I was in Ireland in 1981 when Coe broke the mile record in Zurich (I think). A few days later on the day I came back to England and Ovett reclaimed it - somewhere in Germany I think. A couple of days later we were watching Coe in Brussels - me and my cousin were huge Coe fans and my Uncle and Our Kid were massive Ovett fans (my Dad was still in Ireland but was a Coe fan also). Watched in disbelief as Coe smashed the record again - he would have been 8m ahead of Ovett's mark and 10m ahead of his own a week earlier. Great days.

That’s a cool memory 👍

Agreed

IAM glad someone remembers it as I remembered the crowds a full stadium was unbelievable at that time of high unemployment

There was an Irishman in the mix too. Eamon Coughlin?

I’d have to concur. It also helps looking at it from a British point of view😜. Especially as it looks like those Glory Days are possibly being revived.

I always remembered they avoided running against each other, it was all hyped up, pathetic really

@@bryangreen9672they didn’t avoid each other in championships, and obviously they were not going to set themselves up against the other in a WR attempt.

In the 80s in middle distance running everyone feared Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram. You also had Peter Elliot as well. A great time for British middle distance running.

Seb was my favourite as a kid. I'm a similar height but my running weight was around 70kg not 60kg like Seb. He was just amazing...

great Jürgen Straub

​@@ebojfmdboojoh4023and Tom Mckean!

Magical days. I’ve been a massive fan of athletics since the 1984 Olympics but that turned out to be the tail end of this extraordinary and historic rivalry. Whilst both Coe and Ovett are indisputable greats (Coe arguably an all time great given that he would surely have one at least one WC gold had he not been ill in both 83 and 87) Cram didn’t quite achieve enough in terms of gold medals albeit he was absolutely unbeatable in 1985. He never beat Coe in a global final.

Those various anabolic steroids must have helped

@@garyloughran8211 him and thousands before and after him. Yet, a run he should be proud of

I don’t accept any East German medals or records.

@@stoolpigeon4285 I think Straub's arms went in the air at the end, not just because of the silver medal but that he had beaten Ovett, An athlete who had beaten him (Straub) so many times before.

@@stoolpigeon4285 Why should he be proud of likely being blood doped in the hours before that race, enabling him to race well beyond what he was normally and naturally capable of, denying Ovett not only silver, but possibly the gold (as it would have been a completely different race. Not to mention that Straub made his heat with Ovett unnecessarily fast, which left Ovett more tired than Coe for the final). Having said that, Crammy probably looked at that race and thought - 'hmm.. that's how you race against Coe and Ovett'. Not the drugs of course, but the tactics.

I loved them both.... but I loved Coe more.

Me too, I loved both of them

I used to see Coe quite a lot when he lived in Sheffield.He ran past me once in November '79, on one of his training runs. He was a slight,slender figure - less than ten stone.He looked so graceful and classical.He had long legs too for a man who wasn't tall What an athlete.

marty dav brilliant runner , I agree with all your comments

Not in my opinion

Well, I was more of a Coe fan, being a Yorkshire man and what with Seb’s obvious connections with the region, even if he wasn’t born there. But to be fair to Steve it was one each, both having struck against the head in what was perceived to be the other’s strongest event.

Coe was always the pure sprinter - he had a 10.44 pb in the 100. But Ovett was the racer - steely under adversity, etc. But Coe was magnificent in his strategy in this race - he basically got the 800 he had wished for earlier in the week! 2:05.7 for the 1st 800??

Ovett said he was not fully engaged in the race emotionally after winning the 800. Coe on the other hand needed this race desperately to redeem himself after a tactically hapless race over the shorter distance where he was a clear favourite to win. I don’t believe you can split Coe, Ovett and Cram in their respective prime form.

I agree Coe did look stressed last 400m but found his kick

Steve Scott et al were not in the same league as Coe and Ovett, boycott didn't make any difference.

This was intense. Even in the Olympics I don't recall, as a fan, many races with this level of intensity.

Actually that's a similar thing Harry Wilson said about Buckner winning a high quality 5000m in the Euros' 1986. He was referring to his man, Ovett, trouncing both Buckner and Hutchings in the Commonwealth 5000m four weeks earlier but reversing it with Buckner to 'you don't become a great athlete in four weeks'

😂😂😂😂😂

He was only 20 then though.

​@@johnmc386219, even.

4th place finish for eamon Coughlin in an Olympic final twice.that has to hurt.

Almost as quick as Jim Ryun's 49.8 and 11.4 kick at Dusselford!!

@@richardmilliken5651 Yeah, that Dusseldorf race was insane. There are varying claims for Ryun's splits. I've read his last 400m was run 50.6 (some sources say 51.2, some say 49.9). His last 300m was 36.4, his last 200m was 24.8, and his last 100m was 11.6. (At least from the sources I've found) Coe also ran an 800m in Helsinki in 1981 with a final 100m in 11.3

If I recall correctly this was the fastest last 800m in a 1500m at the time despite straub not starting his run for home about 700m out

IIRC Coe held the 800m world record for a long time.

Trent Huff best silver of all time?

That last 800 must have been run in about 1:48, with Straub doing most of the work.

Drug assisted.

Wow, the 1984 final was pretty exciting too

Was a great race, but Rio 2016 final was far better!

@@gethinowen5180 in really,,,,how the hell is that???

@@simonedwards5564 slow tactical race with big burnout. Centrowitz dethroned the pre race favourites of Kiprop and Makhloufi. Clearly a better race

@Richard Milliken come on! The faster the face does not mean the more exciting... I would much rather a final like rio, where Centrowitz, who was no where near the favourite, managed to beat the likes of kiprop and Makhloufi. As opposed to a final like Doha which was a ‘honest pace’ where Cheryiout goes off and makes it a battle for Silver instead of gold. I don’t know how you can prefer the later...

I’m the same age but remember it well

Great period of athletics

Greek God-like, I say...

Coe is the most hated smug English bastard in the history of British athletics. That's a certainty man.

By you yes but not by me and plenty of other people

@@Revolver1981he might be smug,,, but in them time's / AFGHANISTAN GETTING INVADED BY RUSSIA/ SEB COE DEFYING HIS HEROINE MAGGIE THATCH/ ;A* _ FUKKA,,,, AND GOING TO MOSCOW /EVEN THOUGH MAGGIE TOLD THE ATHLETES NOT TO GO THEN "YOU'RE NOT GOING!!!!!!!!! AND GIVING US FANTASTIC MEMORIES MILLIONS WILL NEVER FORGET!!!!!!! OVETT AND COE WERE THAT ALOOF, THAT'S HOW THEY CARRIED ON,,,SO GENUINELY PROUD TO REPRESENT THEIR COUNTRY,,,,, EVEN TAKING THE CHANCE OF A REPEAT OF THE MUNICH TERRORIST DISASTER OF 1972 !!!!!!!! Smug????? Yeah,,, BUT COE,OVETT,CRAM ,THE WHOLE BRITISH TEAM WALK-IN INTO AN RUSSIAN OLYMPIC, MINEFIELD IN MOSCOW SMACK BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND AFGHANISTAN KNOWING THE FATALITY OF COMPETING IN THEM BOYCOTTED GAAMES//// THEY WE'RE,,,,,,,, BRAVE,,,,,, BEYOND COURAGEOUS,,,,,, and it all came out on sebs face at the end of the 1500,,,, LOOK !!!!!!!! Then LOOK AGAIN,,,,,,,,, !!!!!!! LEGEND !!!!!!SMUG?????? YES?? BUT A TRUE LEGEND!!!!!! AND! STEVE OVETT IS THE MAIN REASON COE DROVE HIMSELF ON SOOOO HARD IN TRAINING AND IN WHOLE RUNNING CAREER!!!!!!!!!!!! STEVE OVETT WAS THE ONE THAT PUSH THE BUTTON ON SEBS ROCKET POWER ,,,ALONG WITH HIS FATHER!!!!!!!!!!

Revolver sorry mate, incorrect, please delete your comment

Ovett was the record holder at the time.

Well Cram won the World 1500m title in 85 and broke the World Record. I'd take a World Record over an olympic record anyday

@@ebojfmdboojoh4023 Cram wouldn’t

@@ossyable I think he would. But if you offered him an Olympic Gold medal in replace of his World Record he definitely would take the Olympic Gold Medal.

@@ebojfmdboojoh4023 I’m bit confused as you appear to be making both arguments. I have heard Cram say world records are eventually broken but you can never take away your gold medals.

Explain the 1986 European 1500m final, where Cram outkicked.Coe

@@redrum4100 explain how Coe whipped Cram in 1984. I'm sure Cram is loving looking at his Olympic silver, and Coe and Ovett are polishing the Olympic gold.

@@francishunt562 Easily explained. Cram became injured before the Olympics. His times leading up to the games suggested he would destroy Coe.

@@redrum4100But he didn’t, end of. Ultimately Coe has a much better record in World and Olympic terms. Cram was a terrific runner for sure.

All that is besides the point I originally made, which was if "No runner had Seb's top end speed at this distance, as both Ovett and Cram learned" then why did he not outkick Cram at the 1986 Europeans, especially when he, Coe, was clearly super fit. The original poster simply answered the question with another question, and you have carried on where that left off, but as yet nobody has answered my question.

Spot on 👍

They were top class runners no doubt about that 🤔 big time winning the Olympics pinnacle of any athlete's career

They chose their races carefully not to run against each other too often!

Coe's WR was broken in 1997 by Wilson Kipketer. 16 years reign.

Ovett was never in the race, look at his positioning throughout. Yet he was so experienced

@@boneidol20 watch ovett vs cram 1983 where ovett didnt let cram win.you will see what i mean-big difference

Ovett was not mentally 100% in this race just like coe wasn't in the 800. If the 1500 had been first ovett would of won it.

Not necessarily, because although both held World records in events both lost, Overt did tend to get boxed in a lot. Cram was unpredictable too, but Coe was the tachtician. Surprising, that he lost the 800, but that intensified his focus on the 1500.

@@davidbaldwin133 I agree. Ovett didn't have the same edge after he had won the 800m. He said his feeling was "I've won my gold, I want to go home."

With the help of the East German drugs programme.

Also Gold in the 1982 European Championship and Commonwealth Games.

they both trained for speed and endurance.

What the current runners need to do.

No he trained his endurance

@@VictorOctavian coe a speed merchant similar juantorena, what nonsense. The Cuban was Olympic champion over 400

@@VictorOctavian I know for a fact, that juantorena, had far superior basic speed than coe, more than two seconds quicker, they very different types of 800 meter runners.

Matt Bonneville his pb was I believe 46.9 but he rarely ran the event. He did run 4*400m relays and had 45 second splits . I agree , if he actually trained and concenterated on 400m he would have been sub 46 seconds.

@@darrenshaw767 I always though that Jeremy Wariner should have moved up to 800 later in his career, he had that easy speed that Coe had.

45.5 on relay.

Matt Bonneville he did

@@MrLuigiFercotti you don't say that Coe had the same speed as Wariner, that's just plain crazy. He ran a 46 400 against Wariner's 43.4 400 m. Not even close. If Coe focused on 400 m he could do a low 45.

No about 52 secs... still fast tho

53. the last 300 in is about 39.8 that gives about 53. still very fast. Coes 1500m Olympic record in 1984,. could have easily beaten HeG.

@@mathematics5573 Coe's closing splits here were - 52.2, 38.6, 25.0, 12.1 In LA (which was quite a bit quicker overall) they were - 53.2, 39.2, 25.7, 12.7

No, look at the clock again !

@@VictorOctavian Welcome.

im not sure coe had a better kick than ovett tbh,this race was about who wanted/needed it most.ovett also made his old mistake of concentrating on coe and not the race in general

Because they were already kicking with 700 m to go !!!!!!!!!!! Then 12,1 LAST 100 M !!!!!!!!!!

My thought is that Ovett's only chance would have been to make a long, hard run for home with perhaps 300m to go, but Coe would likely have not let him pass anyway -- he kept himself in front of Ovett the whole race. He had the same strategy against Cram in '84. And not to take anything away from Ovett's brilliant 800m win in '80, but Coe gave away his own chance to win that race by being way too far off the pace with 200m remaining. It all made for great Olympic drama!

@@gowers1972 the result of the 800m was the deciding factor in the outcome of this race. Had the 1500 been first ovett would of won.

Possibly correct. Coe admitted in his book that he couldn't get focussed on the 800- a rare event for him - but Ovett 's style was unpredictable and it's unbelievable that he still had the 1500 World record in 1984, so could have come out with no gold in that event. That was Coe's main event.

Indeed. The Thatcher government did not want the athletes to go, but did not actively prohibit them, as the Yanks did. Good thing as well, as this contest between Coe and Ovett was (for my heart and soul) the most dramatic athletics confrontation ever witnessed...

Just to add: African nations were banned from the 1976 Olympics too.

@@charliemagri1669 They weren't banned, they chose to boycott the Games in protest at the IOC's refusal to ban New Zealand after their rugby side had toured South Africa.

mtgne 53 + surely not that fast ?

Yes, but Coe win 2 gold medals to 2 jo at 1500 m.

He was ill in 1988, but the UK federation didn't allow him to defend his title!

@@davesmith1315 pretty sure it's David Coleman...

Decker tripped herself by making contact with Budd.

You are correct. Ovett tactically messed up in both and got lucky in one. Two I great athletes.

Something called "New Day" from freeplaymusic.com . I used it because they said it was copyright free but when I uploaded this video they claimed copyright! Lesson learnt...