1980 Golden Mile-Steve Ovett,London

Following the Moscow Olympics this was supposed to be the big home showdown between Britain's two middle distance gold medalists,Steve Ovett and Seb Coe.Unfortunately Coe had picked up an injury and that was that.Even so the field was still awesome (it included three of the previous four mile world record holders)but no one seemed up for a fast pace and Ovett did just enough for a relatively easy victory..

[@outlaw6421]

I remember watching this at Palace,it was brilliant

[@SirPeter6464]

This is a fantastic field. Legends everywhere and Ovett being as good as anything I have seen. Could do it all. Just never seemed to lose around then.

[@AthletixStuffChannel]

The absentee's from the Moscow Olympics affected the 1500m more than most....adding Walker,Scott,Wessinhage,etc....well.it could've been marvellous,but I agree with you that Coe and Ovett,(and maybe even Straub) would've still have won the medals..Ovett met them all in Oslo just a week before the games and Coe in Zurich shortly after.Both utterly destroyed them. Enough said!

[@ronstriebig2749]

Ovett was probably our greatest ever runner

[@LPCLASSICAL]

several runners hoping to do a Don Paige on Ovett but failing

[@brettwilkinson9529]

I still think Ovett had the best running style, even if I was a John Walker fan.

[@phillylifer]

Agreed

[@tommytempo1]

Two days prior to setting a 1500m WR in Koblenz!

[@user-ro2ee7cn3f]

The Best Super Steve Forever Sir Ovet...

[@user-wy8sj3ed3f]

Здорово когда в одном забеге собираются сильнейшие бегуны мира ,не хватало только Себастьяна Коу Так что',что бы там не говорили скептики, московский финал был всё-таки круче.Два объективно сильнейших бегуна,в пику "железной леди" выяснили свои отношения сразу на двух дистанциях ,именно в Москве.Особое удовольствие вызывает тот факт что пару мировых рекордов и целый ряд красивых побед Оветт одержал выступая а советской майке,выражая тем, протест против бойкота Московской Олимпиады западными странами.Респект и уважуха!

[@derekrenz6756]

Thank you for your explanation of why he wore the Russian singlet. I read his book over 30 years ago but don't remember any mention of why he wore it. Maybe he did mention why ? An absolute athletic legend and example of a person who stands for what he believes is right.

[@user-wy8sj3ed3f]

@@derekrenz6756 С большим уважением отношусь и к Оветту и к Коу( великие бегуны). Но Оветта уважаю все же больше. Он , в силу своего характера, не смог бы стать спортивным чиновником, каким стал Коу, бунтарь по натуре , он был против вмешательства политики в спорт. Отсюда его экстравагантные поступки. Мне его свободолюбие очень нравится. Тем более что оно подкреплено выдающимися результатами ( в 1980 он установил мировые рекорды на 1500м 331.36 и на милю 348.8)

[@henrydownes6301]

Some field of Athletes here all Champions

[@ewaf88]

Sadly he separated from Rachael

[@walterchambers9842]

Ovett the greatest

[@LPCLASSICAL]

What happened to Coughlan on that back straight? Looked like he was going backwards.

[@martynhanson]

Steve Scott had a delusional attitude to his comparison to Ovett and Coe. It seems to me that as Coe tried to win his races by a bigger gap as possible and kept the kick going to the tape, whereas Ovett was content to do enough to win. Consequently, Scott got closer to Ovett at the finish than Coe in the times they raced . I think that was a mistake to come to the conclusion that Coe was better on at least partly that basis. Also his judgement was biased as he didn't like Ovett as well.

[@gakaface]

That is correct. Coe would often win by bigger margins because he would kick harder and hold it all the way to the finish because he was scared of being caught. That is a sign of weakness. Whereas Ovett, would do just enough to win; his logic was why expend any more energy than is necessary? Which must have been really embarrassing for Scott if you think of it this way! Ovett had so much in reserve he could take 25 metres out of Scott in the last 400m of any 1500m/mile race.

[@LPCLASSICAL]

@@gakaface A strategy that resulted in the John Treacy debacle. I have seen Coe easing down but he's always checking over his shoulder - something Ovett failed to do when John Treacy caught him on the line.

[@mathematics5573]

Coe ran away also because he was interested in going for fast times. Ovett was less interested in fast times. Scott went quiet after his 2 races against Ovett in 1980, after Ovett waisted him. I expect Scott repects Ovett now.

[@martynhanson]

@@LPCLASSICAL Yes, but once in his career and over 5000m too. Hardly a disaster. Yet a few days later he went to Hungary and ran another 5000m and beat 2 good Africans. I believe he ran that race because he was annoyed with himself over London. Don't forget this was a distance he always said he didn't like.

[@LPCLASSICAL]

@@martynhanson he also messed up against Tom Buyers in the 1500M - his favourite distance.

[@henrydownes6301]

No one to beat Couglan indoors should have won Olympic medal good enough to win Gold bad tactics left him down

[@richardtuson605]

Neither Coe nor Ovett raced him indoors. Both beat Coghlan week him week out outdoors. Coghlans big chance over 1500m was in 76 when he did go too early

[@redrum4100]

@@richardtuson605 Ovett raced him indoors, albeit at the start of the 1987 season.

[@richardtuson605]

@@redrum4100 thanks Deano!

[@LPCLASSICAL]

Yes I agree - it was a terrible blow to the 1500M that those athletes were not running and it was all for nothing - had Straub made the same surge for home the finish may well have been the same - with Scott etc just behind Ovett.

[@nickbamber268]

Cram was 18 years old.

[@airbedane]

What days eh?

[@LPCLASSICAL]

A stronger field than Moscow (barring Coe of course). That race more or less put paid to any suggestions that the boycott athletes could have significantly changed the Moscow result.

[@hughwhite6359]

Stuart

[@robertboyle2573]

Ovett had an extra gear.

[@mathematics5573]

more like 5 extra gears. Ovett could have beaten HeG with modern training.

[@djangorheinhardt]

I think this meeting was a sellout with tickets being touted on the black market.Just shows you that if you have personalities and winners in these race meetings the public will pay to see them ,even at high prices.

[@AthletixStuffChannel]

I was there with my old dad!. In the back straight somewhere...if my memory serves me well (50-50 at best!)it was also the day of Brendan Fosters farewell to the Palace..a two miles that he won by a whisker... great memories.

[@playthatgeetar]

Yeah Coe had an injury... Right.

[@francishooton3933]

yes, injuries happen.

[@KryptonitetoallBS]

Ovett was a magnificent runner in his own right, one of he very best ever, but if Coe was fit and got himself in good position between 1980 and 1987 he won. End of. He could run from the front or he had the fastest finish of anyone in that era. So no way, no chance would Coe have avoided anyone. Indeed it was Aouita who swerved Coe in the 1984 Olympic final to run in the 5000 as he knew he couldn't live with Coe's devastating burst from 100 metres out!!!

[@darrenshaw767]

Neutral Observer. 100% agree, I have read nonsense that some thought he would have beaten Coe if he had ran the 1500 in 1984. Not a chance. He skipped to the 5000 to avoid Coe, Cram and Ovett.

[@joemcm1]

exactly-but both avoided each other unless they were confident of winning to be fair

[@redrum4100]

@@KryptonitetoallBS "if Coe was fit and got himself in good position between 1980 and 1987 he won" Explain his getting stuffed in the 1986 European 1500m final. Explain how in the same year Johnny Grey stuffed him over 800m, Steve Scott stuffed him over 1500m, and Dave Lewis and Billy Dee stuffed him over 3000m. He was extremely fit in 1986. For that matter, explain the 1980 800m Olympic final when Coe was in the perfect position to strike just before the bell (Ovett was boxed in) and got stuffed. Maybe you want to revise this inaccuracy?

[@joemcm1]

that annoying ovett thing where he does just the minimum to win against the worlds best athletes.he could have burned them off from 200-250 but he couldnt be arsed.one of the only times he did was the 78 euro 1500m final.he taking the piss out of scott here and yet only actually wins by a single metre

[@jontyarnold8522]

I never understood why Linford Christie didn’t take up the 1500m. He could run the 100 in 9.87 seconds, so by my reckoning he could do the 1500m in about 1 min 48 seconds.... he would have thrashed Coe and Ovett regularly......

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Exactly.. same with Usain Bolt… he would have done a 1 hour marathon at his pace 😂