2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres
The Women's 800 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on September 1, 2 and 4.
The three fastest times prior to the championships were all run at the Russian national trials, with Mariya Savinova leading the rankings with 1:56.95 minutes, followed by Yuliya Rusanova and Ekaterina Kostetskaya. However, Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica and Britain's Jenny Meadows had been the leading athletes on the Diamond League circuit. Caster Semenya, the 2009 champion, was among the fastest that year, but had been affected by injury and an 11-month career break due to gender verification tests. Moroccan Halima Hachlaf and American champion Alysia Johnson Montano were highly ranked, while reigning Olympic and World silver medallist Janeth Jepkosgei was another prominent competitor.
It took under 1:59 just to make the [|final]. Led by defending champion, Semenya, the three Russians all qualified, along with two Americans, returning silver medalist Jepkosgei and Kenia Sinclair, leaving previous Bronze medalist Jenny Meadows as the fastest non-qualifier.
In the final, Jepkosgei led through a fast 55.86-second first lap, followed by Sinclair and Alysia Johnson Montaño. On the backstretch, defending champion Semenya cruised past the field taking the lead with about 180 metres to go. She continued to pull away, but not emphatically. Savinova had trailed the field and followed Semenya as she moved up, then kicked it into gear on the final straight, easing past Semenya without challenge. Montaño took a dive at the finish line but was unable to beat Jepkosgei for third place.
On 28 July 2014, IAAF announced that 5th place finisher Kostetskaya was sanctioned for doping after her biological passport had showed abnormalities. Her result was disqualified. On February 10, 2017 the Court of Arbitration for Sport officially disqualified Savinova's results backdated to July 2010. When medals were reallocated, everyone moved up.
Medalists
Records
Prior to the competition, the records were as follows:| World record | 1:53.28 | Munich, West Germany | 26 July 1983 | |
| Championship record | 1:54.68 | Helsinki, Finland | 9 August 1983 | |
| World Leading | 1:56.95 | Cheboksary, Russia | 22 July 2011 | |
| African Record | 1:54.01 | Zürich, Switzerland | 29 August 2008 | |
| Asian Record | 1:55.54 | Beijing, China | 9 September 1993 | |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record | 1:54.44 | Barcelona, Spain | 9 September 1989 | |
| South American record | 1:56.68 | Gothenburg, Sweden | 13 August 1995 | |
| European Record | 1:53.28 | Munich, West Germany | 26 July 1983 | |
| Oceanian record | 1:58.25 | Atlanta, GA, United States | 27 July 1996 |
Qualification standards
Schedule
Results
Heats
Qualification: First 4 in each heat and the next 4 fastest advance to the [|semifinals].| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Janeth Jepkosgei | 1:59.36 | Q | |
| 2 | 3 | Ekaterina Kostetskaya | 1:59.61 | Q | |
| 3 | 3 | Alysia Johnson Montaño | 1:59.62 | Q | |
| 4 | 3 | Marilyn Okoro | 1:59.74 | Q | |
| 5 | 4 | Mariya Savinova | 2:01.01 | Q | |
| 5 | 4 | Caster Semenya | 2:01.01 | Q | |
| 7 | 4 | Cherono Koech | 2:01.03 | Q | |
| 8 | 1 | Jenny Meadows | 2:01.11 | Q | |
| 8 | 4 | Alice Schmidt | 2:01.11 | Q | |
| 10 | 4 | Emma Jackson | 2:01.17 | q | |
| 11 | 1 | Maggie Vessey | 2:01.32 | Q | |
| 12 | 1 | Rosibel García | 2:01.33 | Q, SB | |
| 13 | 1 | Eunice Jepkoech Sum | 2:01.37 | Q | |
| 14 | 1 | Yuliya Rusanova | 2:01.38 | q | |
| 15 | 2 | Kenia Sinclair | 2:01.66 | Q | |
| 16 | 2 | Halima Hachlaf | 2:01.80 | Q | |
| 17 | 2 | Yuliya Krevsun | 2:01.88 | Q | |
| 18 | 4 | Tintu Luka | 2:01.89 | q | |
| 19 | 2 | Maryna Arzamasava | 2:01.97 | Q | |
| 20 | 2 | Fantu Magiso | 2:02.58 | q | |
| 21 | 5 | Annet Negesa | 2:02.75 | Q | |
| 22 | 5 | Zahra Bouras | 2:02.77 | Q | |
| 23 | 5 | Lucia Klocová | 2:02.81 | Q | |
| 24 | 5 | Liliya Lobanova | 2:02.84 | Q | |
| 25 | 5 | Nikki Hamblin | 2:02.87 | SB | |
| 26 | 1 | Eglė Balčiūnaitė | 2:02.88 | ||
| 27 | 1 | Yvonne Hak | 2:03.05 | ||
| 28 | 3 | Luiza Gega | 2:03.21 | ||
| 29 | 4 | Truong Thanh Hang | 2:03.52 | ||
| 30 | 5 | Lemlem Bereket | 2:03.62 | ||
| 31 | 3 | Margarita Matsko | 2:04.24 | ||
| 32 | 2 | Merve Aydın | 2:04.88 | ||
| 33 | 5 | Sviatlana Usovich | 2:05.62 | ||
| 34 | 2 | Huh Yeon-jung | 2:08.05 | ||
| 35 | 2 | Zourah Ali | 2:36.36 | PB | |
| 3 | Tetiana Petlyuk |
Semifinals
Qualification: First 2 in each heat and the next 2 fastest advance to the final.| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Caster Semenya | 1:58.07 | Q, SB | |
| 2 | 2 | Mariya Savinova | 1:58.45 | Q | |
| 3 | 2 | Janeth Jepkosgei | 1:58.50 | Q, SB | |
| 4 | 3 | Ekaterina Kostetskaya | 1:58.64 | Q | |
| 5 | 2 | Alysia Johnson Montaño | 1:58.67 | q | |
| 6 | 1 | Yuliya Rusanova | 1:58.73 | Q | |
| 7 | 3 | Kenia Sinclair | 1:58.93 | q | |
| 8 | 1 | Maggie Vessey | 1:58.98 | Q | |
| 9 | 1 | Jenny Meadows | 1:59.07 | ||
| 10 | 3 | Fantu Magiso | 1:59.17 | NR | |
| 11 | 2 | Liliya Lobanova | 1:59.38 | ||
| 12 | 2 | Emma Jackson | 1:59.77 | PB | |
| 13 | 1 | Eunice Jepkoech Sum | 1:59.94 | ||
| 14 | 1 | Rosibel García | 2:00.79 | SB | |
| 15 | 2 | Tintu Luka | 2:00.95 | SB | |
| 16 | 3 | Alice Schmidt | 2:01.16 | ||
| 17 | 3 | Cherono Koech | 2:01.48 | ||
| 18 | 1 | Annet Negesa | 2:01.51 | ||
| 19 | 3 | Marilyn Okoro | 2:01.54 | ||
| 20 | 2 | Lucia Klocová | 2:01.85 | ||
| 21 | 1 | Maryna Arzamasava | 2:02.13 | ||
| 22 | 3 | Yuliya Krevsun | 2:05.37 | ||
| 23 | 2 | Zahra Bouras | 2:12.08 | ||
| 1 | Halima Hachlaf |