1981 Dream Mile Oslo - Ovett, Cram, Walker & Byers

This features the finest milers of 1981 with names such as Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, John Walker & Steve Scott in a mile race at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• 1981
• dream
• mile
• steve
• ovett
• cram
• scott
• tom
• byers
• john
• walker

[LesbianVampireLover]

Man, Ovett looked oh so comfortable the entire race. He basically controlled the entire race. He looked like he had a lot left at the end. Those were the days, what a field!

[deano27671]

There have been 8 sub 3:30 1500m races at Rieti, including Morceli's first WR (3:28.86) and EL G's 5th fastest run (3:26.96). Morceli also broke the Mile WR there- 3:44.39 in '93.

It's known for having a lot of fast times, which had some insisting it was short. It has been measured on numerous occasions however, and there is no problem with its dimensions.

[LPCLASSICAL]

Something about that track at Rieti? Coe and Ovett ran their best times there. Do you know if any other milers ran fast on that track?

[deano27671]

Cheers mister! I think we'd have seen at least a 3:45 Mile in Brussels 81, had the pace been right and Ovett had run.

[deano27671]

Estimates were that it cost him half a second! If he could run 3:29.3 at 30, he should have run quite a bit faster earlier in his career.

[deano27671]

Yes, I agree with the fact that we probably never saw the best of what he was capable of in 82-83. He did pretty well though in 86 to hang on to what he had, at the age of 30. He only just missed Aouita's 1500m WR of 3:29.46 with 3:29.77 in 86. Reports at the time said he'd have got the record if Chesire the pacemaker hadn't slowed down in front of him at the bell, causing Coe to stumble and then run wide on the penultimate curve.

[sebcoe81]

Deano - great knowledge mate - I consider it a privilege when you respond to my comments just I feel it a privilege to have been born on the same island as Cram, Coe and Ovet

[LPCLASSICAL]

Maybe - but in 79 to 84 he had 2 olympic golds, 2 silvers and half a dozen world records. After 84 he had 1 euro gold and 1 silver and in comparison, minor success. Also, in 79 to 84 he missed 2 years through illness.

[deano27671]

I disagree that his career went downhill from 85! He had a relatively poor 85, despite running times (1:43.07 & 3:32.13) that would have been WRs 6 years before. He'd already declared it to be a "low key" season due to the strain of getting in shape for LA after his illness. He'd also spent the winter prior to 85 training for 5k, & got injured several times in the summer. He won European gold & silver, was ranked No. 1 in world at 800 & ran the fastest 1500 (missing the Wr by 0.3) all in 86.

[deano27671]

They both could have run much faster than their respective 1500 & Mile pbs. Both should have broken the 3:30 barrier from as early as 1979. Ovett was certainly capable of a 3:46 Mile, but his last 100m here was 14.0. Coe's in his 3:47 was 13.1. Anyone finishing that fast in a WR with very inefficient pacing could have gone 3:45.0, faster if Ovett had turned up and run, as he was supposed to.