Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres


The men's 1500 metres event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 59 competitors, with four qualifying heats and two semi-finals, before the final took place on Saturday October 1, 1988.
This race typified the tactical running of miles and 1500s of this era. Nobody really cared about leading early or pushing the pace. Marcus O'Sullivan took the point by default. The British new guard of Peter Elliott and Steve Cram were just behind Omer Khalifa marking the lead. Just before two laps to go, the Kenyan team decided to change position led by Peter Rono moving out to lane 2 and from dead last running past the entire field into first place. He was soon joined by Joseph Chesire, who served as a Kenyan wall at the front. The first challenge to the wall was Jeff Atkinson, who managed to get around Chesire but could not get past Rono. Cheshire's weakness exposed, the entire pack went around him, everybody aiming to be just off the lead at the bell, the ever-present Steve Scott behind Atkinson, the Britons, with Jens-Peter Herold, Han Kulker and Kipkoech Cheruiyot all jockeying for position behind Rono on the backstretch. Atkinson faded while Elliott, Cram and Herold emerged toward the front, still behind Rono who was watching over his shoulder. Cram poised himself on Elliott's shoulder to make the big move coming off the turn with Scott, Kulker and Cheruiyot showing similar aspirations a step behind. But the only big move was Herold sneaking past Elliott on the inside while Elliott was concerned with Cram on his outside. Nobody's big move really advanced their position, Elliott using his best sprinting to just edge back ahead of Herold by the finish line for silver, Rono untested ahead of everyone.

Medalists

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics.
World Record3:29.46 Saïd AouitaWest Berlin August 23, 1985
Olympic Record3:32.53 Sebastian CoeLos Angeles August 11, 1984

Results

Final

Semi finals

RANKHEAT 1TIME
1.3:38.09
2.3:38.30
3.3:38.56
4.3:39.06
5.3:39.12
6.3:39.17
7.3:39.86
8.3:40.96
9.3:41.39
10.3:43.49
-DNF
-DNF
-DNS

RANKHEAT 2TIME
1.3:38.20
2.3:38.25
3.3:38.40
4.3:38.56
5.3:38.59
6.3:38.84
7.3:39.18
8.3:39.47
9.3:39.55
10.3:42.62
11.3:43.58
12.3:45.65
-DNS

Heats

First 5 of each heat and next 6 fastest qualified for the semifinals.
RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
13Peter Rono3:37.65Q
23Jeff Atkinson3:38.33Q
33Peter Elliott3:38.60Q
43Markus Hacksteiner3:39.05Q
53Mostafa Lachal3:39.20Q
63Rachid Kram3:39.90q
72Kipkoech Cheruiyot3:39.98Q
84Jens-Peter Herold3:40.87Q
91Steve Cram3:40.89Q
104Han Kulker3:40.90Q
113Joaquim Cruz3:40.92q
124Steve Crabb3:41.12Q
134Peter Wirz3:41.26Q
144Omer Khalifa3:41.46Q
151Steve Scott3:41.57Q
161Rémy Geoffroy3:41.68Q
171Joseph Chesire3:41.72Q
184Abdelmajide Moncif3:41.73q
191Gennaro Di Napoli3:41.85Q
202Mark Deady3:41.91Q
213Mbiganyi Thee3:41.97q
221Marcus O'Sullivan3:42.01q
222Mogens Guldberg3:42.01Q
242Saïd Aouita3:42.18Q
252Mario Silva3:42.24Q
263Spyros Spyrou3:42.32q
272Marcus Rapp3:42.64
282David Campbell3:42.97
293Gerry O'Reilly3:43.23
301Ari Suhonen3:43.61
314Mahmoud Kalboussi3:43.72
322Mohamed Suleiman3:44.43
331José Luíz Barbosa3:44.46
342Duan Xiuquan3:44.88
352Pat Scammell3:45.21
361Branko Zorko3:45.52
373Jo Jin-Saeng3:45.63
383Jan Kubista3:46.41
391Michael Watson3:46.49
401Melford Homela3:47.38
412Jama Aden3:49.84
424Dale Jones3:51.22
434Hameed Al-Dousari3:51.53
441Hoche Yaya Aden3:51.56
454Eulucane Ndagijimana3:51.61
464Josep Graells3:52.68
472Ramón López3:53.31
481Eugénio Katombi3:54.25
494Zeki Öztürk3:54.26
501Modupe Jonah3:55.15
514Douglas Consiglio3:55.31
524Seid Gayaplé3:58.46
534Haribahadur Rokaya4:01.17
542Kenneth Dzekedzeke4:02.61
553Moses Zarak Khan4:03.20
563Awad Saleh Ahmed4:03.86
573Johnd Siguria4:07.04
581Mohamed Ould Khayar4:12.18
592Bernardo Elonga4:16.40
2Nimely Twegbe