Seb Coe-Steve Ovett-1980 Moscow Olympics-1500 Metres Heats,Semis and Final

[jimmyg141]

Fontanella was being a cocky prick in that heat with Coe. He wasn't so smug once the real running started.

[pablo16825]

epic race. And what a great interview too.

[Blind47]

Interesting to speculate on what effect John Walker would have had on this race. My own view is that Walker would have nabbed the bronze behind Coe and Straub with Ovett in fourth place.I remember sitting up late at night listening to this race in New zealand wishing Walker had been able to defend his title.

[rc2869]

I remember not seeing this race live - some family event and no VCR but remember seemingly constant repeats the next day. I was really pleased for Coe (although there weren't many Sebastian's in inner City Brum)  when neighbour told me he had won. So was she - wonderful Welsh Lady and absolute Sporting Nut who is recently deceased at age of 93. RIP - she relayed a great sporting story to me at the age of 8.

[TheEctomorph]

@geekpie100 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett] 1983 World Championships in Helsinki.

What a marvellous, glorious era for British athletics (I am referring to the years 1979, 1980 and 1981.) Back then, the two greatest middle-distance runners in the world were both British ... and, what is more, the greatest decathlete in the world came from this green and pleasant land, too. I do not think that I will see another (athletics) era quite like it again.

[TheEctomorph]

@geekpie100 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett] Good Lord that Mr Coe managed to beat his fabled rival from Brighton, on that summer's day in Moscow, more than three decades ago. And, in saying that, I would like to make it clear that I have the utmost respect and admiration for Steve Ovett as an athlete ..... and I wish that he had gone on to win more Gold medals at major international championships: the 1982 European Championships in Athens, and the

[TheEctomorph]

@geekpie100 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett]: him again, then he (Ovett) would unquestionably have gone down in history as the greatest British middle-distance runner of all time. Coe, on the other hand, would have been castigated and put down by the media to such an extent that he would probably have quit the sport ...... at just 23 years of age. That would have been a tragedy ..... for Coe himself and for British athletics in general. So thank the

[TheEctomorph]

@geekpie100 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett] medal.

All credit to the articulate, middle-class Coe for coming back from a crushing - and totally unexpected - defeat in the 800 metres just 6 days previously.  His performance in the 1500m Olympic final in Moscow - on Saturday, 1st August, 1980 was superlative. The pressure on Coe - going into that race - must have been absolutely enormous. If the 'big O' had got the better of

[phuketjamie]

Great set of videos. Coe proved he has some big ones. Ovett maybe regretted that cocky wave in the semi ....

[geekpie100]

Fair enough: good point about Straub taking it up early; clearly it was a great run by Coe. One final point: I rate Ovett's gold slightly higher by virtue of coming first: we know for sure that both men had equal hunger on that day at least.

[deano27671]

@geekpie100 Have to agree to disagree. Yes, I'm sure once Ovett got his gold there wasn't the same level of hunger, but on that day in those circumstances, no one was going to beat Coe. He didn't give himself a chance in the 800m and let Ovett have about a 7m lead with 200m to go. Coe still finished faster (24.9 to Ovett's 25.0) and had to run most of the last bend wide in lane 2, making his last 200m worth more like 24.5 had he a clear run on the inside like Ovett.

[deano27671]

It could have been over confidence, but I think it more likely to have been nerves. I don't think a lot of people today can comprehend how much hype and attention the two got in the UK prior to Moscow; certainly they were under more pressure than any 2 athletes have ever been. In fact they were bigger news than even the football then, something which would have been unheard of now. This was Coe's 1st Olympics and he froze. Ovett had been to Montreal and coped with the initial pressure better.

[deano27671]

The 800m proved what a master tactician Ovett was, but it also showed (despite losing) that Coe had a faster finish. In the 1500, Ovett ran a good tactical race, unlike Coe in the 800, and was level with Coe with 100m to go. Coe then double kicked and won, going away. Perhaps if the 1500 came first, Coe would have still "messed it up" tactically and Ovett would have won, before Coe redeemed himself at the 800m! Then they would have ended up winning the "right" events.

[rc2869]

@deano27671 A good sumation and yes they were the biggest 2 sportsmen in the country at the time. To be fair Daley rose to join them at this time. We had no great boxers or footballers - (which was not as high profile as it is now other than Keegan and Dalglish). Besides it was a team game as was Wales and England Rugby teams. Suppose Robin Cousins had won gold but that ain't really a sport. It was before Botham's heroics.

[geekpie100]

I've watched the final several times in the last few days. I can't shake the impression that Ovett wanted Coe to win it. Ovett was a very decent feller: in one interview he said supporters should see him and Coe not as rivals but as a team. Did Ovett in a way want to see the golds split?

[deano27671]

@geekpie100 No! Coe's last 100m (12.1) is still the fastest last 100m in any 1500m at a major championship. To have beaten Coe that day he'd have had to run under 12.0 for the last straight. He'd never done that in any race before or in any race after, so to presume he'd have done that on this day is not backed up by any stats at all. Ovett just wasn't used to having someone take it out from so far out as Straub did here. Coe was peerless off a sustained long drive from home.

[TheEctomorph]

@geekpie100 No, I don't believe that for one moment. Mr Ovett was - and is - a genuinely nice guy, but I cannot believe that he deliberately let Mr Coe win that huge race in Moscow on 1st August 1980. From what I understand it, Mr Ovett didn't even particularly like his fellow middle-distance running genius at the time. But, even if he and Coe had been close friends in 1980, I do not think that the 'big O' would have deliberately 'thrown' the race in order to let Coe win an Olympic Gold

[nicolrobertbaird]

fantastic, absolutely incredible, marvelous, terrific, magic, magnificent, everything right, delighted, privilege......

think pickering was happier than seb

[ARRISIPPY]

@nicolrobertbaird ....but did you like it?!!

[nicolrobertbaird]

@ARRISIPPY you know how much i like these clips.......if there was a coe/ovett college course (as there was for posh and becks) i'd be there!!

first running clip i liked on youtube was "why do you run?" , then i was watching el guerrouj, gebreselassie, bekele and other more recent legends.

but sooner or later it was clips and athletes from the late 70's, early 80's that i found most interesting....

maybe it's a british bias?

or maybe they just are?

think the commentary helps too!

so many thanks

[futuremodal]

I have to thank ARRISIPPY for posting these heats, because it has changed my perspective on what happened in Moscow per Coe and Ovett winning each other's speciality. Before, I had assumed Ovett just didn't care after he won the 800 gold per his "I just wanted to go home" comments afterward. But after watching him in the 1500 heats, it looked to me like he was just as confident and enthused for the 1500 title, while Coe was still being cautious. If not for Straub's drug-enhanced final ......

[deano27671]

@futuremodal It was clear in the final, long before Straub turned the pace up with 700 to go, that Coe was not going to allow himself to be boxed. He was always on the shoulder of the leader and always in front of Ovett, very much like in the LA final too. He was basically in a trance and no one was going to beat him that day. Ovett under estimated Coe's finishing speed and felt he could out kick him. It's not as if Ovett would hit the front with a full lap to go. He would wait whatever the pace

[WithBACON]

I strongly suspect Ovett was the only medalist not doping.

[deano27671]

@WithBACON -Lol! Based exactly on what evidence? The fact that Coe beat Ovett? A hunch? Both were tested randomly and out of season from 1981 by the BAAB. Straub ran for a country where there was a proven state sponsored doping regime. His name hasn't appeared on Stasi documents, but those of his team-mates and coach did.

[71ajax74]

Thank ARRISIPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­

[ARRISIPPY]

Thanx everyone for the comments...thought it might be too long ,but it seems to have gone down well. Ta!!

[jonabond]

@ARRISIPPY do you have the womens race?

Thanks

[ARRISIPPY]

@jonabond Afraid not! Must be out there in someone's video collection,I guess?

[Irenaeus03]

Thank you ARRISIPPY. In the final, Jurgen Straub (bib 338, blue jersey) of East Germany, held the inside for the entire distance, and did not pay a price for it such as getting boxed. That may have made the difference between his beating Ovett for the silver medal and otherwise finishing behind Ovett. I realize Coe ran outside of Straub and still won, of course.

[deano27671]

@Irenaeus03 Unfortunately I think there was another reason why Straub was able to hold off Ovett! Think about Beyer in the 800 in Prague 78.

[ARRISIPPY]

@deano27671 Ooh,Deano,ya bitch! Probably true ,though!

[nicolrobertbaird]

Fantastic video, fantastic comment, fantastic era...................thank you (again)

[deano27671]

I know Ovett was the overwhelming favourite for this after his 45 unbeaten races and his 800 victory over Coe, but surely some people must have realised Coe's turn of speed and finishing kick was as good as Ovett's? Just look at how he went past 4 runners on the last bend in his semi! As Coleman said after that race, if "only Coe can be anywhere near Ovett in the final, we should have some race".

[yellcarreon]

great videos! thanks for these

[sebcoe81]

phenominal video mate thanks for posting

[Traviskula]

Brilliant. Thank you so much!