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.

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

World

Olympic Games Paralympic Games World Cross Country Championships World Championships in Athletics Liberty Bell Classic (Olympic Boycott Games) Gymnasiade

Regional

CARIFTA Games CAC Junior Championships Pan American Junior Championships South American Junior Championships European Indoor Championships European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country European Champion Clubs Cup Islamic Games Balkan Games

World records

Men Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date1000 mSebastian Coe2:13.40 Oslo, Norway1 July1500 mSteve Ovett3:31.36 Koblenz, West Germany17 AugustMileSteve Ovett3:48.8 Oslo, Norway1 July400 m hurdlesEdwin Moses47.13 Milan, Italy3 JulyHigh jumpJacek Wszoła2.35 Eberstadt, West Germany25 MayHigh jumpDietmar Mögenburg2.35 Rehlingen, West Germany26 MayHigh jumpGerd Wessig2.36 Moscow, Russia1 AugustPole vaultWładysław Kozakiewicz5.72 Milan, Italy11 MayPole vaultThierry Vigneron5.75 Colombes, France1 JunePole vaultThierry Vigneron5.75 Lille, France29 JunePole vaultPhilippe Houvion5.77 Paris, France17 JulyPole vaultWładysław Kozakiewicz5.78 Moscow, Soviet Union30 JulyHammer throwYuriy Sedykh80.38 Leselidze, Soviet Union16 MayHammer throwJüri Tamm80.46 Leselidze, Soviet Union16 MayHammer throwYuriy Sedykh80.64 Leselidze, Soviet Union16 MayHammer throwSergey Litvinov81.66 Sochi, Soviet Union24 MayHammer throwYuriy Sedykh81.80 Moscow, Soviet Union31 JulyJavelin throwFerenc Paragi96.72 Tata, Hungary23 AprilDecathlonDaley Thompson8622 Götzis, Austria17-18 MayDecathlonGuido Kratschmer8649 Filderstadt-Bernhausen, West Germany14-15 June

Women Event Athlete Nation Performance Place Date800 mNadiya Olizarenko1:54.85 Moscow, Soviet Union12 June800 mNadiya Olizarenko1:53.43 Moscow, Soviet Union27 July1500 mTatyana Kazankina3:55.0 Moscow, Soviet Union6 July1500 mTatyana Kazankina3:52.47 Zürich, Switzerland13 AugustMileMary Decker4:21.7 Auckland, New Zealand26 January100 m hurdlesGrażyna Rabsztyn12.36 Warsaw, Poland13 June400 m hurdlesKarin Rossley54.28 Jena, East Germany13 June4 × 100 metres relayRomy SchneiderBärbel EckertIngrid AuerswaldMarlies Göhr42.09 Berlin, East Germany9 July4 × 100 metres relayRomy MüllerBärbel WöckelIngrid AuerswaldMarlies Göhr41.85 Potsdam, East Germany13 July4 × 100 metres relayRomy MüllerBärbel WöckelIngrid AuerswaldMarlies Göhr41.60 Moscow, Soviet Union1 August4 × 200 metres relayMarlies GöhrRomy MüllerBärbel WöckelMarita Koch1:28.15 Jena, East Germany9 AugustShot putIlona Slupianek22.36 Celje, Yugoslavia2 MayShot putIlona Slupianek22.45 Potsdam, East Germany10 MayDiscus throwFaina Melnik71.50 Sochi, Soviet Union10 MayDiscus throwMariya Petkova71.80 Sofia, Bulgaria13 JulyJavelin throwRuth Fuchs69.96 Split, Yugoslavia29 AprilJavelin throwTatyana Biryulina70.08 Podolsk, Soviet Union12 JulyPentathlonOlga Kuragina4856 Moscow, Soviet Union20 JunePentathlonNadiya Tkachenko5083 Moscow, Soviet Union24 July

Season's bests 100 metres  10.02 10.93 200 metres  19.96 22.01 400 metres  44.60 48.88 800 metres  1:44.53 1:53.43 1,500 metres  3:31.36 3:52.47 Mile run  3:48.8 4:21.68 3000 metres  7:37.60 8:33.53 5000 metres  13:16.38 15:30.6 10,000 metres  27:29.16 32:57.17 Half marathon  1:02:16 1:13:59 Marathon  2:09:01 2:30:27 110 m/100 m hurdles  13.21 12.36 400 m hurdles  47.13 54.28 3000 m steeplechase  8:09.70 — —4 × 100 m relay  Vladimir MuravyovNikolay SidorovAleksandr AksininAndrey Prokofyev 38.26 Romy MüllerBärbel WöckelIngrid AuerswaldMarlies Göhr 41.60 4 × 400 m relay  Remigijus ValiulisMikhail LingeNikolay ChernetskiyViktor Markin 3:01.08 Tatyana ProrochenkoTatyana GoyshchikNina ZyuskovaIrina Nazarova 3:20.12 High jump  2.36 m 1.98 m Pole vault  5.78 m — — Long jump  8.54 m 7.06 m Triple jump  17.35 m — — Shot put  21.98 m 22.45 m Discus throw  70.98 m 71.80 m Hammer throw  81.80 m — — Javelin (old design)  96.72 m 70.08 m Decathlon  8667 pts — — Pentathlon  — — 5083 pts

Marathon winners RaceMen's winnerWomen's winnerAmsterdam MarathonAvon International Marathon–Beppu-Ōita Marathon–Berlin MarathonBoston MarathonChicago MarathonFukuoka Marathon–Košice MarathonLake Biwa Marathon–New York MarathonParis MarathonTokyo Women's Marathon–

Awards AwardMen's winnerWomen's winner Track & Field News Athlete of the Year

Births January 1 – Masumi Aya, Japanese hammer thrower January 2 – Yusuke Yachi, Japanese race walker January 7 – Lívia Tóth, Hungarian distance runner January 8 – Mitsuhiro Sato, Japanese sprinter January 11 – Li Xiaoxue, Chinese hammer thrower January 19 – Matic Osovnikar, Slovenian sprinter January 21 – Elva Goulbourne, Jamaican long jumper January 25 – Christian Olsson, Swedish athlete January 27 – Naleya Downer, Jamaican sprinter January 31 – Joel Brown, American hurdler January 31 – Adriana Pirtea, Romanian long-distance runner February 3 – Markus Esser, German hammer thrower February 3 – Sini Pöyry, Finnish hammer thrower February 4 – Yared Asmerom, Eritrean long-distance runner February 4 – Gary Kikaya, Congolese sprinter February 7 – Emma Ania, British sprinter February 11 – Karin Ruckstuhl, Dutch heptathlete February 13 – Tetyana Holovchenko, Ukrainian distance runner February 13 – Irina Naumenko, Kazakhstani heptathlete February 20 – Bram Som, Dutch track and field athlete February 21 – Takayuki Matsumiya, Japanese long-distance runner February 24 – Aki Heikkinen, Finnish decathlete February 25 – Marisa Barros, Portuguese long-distance runner February 26 – Irina Butor, Belarusian heptathlete March 3 – Nikolett Szabó, Hungarian javelin thrower March 7 – Olli-Pekka Karjalainen, Finnish hammer thrower March 12 – California Molefe, Botswanan athlete March 15 – Kim Il-Nam, North Korean long-distance runner March 19 – Justus Koech, Kenyan middle-distance runner March 23 – Teja Melink, Slovenian pole vaulter March 30 – Amélie Perrin, Franch hammer thrower April 6 – Tommi Evilä, Finnish long jumper April 13 – Boštjan Buč, Slovenian track and field athlete April 17 – Igors Kazakevičs, Latvian race walker April 18 – Wojciech Kondratowicz, Polish hammer thrower April 19 – Gudisa Shentema, Ethiopian long-distance runner May 1 – Inês Henriques, Portuguese race walker May 2 – Chris Boyles, American decathlete May 2 – Ronetta Smith, Jamaican sprinter May 10 – Mayumi Kawasaki, Japanese race walker May 14 – Eugène Martineau, Dutch decathlete May 17 – Tatyana Sibileva, Russian race walker May 20 – Chinatsu Mori, Japanese shot putter (d. 2006) May 23 – Ri Kum-Song, North Korean long-distance runner June 2 – Shingo Suetsugu, Japanese track and field athlete June 8 – Vânia Silva, Portuguese hammer thrower June 13 – Alistair Cragg, Irish distance runner June 17 – Shitaye Gemechu, Ethiopian long-distance runner June 19 – Sanjay Ayre, Jamaican athlete July 5 – Park Ju-Young, South Korean long-distance runner July 8 – Noraldo Palacios, Colombian javelin thrower July 9 – Brooke Krueger, Australian hammer thrower July 12 – Mikko Kyyrö, Finnish discus thrower July 17 – Rashid Ramzi, Moroccan athlete July 24 – Wilfred Bungei, Kenyan middle-distance runner July 27 – Alena Neumiarzhitskaya, Belarusian sprinter July 31 – Masato Naito, Japanese hurdler August 11 – Monika Pyrek, Polish pole vaulter August 23 – Bronwyn Eagles, Australian hammer thrower August 23 – Roisin McGettigan, Irish distance runner August 24 – Shani Marks, American triple jumper August 29 – Perdita Felicien, Canadian track and field athlete September 6 – Nailiya Yulamanova, Russian long-distance runner September 6 – Gulnara Vygovskaya, Russian long-distance runner September 8 – Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, South African middle-distance runner September 16 – Lukáš Melich, Czech hammer thrower September 25 – Jennifer Joyce, Canadian hammer thrower September 28 – Maurice Smith, Jamaican decathlete October 7 – Clarissa Claretti, Italian hammer thrower October 7 – Olesya Zykina, Russian track and field athlete October 16 – Maureen Griffin, American hammer thrower October 26 – Deriba Merga, Ethiopian long-distance runner November 9 – Tamicka Clarke, Bahamian sprinter November 14 – Naoko Sakamoto, Japanese long-distance runner November 19 – Yipsi Moreno, Cuban hammer thrower November 24 – Zoe Derham, English hammer thrower December 12 – Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner December 13 – Venera Getova, Bulgarian discus thrower December 17 – Alexandra Papageorgiou, Greek hammer thrower

Deaths 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 Year Lists Association of Road Racing Statisticians 1980 Year Rankings Year Rankings