Peter Rono was my uber driver today! In his bio it mentioned being a “gold medalist Olympian” and I was curious so I asked him about it. He told me all about it and said to look him up on KZfaq which led me to here. Amazing the people you come across day to day. Salute to you peter for being awesome!

YT brought me this channel only recently. Man I love these vintage races!

Peter Rono gave me his training diary when I was representing him in some races in Europe after the Olympics. It really makes fascinating reading what he did day by day from the December right through to the Olympic final. What is amazing is the way he saw the race as just a race. He had no fear whatsoever of any other runner and you can tell by the way he ran and looks around after taking the lead and just how relaxed he was When The Kenyan team arrived back in Nairobi, they were all taken to the Presidents residence (and kept waiting a whole day) before the gold medalists only, each received a small black and white TV !!

I regard this 1500m final as one of the greatest strategic Olympic final races to watch. Where the 3 Peters won the medals!. Apart from the 1984 final with Sebastian Coe’s remarkable final 100m it was fascinating to watch and rewatch. I reviewed the footage and counted Peter Rono turned his head to the right 28 times in the last 53 second lap to see if anyone was coming to pass him. You can hypothesize this was his tactic to stay in front and respond to every challenger, but we won’t know unless we ask him or his coach. (If they can remember). The fact is he was fast enough to stay in front and obviously was the deserving champion that year. He certainly looked relaxed and fast in formidable company. As a 21 year old who was virtually unheard of internationally going into the Olympics , it was a sensation at the time. The Kenyans training that year in 1988, must have been near perfection in their ability to peak all their athletes to completely dominate every Olympic gold medal 🥇 from the 800m distance to the 5000m.

Thanks for putting up this video. A real case of what might have been. No Coe, Cram ill and coming back off a calf injury sustained in Rieti, no Aouita (pulled out with a thigh injury after the heat), no Bile (also injured). Nevertheless, an absorbing race. Fair play to Rono for grabbing his chance. It was the only one he would have!

Peter Rono used the same tactics in all three rounds: start at the back, circle the field in the second lap, and hug the rail after that running no faster than necessary to hold off all challenges, all the way to the line. Doubtless he trained specifically for this particular tactic (just like Kuts did in the Melbourne Oly 10k). Meanwhile, announcers like CBC's Geoff Gowan were going on and on about how "Africans run free and don't bother with tactics" and other unconsciously racist blather, while not bothering to watch what was actually happening on the track. Rono's only major win, brilliantly conceived and executed.

This is what taking control of a race means Once Rono hit the front he ran the perfect race doing enough to hold off all challengers he also accelerated just before the others accelerated and suddenly they realized Christ he is flying we are not going to catch him at all.

I think that sometimes some things are meant to take place at certain times. Peter Elliot was always an extremely tough competitor at national and also international level during the 1980s. He achieved his breakthrough of Bronze at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, the two splendid Silvers at Global Level which cemented his true, consistent pedigree at the World Championship 800 metres in 1987 and the 1500 metres Seoul Olympics, and finally, GOLD, Commonwealth Games 1500 metres in Auckland. A Gold medal is a Gold medal at a major Championship.

52s last lap! thats blistering.

That run by Rono is very underated. He wound it up from a long way out and his experienced opponents should have know that if someone has the lead in an Olympic final and gets a vision of gold he is very hard to beat. Actually, most likely they knew this and just could not get to the front. If you run well at the Olympics you don't need to do anything else before or after!

1) Peter RONO (KEN) 3:35.96 2) Peter ELLIOTT (GBR) 3:36.15 3) Jens-Peter HEROLD (GDR) 3:36.21 4) Steve CRAM (GBR) 3:36.24 5) Steve SCOTT (USA) 3:36.99 6) Johanes Nicolaas Maria KULKER (NED) 3:37.08 7) Kipkoech CHERUIYOT (KEN) 3:37.94 8) Marcus O'SULLIVAN (IRL) 3:38.39 9) Mario Manuel SILVA (POR) 3:38.77 10) Jeffrey Patrick ATKINSON (USA) 3:40.80 11) Joseph CHESIRE (KEN) 3:40.82 12) Omer KHALIFA (SUD) 3:41.07

I've had an opportunity to be training with Peter Elliott when I was the Rotherham harriers cross-country champion under 12 gold medalist. I trained with Peter which we used to all run our road running and circuit training. What a privilege to have known a champion

In a parallel universe not too distant from our own, a fit Elliot, Cram, and Coe split the medals between them (who knows in what order), all three well clear of the field in the style of Stuttgart 86 800m, a fitting climax to a decade of middle-distance dominance for the Brits!

Its funny the way the reporters only realise Rono is going to stroll to goldin the last few meters, then they give a completely comentry for the replay.

Hard to believe a runner such as Cram could not win an Olympic Gold at 3 attempts 80, 84 & 88. For me his high stepping running style was amazing in 85/86

Olympic finals appeared in: Cram 3, Coe 4, Ovett 5.

Love these Kenyans spirit❤🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪

Peter Elliot 🙌🙌🙌

I remember watching this and thinking what a missed opportunity it was for a British gold medal. Rono took full advantage so fair play to him but the way the race panned out it just seemed that Cram in particular didn’t see the threat and then couldn’t respond when it was too late. The end of an era for British middle-distance running and the start of a new era for African running that would get better and better as the ‘80s turned into the ‘90s and a new generation of African talent emerged to dominate.

And Elliott fatigued from having run every qualifying round for 800m and 1500m.

this is what happens when the top guys are paying attention to what is going on behind them and completely disregard who is ahead of them until it is too late. centrowitz got away with this in 2016. it isn't so much that rono or centriwitz won, that the favorites lost.

Injuries or no injuries is still part and parcel of athletics. Physical training is very important. But mind training which is more neglected is the most important. Anxiety and tension lead to muscle pulls and other injuries. Hence Rono technically won even against those who would have been there but were nursing injuries.

The three Peters. Elliott ran too many bends in lane two. He was also pretty knackered after the 800.

Elliott gave it all he had...was hurt...would have taken the gold otherwise...what a gutsy runner!

I remember this period well. Cram, Aouita and Bile were the best at this time. Cram generally had the edge over the others. All 3 werent fit for this final. I met Cram in 87. He took us for a training session, really nice guy, great memories.

The thing is, Elliott one could understand, but Crabb? Fine athlete and man that he was, he was all the same never even going to make the final, let alone medal.

seoul'88, awesome men's & women's 1500's.

Steve Cram peaked a year to early in 87', he was breaking world records and winning at the world championships.

Naturally the Kalenjin people are humble and generous but can respond in equal measure to any thing thrown their way. Nothing is beyond them.

i would have saw this all them years ago and forgot about Peters silver, great pub quiz question which Britain got silver in the 1988 1500 metres final ?

And would leave no doubt as to who the greatest miler ever was...

i loved peter eliot hard man of athletics

Gan on Crazza bonny lad!

KENYA KENYA KENYA KENYA KENYA GO KENYA>>> The greatest athletics nation on EARTH!!! The most high's blessed children!! YAH bless you Kenyans, you give hope to the racially discriminated people of melanin across the globe!

Saludos desde la nasion de PANSMÀQUE LINDU🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🤗🤗🤗❤❤❤❤❤🔥🔥

GOOD JOB RONO, YOU (WERE) A FIGHTER DURING SEOUL'88 OLYMPICS. KILEN KONGOI AGOBO NYIGANET.

Olympic 1500 meter finalists pre-race plans: 99% - fancy my chances to just sit back and kick with 250 meters to go. 1% - fuck 'em all, begin kick at 700 meters and die on the line.

I agree with many of the earlier posters on here that Seb Coe would have been more likely to be a medal contender in Seoul in 1988 than Steve Crabb. However, it is worth remembering that the selection policy gave an automatic place to an athlete if they finish in the first 2 at the British Trials and had the qualifying time. The 1500m trial was won by Elliott from Crabb with Coe going out in the heats (out of sorts but with perhaps enough time to recover to top form). This left the selectors having to choose between Coe and Cram (who won the 800m trial in great style and was the World Record Holder at 1500m and Mile, Twice European 1500m champ, 1983 World Champ and 1984 Olympic Silver) and Coe.

Peter Elliott....a modern version of Peter Snell!

The Tiny man took it..well done peter..

amaral da seleçao ganhou?

Peter Elliott...an unsung hero like Norway's Rodal.

Is Peer Rono related to Henry Rono?

David Coleman says Peter Rono ran a last lap of 52.6 seconds. He didn't. The timing system clearly shows he ran 52.93 seconds on the last lap. However, Rono did the real damage from 800m to 1100m when he ran 42.72 seconds, accelerating all the time. That took the sting out of all the favourites.

Coe should have been there instead of Crabb. We might have won it then!

Rono ran tactically correct. As Lasse Viren 1976. Cram ran foolishly. Why did he wasted his strength by running on the track two?

Still can't believe it all these years later that they took Crabb instead of Coe, when you consider they were not going to take Coe four years before when Elliott beat him in the trial, then he went on to win the Gold again, oh what might have been we will never know.

🇪🇸🇪🇸🥇🥇🥇🏆🏆🏆

It’d be nice to see a race where they pace it at an elite level instead of college level for the first three laps and elite for the last. It still happens and its disappointing for the fans who get to watch great runners run slow and then sprint like Michael Johnson for 400 meters.

Se terminó el dominio inglés en esta prueba en Olímpicos...a partir de esta época dominio africano

The commentator is just thinking of the brits so biased

Peter Elliot was a part time athlete - unlike Cram, Coe and even many Kenyans

Seoul 1988 was the beginning of the end for Track and Field as global sport, and this 'Blue Riband event more than any other signified why. The Kenyan and Ethiopian men and East German women and dirtiest 100m race of all time. Going all the way back from Harold Abrahams & Eric Liddle in 1924, Owens in 1938, Prefontaine/Knight & Bowerman (Nike) and the US running boom in the 70's , to Ovett & Coe four years previously; with wall to wall coverage of the events during the Summer months. To the London Track and Field Diamond league meeting being relegated to Gateshead in 2021, and Nike only sponsoring three Track and Field athletes in total. With the strong possibility of the Japan Olympic Games cancellation, putting the tin hat on it.

But the sexiest, herold, nr 3

Blame the British selectors for the UK not winning Gold. Coe had been recovering from injury so they selected a runner called Steve Crabb in his place despite Coe being the double Olympic 1500 meter gold medalist! Obviously with hindsight looking @ how that race unfolded it was made for Coe. His kick with 150 to go would have destroyed that field as Cram wasn't at his best either!!!

Where's Coe?

Catch me if you can am the ginger bread man!

Regrettably the race was without the 2 time defending Olympic champion Sebastian Coe... he deserved to be there and would have won. So an altogether disappointing final in all truth.

Britain didn't use its brains here. Coe should have been taken even though past his best as his presence in the race along with Elliot and Cram would have put pressure on Rono. And those two should only have competed in the 1500m as this was their best chance; they only injured and tired themselves out running the 800m. With a bit of thought they could have been 1 and 3. Against that it's just as well that Said Aouita and Abdi Bile weren't running as either of them could have smoked the entire field.

Too many injurys

Oh God of all creation Bless this our land and nation Justice be our shield and defender May we dwell in UnityPeace and liberty Plenty be found within our borders ........I am a proud Kenyan. Long live Kenya, God bless Kenya

People extol the late David Coleman but the commentary on this race is really poor.

Cram pretty much end of career by now

I just can't get over those USA uniform tops. Horrible.