@linglingjr Actually he was well known as a front runner up to 1979, winning quite a few races from the front. E.g. the European indoor 800m gold in 1977. I think Coleman meant that he was forced to run from the front from a long way out in his first 6 world records. In his 79 800m he ran the 2nd half on his own, in the Mile he was ahead with 500 to go, in the 1500m WR he was alone in front for the last 800m. In 80 & 81 1000m WRs he led with more than a lap to go.
that extra 200 metres is a killer, basically a 1.45 800 or less with another 200metres added is murder, you can imagine the body screaming stop. im pretty sure his florence 800 on the beach track was also almost crawl over the line, but not a critique, hes running more than 2 seconds faster than ovetts pb for 800 metres. really amazing effort his face was pure pain and i love the effort he put in.
@markgregamy I think he was straining at the end of the Florence run, yes of course, but he held his stride and running form through the line IMO, unlike in the Oslo 1000m, but I'm happy to agree to disagree with you. LOL.
As Coleman says in his commentary of that race, he had to "break to miss the photographers" as soon as he crossed the line.
@deano27671 I don't even think Ngeny should have this record. I always thought there wasn't something right with his performances after 2000. Being pulled from the Kenyan team in 2001 at the last second then having a car accident which he claims didn't allow him to train hard but sure didn't stop him from running 3:33's for the next couple of seasons. Then there are the rumours of him being one of seven athletes that tested postitve in Sydney but was let off to avoid a scandal.
@7agneskickingbird7 I am in total agreement. It's been alluded from several different sources that something "went down" with him in Sydney 2000. No proof, although there could be some somewhere, but his career projection was unusual to say the least.
Coe's greatest run. A truly phenomenal, even staggering, performance. 1:44.56 at 800! The 600-800 segment defies belief. Only a couple of other athletes were able to beat that time in open 800s worldwide in 1981. It's interesting to reflect that the guy with the 1k WR is often the man to beat in Olympic 1500s (e.g Snell, Coe, Ngeny).
This might be his most impressive run IMO. I wonder what he could have done a 1500m in if he had the right pacing and competition in 81. Thanks for posting btw.....I have searched utube many times hoping to see this race...
As great as Coe was, and as much fun as it is to watch these, there are so many 'what if' questions. What if Coe was in the '77 World Cup vs Juantorena?; What if Coe hit the 1200m mark in 2:48 in any of his mile races?; What if Coe was on the '88 Olympic team?; What if Ovett ever showed up at any of Coe's attempts on the 1500/mile records in '79 or '81?; What if Coe was healthy in '82-'83?
@jalexanian That's what makes it all the more fascinating! Ovett actually chose not to run against Coe 3 times between 79 & 81, when both were due to run. Had he run, they'd probably be tactical. Coe would probably have front run the 77 World Cup race & probably set the race up for Juantorena to break the WR. Coe wasn't the finished article in 77 & despite probably setting a pb (it was 1:44.95 in 77), he wouldn't have been strong enough at that stage (only 20) to beat Juantorena at his best.
Lol! I was going to upload this race on here at the weekend! No need to now.
Thanks a lot.
Intrinsically better than Ngeny's 2:11.96 WR imo, as the Kenyan had pace for another 150m. There's some interesting background to Coe's run here. Oslo had always intended to be an attempt on the 800m WR, until Coe unexpectedly ran 1:41 in early June.
Just 4 days before this race, he practically front ran a 1500m in 3:31 after going through 400m in 52,4 (rabbit in 51.5!) & 800 in 1:49.1. Ridiculously fast! It was amazing that he managed to hang on and still run so fast (just 0.59 outside Ovett's WR). He should have put the 1500 record out of site that day. It was probably worth 3:28. Anyway, due to such an effort taking so much out of him, he decided he wouldn't be in the sort of form to go for a WR in Oslo 4 days later.
Moreover, he had developed a nasty blister on the ball of his foot during the Stockholm run at 1500. He tried to switch to the Dream Mile in Oslo, fancying his chances in a slower, tactical race against Ovett, but Norman, Ovett's agent wouldn't allow Coe in the race (on Steve's wishes, according to Norman's account), citing that the 2 were both down to run the Golden Mile in Brussels at the end of August. Ovett later pulled out of that race a week before, choosing to run a slow 1:47 in Norway!
Back in Oslo, the promoter persuaded Coe to attack the 1000m record instead. Coe dutifully obliged, blister bursting during the race. You can really see him tie up in the last 40m or so. If it weren't for the strain of Stockholm 4 nights earlier & the blister bursting, Coe Snr. was convinced the 1000 would have been quicker. As it was, the 4th 200m (600 -800m) in 26.2 was what enabled him to smash the record. 30 years on only Ngeny has beaten it and no one else has run within 0.7 of it.
@deano27671 Oops! Funny,I wondered if you were going to shove it on sometime but assumed you were sticking to harder to find stuff (and more power to you). Good news for you is that this pretty much exhausts my Coe archive...just got a few bits that are already on Youtube,but I might still put them on (unless you get there first) as they are slightly better quality than the available clips.Still reckon this was Coe's best against the clock race. Hope I havven't spoilt your weekend!? Cheers,Steve
@ARRISIPPY Lol! Not at all. When I said, thanks a lot, I was being sincere. I think my version of this is a pretty good recording too. I'm in the middle of report writing at moment, but will try and upload some more obscure ones of Coe & Ovett soon. Have a good weekend.
this was the video where i think coe gave it every ounce, its a compliment his legs were dying at the end as they should be at this speed, this is best world record i ever saw
@markgregamy Yes, i'll give you that. He was practically walking at the end wasn't he! To be fair though, I can't think of any other race (apart from when he was ill) where he actually visibly slowed down like that at the end.
Perhaps the reason for his lack of form in the closing stages was as much due to the fact that less than 4 days earlier he'd solo run that 3:31 in Stockholm with a 52.4 first lap! He also had a large blister on the ball of his foot burst during this 1000m race.
Oslo was always going to be the scene for his attack on the 800m WR in 81, but after Florence and then the draining Stockholm run, he'd told the press that there was no chance for a WR in Oslo. A few days before he'd tried to get into the Mile race to face Ovett, but Andy Norman prevented him from doing so, on the grounds that Ovett had always assumed they would meet in Brussels later in the summer.
His plans frustrated, and not feeling up to a WR effort over 800m, the organisers set up a weak 1000m field for him, with Coe knowing that his current WR at the distance was a relatively weak one. His father said, in Coe's biography, that but for the agro of Stockholm his son's time here would have been faster still.
1:44 @ the 800m mark...and he keeps going? Unreal. I don't know which is Coe's best WR, the 1:41 for 800m or the 1000m in 2:12. He prbly could've done 3:25 for 1500
greatest front runner of all time? since when was web coe a front runner? psssh please
linglingjr 1 month ago
@linglingjr Actually he was well known as a front runner up to 1979, winning quite a few races from the front. E.g. the European indoor 800m gold in 1977. I think Coleman meant that he was forced to run from the front from a long way out in his first 6 world records. In his 79 800m he ran the 2nd half on his own, in the Mile he was ahead with 500 to go, in the 1500m WR he was alone in front for the last 800m. In 80 & 81 1000m WRs he led with more than a lap to go.
deano27671 3 weeks ago
@deano27671 didn't know that. Thanks
linglingjr 3 weeks ago
2:24 Get lost kid!
vrchris 1 month ago
Comment removed
vrchris 1 month ago
that extra 200 metres is a killer, basically a 1.45 800 or less with another 200metres added is murder, you can imagine the body screaming stop. im pretty sure his florence 800 on the beach track was also almost crawl over the line, but not a critique, hes running more than 2 seconds faster than ovetts pb for 800 metres. really amazing effort his face was pure pain and i love the effort he put in.
markgregamy 4 months ago
@markgregamy I think he was straining at the end of the Florence run, yes of course, but he held his stride and running form through the line IMO, unlike in the Oslo 1000m, but I'm happy to agree to disagree with you. LOL.
As Coleman says in his commentary of that race, he had to "break to miss the photographers" as soon as he crossed the line.
deano27671 4 months ago
@deano27671 I don't even think Ngeny should have this record. I always thought there wasn't something right with his performances after 2000. Being pulled from the Kenyan team in 2001 at the last second then having a car accident which he claims didn't allow him to train hard but sure didn't stop him from running 3:33's for the next couple of seasons. Then there are the rumours of him being one of seven athletes that tested postitve in Sydney but was let off to avoid a scandal.
7agneskickingbird7 2 months ago
@7agneskickingbird7 I am in total agreement. It's been alluded from several different sources that something "went down" with him in Sydney 2000. No proof, although there could be some somewhere, but his career projection was unusual to say the least.
deano27671 2 months ago
My goodness that is an amazing time! Especially back then with little technology and competition!!!
IAM18YEARSOLDANDOVER 5 months ago
Coe's greatest run. A truly phenomenal, even staggering, performance. 1:44.56 at 800! The 600-800 segment defies belief. Only a couple of other athletes were able to beat that time in open 800s worldwide in 1981. It's interesting to reflect that the guy with the 1k WR is often the man to beat in Olympic 1500s (e.g Snell, Coe, Ngeny).
KingLiopleurodon 7 months ago 2
yassssssssssssssssssss
YesPlease93 8 months ago
This might be his most impressive run IMO. I wonder what he could have done a 1500m in if he had the right pacing and competition in 81. Thanks for posting btw.....I have searched utube many times hoping to see this race...
marlin804 8 months ago 2
As great as Coe was, and as much fun as it is to watch these, there are so many 'what if' questions. What if Coe was in the '77 World Cup vs Juantorena?; What if Coe hit the 1200m mark in 2:48 in any of his mile races?; What if Coe was on the '88 Olympic team?; What if Ovett ever showed up at any of Coe's attempts on the 1500/mile records in '79 or '81?; What if Coe was healthy in '82-'83?
jalexanian 9 months ago
@jalexanian That's what makes it all the more fascinating! Ovett actually chose not to run against Coe 3 times between 79 & 81, when both were due to run. Had he run, they'd probably be tactical. Coe would probably have front run the 77 World Cup race & probably set the race up for Juantorena to break the WR. Coe wasn't the finished article in 77 & despite probably setting a pb (it was 1:44.95 in 77), he wouldn't have been strong enough at that stage (only 20) to beat Juantorena at his best.
deano27671 9 months ago
Lol! I was going to upload this race on here at the weekend! No need to now.
Thanks a lot.
Intrinsically better than Ngeny's 2:11.96 WR imo, as the Kenyan had pace for another 150m. There's some interesting background to Coe's run here. Oslo had always intended to be an attempt on the 800m WR, until Coe unexpectedly ran 1:41 in early June.
deano27671 9 months ago
Just 4 days before this race, he practically front ran a 1500m in 3:31 after going through 400m in 52,4 (rabbit in 51.5!) & 800 in 1:49.1. Ridiculously fast! It was amazing that he managed to hang on and still run so fast (just 0.59 outside Ovett's WR). He should have put the 1500 record out of site that day. It was probably worth 3:28. Anyway, due to such an effort taking so much out of him, he decided he wouldn't be in the sort of form to go for a WR in Oslo 4 days later.
deano27671 9 months ago
Moreover, he had developed a nasty blister on the ball of his foot during the Stockholm run at 1500. He tried to switch to the Dream Mile in Oslo, fancying his chances in a slower, tactical race against Ovett, but Norman, Ovett's agent wouldn't allow Coe in the race (on Steve's wishes, according to Norman's account), citing that the 2 were both down to run the Golden Mile in Brussels at the end of August. Ovett later pulled out of that race a week before, choosing to run a slow 1:47 in Norway!
deano27671 9 months ago
Back in Oslo, the promoter persuaded Coe to attack the 1000m record instead. Coe dutifully obliged, blister bursting during the race. You can really see him tie up in the last 40m or so. If it weren't for the strain of Stockholm 4 nights earlier & the blister bursting, Coe Snr. was convinced the 1000 would have been quicker. As it was, the 4th 200m (600 -800m) in 26.2 was what enabled him to smash the record. 30 years on only Ngeny has beaten it and no one else has run within 0.7 of it.
deano27671 9 months ago
@deano27671 Oops! Funny,I wondered if you were going to shove it on sometime but assumed you were sticking to harder to find stuff (and more power to you). Good news for you is that this pretty much exhausts my Coe archive...just got a few bits that are already on Youtube,but I might still put them on (unless you get there first) as they are slightly better quality than the available clips.Still reckon this was Coe's best against the clock race. Hope I havven't spoilt your weekend!? Cheers,Steve
ARRISIPPY 9 months ago
Comment removed
deano27671 9 months ago
Comment removed
deano27671 9 months ago
@ARRISIPPY Lol! Not at all. When I said, thanks a lot, I was being sincere. I think my version of this is a pretty good recording too. I'm in the middle of report writing at moment, but will try and upload some more obscure ones of Coe & Ovett soon. Have a good weekend.
deano27671 9 months ago
@deano27671
this was the video where i think coe gave it every ounce, its a compliment his legs were dying at the end as they should be at this speed, this is best world record i ever saw
markgregamy 4 months ago
@markgregamy Yes, i'll give you that. He was practically walking at the end wasn't he! To be fair though, I can't think of any other race (apart from when he was ill) where he actually visibly slowed down like that at the end.
Perhaps the reason for his lack of form in the closing stages was as much due to the fact that less than 4 days earlier he'd solo run that 3:31 in Stockholm with a 52.4 first lap! He also had a large blister on the ball of his foot burst during this 1000m race.
deano27671 4 months ago
Oslo was always going to be the scene for his attack on the 800m WR in 81, but after Florence and then the draining Stockholm run, he'd told the press that there was no chance for a WR in Oslo. A few days before he'd tried to get into the Mile race to face Ovett, but Andy Norman prevented him from doing so, on the grounds that Ovett had always assumed they would meet in Brussels later in the summer.
deano27671 4 months ago
His plans frustrated, and not feeling up to a WR effort over 800m, the organisers set up a weak 1000m field for him, with Coe knowing that his current WR at the distance was a relatively weak one. His father said, in Coe's biography, that but for the agro of Stockholm his son's time here would have been faster still.
deano27671 4 months ago
1:44 @ the 800m mark...and he keeps going? Unreal. I don't know which is Coe's best WR, the 1:41 for 800m or the 1000m in 2:12. He prbly could've done 3:25 for 1500
jalexanian 9 months ago 2