1980 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the year 1980 in athletics. The major athletics event of the year was the 1980 Moscow Olympics. A boycott of this competition meant many of world's leading athletes did not face each other, with many of the boycotting athletes taking part in the rival Liberty Bell Classic competition.

1980 in athletics
Major world eventsOlympic Games
1979
1981

A further global event, the 1980 World Championships in Athletics, was held specifically for women athletes in the 400 metres hurdles and 3000 metres disciplines, as neither event featured on the Olympic programme in spite of IAAF approval.

Major events

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World

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Regional

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World records

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Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date
1000 m Sebastian Coe   United Kingdom 2:13.40   Oslo, Norway 1 July
1500 m Steve Ovett   United Kingdom 3:31.36   Koblenz, West Germany 17 August
Mile Steve Ovett   United Kingdom 3:48.8   Oslo, Norway 1 July
400 m hurdles Edwin Moses   United States 47.13   Milan, Italy 3 July
High jump Jacek Wszoła   Poland 2.35   Eberstadt, West Germany 25 May
High jump Dietmar Mögenburg   West Germany 2.35   Rehlingen, West Germany 26 May
High jump Gerd Wessig   East Germany 2.36   Moscow, Russia 1 August
Pole vault Władysław Kozakiewicz   Poland 5.72   Milan, Italy 11 May
Pole vault Thierry Vigneron   France 5.75   Colombes, France 1 June
Pole vault Thierry Vigneron   France 5.75   Lille, France 29 June
Pole vault Philippe Houvion   France 5.77   Paris, France 17 July
Pole vault Władysław Kozakiewicz   Poland 5.78   Moscow, Soviet Union 30 July
Hammer throw Yuriy Sedykh   Soviet Union 80.38   Leselidze, Soviet Union 16 May
Hammer throw Jüri Tamm   Soviet Union 80.46   Leselidze, Soviet Union 16 May
Hammer throw Yuriy Sedykh   Soviet Union 80.64   Leselidze, Soviet Union 16 May
Hammer throw Sergey Litvinov   Soviet Union 81.66   Sochi, Soviet Union 24 May
Hammer throw Yuriy Sedykh   Soviet Union 81.80   Moscow, Soviet Union 31 July
Javelin throw Ferenc Paragi   Hungary 96.72   Tata, Hungary 23 April
Decathlon Daley Thompson   United Kingdom 8622   Götzis, Austria 17-18 May
Decathlon Guido Kratschmer   West Germany 8649   Filderstadt-Bernhausen, West Germany 14-15 June

Women

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Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date
800 m Nadiya Olizarenko   Soviet Union 1:54.85   Moscow, Soviet Union 12 June
800 m Nadiya Olizarenko   Soviet Union 1:53.43   Moscow, Soviet Union 27 July
1500 m Tatyana Kazankina   Soviet Union 3:55.0   Moscow, Soviet Union 6 July
1500 m Tatyana Kazankina   Soviet Union 3:52.47   Zürich, Switzerland 13 August
Mile Mary Decker   United States 4:21.7   Auckland, New Zealand 26 January
100 m hurdles Grażyna Rabsztyn   Poland 12.36   Warsaw, Poland 13 June
400 m hurdles Karin Rossley   East Germany 54.28   Jena, East Germany 13 June
4 × 100 metres relay Romy Schneider
Bärbel Eckert
Ingrid Auerswald
Marlies Göhr
  East Germany 42.09   Berlin, East Germany 9 July
4 × 100 metres relay Romy Müller
Bärbel Wöckel
Ingrid Auerswald
Marlies Göhr
  East Germany 41.85   Potsdam, East Germany 13 July
4 × 100 metres relay Romy Müller
Bärbel Wöckel
Ingrid Auerswald
Marlies Göhr
  East Germany 41.60   Moscow, Soviet Union 1 August
4 × 200 metres relay Marlies Göhr
Romy Müller
Bärbel Wöckel
Marita Koch
  East Germany 1:28.15   Jena, East Germany 9 August
Shot put Ilona Slupianek   East Germany 22.36   Celje, Yugoslavia 2 May
Shot put Ilona Slupianek   East Germany 22.45   Potsdam, East Germany 10 May
Discus throw Faina Melnik   Soviet Union 71.50   Sochi, Soviet Union 10 May
Discus throw Mariya Petkova   Bulgaria 71.80   Sofia, Bulgaria 13 July
Javelin throw Ruth Fuchs   East Germany 69.96   Split, Yugoslavia 29 April
Javelin throw Tatyana Biryulina   Soviet Union 70.08   Podolsk, Soviet Union 12 July
Pentathlon Olga Kuragina   Soviet Union 4856   Moscow, Soviet Union 20 June
Pentathlon Nadiya Tkachenko   Soviet Union 5083   Moscow, Soviet Union 24 July

Season's bests

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Best marks of the year
Event Men Women
Athlete Mark Notes Athlete Mark Notes
100 metres
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  James Sanford (USA) 10.02   Marlies Göhr (GER) 10.93
200 metres
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  Pietro Mennea (ITA) 19.96   Bärbel Wöckel (GER) 22.01
400 metres
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  Viktor Markin (URS) 44.60   Marita Koch (GER) 48.88
800 metres
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  Don Paige (USA) 1:44.53   Nadiya Olizarenko (URS) 1:53.43
1,500 metres
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  Steve Ovett (GBR) 3:31.36   Tatyana Kazankina (URS) 3:52.47
Mile run
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  Steve Ovett (GBR) 3:48.8   Mary Slaney (USA) 4:21.68
3000 metres
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  Eamonn Coghlan (IRL) 7:37.60   Yelena Sipatova (URS) 8:33.53
5000 metres
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  Miruts Yifter (ETH) 13:16.38   Jan Merrill (USA) 15:30.6
10,000 metres
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  Craig Virgin (USA) 27:29.16   Kathryn Binns (GBR) 32:57.17
Half marathon
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  Stan Mavis (USA) 1:02:16   Marja Wokke (NED) 1:13:59
Marathon
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  Gerard Nijboer (NED) 2:09:01   Joyce Smith (GBR) 2:30:27
110 m/100 m hurdles
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  Renaldo Nehemiah (USA) 13.21   Grażyna Rabsztyn (POL) 12.36
400 m hurdles
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  Edwin Moses (USA) 47.13   Karin Roßley (GDR) 54.28
3000 m steeplechase
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  Bronisław Malinowski (POL) 8:09.70
4 × 100 m relay
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  Soviet Union
Vladimir Muravyov
Nikolay Sidorov
Aleksandr Aksinin
Andrey Prokofyev
38.26   East Germany
Romy Müller
Bärbel Wöckel
Ingrid Auerswald
Marlies Göhr
41.60
4 × 400 m relay
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  Soviet Union
Remigijus Valiulis
Mikhail Linge
Nikolay Chernetskiy
Viktor Markin
3:01.08   Soviet Union
Tatyana Prorochenko
Tatyana Goyshchik
Nina Zyuskova
Irina Nazarova
3:20.12
High jump
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  Gerd Wessig (GDR) 2.36 m   Sara Simeoni (ITA) 1.98 m
Pole vault
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  Władysław Kozakiewicz (POL) 5.78 m
Long jump
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  Lutz Dombrowski (GDR) 8.54 m   Tatyana Kolpakova (URS) 7.06 m
Triple jump
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  Jaak Uudmäe (URS) 17.35 m
Shot put
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  Udo Beyer (GDR) 21.98 m   Ilona Slupianek (GDR) 22.45 m
Discus throw
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  Mac Wilkins (USA) 70.98 m   Mariya Petkova (BUL) 71.80 m
Hammer throw
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  Yuriy Syedikh (URS) 81.80 m
Javelin (old design)
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  Ferenc Paragi (HUN) 96.72 m   Tatyana Biryulina (URS) 70.08 m
Decathlon
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  Guido Kratschmer (FRG) 8667 pts
Pentathlon
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  Nadiya Tkachenko (URS) 5083 pts

Marathon winners

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Race Men's winner Women's winner
Amsterdam Marathon   Gerard Nijboer (NED)   Marja Wokke (NED)
Avon International Marathon   Lorraine Moller (NZL)
Beppu-Ōita Marathon   Yutaka Taketomi (JPN)
Berlin Marathon   Ingo Sensburg (FRG)   Gerlinde Püttmann (FRG)
Boston Marathon   Bill Rodgers (USA)   Jacqueline Gareau (CAN)
Chicago Marathon   Frank Richardson (USA)   Sue Petersen (USA)
Fukuoka Marathon   Toshihiko Seko (JPN)
Košice Marathon   Aleksey Lyagushev (URS)   Šárka Balcarová (TCH)
Lake Biwa Marathon   Hiroshi Yuge (JPN)
New York Marathon   Alberto Salazar (USA)   Grete Waitz (NOR)
Paris Marathon   Sylvain Cacciatore (FRA)   Gillian Adams (GBR)
Tokyo Women's Marathon   Joyce Smith (GBR)

Awards

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Award Men's winner Women's winner
Track & Field News Athlete of the Year   Edwin Moses (USA)   Ilona Briesenick (GDR)

Births

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Deaths

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  • February 11 – Paavo Yrjölä (77), Finnish decathlete (b. 1902)
  • February 21 – Mario Lanzi (63), Italian middle-distance runner (b. 1914)
  • March 31 – Jesse Owens (66), American sprinter (b. 1913)
  • May 9 – Rolf Hansen (73), Norwegian long-distance runner (b. 1906)
  • December 24 – Heikki Liimatainen (86), Finnish long-distance runner (b. 1894)

References

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