Steve Cram - 1983 World Championships 1500m

[bootymanager]

Anyone notice the distance winners at this championship are Europeans? The only exceptions are Rob de Castella (a Swiss-Australian) and Mary Decker (Anglo-American). Wulbeck, Cram, Ilg, Coghlan, Cova, de Castella, Kratochvilova, Decker and Waitz. Europeans don't dominate the majors like they once did. Sure, there are exceptions like Mouhrit, Kipketer and Farah, but the Africans dominate everyone in distance running. Cram, Ovett, Deek, Coe, Moorcroft, Cova et al, those days are long gone.

[Daz555Daz]

My two penneth? Best 800? Coe. Best 1500/mile? Cram. Running BOTH on the same meet? Ovette.

[mrcatohead]

i love it how a slow race is called tactical, its not tactical at all when everyone just jogs and tries to out kick each other, when roger banister ran the 4 minute mile that was a tactical race

[kozmon0t]

This is why I hate championship races. Who cares how many big names are there when they're only gonna run 600 meters?

They're almost always won with a 3:35 or worse. This one 3:41. It's not a race, just a game of musical chairs for the inside lane on the last lap. Steve Scott would have won if he hadn't got stuck in the 2nd lane passing Aouita.

Greatest race ever was John Ngugi in the Seoul 88 5000 when he humiliated the tacticians by taking a 50-meter lead and holding it.

[ausgang]

Steve Scott always sacrificed himself in the early going in the Big Races, because he thought he needed to punish Coe and Ovett to take away their finishing kicks. But here he hangs back and beats Coe, Ovett, and Aouita in a slow, tactical race. Scott had a better kick than those 3 when the pace was slow! Perhaps Scott would have fared better internationally if he had let others carry the early pace. But he was following Prefontaine. Scott did not battle his opponents. He battled himself.

[deano27671]

@ausgang For a start Coe isn't even in this race! As for Aouita, it was his first Championship race and he isn't the athlete here he was to become in the next 2 seasons. The only reason Scott beat Ovett here was because Ovett gave him such a big head start, as he was badly boxed with a lap to go. The year of this race, 83, constituted Scott's best. I'm afraid he didn't have the kick to beat Coe or Ovett at their peak, whatever the pace.

[rc2869]

I have had many disagreements over the last 3 years with Deano and for some reason thought I was not a fan of Coe. Not so at all. I will summise if I may. Cram - best tactician 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 (1500m). Ovett - most naturally talented. Coe - best overall 2 Olympic + World Records galore. Golds and 2 Silvers. (with the medals Ovett and Cram match him once not twice) . Grittiest - Elliott part time athlete who over acheived incrediblely in 87, 88 & 90 (Commonwealth)

[estifanico]

young unexperienced Aouita could have won the race if he was a bit patient

[kevini1964]

Can you imagine if there was a 4*800m relay at the Olympics... which country would have cleaned up in 1980, 84 and 88?

I'm a retired 400m runner but watching this makes me want to come back as a veteran!

[bootymanager]

If Ovett didn't damage his knee, just how good could he have been? Let's just say 3.28/3.45, 7,30, and about 13.05. He was probably as good and probably had the same range as Aouita.

[milerman]

I think Ovett, if had concentrated more on getting into fast races in the 800 was a low 1:43, maybe high 1:42's guy. In his peak years, his few 800 forays were tactical affairs. You're probably right about his 5k potential being at leat 13:05, but I wouldn't have been surprised at a sub 13 from the guy. Steve was probably too big to have competed well against Aouita in the 10k though.

[oldjoe5]

Nobody has ever had the range of Aouita.

Was ranked number 1 in the world at both 800 meters and 10,000 meters.

Nobody

[deano27671]

@oldjoe5 Not the same year he wasn't. He was WR 1 at 800m in 88, despite only getting 3rd in the Olympics, and No 1 at 10k in 86, when he ran just once at that distance all year! The T&FN ranking system was always a bit biased towards those athletes who ran for fast times over a season rather than winning the medals at the big champs. Despite a phenomenal range (probably the greatest ever), he only won titles at 5000m.

[Zndwls]

Cram was in his peak shape between 1982 and 1986: he won two European Champion- ships, at least two Commonwealth Championships, one World Champion- ship (this one), and one Olympic silver medal. Fortunately he achieved so much so early, because in 1987 his running career started to decline. As for Ovett, he still ran one great race: in the autumn of 1983, he broke the 1,500-metre world record. Scott was dubbed the "best runner-up," because he rarely, if ever, won a major international race.

[mackapacka]

Ovett was in decline here - in his pomp he would've left cram and the field trailing in the home straight and prob waved to the crowd. he was fastest in field at the time but was mentally and physically dwindling at this point. he is still one of the very greatest but I think he could've been THE greatest or in the top five if not for the injury he suffered - his combination of stamina AND blistering change of pace while running at high speed sets him above cram and along coe in my opinion

[southsea1984]

That opinion is not supported by any statistics.

[mackapacka]

not proof - just evidence to back up an argument (below)

the world cup 1500m final - 1977

the two mile world best v henry rono - 1978

the three year unbeaten streak at mile/1500m

[southsea1984]

There are plenty of statistics that you could use to make a convincing case for Cram, Ovett or Coe as being the greatest of the three runners at their best. The truth is that Ovett's best was 1977-81, Cram's best was 1983-86. Coe's best was between 1979-86 but he had several years of mediocrity during that period. It's really hard to say who was the greatest of the three - they were all awesome at their very best.

[mackapacka]

in terms of champs wins its 1/ coe 2/ ovett 3/ cram isn't it? coe and ovett's olympic gold(s) set them above cram in my opinion. in terms of WRs it's the same pecking order coe got more than ovett who got more than cram. in terms of times Im not sure because cram was fastest at 1500/ mile coe at 800 and ovett two miles and 500m.I imagine if all 3 ran 3 races at their absolute peak againt each other at 3 distances all 3 might win one. it's academic now - they're all heros -oh how they're missed

[deano27671]

The reason why Coe had 2 years of "mediocrity" is that he was ill with toxoplasmosis and it wasn't properly diagnosed for over a year! 82 & 83 should have been his best 2 years in terms of his age ~25-26. Cram run his best at those ages. For me, Coe never achieved his potential as much as the 2 Steves, yet still had a better record in terms of the Olympics & WR. Despite 2 seasons of mediocrity, he still managed to rank No.1 over 800 in 82 and break 3 WR's (4x800 in 82; indoor 8 & 1k in 83).

[southsea1984]

But you defeat your own argument - he wasn't badly affected by the illness in 1982 - hence the decent record in 1982. He just tightened up in the home straight in his most important race, that was not because of illness. 1983, yes, that year was badly disrupted by injury.

[deano27671]

No! Try doing some background reading. Pat Butcher's book is a good start. Coe was injured at the beginning of the '82 season and didn't run a race from June 5th to Aug 4th. He missed more than 6 weeks training at a vital stage of the season. Despite this he went on to beat everyone in 3 800 races on the circuit (which basically guaranteed his No1 ranking) in the space of 2 weeks. He was then forced by the BAAB to run in the 4x800 WR the week before the Europeans.

[deano27671]

By this stage he was already suffering with swollen glands. He then got beaten in the euro final and was scratched by the British team doctor from the 1500m. At home the hospital diagnosed glandular fever. His season finished without having run any 1500/Miles. The symptoms he had experienced prior and during Athens returned during the winter and then again the following summer. It wasn't until a close doctor friend referred him to a specialist in Aug '83 that toxoplasmosis was diagnosed.

[deano27671]

This has similar symptoms to glandular fever but is more dangerous and persistent. The specialist said he'd had it for some time and concluded it was highly likely he'd had it back in Athens '82. Regardless, his 82 season was severely truncated by first injury and then illness and his '83 season was a complete wash-out. Nothing to do with injury as you imply!

[knightsxc06]

I always wanted to see Butcher's movie on Aouita "The Arabian Knight". Looks great, but hard to find.

[newromantic888]

@southsea1984 Well said. Now you try telling Deano that.

[estifanico]

ur right and that's when he started having asthma attacks and big problems breathing

[deano27671]

I think you're right in that he wasn't quite at his absolute best that he'd been in '78-'80, but he was still good enough to have won this race, albeit narrowly. The reason he came 4th was because he chose this race to run his worst tactical race ever! It was as bad as Coe's 800 in Moscow. What's telling is the fact that he was the fastest man over the last 400m (51.9 compared to Cram's 52.2) & that while running wide on the penultimate bend. It was the LA smog which really ended his great days.

[LPCLASSICAL]

Do you have Cram's splits for the last 100 and 200 and 300 in this race? I think it was a similar time to coe's moscow 1500, probably cram was at his best here in 83, so would be interesting to compare.

[deano27671]

Yes, they were similar until you get to the last 100 & 200. What you have to remember though is that the Helsinki race was 3 sec slower in pace. This race should have been tailor made for Ovett, but he was out of contention when things hotted up at the bell, despite covering the last 300m faster than anyone else. Cram was better than this in '85 & '86 IMO.

last 400m~ Cram 83- 52.1, Coe 80- 52.2

last 300m~ Cram-38.6, Coe- 38.7

last 200m~ Cram- 26.0, Coe- 25.0

last 100m~ Cram- 13.3, Coe- 12.1

[LPCLASSICAL]

I meant to ask you - how do you explain Cram's unresponsive legs in the WC 87 final home straight? He'd been unbeatable in 86 and was looking good up until the 87 final.

[deano27671]

I think with Cram is that he always had interruptions with injuries. I don't think these were any worse in '87, but the World Final was run in such a way that the pace got faster and faster with 800m gone. The penultimate lap was sub 54, and Cram then started his drive with more than a lap to go. He simply run out of steam entering the home straight, while Bile went on to cover the last 800m in 1:46.9!! Had the 3rd lap not been so fast, Cram may well have had enough to hold on.

[deano27671]

But he'd have to have been at his absolute best to have beaten Bile that day in the way it was run. I think Cram was losing it psychologically by this stage too. He wasn't as strong, IMO, when coming back from defeat, as say Coe. He'd been beaten by Coe in 86 & then unexpectedly beaten by Gonzales in the 1500 Europa Cup earlier in the 87 season. Despite running from the front, which was his strength, over the last lap & running 50.**, Gonzales stayed with him & kicked past him in home straight.

[LPCLASSICAL]

Yes I agree - he was great at kicking on the last lap off a relatively slow pace. Still I think the Cram that beat Cruz over 800 in 1985 would have won this race. His downfall in this race thought - hos one and only predictable game plan.

[smooveXXX]

@mackapacka Fair points. Coe = the great time trialler, Ovett the great racer and Cram the great talent. Easy.

[deano27671]

@mackapacka I'd certainly put him in the all time top 5 Milers already based on what he actually did. As far as pure middle distance runners (800 & 1500), I think only Coe and Snell can claim better credentials.

[jibjobjab]

Ovett fucked up. Britain should have had a 1 2

[odysseyintime]

lousy tactics from ovett in the race. i can only say he was either daydreaming or overconfident in his "sit and kick" tactics

[sslider08]

good man...lol

[martynhanson]

I followed Ovett's career and this was the worst race he ever ran

[bootymanager]

Ovett should've won. Shit! It was slow and Ovett was all over the place. If he'd been on the shoulder of Cram on the last bend, he had that famous burst of speed a the end of a race. He had an even better kick than Coe at his best.

[deano27671]

Lol!

Yeah right! Thats why Coe was the 800m record holder & Ovett was 2.3 secs slower. And why in both finals in Moscow Coe covered the last 200m quicker than Ovett!

[crazedaf]

ignorant.

[sculptor1965]

Scott was the man of the year but Cram knew when to move and beat Scott on tactics. Ovett was lucky to get 4th after being so far back. Walker was actually in fantastic form that year but messed it up by running two super fast 200s (22.XX) in warm up that were too close to race time. Aouita got his later.

[TheFlyingInspiration]

what type of warm up is that? the 'im gnna ruin my chances at a world title' warm up?

[davidoffon]

What could have been will never be ,you either do or you dont.Someone I know died this last week ,the best under 23 cycle road racer in england and I will never talk about what he could have,luckily he had already achieved a lot.

[Rettamann]

I can only assume that Steve Ovett was day dreaming leading upto the bell.

[deano27671]

Ovett really should have won this! He chose this race to run his worst tactical race ever! He ran a similar race to Coe's 1500m run in Stuttgart; wide on the bends and out of touch at the crucial moment. In both races Coe and Ovett were faster over the last lap.

[Boydymason]

Fantastic Gold for steve cram this was, the scalps were the stuff of legend that he took here, and its the above race that puts him in the same class as coe and ovett as far as im concerned.

[mackapacka]

yep the smoggy atmosphere - but he was never the same runner after 82 despite breaking he WR in 83. His running action looked a little different as if his balance had been thrown off slightly by the knee injury. he never got back to the pre-injury best again.

[LPCLASSICAL]

I agree with you there. If you look at what he did to his knee that  mad day in London it is a miracle that he ran at this level again. But the mastery was gone. He never recovered that audacious track manner that made him such a unique athlete in 1977-81. What a loss.

[mackapacka]

It's truly bizarre that just a 11/12 mnths after this race in which Ovett was in top four in the world and competitive he became such a sad shambles at LA Olympics. The decline in such a short time was unbelievable considering he broke WR in Sep 83 just a matter of mnths prior to LA??!! His turn of speed from 350m out in the World Champs in 83 was awesome. He couldn't even finish the race in LA!!

[southsea1984]

He was a shambles in LA because he had severe respiratory problems due to the smoggy atmosphere. He was taken to hospital after both the 800m and 1500m finals.

[natgrn]

Ovett must have been day-dreaming or something.He should've won this but used up all his energy closing up a gap that he allowed to open.

[deano27671]

Ovett ran like a goon. He was still the fastest guy over the last lap. Had he been on Cram's shoulder at the bell, I think the result would have been different!

[Rettamann]

Yes. For some one of Ovetts experience to give the lead away at the bell that he did was inexcusable. If as you said Deano he'd been on Crams shoulder GB would surely have had a 1 and 2.

[minolta7i]

Cram coming into his own, Scott o-so-close, Aouita a new find and Ovett entering the twilight of a great career in this incredible first world 1500 title.Thanks for posting.