The following table shows the European record progression in the men's 800 metres, as ratified by the EAA[1] [2]
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:51.6* | Otto Peltzer | London, England | July 3, 1926 | |
| 1:50.6 | Sera Martin | Paris, France | July 14, 1928 | |
| 1:49.8 | Tommy Hampson | Los Angeles, United States | August 2, 1932 | |
| 1:48.4 | Sydney Wooderson | Motspur Park, England | August 20, 1938 | |
| 1:46.6 | Rudolf Harbig | Milan, Italy | July 17, 1939 | |
| 1:45.7 | Roger Moens | Oslo, Norway | August 3, 1955 | |
| 1:44.9 | Franz-Josef Kemper | Hanover, Germany | August 7, 1966 | |
| 1:44.9 | Walter Adams | Stuttgart, Germany | July 16, 1970 | |
| 1:44.5 | Pekka Vasala | Helsinki, Finland | August 20, 1972 | |
| 1:43.7 | Marcello Fiasconaro | Milan, Italy | June 27, 1973 | |
(*) Performance timed over 880 yards
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:42.33 | Sebastian Coe | Oslo, Norway | July 5, 1979 | ||
| 1:41.73 | Sebastian Coe | Florence, Italy | June 10, 1981 | ||
| 1:41.73 | Wilson Kipketer | Stockholm, Sweden | July 7, 1997 | ||
| 1:41.24 | Wilson Kipketer | Zürich, Switzerland | August 13, 1997 | ||
| 1:41.11 | Wilson Kipketer | Cologne, Germany | August 24, 1997 |