1984 Los Angeles Olympics 800m Final

[rsb77]

Fantástico...

[duduvissotto]

BRAZIL !!! GO BRAZIL !!!

[anaheimXCtrack714]

@duduvissotto wtf

[bradeff12]

Wow. this race was littered with talent! 3 of the top 6 800 meter runners ever (Coe, Cruz, and Koskei) as well as Ovett, who had won the previous Gold. England was spoiled to have Ovett and Coe at the same time.

[saitamatokoname]

クルスは怪我がなければ１分４０秒の壁を破る選手だった。今の野­口みずきと同じ障害で、それを逃し、五輪連覇も逃した。彼が、そ­うならなければ、キプケテルも、ルディシアも世界記録保持者にな­れていない。

[marc757549]

i love the quality of this film, the light,the way to film; JO 84 were wonderful! i wake up in the night to see the races....i was 25......the 80s were great....with great racers.

[4807avh]

What about Harbig, Moens and Snell ?

In far worse conditions, they held the world record for many years.

[runner1431]

Joaquim Cruz was truly one of the greatest 800m competitors ever. I was fortunate enough to see his training in person during the second week in April 1984, 4 months before his Olympic win. this was when he was doing his toughest training. his am run was 5 miles in 25:00 and pm's were 200's 300's or 500's with strength drills between. Cruz and the Oregon team came down to Sacramento State and he set the stadium record in the 1500m / 3:36 this stuff enabled him to maintain speed well in the 800.

[mrcatohead]

at 1:07, is that bloke rocking out in converse spikes?

[asadraza5367]

1. Joaquim Cruz (BRA) 1.43.00;

2. Sebastian Coe (GBR) 1.43.64;

3. Earl Jones (USA) 1.43.83;

4. Billy Konchellah (KEN) 1.44.03;

5. Donato Sabia (ITA) 1.44.53;

6. Edwin Koech (KEN) 1.44.86;

7. Johnny Gray (USA) 1.47.89;

8. Steve Ovett (GBR) 1.52.28.

[MultiXinho]

Joaquim Cruz..Orgulho do Brasil !!!!!!.....falam tanto de Senna,o que considero justo,mas esquecem de enaltecer esse grande atleta!....

[zitalee2]

I was fortunate enough to have been at that event. Cruz overpowered the rest of the field. Attending an Olympics, even one that was boycotted, was a great experience

[TCarbonaro]

Earl Jones is from my region

[brianclough]

Owett was my favourite middle distance runner in that era. Didn't fancy Coe much although he was a great runner. However Cruz was really at his best too and had trained hard for this wonderful personal triumph and achievement for Brazil

[bombay55100]

It's nice to see Steve run even though doctors were saying he shouldn't have. Athletes now a days would have sat out but he manned up. I like it.

[MsEssence2009]

Thats my uncle Earl Jones Ink town baby!!!

[RUSHOUTTRAFFIC]

TRYING TO FIND EARL PLEASE CONTACT ME.

[odysseyintime]

cruz never broke the WR and he was an800m specialist!!! i agree with deano; he also had more 'push' in his sub 1:42 800m. coe won his 800m WR race by abt 40+m!!!!!!!!!

[Hallonsylt]

Cruz was awesome, of course. Anybody who can run under 1:46 is awesome in my book. But Coe, multiple world record holder and multiple Olympic Gold Medalist, is on the short list of the greatest middle distance runners of all time.

[Zndwls]

Men's 800 metres in Los Angeles Olympics tested the runners physically:

they had run three qualifying races before

the final. Cruz was in peak shape, just slightly fitter than Coe. Those two great runners may never have met again in major championships after this race -

correct me if I am wrong. The top six

runners broke 1:45, which still would be

high-quality performance in major championships. Ovett suffered from

bronchitis and a reduced breathing

capacity. Konchellah's peak was in 1987.

[koolkurd82]

coe won way more races than cruz!!!!!

[pantanalmatogrossen]

But Cruz won more races against Coe.

[deano27671]

Outside of LA they met twice. Cruz beat Coe in '85, 1:42.54 to 1:43.07, when Coe was coming back from injury and probably past his best. Coe beat Cruz by a huge margin in the '81 World Cup when Cruz was still young. So they never really met when both were at their peak. Over their entire careers though, Coe did win more races and was ranked in the top 3 more times.

[pantanalmatogrossen]

Anyway,

Cruz beat Coe in 84, in Olimpic Games of LA, and beat Coe in 85. Joaquim Cruz was phenomenal.  Was second place in 1988, Olimpic Games of Seul.

[deano27671]

Cruz's best 2 years were 84 & 85. He never got back to that form after and did well to take silver in 88. Coe's peak was 79 & 81. He was coming back from a serious illness in 84 and in 85 he'd been training for 5000m. He also had to deal with a persistent back problem all season.

I never said Cruz wasn't phenomenal! He certainly was. But just because he beat Coe past his best, does not make him a better athlete.

[pantanalmatogrossen]

Cruz was injuryed in 86 and 87. In 1984, in Olimpic Games, Cruz marked the new olimpic record (1:43:00), that continued for a long time. After of Olimpic Games of LA, in Colonia, Cruz marked 1:41:77 and beat Coe, again.

In 1988, was second place losting to Paul Ereng of Kenya, but won of Said Aouita.

Only Kipketer (world record, today), and Coe (1.41:73) more fast than Cruz. But Cruz won more races against Coe, face to face.

[deano27671]

No, Cruz didn't beat Coe again in 84 after LA. They only ever met one other time in 85, when Cruz won against a less than fully fit Coe. You can only compare athletes when they're at their best. Coe was 7 yr older than Cruz & they never faced each other when both were on top form. Cruz had many attempts to break Coe's WR end of season 84, which was when he was at his best, but failed. Coe's Wr came in early June & he would have been faster had he several paced attempts late season of '81.

[deano27671]

He destroyed Cruz at the World Cup 81, running the last 100m in 12.0, but that means little because Cruz was young & not at his best. During his career Cruz won 3 medals at 800m:- Olympic gold & silver and World Championship bronze; over a 5 year period. Coe won European indoor gold in 77, European bronze in 78, Europa Cup golds in 79 & 81, two Olympic silvers, a World Cup gold in 81, European silver (when suffering with mono) in 82 & gold in 86. That's many more medals over 10 seasons.

[99run4it99]

@deano27671 that's not a fair comparison since Cruz was not a European. Thus, he did not have the chance to win those medals. Regardless, Coe was a superior runner to Cruz. At the end of the day which career would you prefer to have? I bet almost everyone would say COE!

[deano27671]

@99run4it99

Hi! Yes I appreciate that. I was just trying to make the point that Coe had a long career winning medals in major championships. Unfortunately Coe missed both the first 2 World Championships through illness & then injury. Cruz had his own problems during his career, but actually competed in 3 global championships, one more than Coe. Had they had World Championships every 2 years (as they did during Kipketer's reign), then I'm sure both Coe and Cruz would have many more medals.

[pantanalmatogrossen]

Anyway,

Cruz destroyed Coe in Olimpic Games of LA, and 85. Cruz won more races than Coe. In 81, Cruz was very young. Gold medal in 84, silver medal in 88. The new olimpic record in 84.

[deano27671]

You clearly choose to ignore any facts I put on here. Coe lost only 2 races at any distance between 800m and 5000m between Aug 78 until Sept 82. Thats 59 wins out of 61. If you look at Cruz's best 2 seasons; 84 & 85, he lost 1 race in 84 (a Mile) and 3 in 85 (two 800's and a 1500), out of a total of 36 races. If you want to include 88 as well, in which he lost 4 races, then he won a total of 44 races out of 52. So, facts would appear to show that Cruz didn't win more!

[pantanalmatogrossen]

In this time, Cruz was very young (79 at 82). Fact: Cruz won more races against Coe, face to face. Fact: Cruz won an olimpic games against Coe, and Cruz won silver medal in olimpic games in 88. (800m). Coe not.

[odysseyintime]

just because there are many high-profile cases of doping like ben johnson and marion jones, doesnt mean that everyone is doping in athletics!! so dont make unfounded accusations!!!!!!

[szakiricky]

In sport, EVERYONE is taking dopes.

[Tacober]

Gari u are an idiot!!!

Cruz in portuguese means cross (†)the symbol ur dumbass.

[joao041981]

Se o duelo era Sebastian Coe x Steve Ovett, Joaquim Cruz, que detinha o segundo melhor tempo do mundo, estabeleceu o recorde olímpico e levou o ouro. Grande e eterno Joaquim Cruz.

[deano27671]

Cruz was at his absolute best here! If Jones hadn't clashed elbows with Coe at the beginning of straight, Coe would have been closer, but dont think he'd have beaten Cruz. Have to remember Coe was coming back from v. serious illness and only started training in about March! Coe in '81 form would have beaten Cruz however!

[Rettamann]

Yes. Unlike 80 where Coe was not happy with silver he was happy here. He knew he was getting back to form and was in good shape to defend his 1500m title.

[bootymanager]

No way. Cruz probably could've beaten even Kipketer on this form. He was awesome. Coe was good in a few one off races, with pacing, but Cruz had many more super fast races than Coe. Still , he was pretty much an 800m specialist and Coe was running 1500s as well.

[deano27671]

Have you seen the way Coe demolished the rest of the world's top 800m runners in the 1981 Europa & World Cup races? His last 100m in the Euopa Cup semi was 11.3, pulling away from Kirov (Moscow bronze medallist) by 12m! Cruz's last 100 here was 12.6. I concede that Cruz's series is the best ever at championships, but to insinuate that Coe only ran good "one off paced races" is ludicrous and shows some ignorance. Coe was the master of putting together series at Championships, Moscow & LA!?

[deano27671]

Coe ran 1:41.7 in early June 81, making him 1.71 faster than anyone else in history. No one else broke 1:44 that year. There was no grand prix back then and most of the rest of the 800's he ran then were in matches for his country. He was undefeated all season. There was no incentive for him to carry on running sub 1:43's every other week; concentrating on breaking 3 other WR's at other distances instead; but that doesn't mean he wasn't capable of doing so. His 1k WR was worth 1:42 for 800.

[deano27671]

The reason Cruz and Kipketer had more "super fast" 800m times than Coe, is due to 2 things: 1) The existence (especially for Kip) of a structured grand prix throughout the season offering consistent high quality fields, large pay cheques for fast times and reliable pace making. This didn't exist in 81; 2) Both Cruz & Kip spent most of their careers chasing Coe's record!

[deano27671]

Cruz failed, despite having great pacing and close company on the 2nd lap (Koskei 1:42.28) in several races at the end of August, both in 1984 and 1985. What times was he running in June those years? Coe had absolutely no help in either of his WR runs at 800m past 400m, winning by 3-5 secs. Cruz had someone pushing him less than a second behind.

[deano27671]

Kipketer eventually succeeded after many attempts, but even he had people pushing him close to the 600m mark and the benefit of faster "mondo" tracks that are c. 0.3 sec per lap faster than the synthetic one Coe ran on. That equates to 0.6 for 800m, exactly the difference between Kip's & Coe's fastest! If Coe had known in '81 that circumstances would prevent him from being in top form again for the next 3 seasons, then I'm sure he would have broken 1:41 at the end of the 81 season.

[deano27671]

People forget that Coe didn't start training at all until Jan 84 after 6 months of no running whatsoever. The fact that he got to LA at all is a major achievement. That he got a silver against Cruz at his very best, is quite incredible. Never mind Coe was having to use the rounds of the 800 & 1500 to be near his best (due to lack of races & training) for the 15, which he won in near WR time. It's a shame Coe then got injured after Zurich for he was due to run a few 800's at the end of season.

[wybuller]

you seem to be almost in love with Coe. Great athlete, but why not just accept that 20 years down the line there was another athlete who could run quicker? Surely that's inevitable? The Mondo track stuff is nonsense. All sports move on.

[deano27671]

No, tracks today are faster than they were 30 years ago. They were even talking about it on tv this week, stating that Berlin is not as fast as the Beijing track. In the same way the tracks in the 80's were faster than the cinder ones in the 60's. If you take advances in tracks, lightness of shoes and advances in training techniques and medical support, there is very little difference between Coe's & Kipketer's runs.

[oneputtsteven]

Yeah Bob Hayes set a World Record on a cinder track in Lane 1 in the '64 OLympic Final !

[fitzieo1]

I fully agree todays tracks are way faster than they were in the 70s and 80s and i fully believe that Coe is arguably the greatest ( when fully fit ) 800m runner in history. When you look at his world record run, basically run on his own with no pace making, on a really bad looking track. phenomenal.

[deano27671]

You're absolutely right. In my opinion he was supreme between 79- 81; I've yet to see a runner better than him then. What's really telling is that most of Kip's & Cruz's fast times were run at the end of season (mid-late Aug) when athletes aim to peak. Both Coe's WRs were v early in season with no competition. His 79 season was curtailed before some of the big end of season meets with injury & in 81 he chased the Mile & was busy winning the Europa & World Cups for his country in August & Sep.

[deano27671]

If he'd had a couple of serious attempts at the big meets in Aug that year, I think he'd have broken 1:41. Regardless, his Florence run is as good as the current WR. Not only did Coe run wide to pass the pacemaker on the curve after bell,  costing him at least 0.2, but he had pace for c 150m less than Kip's 1:41.11. Drafting, the time saved running close behind someone (even in still conditions) is believed to be worth c. 1.0 per 400m. So 150m = 0.375. That makes Coe's run worth about 1:41.1.

[deano27671]

And thats before even considering the inferior quality of the track Coe ran on. Or the fact that he would likely have improved the next 2 seasons (when he'd be of an age when most 800 runners peak, 25 & 26), if he'd not been struck with first injury & then prolonged serious undiagnosed (until Aug 83) illness. He did amazingly well to come back in LA 84, but he was never quite the same athlete again IMO. After the toxoplasmosis he always had that chink in his armour:- susceptibility to infection.

[knightsxc06]

*Sigh* It's fun to speculate, but a performance is a performance now and forever and no amount of creative thinking or wishing is going to change that. i like to think that Jim Ryun would have run a 3:47 mile with someone around to help him back in 1967, but we will never know, so let it rest. Records are meant to be broken. Coe was sensational in his day, but everyone slows down eventually. Let us mourn Seb Coe's brilliant athletic career and wish the best of luck to the wanker he's become =)

[BTC141]

Jaquim Cruz was a deadly 800m runner. Crus is one of my favorite 800m champions. A dream race would be to see Cruz duel it out against Wilson Kipketer.

[wysiwyg248]

I like Juantorena better because of his stride

[BTC141]

Juantorena was a very powerful 800 meter and 400 meter runner. To this day no one has achieved what he did. Remarkable.

[Asafa1]

@BTC141 Maybe with Coe and Ovett from 1980 as well and that drug lord Rudisha?

[jodyclyde]

@Asafa1

'drug lord' Rudisha ??!!

[jodyclyde]

@Asafa1

'drug lord' Rudisha ??!!

[Unaimar]

As Coes Says: tomorrow will be another day, and will be another battle. Inspairing though

[drrsc]

i believe coe might have beaten cruz had jones not attempted to cut him off

[bootymanager]

Bullshit! Cruz was way too good, perhaps the greatest series of 800m races of all time, certainly at championship level.

[rytkonen]

Super Joe does not know nothing about running, sorry...

[SuperJoe22]

rofl, oh noes someone named 'cheeseboy' called someone an idiot, hahaah

[SuperJoe22]

least im a not a blood doper!

[cheeseboy25]

you ARE an idiot.

[zzzbbbccc]

Why is it everytime I see your comments you bring up blood doping. hummmm maybe your into blood doping superjoe.

[SuperJoe22]

blood dopers!!!

[tjer4003]

you're an idiot

[nelskuni]

I consider Seb Coe is one the greatest of all time and to see Joaquim Cruz outkick him in the home strech is just amazing. What a race it was.

[allstate1545]

Earl Jones... Go EMU!