Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres

This was the 19th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. None of the 1976 finalists returned, with the American-led boycott keeping out defending champion John Walker of New Zealand as well as top American runner Steve Scott. Those two would have been strong challengers, but a British pair would have been co-favorites anyway. The world record was shared by Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe, with Coe having a slightly faster time before the rounding required by the rules of the time. The British Olympic Association did not join the boycott, so Ovett and Coe raced in Moscow. [2]

Benin, Botswana, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Syria, Vietnam, and Zambia each made their first appearance in the event. Great Britain and France each made their 17th appearances, most of those competing in 1980, though still one fewer than the United States (which had had runners in each of the 18 previous 1500 metres competitions).

The competition was again three rounds (used previously in 1952 and since 1964). The "fastest loser" system introduced in 1964 was used for both the first round and semifinals. The 9-man semifinals and finals from 1976 were retained.

There were four heats in the first round, each with 10 or 11 runners (before withdrawals). The top four runners in each heat, along with the next two fastest overall, advanced to the semifinals. The 18 semifinalists were divided into two semifinals, each with 9 runners. The top four men in each semifinal, plus the fastest fifth-placer, advanced to the 9-man final.[2][3]

These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1980 Summer Olympics.

World record	Sebastian Coe (GBR)	3:32.1	Zürich, Switzerland	15 August 1979
Olympic record	Kip Keino (KEN)	3:34.9	Mexico City, Mexico	20 October 1968

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

All times are Moscow Time (UTC+3)

• 1976 Men's Olympic 1,500 metres (Montreal)
• 1978 Men's European Championships 1,500 metres (Prague)
• 1982 Men's European Championships 1,500 metres (Athens)
• 1983 Men's World Championships 1,500 metres (Helsinki)
• 1984 Men's Olympic 1,500 metres (Los Angeles)

• Results
• Results