| 2021 | ||||
| (Tokyo, August 3) | ||||
| 1. | Athing Mu (USA) | 1:55.21 | AR/AJR | |
| 2. | Keely Hodgkinson (Great Britain) | 1:55.88 | ||
| 3. | Raevyn Rogers (USA) | 1:56.81 | ||
| 4. | Jemma Reekie (Great Britain) | 1:56.90 | ||
| 5. | Chunyu Wang (China) | 1:57.00 | ||
| 6. | Habitam Alemu (Ethiopia) | 1:57.56 | ||
| 7. | Alexandra Bell (Great Britain) | 1:57.66 | ||
| 8. | Natoya Goule (Jamaica) | 1:58.26 | ||
| [Ajee’ Wilson (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
| (Rio de Janeiro, August 20) | ||||
| 1 | Caster Semenya (South Africa) | 1:55.28 | ||
| 2 | Francine Niyonsaba (Burundi) | 1:56.49 | ||
| 3 | Margaret Wambui (Kenya) | 1:56.89 | ||
| 4 | Melissa Bishop (Canada) | 1:57.02 | ||
| 5 | Joanna Józwik (Poland) | 1:57.37 | ||
| 6 | Lynsey Sharp (Great Britain) | 1:57.69 | ||
| 7 | Maryna Arzamasova (Belarus) | 1:59.10 | ||
| 8 | Kate Grace (USA) | 1:59.57 | ||
| [Ajee’ Wilson (USA) 3rd in semi (1:59.75)] | ||||
| [Chrishuna Williams (USA) 6th in heat (2:01.19)] | ||||
| 2012 | ||||
| (London, August 11) | ||||
| 1 | Mariya Savinova (Russia) | 1:56.19 | ||
| 2 | Caster Semenya (South Africa) | 1:57.23 | ||
| 3 | Yekaterina Poistogova (Russia) | 1:57.53 | ||
| 4 | Pamela Jelimo (Kenya) | 1:57.59 | ||
| 5 | Alysia Montaño (USA) | 1:57.93 | ||
| 6 | Yelena Arzhakova (Russia) | 1:59.21 | ||
| 7 | Francine Niyonsaba (Burundi) | 1:59.63 | ||
| 8 | Janeth Jepkosgei (Kenya) | 2:00.19 | ||
| [Alice Schmidt (USA) 3rd semi I] | ||||
| [Geena Gall (USA) 8th semi III] | ||||
| 2008 | ||||
| 1 | Pamela Jelimo (Kenya) | 1:54.87 | ||
| 2 | Janeth Jepkosgei (Kenya) | 1:56.07 | ||
| 3 | Hasna Benhassi (Morocco) | 1:56.73 | ||
| 4 | Svetlana Kluyka (Russia) | 1:56.94 | ||
| 5 | Maria Mutola (Mozambique) | 1:57.68 | ||
| 6 | Kenia Sinclair (Jamaica) | 1:58.24 | ||
| 7 | Yuliya Krevsun (Ukraine) | 1:58.73 | ||
| 8 | Tatyana Andrianova (Russia) | 2:02.63 | ||
| [Hazel Clark (USA) 5th in heat] | ||||
| [Alice Schmidt (USA) 6th in heat] | ||||
| [Nicole Teter (USA) DNF in heat] | ||||
| 2004 | ||||
| 1 | Kelly Holmes (Great Britain) | 1:56.38 | ||
| 2 | Hasna Benhassi (Morocco) | 1:56.43 | ||
| 3 | Jolanda Čeplak (Slovenia) | 1:56.43 | ||
| 4 | Maria Mutola (Mozambique) | 1:56.51 | ||
| 5 | Tatyana Andrianova (Russia) | 1:56.88 | ||
| 6 | Jearl Miles Clark (USA) | 1:57.27 | ||
| 7 | Maria Cioncan (Romania) | 1:59.62 | ||
| 8 | Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) | 2:00.95 | ||
| [Nicole Teter (USA) 4th in semi] | ||||
| [Hazel Clark (USA) 5tth in heat] | ||||
| 2000 | ||||
| 1 | Maria Mutola (Mozambique) | 1:56.15 | ||
| 2 | Stephanie Graf (Austria) | 1:56.64 | ||
| 3 | Kelly Holmes (Great Britain) | 1:56.80 | ||
| 4 | Brigita Langerholc (Slovenia) | 1:58.51 | ||
| 5 | Helena Fuchsová (Czech Republic) | 1:58.56 | ||
| 6 | Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) | 1:58.66 | ||
| 7 | Hazel Clark (USA) | 1:58.75 | ||
| 8 | Hasna Benhassi (Morocco) | 1:59.27 | ||
| [Jearl Miles Clark (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Joetta Clark-Diggs (USA) 8th in semi] | ||||
| 1996 | ||||
| 1 | Svetlana Masterkova (Russia) | 1:57.73 | ||
| 2 | Ana Quirós (Cuba) | 1:58.11 | ||
| 3 | Maria Mutola (Mozambique) | 1:58.71 | ||
| 4 | Kelly Holmes (Great Britain) | 1:58.81 | ||
| 5 | Yelena Afanasyeva (Russia) | 1:59.57 | ||
| 6 | Patricia Djaté (France) | 1:59.61 | ||
| 7 | Natalya Dukhnova (Belarus) | 2:00.32 | ||
| 8 | Toni Hodgkinson (New Zealand) | 2:00.54 | ||
| [Meredith Rainey (USA) 7th in semi] | ||||
| [Joetta Clark-Diggs (USA) 3rd in heat] | ||||
| [Suzy Favor Hamilton (USA) 4th in heat] | ||||
| 1992 | ||||
| 1 | Ellen van Langen (Holland) | 1:55.54 | ||
| 2 | Lilia Nurutdinova (Russia) | 1:55.99 | ||
| 3 | Ana Quirós (Cuba) | 1:56.80 | ||
| 4 | Inna Yevseyeva (Ukraine) | 1:57.20 | ||
| 5 | Maria Mutola (Mozambique) | 1:57.49 | ||
| 6 | Ella Kovacs (Romania) | 1:57.95 | ||
| 7 | Joetta Clark-Diggs (USA) | 1:58.06 | ||
| 8 | Lyubov Gurina (Russia) | 1:58.13 | ||
| [Julie Jenkins (USA) 8th in semi] | ||||
| [Meredith Rainey (USA) 3rd in heat] | ||||
| 1988 | ||||
| 1 | Sigrun Wodars (East Germany) | 1:56.10 | ||
| 2 | Christine Wachtel (East Germany) | 1:56.64 | ||
| 3 | Kim Gallagher (USA) | 1:56.91 | ||
| 4 | Slobodanka Čolović (Yugoslavia) | 1:57.50 | ||
| 5 | Delisa Floyd (USA) | 1:57.80 | ||
| 6 | Inna Yevseyeva (Soviet Union) | 1:59.37 | ||
| 7 | Maite Zúñiga (Spain) | 1:59.82 | ||
| 8 | Diane Modahl (Great Britain) | 2:00.77 | ||
| [Joetta Clark-Diggs (USA) 7th in semi] | ||||
| 1984 | ||||
| 1 | Doina Melinte (Romania) | 1:57.60 | ||
| 2 | Kim Gallagher (USA) | 1:58.63 | ||
| 3 | Fita Lovin (Romania) | 1:58.83 | ||
| 4 | Gabriella Dorio (Italy) | 1:59.05 | ||
| 5 | Lorraine Baker (Great Britain) | 2:00.03 | ||
| 6 | Ruth Wysocki (USA) | 2:00.34 | ||
| 7 | Margrit Klinger (West Germany) | 2:00.65 | ||
| 8 | Caroline O’Shea (Ireland) | 2:00.77 | ||
| [Robin Campbell (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| 1 | Nadezhda Olizarenko (Soviet Union) | 1:53.43 | ||
| 2 | Olga Mineyeva (Soviet Union) | 1:54.81 | ||
| 3 | Tatyana Providokhina (Soviet Union) | 1:55.46 | ||
| 4 | Martina Kämpfert (East Germany) | 1:56.21 | ||
| 5 | Hildegard Ullrich (East Germany) | 1:57.20 | ||
| 6 | Jolanta Januchta (Poland) | 1:58.25 | ||
| 7 | Nikolina Shtereva (Bulgaria) | 1:58.71 | ||
| 8 | Gabriella Dorio (Italy) | 1:59.12 | ||
| [Olizarenko 1:53.43 WR, OR] | ||||
| 1976 | ||||
| 1 | Tatyana Kazankina (Soviet Union) | 1:54.94 | ||
| 2 | Nikolina Shtereva (Bulgaria) | 1:55.42 | ||
| 3 | Elfi Zinn (East Germany) | 1:55.60 | ||
| 4 | Anita Weiss (East Germany) | 1:55.74 | ||
| 5 | Svetlana Styrkina (Soviet Union) | 1:56.44 | ||
| 6 | Svetla Koleva (Bulgaria) | 1:57.21 | ||
| 7 | Doris Gluth (East Germany) | 1:58.99 | ||
| 8 | Marina Suman (Romania) | 2:02.21 | ||
| [Wendy Knudson (USA) 7th in semi] | ||||
| [Madeline Jackson (USA) 8th in semi] | ||||
| [Kathy Weston (USA) 5th in heat] | ||||
| [Weiss 1:56.53 OR {semi}; Kazankina 1:54.94 WR, OR] | ||||
| 1972 | ||||
| 1 | Hildegard Falck (West Germany) | 1:58.55 | ||
| 2 | Niole Sabaite (Soviet Union) | 1:58.65 | ||
| 3 | Gunhild Hoffmeister (East Germany) | 1:59.19 | ||
| 4 | Svetla Koleva (Bulgaria) | 1:59.72 | ||
| 5 | Vera Nikolić (Yugoslavia) | 1:59.98 | ||
| 6 | Ileana Silai (Romania) | 2:00.04 | ||
| 7 | Rosemary Stirling (Great Britain) | 2:00.15 | ||
| 8 | Abby Hoffman (Canada) | 2:00.17 | ||
| [Madeline Jackson (USA) 5th in semi] | ||||
| [Cheryl Toussaint (USA) 6th in heat] | ||||
| [Wendy Knudson (USA) 6th in heat] | ||||
| [Koleva 1:58.9 OR {heat}; Falck 1:58.55 OR] | ||||
| 1968 | ||||
| 1 | Madeline Jackson (USA) | 2:00.9(A) | (2:00.92) | |
| 2 | Ileana Silai (Romania) | 2:02.5 | (2:02.58) | |
| 3 | Maria Gommers (Holland) | 2:02.6 | (2:02.63) | |
| 4 | Sheila Carey (Great Britain) | 2:03.8 | (2:03.81) | |
| 5 | Doris Brown (USA) | 2:03.9 | (2:03.98) | |
| 6 | Pat Lowe (Great Britain) | 2:04.2 | (2:04.25) | |
| 7 | Abby Hoffman (Canada) | 2:06.8 | (2:06.99) | |
| 8 | Maryvonne Dupureur (France) | 2:08.2 | (2:08.28) | |
| [Francie Kraker-Johnson (USA) 5th in heat] | ||||
| [Jackson 2:00.9 OR] | ||||
| 1964 | ||||
| 1 | Ann Packer (Great Britain) | 2:01.1 | ||
| 2 | Maryvonne Dupureur (France) | 2:01.9 | ||
| 3 | Marise Chamberlain (New Zealand) | 2:02.8 | ||
| 4 | Zsuzsa Szabó-Nagy (Hungary) | 2:03.5 | ||
| 5 | Antje Gleichfeld (West Germany) | 2:03.9 | ||
| 6 | Laine Erik (Soviet Union) | 2:05.1 | ||
| 7 | Gerda Kraan (Holland) | 2:05.8 | ||
| 8 | Anne Smith (Great Britain) | 2:05.8 | ||
| [Sandra Knott (USA) 6th in heat; only U.S. entrant] | ||||
| [Dupureur 2:04.1 OR {semi}; Packer 2:01.1 WR, OR] | ||||
| 1960 | ||||
| 1 | Lyudmila Shevtsova (Soviet Union) | 2:04.3 | (2:04.50) | |
| 2 | Brenda Jones (Australia) | 2:04.4 | (2:04.58) | |
| 3 | Ursula Donath (East Germany) | 2:05.6 | (2:05.73) | |
| 4 | Vera Kummerfeldt (East Germany) | 2:05.9 | (2:06.07) | |
| 5 | Antje Gleichfeld (West Germany) | 2:06.5 | (2:06.63) | |
| 6 | Joyce Jordan (Great Britain) | 2:07.8 | (2:07.95) | |
| 7 | Gizella Czsóka (Hungary) | 2:08.0 | (2:08.11) | |
| 8 | Beata Zbikowska (Poland) | 2:11.8 | (2:11.91) | |
| DNF—Dixie Willis (Australia) | ||||
| [Pat Connolly (USA) DQ in heat; only U.S. entrant] | ||||
| [Gleichfeld 2:10.9 (2:11.05) OR {heat}; Donath 2:07.8 (2:07.92) | ||||
| OR {heat}; Willis 2:05.9 (2:06.03) OR {heat}; Shevtsova 2:04.3 | ||||
| =WR, OR] | ||||
| 1956 | ||||
| (not contested 1932-1956) |
| 1928 | ||||
| 1 | Lina Radke (Germany) | 2:16.8 | ||
| 2 | Kinue Hitomi (Japan) | 2:17.6 | ||
| 3 | Inga Gentzel (Sweden) | 2:17.6 | ||
| 4 | Jenny Thompson (Canada) | 2:21.6 | ||
| 5 | Fanny Rosenfeld (Canada) | 2:22.4 | ||
| 6 | Florence McDonald (USA) | 2:22.6 | ||
| 7 | Marie Dollinger (Germany) | 2:23.0 | ||
| 8 | Gertruda Kilos (Poland) | 2:28.0 | ||
| [Dee Boeckman (USA) 6th in heat] | ||||
| [Rayma Wilson (USA) 10th in heat] | ||||
| [Dollinger 2:22.4 OR {heat}; Radke 2:16.8 WR, OR] | ||||
| 1924 | ||||
| (not contested before 1928) |