I found this article online and thought it was very interesting especially regarding how Aouita's times improved dramatically from 1984 onwards. "Aouita avoided racing against Ovett until Ovett was an old man moving up to the 5000m. He did race against Cram in the famous Nice race in 85, but after that went out of his way to avoid him, even choosing the 5000m at the 87 world championships, and only dropping back down to the 800 and 1500m in 88 when it appeared Cram was burnt out, as well as Coe past his best and Elliot and Bile injured. He dodged Coe, Cram, and Ovett in 84, preferring to take on a 1500m icon from a decade earlier - John Walker - in the 5000m. He even backed out of a head to head with Coe immediately after LA, choosing to run the 2000m instead of racing in the 1500m against Coe. But more disturbingly is the doping scandal he was involved in as national coach of Australia, in which he was accused by several of his athletes of encouraging them to use PEDs, claiming it was the only way to win. Instead of defending himself at the subsequent enquiry, he elected to flee back to Morocco, where he astonishingly was appointed as national athletics director. Others here have detailed how he was at best an average b-level runner on the European circuit for several years in the early 80's, only transforming into the superhuman capable of running WRs at any distance in 83 (at nearly 25 years of age) after he moved full-time to Italy, where blood doping was rife in the 1980s. Later, he switched managers and was coached by Norwegian Vincent Modahl, husband and coach of Dianne - later to become the first British female athlete to ever fail a drugs test. Although Aouita was the first ever world class male athlete from North Africa, in his wake followed a stream of runners recording incredible times, coinciding with the availability of the most powerful endurance drug ever - EPO. Does this make Aouita the greatest villain in track and field history? Arguably, if Aouita did dope to the eyeballs as seems almost certain, it was he who killed our sport by normalizing the use of PEDs, particularly in Africa, and hence destroying the legitimacy of athletics. In the mid-eighties, athletics - and in particular middle-distance - had never been more popular. The sport had been blessed by a string of legends from Snell, to Ryun, to the Golden Brit generation of Coe, Ovett, Cram and Elliot. Along came Aouita, running extraordinary times from 800 to 10000, constantly denigrating the British runners whose popularity had almost single-handedly transformed athletics from an amateur past-time into a professional multi-million dollar global sport, and yet refusing to back up his words by meeting them on the track. In his wake, followed a plethora of obviously drugged up Africans, in particular a slew of North Africans that put WRs out of reach, records that are now seen as so obviously fake that the whole history of athletics is on the point of being put in the trash can amid calls to start all over again with a 'year zero'".

Cram was a beast in this race. It takes guts to go hard as early as he did. But he kept up the speed to the finish. Very entertaining race.

I was 17 and loved watching these events on TV.

This was 37 years ago, wow I was just 8 but I remember these races like it was yesterday and Britain did well in a lot of things!! 🙂

Perfect tactics from the Jarro Arrow.

Ovett ran the last lap in 51.0. I heard. Fastest of them all.

I remember watching this with my dad.

I've known about this race ever since it happened, but had never seen it. And didn't realize Aouita was third. Thanks, KZfaq.

If Ovett was placed off Aquita's shoulder with one to go EASY WIN!!!!! Tactics and Positioning IN Championship Racing Are Key!

That was some field.All legends.

i actually hate watching this race-its like ovett was sleepwalking and then suddenly wakes up.however,by the time he did,the medals were already taken.i mean what the f was he playing at-his speed on that last lap was untouchable but he was so far off the pace.....i know he wasnt 100% fit but still....its a race that still baffles me to this day.steve scott was second,ovett could and did always beat him with his eyes closed

This is one SSott best races !!! Legend of the distance

That last lap looked scary fast

Another 'might have been' for Ovett along with Prague 800m, Moscow 1500m and Los Angeles 1500m.

Another jog, jog and kick race

What a lad. Happy days

Scott running out to Lane 3 was kinda wild! 🤯

I think only three runners from this race (Ovett, Scott and eventual winner Cram) made the final in Los Angeles the next year. Of course, Aouita and Walker decided to move up to the 5,000 and Aouita wound up winning that race.

Shame the Olympic title illuded Cram. But he had a lot of injuries and never got to these kind of heights again. 😞

This was Ovett's for the taking. Rarely for him, his positioning was poor. He should have won it at a canter

Ovett got boxed I was willing him to win

Aouita inexpérimenté se comporta , à ses dépends, comme lièvre pour Kram et Scott

still come back:( ovetts race was over as early as 1:52,even he isnt getting out of that cage-too big a field,8 is enough for a final....look where cram is at 1:52,very clever on that slow a pace

I think ovett broke world record later that year in rieti but no video here? Cram beat ovett in classic 1500 layer that year at c palace. Ovett my favourite. I dont think he ever the same after 1981 injury.

Off this slow pace a fit Coe would have absolutely destroyed this field assuming he was in the top 3 with 200 to go. Such a shame we didn't see more of him in his heyday due to injury and illness!!!

hmm to comments below and agree,but ovett who i actually think was the best of that era was coming off the back off bad seasons and the railings incident.a 1980/81 steve ovett would have won that easily.ovett said he lost his kick after the railings,i think he did too but i also think he lost his ability to keep up mid/late race where he would have been on their shoulders and given himself a chance,after the railings he sort of had to make a long run for home and here he was too far back altho he made up tons of ground.for me natural running talent-1.ovett.2=coe/cram.achievements coe,cram,ovett.ovett was so good...........................

Of course, Brendan Foster was the key to Cram's win. Bren had heard that Aouita was planning a long run from home. and, you can see, that the instant that Said broke Cram was immediately right on his heels, and, of course, Steve Scott was trailing Cram and so he was in a good position. Now, Ovett! What an idiot! In such a slow run race, it was obvious that a long run for home was on the cards, and so why Steve was in such a stupid position is just hard to imagine. AND, Steve O was in terrific shape, and broke the world 1500m record not long after this race.

Legend has it... his ancestors were in Dunkirk.