run-060625270.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The women's 800m race, once deemed too strenuous for women to compete in, has now become one of the most anticipated events at the Olympics. The story of this transformation begins in 1928, when the Amsterdam Games allowed women to participate in track and field events for the first time. Five women's events were added to the programme, including the 800m, which was controversial at the time due to concerns about women's fragility.\n\nHowever, the inclusion of the women's 800m was short-lived. Only seven years after its debut, the 800m was removed from the Olympic programme due to false reports claiming that participants suffered extreme exhaustion after the race. The International Olympic Committee decided that women were not physically capable of competing over the two-lap distance.\n\nNearly a century later, the women's 800m has made a remarkable comeback and is now a highlight of major athletic events. The resurgence of this race can be attributed to the efforts of women like Audrey Werro, a Swiss European champion, and Keely Hodgkinson, a British Olympic 800m champion. Their rivalry has captured the attention of fans and elevated the importance of the 800m race.\n\nAnn Brightwell, a British athlete who won gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, played a significant role in breaking the 800m world record and paving the way for future generations of women athletes. Brightwell's time of 2:01.1 stood for almost three years before being broken by Judy Pollock in 1967. The pursuit of breaking the two-minute barrier continued, with the Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova setting the current world record of 1:53.28 in 1983.",
  "summary": "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?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "How the race they said women couldn't run took centre stage",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/how-the-race-they-said-women-couldnt-run-took-centre-stage",
        "published": "2026-09-18T06:02:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}