1979 AAA 5000m Mike McLeod and 2 Mile world record Steve Ovett

[@simonsedwards1513]

Ovett waving to the crowd beating four times world record holder rono AND the world's record,,, two years later Ovett did it again when equaling coes 1500m world record in Oslo!!!!!!!!! Can you imagine what this super man would have done in 1982/1983/1984/ if he hadn't been struck with Athletical KRYPTONITE !!!!!!! And still Steve ran that FANTASTIC world record 1500 in rieti 1983 ,,,,qualified for both 800/1500 in Los Angeles when nature BATTER,D Ovett with bronchitis unabling him to breath and cramping up his body, especially his FINGERS!!!!! LION HEART !!!!!!!!

[@Grendel2912]

Rono was one of the top distance runners of the time, and Ovett made it look easy. RIP Ron Pickering and David Coleman.

[@martynhanson]

I'd argue that Rono's 1978 season was the best by a male athlete in the last 50 years at least

[@Sargebri]

Rono was one of the great runners to never win an Olympic medal. He missed 76 and 80 due to boycotts.

[@Withoutlimitsagk4]

Ovett is among the greatest racers ever.

[@patrickenright6094]

Good God Eamonn Coughlan's a legend. So relaxed all the way round. He was before my time so I never fully appreciated him, and I see him regularly at our track meets here in Ireland. But this vid proves he's truly world class. And only an amateur athlete, working full time in tourism. Beating a World class field.

[@simonsedwards1513]

Ovett was jogging!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Proof??? 55? LAST LAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And he was UK 800m record HOLDER at that MOMENT !!!!!!! LEGEND!!!!!!!!!

[@stevenhiscoe7717]

Steve Ovett is my all time favourite athlete and it was a joy to watch him In that race over Rono at Crystal Palace all those years ago.

[@joemcm1]

coghlan was v good,ovett was simply amazing

[@christopherhosford7805]

"Foster economically working his way into fifth." Was this not the greatest Athletics announcers of all time!?

[@redrum4100]

Not sure why Coghlan isn't mentioned in the title, but thanks for the great upload anyway.

[@marcusconway4]

Could be because Mark Mccloud loaded it

[@joemcm1]

theres never been a runner like that ever-ovett stalking rono(who was world class) at a jog and then bang and it was all so effortless

[@popeyedish]

Ovett..an all time great.

[@michaeladrian2210]

Eamonn says enough of this shyte

[@davidjones4291]

Just loved Steve ovett , pace power and a bit of arrogance

[@michaeladrian2210]

Ovett was fun! Probably Irish.

[@keirbateman267]

Ovett's arrogance wasn't fun. Tom Byers was fun. John Treacy was even better. He was Irish.

[@kalsaqqa]

People of 70s are cool

[@luciferdracul7320]

Ovett the greatest.

[@billybud9557]

When 13 minutes for the 5K seemed unobtainable....Rono was king....but Ovett could win almost any distance he chose on the right day. This was the right day.

[@englishman1960]

McLeod had a good sprint finish, but against Coghlan..... no chance

[@archiewoosung5062]

Same for Coghlan ahainst Ovett & Coe which is presumably why he moved up to 5k

[@stonekeeper86]

Rono had no kind of kick....Ovett just toyed with him...lol

[@lanagorgeous9485]

Kenyans of the 70's and Kenyans today totally different. Now they have ferocious kicks :)

[@stifflerrussell2868]

i bought mick mcleods new balance spikes,from the sweat shop in teddington years ago,i think he was sponsored by them but wore nike zoom in the olympics and took the ticks off the sides of the spikes i think it was la 84.

[@yung4evr]

Great footage. Thanks so much for loading! These guys were my heros at the time.

[@redd605]

This is wear Steve was better than Coe his range of distance 800 to 5,000 and beat world class athletes at that time

[@ivansanders8459]

Mr. Rono ran like an inexperienced novice. Fast bursts need to be long / sustained a la Zatopek, Foster etc.

[@colinme2672]

That's what he did. Trouble was Ovett could keep up when he did.

[@seatownfan]

Did they let some lucky spectators to run with them? 😂

[@seatownfan]

All kidding aside, this is the biggest field I have ever seen on a track!

[@sheilaphelan4231]

Where was this race held ..?

[@mathematics5573]

Ovett is the only miler since the 1940s, to set 3 world records at 1500m.

[@phillipsargeant1936]

Such a great athlete.... poetry in motion....

[@gary1961]

The start of that 5000 metres was like the start to the Grand National. At least thirty runners. What a strange tactician Henry Rono was. How many times did he give up the inside lane then come running on the outside to regain the lead? Did he always run like this?

[@martinhill9261]

He was different class .Waving down the home straight and still breaking the world record.

[@mandykhoo2473]

I was there...great depth and nothing like today

[@marcusconway4]

2 fantastic races.How about putting Eamon Coghlan in the title?. He did win. Great 2 mile race. Overt was amazing

[@NERunner]

Gripping stuff, Mark. I know it's a few years since you posted all these clips of Mike's races, but I'm pleased to have stumbled across them :)

[@LPCLASSICAL]

Coughlan looked world class in that 5K but what happened to him and McCleod in Ovett's WR 2 miles? Nowhere to be seen.

[@Hitsystem]

Still exciting to watch 31 years down the track!

[@johnsullivan2652]

Great race with some real quality in the field.

[@michaeladrian2210]

30 mins! Where does announcer get that nonsense?

[@steelerbacker58]

Thanks for posting this...these are great races.

[@raykinsella6895]

Brilliant....well done

[@jamesmichels8434]

Great race

[@lbherlbher2576]

Làbb

[@kevinjames7012]

Foster tripped over his own feet!

[@lanagorgeous9485]

Ovett was a great runner, but I hated the way he ridiculed his opponents by his wave and showed no respect to Henry Rono who went on to an amazing year with 4 world records. But at the end and i am glad Irishman john Tracey handed him his ass when he tried that crap on him (kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHWmiqWig5iIm7M). But Ovett was a great runner, he had one olympic gold medal, lost in the 83 world championships, lost in the 84 Olympics, yes he had world records but he was never better than Coe and by 82 he wasn't better than Cram, in 82 he was no where near Dave Moorcroft (kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYK8knekqLGYd7M) and his opponents from 83 (kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIXYeHaCebqai7s) on could have easily ridiculed him but they had more class than that.

[@ryanwilliams2764]

In fairness in the 1984 Olympics he could barely breath due to not being fully recovered from bronchitis combined with the LA smog. But I take your point. He did beat Coe in 2 major finals, so when you say he was never better than Coe he was at least for those 2 races.