European Athletics Championships 10,000m Final - Helsinki 1971

[@jamppa37]

Last 330 metres , unbelievable

[@simonedwards8888]

12'6 down the back straight !!!!!!!! Bedford must have wondered if he'd wondered into a 800 race this last lap changed 10,000 metres globally forever!!!!!!! Fantastic !!!!!!

[@adampayn5453]

This race had the commentary to match by the late, great David Coleman

[@DavidMoore-ii2tr]

What a line by David Coleman the greatest commentator of all time.....'And Bedford's been left way, way, way back down the track .....absolute classic

[@pauljackson2409]

I remember this so well after all these years. Great to get the back story from Brendan Foster and how amazing for Juha Väätäinen, to win in such epic style in front of his home crowd.

[@hansjalv]

I was 10 years old in 1971 and I will NEVER forget Väätäinens magic! He was a GOD to us!

[@Kvbftng]

The cushion , does anyone still have one from that incredible race

[@ewaf88]

I remember this as a young kid - it was amazing.

[@tommytempo1]

Very sad news today on the death of sports commentator David Coleman. David Coleman and his great friend, the late Ron Pickering were the best ever athletics commentators in my book. RIP David Coleman.

[@RobertKarlHarding]

Coleman I think was the best but Steve Cram is close. Ron Pickering, nah.

[@tommytempo1]

Cram is not in the same league as Coleman, Pickering or even Stuart Storey.

[@ervineokuboh7459]

David Coleman was the greatest sports commentator of all time. Here are a few of his classic statements February 2nd 1974 - Commonwealth Games 1500 metres mens final " 200 metres to go in this devastating race. Its Bayi first for Tanzania ! Jipcho closing with every stride. The black shadows of New Zealand, Dixon and Walker coming through. Jipcho is beaten and will they get Bayi.....80 metres to go and its Walker chasing Bayi, but Bayi wont be caught. Its very close to the world record. Bayi wins ! Walker second, Jipcho third and the world record has been taken apart !!!! " Unforgettable brilliant race and equally unforgettable brilliant commentary !!

[@timrobinson100]

absolutely

[@siypic]

@@RobertKarlHarding Cram............ really?????????

[@brandon1340]

One of the greatest races ever

[@ramblerandy2397]

I remember watching the whole race as a 12 year old, and it is one of the few events in sport that has stayed with me. I first tried to find it when KZbin was very young, without success, because I only had a vague memory of two athletes sprinting away. I couldn't believe it when they went off like rockets on that last lap. I'd never seen anything like it before. We've all seen fast finishes since then, but this was the first, for me, and it is probably still the most impressive. I did find it on YT a few years ago and it blew me away again. These guys did the last 400m in 53+ secs and they jogged the first 50m of them. Finally I could put names to faces.

[@co2gorecarbonconman]

Still the best race ever after all these years, one to never forget!

[@athleticscoach2012]

I remember reading they did that last lap in 53 and they didn't even go until nearly 300m. Bedford said afterwards my best 400m fresh was 54, even I couldn't talk my way out of that one. Great upload never seen this before and Fosters comments really added to it

[@richard93goodman]

Fantastic running.

[@Pineforest100]

Last lap 53.9s and final 4*100 m times 14.6s-12.6s-13.2s-13.5s. There are those white poles on the side of the track so you can get the split times. Veeeery goood speeed...:)

[@ianmitchell7109]

Great to watch this again exactly 50 years to the day since the race. It was very inspiring for myself to keep training as a high school runner and even now, half a century later, I still get out jogging 4 or 5 times a week. That final lap of 54s in Helsinki was unparalleled at the time; even now, it would be up there amongst the great sprint finishes. Miruts Yifter & , of course, Mohammed Farah would have been able to maintain that pace on the 25th lap, but very few others.

[@LPCLASSICAL]

Bedfored lost the race at 700M out when his surge failed. What an amazing last lap - talk about leaving the opposition for dead. It looked like Bedford was running backwards.

[@jstevenson7121]

No Bedford lost the race at the beginning. His only hope was to be so far ahead so the kickers could not catch him. Not his day.

[@Golchen]

Goodness me! The speed of those two on the last lap! Incredible.

[@ervineokuboh7459]

Have just come across this race for the first time since I watched it live on BBC ! I remember it was the European Championships, August 1971, 47 years ago. I remember then the rivalry between Bedford and the Finnish press when he said he didnt know who Vaatainen was. Bedford simply had no answer to the blitz finish between Juha Vaatainen and Jurgen Haase. I was thirteen at the time and it was the greatest race I had seen at the time. Only the Bayi-Walker epic at the 1500 metres Commenwealth final in February 1974 at Christchurch, New Zealand beats it for drama and excitement. Fabulous memories !!

[@howardamess452]

What about the 5000m in Rome 4 years later which Foster won in aggressive dramatic STYLE-VERY little beats it!

[@Zndwls]

Full results: 1.Väätäinen (Finland) 27:52.8, 2.Haase (East Germany) 27:53.4, 3.Sharafetdinov (Soviet Union) 27:56.4, 4.Korica (Yugoslavia) 27:58.4, 5.Haro (Spain) 27:59.4, 6.Bedford (Britain) 28:04.4, 7.Tagg (Britain) 28:14.8, 8.Tuominen (Finland) 28:18.0, 9.Letzerich (West Germany) 28:21.0, 10.Tijou (France) 28:21.8, 11.Dössegger (Switzerland) 28:23.0, 12.Rault (France) 28:23.2, 13.Lane (Britain) 28:24.0, 14.Risa (Norway) 28:24.4, 15.Krebs (East Germany) 28:26.8, 16.Lismont (Belgium) 28:31.2, 17.Virén (Finland) 28:33.2.

[@tinoszczvrcic]

17.Virén (Finland). Interesting!

[@tommytempo1]

Incomplete results - there were 33 finishers - in last place was Carlos Lopes of Portugal in 30:05.64. He also went on to achieve great things!

[@Zndwls]

Full results continued: 18.Sviridov (Soviet Union) 28:41.2, 19.Jánsky (Czechoslovakia) 28:43.2, 20.Jourdan (France) 28:46.2, 21.Walsh (Ireland) 28:52.6, 22.Mleczko (Poland) 28:55.8, 23.Piotrowski (Poland) 29:01.8, 24.Lesse (East Germany) 29:02.6, 25.Szerényi (Hungary) 29:04.0, 26.Mecser (Hungary) 29:07.6, 27.Cindolo (Italy) 29:13.8, 28.Wollenberg (West Germany) 29:25.4, 29.Halle (Norway) 29:32.4, 30.Wirth (Switzerland) 29:33.8, 31.Nijstad (Netherlands) 29:48.2, 32.Brand (West Germany) 29:59.4, 33.Lopes (Portugal) 30:05.6.

[@Zndwls]

Please check tommytempo1's video on that race. Because of space limitations, I divided up the full results to two parts. I just checked my comments, and I DID FIND also the 1th2 15th, 16th and 17th runners at the end of the older comment. Before writing such comments, please double-check that you have read the comments or texts correctly. Have a nice and blessed remainder of August!

[@mizofan]

Really great race!

[@timrobinson100]

Hard luck Dave 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿💖

[@Pineforest100]

There is another video in youtube where Väätäinen comments later this race in Finnish ofcourse. That is a good one... Well in that video they is also an episode after about some 16 minutes running - Väätäinen speeds up to the lead and passes Bedford lookin at him. Haase follows and suddenly they are having about 20-30 m lead from Bedford. That day Väätäinen really had his best and with steady running could have done a better time... some 27.40? World record was 27.39 (Clarke).

[@christiankowalow765]

I had 10 years and in holyday in bretagne in french great souvenir

[@sallysmith1484]

That's Brendan Foster there for those who don't remember him. This video must date from the late 80s judging by Foster's age.

[@tommytempo1]

1990.

[@PeTe_FIN]

Tbh, this is the race i would want to see.

[@richardcoffeygeneral]

Wow those two guys severely burned off the rest of the field 😳😳😳

[@mahtivaari72]

Väätäinen was a 400m runner in mid 60s. That's why he was faster than many other long-distance runners as you can see. Other great Finnish long-distance runners are not famous for their last lap spurt. For example, Lasse Viren killed faster runners such as Quax and Dickson by his 600m spurt.

[@tylsimys67]

Bs. Take the lead after 4000m and maintain just enough speed no-one goes ahead.

[@simonedwards5564]

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT THE!?!?!?!?!! The last 300m was 39-3 *** That's 52,5 400 m pace #

[@TheGeorge1968]

Juha Vaatainen and Lasse Viren greatest runners ever if you ask me this is incredible!!

[@deankeith830]

Especially when Lasse Viren discovered the secret of blood doping !

[@fawltyoldboybasil.2178]

Yeah - that Gold Medal performance where Viren repelled repeated attacks by Rod Dixon & Dick Quax(?) is right up there with this one.

[@PaulVinonaama]

Britons are good sports. Even though their own man was defeated, they remember this as a great race. Forster, especially, was both a great sportsman and a good sport. (Compare American Prefontaine fans' endless explanations why he "should" have won.)

[@StevenBradley-x6y]

Bedford was one race runner in 73

[@a690ac52ed7]

@PaulVinonaama Check out how the 'good sport' Brits booed Viren in the 1973 European Championships in Edinburgh. As for Pre, I am an American and, while I think Pre was a great competitor with lots of guts, on paper Viren had him outclassed every way possible. The point? Nations aren't bad sports, people are.

[@PaulVinonaama]

+Robert Harrington Of course you are right that there are different kinds of individuals in each nation. By my comment I did not wish to imply that all Americans are bad sports, sorry if it gave that impression. Incidentally, there were no European Championships in 1973, but there might have been European Cup (a bit different thing).

[@a690ac52ed7]

PaulVinonaama Thanks. Yeah, I meant the 1974 European Championships where Viren won the bronze in the 5k.

[@banjocracy]

And Big Bren nailed him!

[@capt.lovestarii2752]

There were no European Championships in Edinburgh 1973. They were held in Rome the following year.

[@tommytempo1]

@@capt.lovestarii2752 The Europa Cup Final was held in Edinburgh in 1973, with Foster winning the 5000m and double Olympic Champion at the time, Viren running poorly and that is probably why he was booed by a section of the crowd.

[@lloydielloydie821]

Drugs were rife back then, especially the eastern block counties

[@clutcher_rl.]

Note the last place finisher.

[@johnnydev9318]

Carlos Lopez @ 24 years old - his best was still in the future ...

[@ewaf88]

Blimey final 300 metres in around 40 secs -

[@simonedwards5564]

LAST 300m 39-3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT THE ?!?!?!?!?

[@mao555mmm]

Вот это втопили ребята!

[@timrobinson100]

felt sorry for dave bedford who was the fastest against the clock but had no sprint finish, always prefereed bedford to fosterr

[@LPCLASSICAL]

Bedford's last lap was 66 sec LOL

[@siypic]

You mean lap 25....... could you do under 66 secs after 24 laps?

[@simonedwards5564]

@@siypic THAT'S RIGHT!!!!!!

[@msp5138]

The very next year Vaatainen would finish last in the Olympic 5,000 meters due to sciatica...

[@timrobinson100]

Sounds like foster had a grudge against Dave, I always liked Bedford best, why? Shoudnt he have been confident

[@pigstrotters4198]

The days when it the "Germans" had good athletes

[@osmokuntoilija....2343]

Julma Juha voitti ! = Cruel Juha Won !