1980 Olympic Men's 800m final - Sebastian Coe vs. Steve Ovett

[newromantic888]

Ovett visually looks like the more gifted runner. As massive fan of the great Kipketer I can see the similarities.

[hoyadestroya85]

Don Paige deserved to be in this race and very well may have won.

[222mozart]

music by my friend L v Beethoven

[TheEctomorph]

@martynhanson [Continuing on from my previous 'post' about the Coe/Ovett rivalry at the Moscow Olympic Games]: in the 800 metres (1:45.40) was irrelevant. For some reason, however, many athletics writers didn't bother to mention that fact.

The media certainly didn't give the 'big O' the credit or acclaim that he deserved for winning the Gold medal in the 800 metres at the Moscow Olympics, back in '80. Shame on them!

[martynhanson]

One of the posts below referred that Coe was a perect human being. Yes, class is important in our country, I'll give you that.

One thing I will say about Ovett is this. Did you notice that whenever he won slow as in Moscow 800m and 5000m in 86 they referred to his time as slow as soon as he finished. Now, I don't recall this ever being said about anybody else.

[TheEctomorph]

@martynhanson I think that you have a valid point there, sir. After all, when Mr Ovett's fabled rival, Sebastian [now Lord] Coe won the 1500 metres final in Moscow on 1st August 1980, his time was 3:38.40 secs. Given that the world record (at that particular time) was 3:32.03, Coe's winning time was not lightning fast, by any means. Yet the media said that, that was "irrelevant". That may well have been true ...... but it was also true that Mr Ovett's (relatively) unimpressive winning time

[TheEctomorph]

[Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Lord Sebastian Coe] middle-class man, capable of talking in a fairly 'posh' (if not quite Oxbridge) accent, certainly helped to endear him to many journalists and members of the media - ones that came from the same social class as himself, that is.

[TheEctomorph]

[Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Lord Sebastian Coe]: 'play ball', as it were, and co-operate with the media. In the early years of his career as an international athlete, he seldom refused request for interviews, and he would often (if not always) tell journalists and 'gentlemen of the press' what they wanted to hear. As a result of this, he tended to get a good press, so to speak, and to be depicted as Mr Nice Guy. And, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that he was a

[TheEctomorph]

[Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Lord Sebastian Coe] that point onwards, he was more than a little wary of journalists, and of people in the media generally. For a period of many years - from 1975 until around 1982 or thereabouts - Ovett seldom agreed to be interviewed by members of the press, and consequently a number of journalists labelled him as "unco-operative", "ill-mannered" and "stand-offish", etc, etc. His rival Sebastian Coe, on the other hand, decided to

[TheEctomorph]

[Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Lord Sebastian Coe] private man, who had no interest whatsoever in celebrity culture (as it is now called). In that respect he was reminscent of John Thaw - the distinguished British actor who passed away in 2002. When Ovett was still only 19 years of age, (in the summer of 1975) he had what might be termed a run-in with certain 'gentlemen of the press', shortly after the Europa Cup semi-final which was held at Crystal Palace that year. From

[TheEctomorph]

[Continuing on from my previous 'posts' about Lord Sebastian Coe] young man with a pleasant manner, he did not speak 'posh' like his middle-class opponent from South Yorkshire. I strongly suspect - although I cannot prove - that there was a very real element of social snobbery in the pro-Coe bias which was exhibited by MOST (but admittedly not all) journalists and 'gentlemen of the press', back in the period between 1976 and '82.

(2) Ovett acquired a reputation for being an intensely

[TheEctomorph]

[Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Lord Sebastian Coe] to Ovett at the time:

(1) Coe was a fairly academic, well-educated man who had been to university, and who spoke in a 'posh' - i.e. middle-class - accent. Therefore, many journalists and sports writers identified with him and perceived him as being 'one of them'. Ovett, on the other hand, did not come from a conventionally middle-class background and was not university educated. Moreover, although he was an articulate

[TheEctomorph]

[Continuing on from my previous 'post' about Lord Sebastian Coe] one, either.

Back in the late 1970s and early 80's, most sections of the British press depicted Coe as being a more likeable and decent man than Steve Ovett (who, of course, was his arch-rival for the title of the world's number one middle-distance runner at the time). There were probably two main reasons why the press preferred Coe

[martynhanson]

COE IS THE PERFECT HUMAN BEING? DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE GOT UP TO IN HIS PRIVATE LIFE IN RECENT YEARS?

OVETT TALKED ABOUT HIS PROBLEMS BETWEEN THE 800 AND 1500 FOUR YEARS LATER IN HIS BOOK. I DON'T THINK THAT'S MAKING EXCUSES. HE HAD AN ARGUMENT WITH HIS MUM - THE FAMILY SPLIT AND THEY NEVER GOT BACK TOGETHER AGAIN FULLY. AND SHE DIED YOUNG. YABA YABA YABA!!

THERE ARE BIGGER THINGS THAN THE 'POWER AND GLORY ' APPROACH TO SPORT OF THE MAIL AND TELEGRAPH. IT'S CALLED LIFE

[phantomofthedrivein]

@martynhanson now that's what I call peer review

[TheEctomorph]

@martynhanson I don't recall ever hearing anyone claim that Mr [now] Lord Coe is a perfect human being. It is a well-documented fact that he has, at times, behaved badly - sexually - in his private life (as many of us have done). Lord Coe was a great athlete - an awesome one, in fact - when he was young and in his physical prime (back in the late 1970s and early '80s), but, of course, that doesn't mean he was - or is - a great human being. That said, it doesn't mean he is a bad

[dersinghampault]

Great race - but commentary is awful - need the BBC!

[Bondsmanuk01]

what are you talking about RC2869? Ovett almost has to stop running at 200m..... Ovett far more charistmatic than Coe.

[rc2869]

Coe ran a terrible terrible race here. Ovett (and I never liked him as a person at the time, being 8 years old) thought he just had to turn up a week later for 1500m and he did and he lost.

Think Coe speaks highly of Ovett and Cram et al same way Ray Leonard does of Hearns, Duran and Hagler. They all made each other that exceptional I suppose - otherwise they would have been merely very very good.

[nortodan]

Personally I’m not trying to sell you anything. Just relaying what Steve told me after the Olympics. Could it have been just another hangover, not the flu…very possible. After 30 years he could have said just sick and not said flu, I can’t really remember exactly. I do know Juantorena dropped out of the 800 due to being sick with some kind if bug something was going around at the time. At the end of the day its not really important as nothing will change, Great accomplishments for both guys.

[nortodan]

One fact that is not well known is that Ovett was sick (possibly the flu) the night before the race. This is something he never wanted to talk about because he did not want it to be used as an excuse. The reason I know this is that I knew Ovett personally as I did Coe. I worked for Nike at the time and designed and made the spikes they raced in.

[deano27671]

@nortodan I'm sorry, but you would hardly be able to run at all with flu, let alone a last lap of 52.5 and a last 100m of 12.6; faster than his last 100m in the 800 final!

He was also "supposed" to have got very drunk the night he won the 800, and this affected him for days and was a factor in the 1500. I don't buy it. His stats for the closing stages of the 1500 are as good if not better than any of his other championship victories.

[Brianjonestown]

@deano27671 World records have fallen with runners suffering from flu-like symptoms, so of course it makes no difference. Anyway Deano, you didn't understand what I was saying about tactical mistakes when you launched into your Coe-kissing apologia. I meant NO EXCUSES. Ovett lost the 1500 final and Coe lost the 800 final and that's all there is. You can relax and leave the excuses to Coe, who always had one at the ready whenever he lost, all the better to demean his opponents.

[deano27671]

@Brianjonestown Lol! Then tell us what you meant by Ovett's tactical mistakes!? Coe ran a bad tactical race in the 800. Anyone can see that. Just like Ovett ran a bad tactical race in the Helsinki 1500 final, one in which he should have won. Stats don't lie, & like Coe in Moscow, Ovett was finishing quicker (& having to run wider) over the last 400 in the 83 World final.

[deano27671]

Ovett & his entourage made plenty of excuses for not winning the Moscow 1500, but bad tactics was not one of them. He wasn't able to pass Coe with 100 to go, & would have had to run 12.0 to beat him. In no similar race before or since has Ovett ran the last 100 faster than that, so the idea that he should have done on that day is unrealistic. As for demeaning one's opponents, I think Ovett did that practically every time he ran, with his little wave at the start of the straight.

[Brianjonestown]

@deano27671 Wow. Ovett really upsets you.

[deano27671]

@Brianjonestown Not at all. I think he was amazing and don't feel he fully achieved his potential. Just don't appreciate it when people get personal, or ignore the facts of the time. Ovett will always be one of the all time greats of middle distance running. I was just pointing out that the waving (which doesn't bother me at all) can be seen to be demeaning to others. I don't feel Coe demeaned his opponents at all. Have you read his biography? He speaks very highly of Ovett.

[JAVMAN83]

I didn't remember such a SLOW 1st lap...bad tactical racing by Coe to allow it to go that slow. He should've run a time trial.

[Brianjonestown]

@JAVMAN83 ..and bad tactical racing by Ovett in the 1500m final a few days later. He was best in the world that week (maybe even that century) and could have run a decent steeplechase and 5000m as well.

[deano27671]

@Brianjonestown Why was it bad tactical racing by Ovett in the 1500m? As Coleman said at the time, he was always perfectly positioned, sitting on Coe's shoulder. He was level with Coe with 100m to go, but couldn't match Coe's final kick of 12.1. In the 800m, Coe was 5m behind Ovett with 200 to go, and had to run the last curve wide (mainly in lane 2) to get past the rest of the field. In the 1500 Ovett had a clear run from 300 out, but just couldn't get past Coe.

[Woodlander65]

Fantastic era for British 800/1500 runners, i for one am very proud of our Gold and Silver in this Olympic final.

[nicolrobertbaird]

delighted to find this race in full...have been searching for it on this site for long time! found plenty of highlights but wanted to see this to check ovett's pushing...wasn't disappointed!!! sure he's said he'd have been disqualified if this happened now, have to wonder if the guy running into his shoulder as he celebrates was getting some revenge..

[bob5212]

The commentator doesn't know which one Warren is!