@NymphZoic68 Yes, according to his biography, Ovett mentioned that the press chose to mis-read his smile at the end of the 800m. I remember he had been very clear in saying that Coe would win easily all through the rounds. I think he smiled almost as if to say that perhaps he had jinxed Coe by saying he would win. I don't think there was any malice in Ovett towards Coe at this stage.
yet another Coe defeat in a race he should have won. Of 9 major finals contested at the peak of his career, Coe was victorious in just three of them. Of course two of them were back to back Olympic 1500m titles AND he was doing what no other athletes were attempting back then (brutal 800m/1500m doubles) which can't be overlooked, but irrespective, the notion he was a great racer is a false one. He is the greatest 800m/1500m front runner ever seen, just not the greatest race winner.
@smooveXXX Rubbish! He was a more successful Championship racer than both Ovett & Cram. I don't know what you consider to be "major finals", but in terms of European, World & Olympic championships Coe won 4 golds (European indoor 800 in 77, Olympic 1500 1980, Olympic 1500 1984 & European 800 in 86) out of 9. In the other 5 races he won 4 silvers (Olympic 800 in 80, European 800 in 82, Olympic 800 in 84 & European 1500 in 86) and a bronze (European 800 in 78). So he never failed to win a medal.
Ovett contested 11 championship finals, winning 2 golds (European 1500 in 78, Olympic 800 in 1980), 2 silvers (European 800 in 1974 & 1978) and a bronze (Olympic 1500 in 1980). He FAILED TO WIN A MEDAL in 5 other championship events! - 5th in the Olympic 800 in 76, out in the semis in the Olympic 1500 in 76, 4th in the World Champs 1500 in 83, 8th in the Olympic 800 in 84 & two "DNF" in the Olympic 1500 final in 84 and the European 5000m in 86.
Cram's overall record was inferior too. Out of 12 championship races, he won 3 golds (European 1500 in 1982, World 1500 in 83 & European 1500 in 1986). In the remaining 9 races he won just 1 silver (Olympic 1500 in 1984) and 1 bronze (European 800 in 1986). He failed to win a medal in 4 other races (8th in Olympic 1500 in 80, 8th in World 1500 in 87, 4th in Olympic 1500 in 88 & 5th in European 1500 in 90), & failed to even reach the final in the Olympic 800 in 88, & World 1500s in both 91 & 93!
If you include the European Cup & World Cup medals that they won, as these competitions were of great significance in the pre World Champs era, then Coe's record is still the best. He won European Cup 800 golds in 79 & 81, World Cup 800 gold in 81 & World Cup 1500 silver in 89. That brings his total haul in "major races" to 7 gold, 5 silver & 1 bronze out of 13, with no result outside of the medals.
For Ovett, I'd rather not include the Olympic 1500 in 84 or the European 5k in 86 as he was clearly ill and DNF. If we then add his Europa Cup gold at 800 from 75, his Europa Cup 1500 gold from 77, and the World Cup 1500 golds from 77 & 81, then his record improves to 7 golds out of 13, the same as Coe's. However, his 2 silvers, 1 bronze and 3 races where he didn't medal or reach the final, mean his overall record is not as good as Coe's.
Cram comes a clear 3rd of the big three. If we add the 2 golds he won in the Europa Cup 1500 races of 1983 & 1985, together with the silver he won in the Europa Cup 1500 in 87, and the bronze he won in the 1981 Europa Cup 1500m, then he has a final collection of 5 golds, 2 silver, 2 bronze and 7 races in which he did not medal or failed to reach the final. So, not only did Coe break more world records than Ovett or Cram, and win more Olympic medals, he also had a superior "major race" record.
@smooveXXX Sir: That is a harsh (and, in my view, unfair) assessment. The fact of the matter is that Sebastian Coe was a genuinely ill man back in September of 1982 - when he was unexpectedly beaten by that German chap called Hans Peter Ferner in the 800 metres final at the 'Europeans'.
Coe was still suffering from ill-health the following summer [1983], which is why he was unable to compete in the inaugural IAAF World Championships - held in Helsinki in the August of that year.
@NymphZoic68 It depends which year you have in mind ! In '77 or '78, the 'big O' would almost certainly have got the better of Coe at the two sprint distances - 100 and 200m. But, by 1979, Coe's basic speed was comparable to that of his great rival from Brighton ...... and a year later, when the Moscow Olympics took place, Coe was probably marginally Ovett's superior in terms of sprinting ability/pure speed.
Coe was ill otherwise he would have pissed this field and a fit Ovett and anyone elae too. I still hate Ovett's slightly smug reaction - he didn't grow up until it happened to him 2 years later. Ovett was a middle distance genius but I never thought he run for anyone other than himself
@rc2869 Mr Ovett did NOT react in a smug or discourteous manner to Sebastian Coe's unexpected defeat in the 800m final at the European Athletics Championships, back in 1982. That was a false claim - fabricated by certain 'gentlemen of the press', who were trying to stir-up animosity between the two greatest middle-distance runners of the era.
As for your claim that Mr Ovett did not grow up until he experienced health problems in Los Angeles, at the
@TheEctomorph He looked pretty smug to me 2:11 -2:12 and as a ten year old I remember thinking as such. Most unsporting. Of course you can think otherwise. I think 1984 experience made him grow up as a person - not physically because he didn't need too. I'm talking mentally - something you may try.
@rc2869 Sir: I can vividly recall watching the European Athletics Championships on television back in September 1982. I was a kid of seventeen at the time. The BBC's coverage of those championships was presented, for the most part, by Frank Bough ...... and a very good job he did, too. Assisting big Frank in the BBC studio was Steve Ovett - who, at the time, was unable to compete as an athlete, due to injury problems. From what I remember, Mr Ovett came across as an articulate,
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Steve Ovett] knowledgeable and very courteous athletics pundit during those European Championships of '82. The BBC received a considerable number of letters (there were no emails in those days) from members of the public who were impressed by Mr Ovett's ability as a pundit, and by his on-air manner - which was pleasant and courteous at all times. Mister, you are miskaken when you say that he reacted in a smug and ungentlemanly manner to
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Steve Ovett] Seb Coe's unexpected defeat by Hans Peter Ferner in the 800m at those European Championships. Some 'gentlemen of the press' (to use a euphemistic term) did indeed claim that Mr Ovett had reacted to Mr Coe's defeat in an inappropriate manner, but that was just a lie. End of.
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Steve Ovett] 1984 Olympic Games, well that is just ludicrous, quite frankly Are you implying that Mr Ovett was just a kid in 1980/81 - when he set three world records and won an Olympic Gold medal???
@TheEctomorph Nope clearly you are too much of a Borris Buffoon type (to use a Euphemism) to read English. Remove the pretentious and patronising tone. I repeat look at the Evidence.
@rc2869 Sir: Back in September of 1982, Mr Ovett sang the praises of his fabled rival, Mr Coe, on live BBC television. He said, quite unequivocally, that Coe was the greatest 800 metre runner on God's earth. The 'big O' also firmly predicted that Coe would win Gold in the 800 metres at the Euro Championships (which were taking place in Athens, Greece, at the time).
When the world record holder was unexpectedly beaten by Hans Peter Ferner of Germany (shortly after Ovett's prediction that
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Mr Steve Ovett]: he (Coe) would prevail without too much difficulty, Ovett could be seen smiling quite broadly, for a couple of seconds or so. Personally, I believe that he was more likely to have been LAUGHING AT HIMSELF than laughing at his rival's somewhat lack-lustre performance in Athens. The 'big O' must have realised that he had (to a certain extent) made a prat of himself by predicting on live television that Mr Coe would win the
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: race - and thus the European title - by a proverbial street or two.
I agree with "Deano27671", with regard to Ovett's reaction to Coe's unexpected defeat over 800m at those European Championships. Earlier this month, Deano wrote (and I quote his exact words, verbatim): "I don't think there was any malice in Ovett towards Coe at that stage".
I suggest that you, sir, have got the wrong end of the proverbial stick,
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: and have completely misinterpreted Mr Ovett's attitude and behaviour, immediately after the shocking result of that race in Athens back in September 1982. The 800/1500 metres star from Brighton did NOT gloat over the misfortune of his fellow British athlete: the well-spoken, middle-class man from Sheffield, who - a couple of years earlier - had replaced him as the world's number one middle-distance runner.
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: Oh, and just one more thing, sir: It was very inappropriate - and indeed churlish - of you to tell me to "grow up". For your information, I am well into middle-age now (I am 46 years of age, to be precise). I am NOT some callow youth of 17 or 18, who is in the process of preparing to leave home and go to uni.
Have a nice day, sir ... and please refrain from making pointed and condescending remarks about me on
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: this You Tube discussion board - or on any other online forum - in future. To be honest, some of your comments really have been somewhat unpleasant and unnecessary.
@TheEctomorph Well it looked like it to me. You can ramble on all you like as you clearly have too much time on your hands. Everything you wrote I already knew as watched it live myself.
And I agree with Deano on about 85-90% of stuff regarding this era but not on this point which means not with you either.
One of Coe's best tactical races. Never in trouble, nicely positioned in the clear for a stretch run but just unable to execute. It was unfortunate for him that his best tactics coincided with his worst physical condition. The others didn't exactly cover themselves with glory either, Druppers could have done more, so too could Cook.
@KingLiopleurodon It was almost identical tactics to those he used a year earlier in the World Cup. On that occasion he pulled some 15m clear of a better field than this in the home straight, which he covered in 12.0. (24.7 last 200m). Here, off a similar pace he could only manage 13.1 (26.1), purely because he was suffering with glandular fever (or possibly even the toxoplasmosis diagnosed in 83, which has almost identical symptoms). 2 weeks earlier he destroyed Ferner in Zurich. Just bad luck.
@deano27671 Indeed it was, Deano. Mr Coe ran a perfect (well, near perfect) tactical race in Athens, that afternoon in September 1982 ..... but, due to ill-health, he was not physically strong or fit enough to outkick Hans Peter Ferner in the final 100m of the race. If Mr Coe had been a well man in the summer/autumn of '82, he would have urinated on that 800m field in Athens. (Please excuse the somewhat crude figure of speech that I used in the previous sentence!)
It seems to be Prof Joseph Keul (physician and best known for his pro doping attitude), at that time Germanys national olympic coach, trying to congratulate his winning athlete.
By the way he co-hosted the Freiburg University steroid research department, a mekka of sports professionals (football, TF) in the eighties and mentioned in the yellow press due to clients like Team Telekom from Tour de France
Yes! He had already thrashed Ferner twice on the circuit 2-3 weeks before the Europeans, after Coe was coming back from injury. Coe was ill here, and in my opinion he was already suffering from the toxoplasmosis that would remain un-diagnosed for over a year. He was never quite the same runner after he recovered, despite winning in LA, and was always susceptible to viruses after this.
Yes what a shame. If you think that nobodys like me who couldn't even break 2 minutes for 800 never got a virus or fever or injury in my life - and a genius like Coe was plagued by it. I would have taken on coes illness and ovett's knee injury gladly. The only time i felt worse than the ferner defeat was the steve scott defeat in 83 (?) while I still did not know that coe was ill at that time and i hated Scott.
How do you think I felt? I was at Crystal Palace when Scott beat Coe in the '83 Robinson Mile! It was my first Athletics meet and I was 12. I was absolutely devastated. What's more, my 2nd meet was the AAA's the next year when he was beaten by Elliott. I never dared go and watch him live again as I thought I was a jinx. It is a shame about Coe & Ovett's problems of 82 & 83, as I felt neither achieved their full potential.
How do you think I felt? I was at Crystal Palace when Scott beat Coe in the '83 Robinson Mile! It was my first Athletics meet and I was 12. I was absolutely devastated. What's more, my 2nd meet was the AAA's the next year when he was beaten by Elliott. I never dared go and watch him live again as I thought I was a jinx. It is a shame about Coe & Ovett's problems of 82 & 83, as I felt neither achieved their full potential.
the race was really slow, abt 5 secs off coe's WR!!! if coe was fit, he would have beaten ferner by miles. and ferner not only never won another major race, he hardly even competed in one after this final.
Coe went too hard at the 200. Should have left a bit in the tank. Wulbeck a disappointment. He was fairly erratic in his career. Ferner didn't do much after this run. It was great, but a bit of a one-off.
He didn't go too hard with 200m to go! Coe at his best would have been a further 2m ahead of Furner entering the straight and 10m ahead at the end. Coe covered the last 200m here in 26.2 (1:46.6 finish), whereas he ran a 24.8 last 200m in Stuttgart (in a faster paced race of 1:44.5), and ran a 24.1 in a slightly slower 1:47 in '79 Europa Cup final. Coe was ILL here. He was diagnosed with glandular fever by the UK team doctor the next day. Nothing to do with going too early.
@deano27671 Quite right, Deano. You certainly know what you are talking about. Mr Coe was a genuinely sick man for some considerable time, in the years 1982 and '83. After his unexpected defeat at the hands of that German gentlemen in the 800 metres final at the 'Europeans' in September 1982, he was diagnosed with low-level glandular ... and the following summer (1983) he was diagnosed with toxoplasmosis. Now I am not a medical man, but it seems to me quite probable that Mr Coe was
@TheEctomorph [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Sebastian Coe]: man, suffering from toxoplasmosis. That illness is unpleasant, and can be very debilitating.
What an extraordinary athlete Sebastian Coe was, back in the late 1970s and early 1980's. If he had not been plagued by ill-health in 1982 and '83 (when he was 25/26 years of age), there is no telling what he might have achieved, athletically. The sky would have been the limit - figuratively speaking.
@TheEctomorph Thanks for your insightful responses. I have to say I agree with everything you say. I remember watching Coe run completely alone on the last leg of the 4 x 800m relay a week before Athens; a race he didn't want to be part of due to it being his 4th run in about 10 days, as he was still coming back from 6 weeks out with injury; in very windy conditions. He ran the first 400 in 49.1, then coasted to 1:44.0.
It had to be worth 1:42.5 had he been paced/drafted to the bell in decent weather. To think he could run that fast off that (poor) training background and with either glandular fever or toxoplasmosis in his system, makes me wonder what he could have run that year if fully fit. I truely believe he'd have run sub 1:41.0 and still be the world record holder.
@deano27671 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Sebastian Coe] already suffering from toxoplasmosis at the time of the European Championships in Athens. In other words, the diagnosis which was made at the time was not necessarily the correct one.
If my memory serves me correctly, one of the doctors who treated Coe when he was suffering from toxoplasmosis (in 1983) said that some of his athletic performances and achievements that year were incredible, given that he was a genuinely sick
@deano27671 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Sebastian Coe]: man at the time. I seem to recall that in February or March of 1983, Coe broke the WIR (world indoor record) for the 800m, with a time of 1:44.91. That record stood the test of time; it lasted for some six years. He also managed to breke the WIR for the 1000m that winter, his physical health problems notwithstanding. I think his time was 2:18.58 (well, something like that, anyway.) What is more, Coe ran 800m (outdoors)
@deano27671 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Sebastian Coe]: in the highly respectable time of 1:43.80 in the summer of '83. At that time, only a very small number of athletes had run the distance quicker than that: Alberto Juantorena, Michael Boit, Richard Wolhuter, Marcello Fiasconaro and (of course) the great Coe himself.
For my part, I think that it is remarkable - incredible - that Sebastian Coe was capable of running 800m in 1:43.80 seconds at a time when he was a sick
for me, Ovett just looked genuinely shocked surprised that Coe had been beaten. Have you never laughed in disbelief?
NymphZoic68 4 months ago
@NymphZoic68 Yes, according to his biography, Ovett mentioned that the press chose to mis-read his smile at the end of the 800m. I remember he had been very clear in saying that Coe would win easily all through the rounds. I think he smiled almost as if to say that perhaps he had jinxed Coe by saying he would win. I don't think there was any malice in Ovett towards Coe at this stage.
deano27671 4 months ago
@NymphZoic68 Well said, sir; well said indeed.
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
yet another Coe defeat in a race he should have won. Of 9 major finals contested at the peak of his career, Coe was victorious in just three of them. Of course two of them were back to back Olympic 1500m titles AND he was doing what no other athletes were attempting back then (brutal 800m/1500m doubles) which can't be overlooked, but irrespective, the notion he was a great racer is a false one. He is the greatest 800m/1500m front runner ever seen, just not the greatest race winner.
smooveXXX 7 months ago
Comment removed
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@smooveXXX Rubbish! He was a more successful Championship racer than both Ovett & Cram. I don't know what you consider to be "major finals", but in terms of European, World & Olympic championships Coe won 4 golds (European indoor 800 in 77, Olympic 1500 1980, Olympic 1500 1984 & European 800 in 86) out of 9. In the other 5 races he won 4 silvers (Olympic 800 in 80, European 800 in 82, Olympic 800 in 84 & European 1500 in 86) and a bronze (European 800 in 78). So he never failed to win a medal.
deano27671 4 months ago
Ovett contested 11 championship finals, winning 2 golds (European 1500 in 78, Olympic 800 in 1980), 2 silvers (European 800 in 1974 & 1978) and a bronze (Olympic 1500 in 1980). He FAILED TO WIN A MEDAL in 5 other championship events! - 5th in the Olympic 800 in 76, out in the semis in the Olympic 1500 in 76, 4th in the World Champs 1500 in 83, 8th in the Olympic 800 in 84 & two "DNF" in the Olympic 1500 final in 84 and the European 5000m in 86.
deano27671 4 months ago
Cram's overall record was inferior too. Out of 12 championship races, he won 3 golds (European 1500 in 1982, World 1500 in 83 & European 1500 in 1986). In the remaining 9 races he won just 1 silver (Olympic 1500 in 1984) and 1 bronze (European 800 in 1986). He failed to win a medal in 4 other races (8th in Olympic 1500 in 80, 8th in World 1500 in 87, 4th in Olympic 1500 in 88 & 5th in European 1500 in 90), & failed to even reach the final in the Olympic 800 in 88, & World 1500s in both 91 & 93!
deano27671 4 months ago
If you include the European Cup & World Cup medals that they won, as these competitions were of great significance in the pre World Champs era, then Coe's record is still the best. He won European Cup 800 golds in 79 & 81, World Cup 800 gold in 81 & World Cup 1500 silver in 89. That brings his total haul in "major races" to 7 gold, 5 silver & 1 bronze out of 13, with no result outside of the medals.
deano27671 4 months ago
For Ovett, I'd rather not include the Olympic 1500 in 84 or the European 5k in 86 as he was clearly ill and DNF. If we then add his Europa Cup gold at 800 from 75, his Europa Cup 1500 gold from 77, and the World Cup 1500 golds from 77 & 81, then his record improves to 7 golds out of 13, the same as Coe's. However, his 2 silvers, 1 bronze and 3 races where he didn't medal or reach the final, mean his overall record is not as good as Coe's.
deano27671 4 months ago
Cram comes a clear 3rd of the big three. If we add the 2 golds he won in the Europa Cup 1500 races of 1983 & 1985, together with the silver he won in the Europa Cup 1500 in 87, and the bronze he won in the 1981 Europa Cup 1500m, then he has a final collection of 5 golds, 2 silver, 2 bronze and 7 races in which he did not medal or failed to reach the final. So, not only did Coe break more world records than Ovett or Cram, and win more Olympic medals, he also had a superior "major race" record.
deano27671 4 months ago
@smooveXXX Sir: That is a harsh (and, in my view, unfair) assessment. The fact of the matter is that Sebastian Coe was a genuinely ill man back in September of 1982 - when he was unexpectedly beaten by that German chap called Hans Peter Ferner in the 800 metres final at the 'Europeans'.
Coe was still suffering from ill-health the following summer [1983], which is why he was unable to compete in the inaugural IAAF World Championships - held in Helsinki in the August of that year.
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
The biggest surprise of this run was that our Jorma Härkönen took the bronze medal.
mahtivaari72 9 months ago
Ovett v Coe over 100M or 200M
?
NymphZoic68 10 months ago
@NymphZoic68 It depends which year you have in mind ! In '77 or '78, the 'big O' would almost certainly have got the better of Coe at the two sprint distances - 100 and 200m. But, by 1979, Coe's basic speed was comparable to that of his great rival from Brighton ...... and a year later, when the Moscow Olympics took place, Coe was probably marginally Ovett's superior in terms of sprinting ability/pure speed.
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
Coe was ill otherwise he would have pissed this field and a fit Ovett and anyone elae too. I still hate Ovett's slightly smug reaction - he didn't grow up until it happened to him 2 years later. Ovett was a middle distance genius but I never thought he run for anyone other than himself
rc2869 1 year ago
@rc2869 Mr Ovett did NOT react in a smug or discourteous manner to Sebastian Coe's unexpected defeat in the 800m final at the European Athletics Championships, back in 1982. That was a false claim - fabricated by certain 'gentlemen of the press', who were trying to stir-up animosity between the two greatest middle-distance runners of the era.
As for your claim that Mr Ovett did not grow up until he experienced health problems in Los Angeles, at the
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@TheEctomorph He looked pretty smug to me 2:11 -2:12 and as a ten year old I remember thinking as such. Most unsporting. Of course you can think otherwise. I think 1984 experience made him grow up as a person - not physically because he didn't need too. I'm talking mentally - something you may try.
rc2869 4 months ago
@rc2869 Sir: I can vividly recall watching the European Athletics Championships on television back in September 1982. I was a kid of seventeen at the time. The BBC's coverage of those championships was presented, for the most part, by Frank Bough ...... and a very good job he did, too. Assisting big Frank in the BBC studio was Steve Ovett - who, at the time, was unable to compete as an athlete, due to injury problems. From what I remember, Mr Ovett came across as an articulate,
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Steve Ovett] knowledgeable and very courteous athletics pundit during those European Championships of '82. The BBC received a considerable number of letters (there were no emails in those days) from members of the public who were impressed by Mr Ovett's ability as a pundit, and by his on-air manner - which was pleasant and courteous at all times. Mister, you are miskaken when you say that he reacted in a smug and ungentlemanly manner to
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Steve Ovett] Seb Coe's unexpected defeat by Hans Peter Ferner in the 800m at those European Championships. Some 'gentlemen of the press' (to use a euphemistic term) did indeed claim that Mr Ovett had reacted to Mr Coe's defeat in an inappropriate manner, but that was just a lie. End of.
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Steve Ovett] 1984 Olympic Games, well that is just ludicrous, quite frankly Are you implying that Mr Ovett was just a kid in 1980/81 - when he set three world records and won an Olympic Gold medal???
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@TheEctomorph Nope clearly you are too much of a Borris Buffoon type (to use a Euphemism) to read English. Remove the pretentious and patronising tone. I repeat look at the Evidence.
rc2869 4 months ago
@rc2869 Sir: Back in September of 1982, Mr Ovett sang the praises of his fabled rival, Mr Coe, on live BBC television. He said, quite unequivocally, that Coe was the greatest 800 metre runner on God's earth. The 'big O' also firmly predicted that Coe would win Gold in the 800 metres at the Euro Championships (which were taking place in Athens, Greece, at the time).
When the world record holder was unexpectedly beaten by Hans Peter Ferner of Germany (shortly after Ovett's prediction that
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Mr Steve Ovett]: he (Coe) would prevail without too much difficulty, Ovett could be seen smiling quite broadly, for a couple of seconds or so. Personally, I believe that he was more likely to have been LAUGHING AT HIMSELF than laughing at his rival's somewhat lack-lustre performance in Athens. The 'big O' must have realised that he had (to a certain extent) made a prat of himself by predicting on live television that Mr Coe would win the
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: race - and thus the European title - by a proverbial street or two.
I agree with "Deano27671", with regard to Ovett's reaction to Coe's unexpected defeat over 800m at those European Championships. Earlier this month, Deano wrote (and I quote his exact words, verbatim): "I don't think there was any malice in Ovett towards Coe at that stage".
I suggest that you, sir, have got the wrong end of the proverbial stick,
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: and have completely misinterpreted Mr Ovett's attitude and behaviour, immediately after the shocking result of that race in Athens back in September 1982. The 800/1500 metres star from Brighton did NOT gloat over the misfortune of his fellow British athlete: the well-spoken, middle-class man from Sheffield, who - a couple of years earlier - had replaced him as the world's number one middle-distance runner.
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: Oh, and just one more thing, sir: It was very inappropriate - and indeed churlish - of you to tell me to "grow up". For your information, I am well into middle-age now (I am 46 years of age, to be precise). I am NOT some callow youth of 17 or 18, who is in the process of preparing to leave home and go to uni.
Have a nice day, sir ... and please refrain from making pointed and condescending remarks about me on
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@rc2869 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Mr Steve Ovett]: this You Tube discussion board - or on any other online forum - in future. To be honest, some of your comments really have been somewhat unpleasant and unnecessary.
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@TheEctomorph Well it looked like it to me. You can ramble on all you like as you clearly have too much time on your hands. Everything you wrote I already knew as watched it live myself.
And I agree with Deano on about 85-90% of stuff regarding this era but not on this point which means not with you either.
rc2869 3 months ago
One of Coe's best tactical races. Never in trouble, nicely positioned in the clear for a stretch run but just unable to execute. It was unfortunate for him that his best tactics coincided with his worst physical condition. The others didn't exactly cover themselves with glory either, Druppers could have done more, so too could Cook.
KingLiopleurodon 1 year ago
@KingLiopleurodon It was almost identical tactics to those he used a year earlier in the World Cup. On that occasion he pulled some 15m clear of a better field than this in the home straight, which he covered in 12.0. (24.7 last 200m). Here, off a similar pace he could only manage 13.1 (26.1), purely because he was suffering with glandular fever (or possibly even the toxoplasmosis diagnosed in 83, which has almost identical symptoms). 2 weeks earlier he destroyed Ferner in Zurich. Just bad luck.
deano27671 1 year ago
@deano27671 Indeed it was, Deano. Mr Coe ran a perfect (well, near perfect) tactical race in Athens, that afternoon in September 1982 ..... but, due to ill-health, he was not physically strong or fit enough to outkick Hans Peter Ferner in the final 100m of the race. If Mr Coe had been a well man in the summer/autumn of '82, he would have urinated on that 800m field in Athens. (Please excuse the somewhat crude figure of speech that I used in the previous sentence!)
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
Finnish bronze medal was the biggest surprise in this run
poo72 2 years ago
Ferne wasn´t really a great runner.
Willi Wülbeck was much better.
bedsitter1982 2 years ago
Very interesting: 3:01
It seems to be Prof Joseph Keul (physician and best known for his pro doping attitude), at that time Germanys national olympic coach, trying to congratulate his winning athlete.
By the way he co-hosted the Freiburg University steroid research department, a mekka of sports professionals (football, TF) in the eighties and mentioned in the yellow press due to clients like Team Telekom from Tour de France
It is all one game with the same rules.
CAPM1964 2 years ago
This was the moment when I realised there was something seriously wrong with Coe.
LPCLASSICAL 2 years ago
Yes! He had already thrashed Ferner twice on the circuit 2-3 weeks before the Europeans, after Coe was coming back from injury. Coe was ill here, and in my opinion he was already suffering from the toxoplasmosis that would remain un-diagnosed for over a year. He was never quite the same runner after he recovered, despite winning in LA, and was always susceptible to viruses after this.
deano27671 2 years ago
Yes what a shame. If you think that nobodys like me who couldn't even break 2 minutes for 800 never got a virus or fever or injury in my life - and a genius like Coe was plagued by it. I would have taken on coes illness and ovett's knee injury gladly. The only time i felt worse than the ferner defeat was the steve scott defeat in 83 (?) while I still did not know that coe was ill at that time and i hated Scott.
LPCLASSICAL 2 years ago
Lol!
How do you think I felt? I was at Crystal Palace when Scott beat Coe in the '83 Robinson Mile! It was my first Athletics meet and I was 12. I was absolutely devastated. What's more, my 2nd meet was the AAA's the next year when he was beaten by Elliott. I never dared go and watch him live again as I thought I was a jinx. It is a shame about Coe & Ovett's problems of 82 & 83, as I felt neither achieved their full potential.
deano27671 2 years ago
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Lol!
How do you think I felt? I was at Crystal Palace when Scott beat Coe in the '83 Robinson Mile! It was my first Athletics meet and I was 12. I was absolutely devastated. What's more, my 2nd meet was the AAA's the next year when he was beaten by Elliott. I never dared go and watch him live again as I thought I was a jinx. It is a shame about Coe & Ovett's problems of 82 & 83, as I felt neither achieved their full potential.
deano27671 2 years ago
the race was really slow, abt 5 secs off coe's WR!!! if coe was fit, he would have beaten ferner by miles. and ferner not only never won another major race, he hardly even competed in one after this final.
odysseyintime 2 years ago
A very slow race!!!!!!!
koolkurd82 2 years ago
Coe went too hard at the 200. Should have left a bit in the tank. Wulbeck a disappointment. He was fairly erratic in his career. Ferner didn't do much after this run. It was great, but a bit of a one-off.
bootymanager 2 years ago
He didn't go too hard with 200m to go! Coe at his best would have been a further 2m ahead of Furner entering the straight and 10m ahead at the end. Coe covered the last 200m here in 26.2 (1:46.6 finish), whereas he ran a 24.8 last 200m in Stuttgart (in a faster paced race of 1:44.5), and ran a 24.1 in a slightly slower 1:47 in '79 Europa Cup final. Coe was ILL here. He was diagnosed with glandular fever by the UK team doctor the next day. Nothing to do with going too early.
deano27671 2 years ago
@deano27671 Quite right, Deano. You certainly know what you are talking about. Mr Coe was a genuinely sick man for some considerable time, in the years 1982 and '83. After his unexpected defeat at the hands of that German gentlemen in the 800 metres final at the 'Europeans' in September 1982, he was diagnosed with low-level glandular ... and the following summer (1983) he was diagnosed with toxoplasmosis. Now I am not a medical man, but it seems to me quite probable that Mr Coe was
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@TheEctomorph [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Sebastian Coe]: man, suffering from toxoplasmosis. That illness is unpleasant, and can be very debilitating.
What an extraordinary athlete Sebastian Coe was, back in the late 1970s and early 1980's. If he had not been plagued by ill-health in 1982 and '83 (when he was 25/26 years of age), there is no telling what he might have achieved, athletically. The sky would have been the limit - figuratively speaking.
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@TheEctomorph Thanks for your insightful responses. I have to say I agree with everything you say. I remember watching Coe run completely alone on the last leg of the 4 x 800m relay a week before Athens; a race he didn't want to be part of due to it being his 4th run in about 10 days, as he was still coming back from 6 weeks out with injury; in very windy conditions. He ran the first 400 in 49.1, then coasted to 1:44.0.
deano27671 4 months ago
It had to be worth 1:42.5 had he been paced/drafted to the bell in decent weather. To think he could run that fast off that (poor) training background and with either glandular fever or toxoplasmosis in his system, makes me wonder what he could have run that year if fully fit. I truely believe he'd have run sub 1:41.0 and still be the world record holder.
deano27671 4 months ago
@deano27671 [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Sebastian Coe] already suffering from toxoplasmosis at the time of the European Championships in Athens. In other words, the diagnosis which was made at the time was not necessarily the correct one.
If my memory serves me correctly, one of the doctors who treated Coe when he was suffering from toxoplasmosis (in 1983) said that some of his athletic performances and achievements that year were incredible, given that he was a genuinely sick
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@deano27671 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Sebastian Coe]: man at the time. I seem to recall that in February or March of 1983, Coe broke the WIR (world indoor record) for the 800m, with a time of 1:44.91. That record stood the test of time; it lasted for some six years. He also managed to breke the WIR for the 1000m that winter, his physical health problems notwithstanding. I think his time was 2:18.58 (well, something like that, anyway.) What is more, Coe ran 800m (outdoors)
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
@deano27671 [Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Sebastian Coe]: in the highly respectable time of 1:43.80 in the summer of '83. At that time, only a very small number of athletes had run the distance quicker than that: Alberto Juantorena, Michael Boit, Richard Wolhuter, Marcello Fiasconaro and (of course) the great Coe himself.
For my part, I think that it is remarkable - incredible - that Sebastian Coe was capable of running 800m in 1:43.80 seconds at a time when he was a sick
TheEctomorph 4 months ago
great memories... thanks again for these clips
jaytee414 3 years ago
Thanks for the video.
dahby79 3 years ago