2013 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres
The women's 800 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 15–18 August.
The first woman to break 2:00 was Hildegard Falck in 1971. At this meet, it almost took 2:00 to get into the semi-final. Through the first three heats, the slowest automatic qualifier was Halima Hachlaf at 2:00.04, with each race being split at low 57. In the [|final] heat Eunice Jepkoech Sum managed to maintain order, splitting at just under a more leisurely 59 and bringing the three qualifiers in slower than the slowest time qualifier, Lenka Masná at 2:00.31. At that, world leader Francine Niyonsaba, returning medalists Caster Semenya and Janeth Jepkosgei were all missing.
In the final Alysia Montaño displayed tactics reminiscent of Johnny Gray, taking the race out in 26.80 and 56.06 splits opening up as much as a 15-meter lead on the field. Montaño hit the 600 at 1:26.45 with the lead but as she was slowing that's still a long way to get home. Sum had spent most of the last lap second to Montaño, but when defending champion Mariya Savinova tried to go past her at the head of the straight, she responded and held off the challenge. Both of them passed a dying Montaño 40 meters out with the rest of the field gaining rapidly. As she was passed on the inside by teammate Brenda Martinez, Montaño tossed herself at the finish line, collapsing to the track in fourth as Martinez took the bronze.
In 2015, Savinova and Ekaterina Poistogova were recommended for lifetime bans dating back to the 2012 Olympics as part of the wholesale Russian performance enhancing drug scandal. On February 10, 2017 the Court of Arbitration for Sport officially disqualified Savinova's results backdated to July 2010. When medal reallocations were decided, Montaño was given the bronze medal and Martinez the silver.
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 | 1:56.72 | Eugene, US | 1 June 2013 | |
| African Record | 1:54.01 | Zürich, Switzerland | 29 August 2008 | |
| Asian Record | 1:55.54 | Beijing, People's Republic of 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, USA | 27 July 1996 |
Qualification standards
Schedule
Results
Heats
Qualification: First 3 in each heat and the next 4 fastest advanced to the [|semifinals].| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | 5 | Brenda Martinez | 1:59.39 | Q | |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | Marilyn Okoro | 1:59.43 | Q, SB | |
| 3 | 1 | 6 | Mariya Savinova | 1:59.44 | Q | |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | Alysia Montaño | 1:59.47 | Q | |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | Winny Chebet | 1:59.58 | q. SB | |
| 6 | 2 | 6 | Nataliia Lupu | 1:59.59 | Q, SB | |
| 7 | 1 | 4 | Maryna Arzamasava | 1:59.60 | q, SB | |
| 8 | 3 | 5 | Malika Akkaoui | 1:59.63 | Q | |
| 9 | 3 | 8 | Ekaterina Poistogova | 1:59.90 | Q | |
| 10 | 3 | 7 | Ajee' Wilson | 2:00.00 | Q | |
| 11 | 2 | 7 | Halima Hachlaf | 2:00.04 | Q | |
| 12 | 3 | 1 | Rose Mary Almanza | 2:00.27 | q | |
| 13 | 3 | 4 | Lenka Masná | 2:00.31 | q, SB | |
| 14 | 4 | 6 | Eunice Jepkoech Sum | 2:00.49 | Q | |
| 15 | 4 | 3 | Elena Kotulskaya | 2:00.50 | Q | |
| 16 | 2 | 2 | Angie Smit | 2:00.60 | ||
| 17 | 4 | 2 | Laura Muir | 2:00.80 | Q, PB | |
| 18 | 3 | 3 | Natoya Goule | 2:00.93 | ||
| 19 | 3 | 2 | Olha Lyakhova | 2:00.98 | ||
| 20 | 4 | 1 | Fantu Magiso | 2:01.11 | ||
| 21 | 2 | 5 | Jessica Judd | 2:01.48 | ||
| 22 | 4 | 4 | Kelly Hetherington | 2:01.57 | ||
| 23 | 4 | 7 | Melissa Bishop | 2:01.91 | ||
| 24 | 2 | 8 | Wang Chunyu | 2:02.05 | SB | |
| 24 | 2 | 4 | Roseanne Galligan | 2:02.05 | ||
| 26 | 4 | 8 | Margarita Mukasheva | 2:02.06 | ||
| 27 | 1 | 7 | Marta Milani | 2:02.41 | ||
| 28 | 1 | 1 | Karine Belleau-Béliveau | 2:02.93 | ||
| 29 | 2 | 1 | Marina Pospelova | 2:03.42 | ||
| 30 | 1 | 8 | Eglė Balčiūnaitė | 2:08.77 | ||
| 31 | 4 | 5 | Elena Mirela Lavric | 2:10.37 | ||
| 32 | 3 | 6 | Elisabeth Mandaba | 2:14.35 | SB |
Semifinals
Qualification: First 3 in each heat and the next 2 fastest advanced to the final.| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Alysia Montaño | 1:58.92 | Q | |
| 2 | 1 | 5 | Brenda Martinez | 1:59.03 | Q | |
| 3 | 1 | 8 | Nataliia Lupu | 1:59.43 | Q, SB | |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | Ekaterina Poistogova | 1:59.48 | q | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | Lenka Masná | 1:59.56 | q, PB | |
| 6 | 1 | 6 | Halima Hachlaf | 2:00.55 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 2 | Eunice Jepkoech Sum | 2:00.70 | Q | |
| 8 | 2 | 6 | Mariya Savinova | 2:00.73 | Q | |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | Laura Muir | 2:00.83 | ||
| 10 | 2 | 7 | Ajee' Wilson | 2:00.90 | Q | |
| 11 | 2 | 1 | Rose Mary Almanza | 2:00.98 | ||
| 12 | 1 | 7 | Winny Chebet | 2:01.04 | ||
| 13 | 2 | 8 | Maryna Arzamasava | 2:01.19 | ||
| 14 | 2 | 5 | Elena Kotulskaya | 2:01.75 | ||
| 15 | 2 | 4 | Marilyn Okoro | 2:02.26 | ||
| 16 | 2 | 3 | Malika Akkaoui | 2:02.29 |
Final
The final was started at 17:50.| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 2 | Eunice Jepkoech Sum | 1:57.38 | PB | ||
| 5 | Brenda Martinez | 1:57.91 | PB | ||
| 3 | Alysia Montaño | 1:57.95 | |||
| 4 | 4 | Ekaterina Poistogova | 1:58.05 | SB | |
| 5 | 8 | Ajee' Wilson | 1:58.21 | PB | |
| 6 | 7 | Nataliia Lupu | 1:59.79 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Lenka Masná | 2:00.59 | ||
| n/a | 6 | Mariya Savinova | DSQ |