| Final 21:35 | time | L | 200m | 400m | 600m | | 1. Maria de Lourdes Mutola |  MOZ Mozambique | 1:56.15 | 6 | 26.9s | 55.8s | 1:25.7 | | 2. Stephanie Graf |  AUT Austria | 1:56.64 | 5 | 27.0s | 56.0s | 1:26.0 | | 3. Kelly Holmes |  GBR Great Britain | 1:56.80 | 3 | 27.0s | 55.8s | 1:25.6 | | 4. Brigita Langerholc |  SLO Slovenia | 1:58.51 | 8 | 26.6s | 55.3s | 1:25.9 | | 5. Helena Dziurova-Fuchsova |  CZE Czechia | 1:58.56 | 1 | 26.4s | 55.0s | 1:25.5 | | 6. Zulia Calatayud |  CUB Cuba | 1:58.66 | 7 | 26.8s | 56.0s | 1:26.7 | | 7. Hazel Clark |  USA United States | 1:58.75 | 2 | 26.8s | 55.5s | 1:25.7 | | 8. Hasna Benhassi |  MAR Morocco | 1:59.27 | 4 | 27.8s | 56.1s | 1:25.9 |
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| Qualifiying A Standard: 2:00.50 | | Qualifiying B Standard: 2:02.50 |
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Maria Mutola had won five world titles at 800m indoors and out, but in three previous Olympic appearances had managed one bronze medal.
Though favourite she was regarded as fallible, having occupied the same position in 1996.
Strong Stephanie Graf was fastest in the preliminary rounds with 1:58.39 and 1:57.56, while Mutola won her races in 1:59.88 and 1:58.86. Lyudmila Formanová, the reigning World Champion indoors and out, failed to finish her heat.
Fuchsová set the early pace in the final, passing 200m in 26.4 and halfway in 55.04, the fastest ever in a global championship final. Holmes went into the lead just after 600m reached in 1:25.5 by Fuchsová, with Mutola and Graf close behind. Mutola took the lead at the beginning of the home straight, and steadily drew clear to win by 4m from Graf, who edged by Holmes in the last 10m.
| Semi 1 19.10h | time | L | | 1. Maria de Lourdes Mutola | MOZ | 1:58.86 | 5 | | 2. Hasna Benhassi | MAR | 1:59.19 | 4 | | 3. Zulia Calatayud | CUB | 1:59.30 | 2 | | 4. Tamsyn Lewis |  AUS | 1:59.33 | 7 | | 5. Jearl Miles-Clark | USA | 1:59.44 | 3 | | 6. Claudia Gesell |  GER | 1:59.69 | 6 | | 7. Charmaine Howell |  JAM | 2:00.63 | 8 | | 8. Maite Martinez |  ESP | 2:03.27 | 1 |
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| Semi 2 19.17h | time | L | | 1. Stephanie Graf | AUT | 1:57.56 | 3 | | 2. Kelly Holmes | GBR | 1:58.45 | 2 | | 3. Helena Dziurova-Fuchsova | CZE | 1:58.82 | 4 | | 4. Brigita Langerholc | SLO | 1:59.05 | 1 | | 5. Hazel Clark | USA | 1:59.12 | 6 | | 6. Toni Hodgkinson |  NZL | 1:59.84 | 7 | | 7. Irina Mistyukevich |  RUS | 2:02.95 | 5 | | 8. Joetta Clark-Diggs | USA | 2:04.12 | 8 |
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Heats - Friday, 22nd September |
| Heat 1 10.00h | time | L | | 1. Maria de Lourdes Mutola | MOZ | 1:59.88 | 5 | | 2. Tamsyn Lewis | AUS | 2:00.23 | 3 | | 3. Hasna Benhassi | MAR | 2:00.50 | 8 | | 4. Natalya Dukhnova |  BLR | 2:03.20 | 1 | | 5. Grace Birungi |  UGA | 2:03.32 | 6 | | 6. Yelena Martson-Buzhenko |  UKR | 2:03.48 | 7 | | 7. Florencia Hunt |  AHO | 2:03.78 | 4 | | 8. Direma Banasso |  TOG | 2:13.67 | 2 |
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| Heat 2 10.07h | time | L | | 1. Jearl Miles-Clark | USA | 2:01.79 | 3 | | 2. Brigita Langerholc | SLO | 2:01.89 | 7 | | 3. Olga Raspopova | RUS | 2:01.95 | 1 | | 4. Letitia Vriesde |  SUR | 2:02.09 | 2 | | 5. Mina AitHammou | MAR | 2:03.25 | 5 | | 6. Leontine Tsiba |  CGO | 2:04.08 | 6 | | 7. Elena Buhaianu-Jagar |  ROU | 2:07.56 | 8 | | 8. Roda Ali Wais |  DJI | 2:31.71 | 4 |
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| Heat 3 10.14h | time | L | | 1. Maite Martinez | ESP | 1:59.60 | 3 | | 2. Irina Mistyukevich | RUS | 1:59.73 | 6 | | 3. Zulia Calatayud | CUB | 2:00.18 | 8 | | 4. Joetta Clark-Diggs | USA | 2:00.19 | 4 | | 5. Charmaine Howell | JAM | 2:01.14 | 7 | | 6. Christine Mukamutesi |  RWA | 2:14.15 | 5 | | 7. Alberta Cape |  GBS | 2:17.05 | 1 | | -. Ludmila Formanova | CZE | DNF | 2 |
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| Heat 4 10.21h | time | L | | 1. Kelly Holmes | GBR | 2:01.76 | 6 | | 2. Hazel Clark | USA | 2:01.99 | 5 | | 3. Natalya Tsyganova | RUS | 2:02.26 | 8 | | 4. Sandra Stals |  BEL | 2:02.33 | 4 | | 5. Susan Andrews | AUS | 2:03.31 | 1 | | 6. Irina Latve |  LAT | 2:06.05 | 2 | | 7. Delfina Joaquim |  ANO | 2:15.02 | 3 |
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| Heat 5 10.28h | time | L | | 1. Stephanie Graf | AUT | 1:58.39 | 1 | | 2. Claudia Gesell | GER | 1:58.56 | 2 | | 3. Helena Dziurova-Fuchsova | CZE | 1:58.97 | 4 | | 4. Toni Hodgkinson | NZL | 1:59.37 | 7 | | 5. Diane Modahl | GBR | 2:02.41 | 5 | | 6. Adama Njie |  GAM | 2:07.90 | 6 | | 7. Anna Nasilyan |  ARM | 2:14.86 | 8 | | -. Tina Paulino | MOZ | DNS | 3 |
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