Peter Elliott & Sir John Walker - 1500m Final, Commonwealth Games, Auckland NZ 1990

[@jeffallinson8089]

Superb run by Elliott whos'e tactics were absolutely spot on. No surprise that he invited the great John Walker on his lap of honour as that is a mark of the sportsman and modest guy that he is.

[@basilcruncher]

Thanks for posting. Tremendous race by Peter Elliott: the athlete's athlete. As an aside, easy to forget just how knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic a commentator David Coleman was.

[@graemechristopher4008]

Coleman was a master commentator.

[@davidfrancis273]

I totally agree. Coleman's commentary was the best

[@simonhindley65]

Great football commentator, great track & field commentator.

[@petyrkowalski9887]

He was the best

[@jimmymack1973]

Wonderful gesture by Peter Elliot to invite John Walker around the victory lap with him. A true gent.

[@docpj72]

James McLuckie yes-a classy move by Elliot given Walker's status at the time!

[@martinirving3824]

"over 100 four-minute miles." That is a remarkable achievement.

[@SirPeter6464]

Big respect for Walker. Knew how to win and how to lose. The British greats wanted out rather be shown to be fading. Walker carried on because he loved it.

[@bearvlion1109]

What a champion bloke Elliott was.Walker was a brilliant champion...1st man under 3.50 for the mile, Olympic champion...17 years in the top 5, 3 years as World number 1. Kiwi Pete O'Donoghue in 3rd...a great comeback race.Pete was one of the greatest natural talents ever...even beat Ovett in a sprint finish over 1500m...a career riddled with injury

[@keithf_]

I do remember Peter Elliott. A terrific middle distance runner who won medals at European, world and Olympic levels. But I have to say I don't remember this race. I always thought Elliott was the nearly man, so close to winning gold but never quite managing it. Yet here he is at the 1990 Commonwealth Games winning gold in the 1500. That gold medal was so richly deserved. He always ran superbly at big championships. Thanks for posting.

[@ianwhitehead5435]

Hear hear, absolutely, so richly deserved. Bravo Peter Elliot!!! 😊

[@blind47]

Elliott ran agreat race,a much under-rated runner from the 80s.

[@archiewoosung5062]

Don't suppose I'm the only one to forget how successful he was.

[@mcharrisment4765]

@@archiewoosung5062 maybe ? Peter Elliot was the last to be picked for Great Britain at Seoul 1988. Elliot was 4th in the final of 800m. Elliot was 2nd in the 1500m final. He was a very good runner but underated because of Coe, Ovett & Cram

[@mcharrisment4765]

@@archiewoosung5062 the selectors did not pick double olympic 1500m champion Coe. For this they must never be forgiven

[@sanderslongdrive]

So, so true! As an English Schools runner he was one of the greatest - winning four times! He went on to record senior 800m and 1500m times which still remain breathtaking - for example his 1990 800m time of 1:42:97 still has him in the world's top 40 runners' times ever!

[@markquigley4796]

I used to run cross-country with the Rotherham harriers in the mid 80s under my trainers Peter Lord and Peter Moore and what a privilege to be running with my fellow runner Peter Elliott

[@redd605]

Did he beat come and cram in the same race,i seem to remember something in the back of my mind,or was I dreaming few British athletes do that.

[@SirPeter6464]

Once ran a cross country and while leading got misdirected down a motorway. The police arrested him! Now that may be a first. Never ran one again... 😂

[@WaryBuck1]

In the twilight of his career, Walker was really running strong at the time of his fall, and I would've loved to seen how he might've finished his race. Yes, classy of Elliott to include JW in the victory lap.

[@athleticscoach2012]

Great video probably Elliott's best race, along with winning Olympic Silver, lovely touch on the lap of honour. I was once competing in some lowly division 2 or 3 athletics track race and Elliott turned up to watch, think he lived nearby as he bought 2 lovely big dogs with him. He was chatting away to a few of us afterwards, he was moaning about being injured actually. Runners! This was after all his success, he was a really modest down to earth guy

[@michaelodonnell1861]

Hats off to Peter Elliott! What Sportsmanship with John Walker! Great video, thanks for posting!

[@ianwhitehead5435]

Peter Elliot - 1 Commonwealth Games 1500m Gold Medal 1990, 1 Olympic 1500m Silver Medal 1988, 1 World Championship 800m Silver Medal 1987, 1 Commonwealth Games 800m Bronze Medal 1986, World Indoor Record 1500m 1990, European Cup Winner 1500m 1991, Fastest in the world over 800m Seville 1990 1.42.93, Dream Mile Winner in Oslo 1991. His golden period was at the start of 1990 when Peter won at least 12 races in a row. It is worth noting that 800 metres 4th place finishes in Seoul in 1988 over 800 metres and 800 metres in Helsinki in 1983 were races where Peter gave absolutely everything on the track to the point where he could do no more. Peter Elliot is my equal favourite athlete of all time alongside the Flying Scotsman Allan Wells, both inspirational athletes from my youth and true sportsmen.

[@nigelhart3897]

Great athlete Peter Elliot and came across as a top bloke. If you were going to win and Peter Elliot was in the race, you were going to have to dam well earn that win.

[@SirPeter6464]

PE didn't want to be a star and the press went along with it. World class and his PB's are actually better than some of the all time greats. Lot of respect for for the man. Holding down a day job while running against full time pros.

[@terrybyrne4324]

You speak true Peter. A dignified humble gentleman. And his times, as you say, world class.

[@tommytempo1]

Agreed, Coleman and Pickering were the best athletics commentators ever.

[@keirbateman267]

Steve Cram is good. Not quite Colemanesque but getting there. Listening to American commentary is entertaining but not in a good way

[@rc2869]

What a great gesture by Elliot - people must recall that unlike Ovett, Coe and Cram, he was only part time

[@johntate5722]

Thats interesting, i didnt know that

[@johntate5722]

Sorry i thought you meant walker. Yes peter elliott a joiner - amazing even then, impossible now. Eamonn Martin long distance runner worked at the fords dagenham plant i think along with being an elite runner. You couldnt do that now, either not poss to do the training or coaches wouldnt allow it! Shame.

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Elliot worked full time for British Steel in Rotherham

[@jamesford8621]

Keep posting these great old races makes me feel young again.

[@kingcurry6594]

No man deserved a major title more than Peter Elliott. He was one of the really nice guys and his gesture to the great John Walker says a lot about him.

[@linrob1312]

Thats class right there....from Peter Elliot and our champion John Walker.

[@JohnHoulgate]

World class in more than one way. Sportsmen and gentlemen rolled into one.

[@martinhill9261]

Great run from Elliott but what a gesture with John Walker.Absolute class.

[@MattDryden2]

i loved how O'Donohue stuck it there and kept in good form even though he was forced to step inside of the track.

[@uhegbu]

One of the memorable moments of the 1990 Commonwealth Games seeing the winner doing a lap of honour with a middle distance legend from New Zealand. When I was born in 1981, John Walker was at the top of his game I think.

[@mandykhoo2473]

The great sadly forgotten Elliott

[@forgive7449]

Mandy Khoo. just what you would expect from the Olympic 1500m silver medalist

[@LPCLASSICAL]

@@forgive7449 Elliot's not forgotten by any true MD running fan from the 1980s.

[@paulwilliams8389]

Yes, Elliott was just unlucky in that his era largely coincided with the time Coe, Ovett and Cram were around so his achievements tended not to be noticed as all the attention was on them. But he was a genuine top class athlete in his own right.

[@marcusconway4]

Peter Elliot was unquestionably the best "championships" middle distance runner from Britain between 1988 to 1990 until his career was prematurely halted due to injury in 1991. I was there that day in Auckland . He is legendary in NZ and around the World. He will be remembered by all following Athletics. His finest achievement was winning a 1500m silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics which is a remarkable achievement . He beat Steve Cram (4th place) that day. The 1980s was an era of British athletics where there was so much depth that just making the top 3 to represent your country was as difficult as racing in an Olympic, World, Commonwealth or European final. The commentators were also first class. Thank you for posting.

[@ynotnilknarf39]

@@marcusconway4 Great comment!

[@musik102]

Elliott was great. I love that power running, but it just shows you the difference between first and second place because had Peter won the 1988 Olympic gold we would now be talking about the Ovett/Coe.Cram/Elliott era.

[@Anthony-Testicali]

Respectfully i think we do...at least in the UK...2 elite level silvers...commonwralth gold and euro champ medalist....all part time...what a class gentleman saluting the great legend John Walker to share his truimph

[@ianwhitehead5435]

I agree with this comment 100 per cent, in the UK yes for sure, and certainly within the sport of athletics. Elliot's pure consistency over several years, his Championship Medals including a Gold and 2 Elite Silvers as you have mentioned, as well as let us not forget a World Indoor 1500m Record, deserve to have his name attached to Coe, Ovett and Cram in this era.

[@hughsteel7978]

For Walker it was just racing, you could see he had accepted it ...watching this yet again, Peter O'Donoghue is very impressive, decisive finish, maybe ran too much bend out wide, but great run by him, well done Peter!

[@rc2869]

Beautiful gesture- the Queen loved NZ. Elliot is an English working class hero. Walker a NZ Legend.

[@redd605]

He was so like Kelly Holmes,had the strength but kicked to early,kelly learned from her mistake and kicked 100-130 from line so athlete can't strike back,1988 Olympic was his chances ,and got a brilliant silver as well as being Commonwealth champion . not many get Olympic medal to bring home ,

[@richardhughes2988]

Raced him round Rotherham herringthorpe running track in 1976 time 400m he only won with about 30m to spare didn’t go again he was different class👍

[@terrybyrne4324]

Just wanted to applaud Elliot as others have already done. How many runners have the presence of mind to respectfully include a revered runner in his lap of honour. Walker, Elliott recognised, was a fantastic runner in his day. - world record holder.

[@inmanmark]

Pretty classy.

[@johnstirling6597]

Simon Doyle, much under rated performer , career cut short from injury.

[@rycooder9486]

Nice race. A tenth of a sec behind Ryun's time after being ahead by almost 6 sec at 400m!

[@tommytempo1]

Tactical race

[@ianwhitehead5435]

As an extra point, it is an interesting thought to wonder if he hadn't been so injury prone, could he have broke more World Records? His peak was 1990, when he went full time as an athlete I believe, and he broke his only World Record, the World Indoor 1500 metres Record in Seville. He won Commonwealth Games Gold in that year, and recorded 1.42.93, the fastest 800 metres in the world outdoors also during that period. Peter had a long finish over 400-600 metres and so that made breaking World Records hard in my view. He had to run even tempo races and lead from the front. His Dream Mile victory in Oslo in 1991 ended up being 1.49... when he was inside World Record pace, 1.46.... , with 300 metres to go; he tired badly in the home straight though beating a strong field including World 1500m Champion Abdi Bile, and the fastest 1500 metres runner in 1989, Wilfred Kiroche. His Commomnwealth Games victory was 3.33..., as compared to the World Record of the time, 3.29.... John Walker said in an interview around the time of the Auckland Commonwealth Games that he reckoned that Peter Elliot could break World Records; injuries I believe cost him. A calf injury perhaps cost Peter European Championship Gold in 1990, his preparation hadn't been great, though that day to be fair seemed to belong to Jens Peter Herald; he and Peter both won major championship Gold medals and Olympic medals, and so that is excellent. Peter Elliot, at his best, seemed to have the ability to be just shy of World Record pace by 3 or 4 seconds, whilst still recording very fast times and winning major championship medals, including one Gold, and breaking that one World Record. He was number 1 in the World for a short period of time, but he still achieved that level. I write about him because he inspires me, making the absolute best of the talent that he had, achieving great success and becoming a World Class athlete, demonstrating great consistency with a never say die attitude, and doing it all with excellent sportsmanship.

[@forest69ist]

Elliot was fit and good posture and ran very well

[@venturaguerrinovenditacase1312]

grandissimo campione

[@LPCLASSICAL]

I lost interest in MD around w 1988 when I realised the African nations had taken over as the leading force and never watched this. I would have been jumping out of my seat and that was a fantastic run by Elliot. Sad to see Walker fall but neither he nor Scammel could have got into the top 3. Have seen Walker boxed in before and he always looked like a runner who would come off worse, unlike Ovett who could look after himself in a crowd.

[@jeffallinson8089]

Absolutely agree; fall or not no way was Walker ever going to get a medalin this as he was too far past his brilliant best.

[@user-ro7ee7]

Run you Great The Great Dgentelmen Good Luck Peter...

[@leomurillo2478]

Of course, congratulations to Elliot, but John Walker still amazing. Remember that he was the Olympic gold medalist in 1976 Olympics (Montreal) and 15 years later, he still a factor. In this race, with this fall, he could not do anything but even then to get up and finish the race, very few people can do that. The bus had left him a long time ago.

[@sundromos9456]

The athlete who made Walker's fall possible, his own fault or not was the fellow in front of Walker-whose never-ending fall ended up altering the race for many runners in this race.

[@notmaireelneim]

John Walker - bowing out in Bradmanesque fashion.

[@beesomsak6727]

John Walker was a great runner. Sad as he would have been in the frontline in this race...sad

[@tommytempo1]

Sadly, big JW was past his best here, but it would have been great to see him giving one last performance at a major championships in his home town.

[@marriedkiwi]

good on Oh Donoghue to get third! A whole generation of teenagers in the late 60 early 70s wanted to copy Snell and Walker. Our school had 100% participation in the weekly mile race around the village-- now you would not get 5%!!

[@jadedbrad]

Did Walker win the 1500 in the Montreal Olympics in 1976? That's a seriously long career.

[@Andre-h4f8m]

John Walker had a long career

[@LPCLASSICAL]

What a horibble way for a great athlete to bow out. I think Elliot's only chance of ever winning a major 1500M was the Commonwealth games. Not a bad time 3.33.

[@zaizai2027]

Обидно что упал дома в Новой Зеландии

[@redrum4100]

Elliott would also have won the 800m.

[@tommytempo1]

It certainly would have been a different race.

[@animal9432]

Why was Walker even mentioned in the title of the video when he wasn't a factor in the race? This is about Elliott's brilliantly run race...

[@tommytempo1]

....and Elliott showing his respect for miling all-time Great Sir John Walker.

[@UlloMark]

Walker has over 100 sub-4 miles... are you serious... P.S. TommyTempo rocks...!

[@sundromos9456]

Because these old videos are part of an historical narrative, and it's just as interesting from that standpoint to observe the presence of any of the sport's legends no matter how they performed. You notice that Elliott's name is in the title. Walker's name in the title doesn't take anything aways from Elliott's performance now does it?

[@johnrogan9420]

Walker does a jim Ryun tumble🐓

[@adamd4390]

Bittersweet triumph for elliott but still let us down at the olympics

[@tommytempo1]

Winning an Olympic silver medal is hardly letting anyone down! He did himself proud achieving that while carrying an injury.

[@adamd4390]

We were used to winning golds in mid distance so it was a disappointment. He done ok considering he was injured

[@tommytempo1]

Done OK? Lol.

[@adamd4390]

tommytempo1 he asked the kenyan coach who was going to win and he was told peter rono.The fact he didnt adapt enough to win detracts from his effort , coe wouldve adapted his race accordingly knowing such info

[@tommytempo1]

Elliott was injured, not at his best but still managed to finish second - a gallant effort. Coe wasn't there.