Steve Ovett - AAA 800m, 1974 / 1500m / 4 x 800m / Mile 1980 / 1500m 1984

Commentator - David Coleman. BBC Coverage / ESPN

[@BayLuke96]

I saw Ovett run many times at Crystal Palace and also Dave Bedford. Ovett was unique and the media had it in for him as they did with Bedford. What I would say to Steve and Dave now is that' all these years later, I remember those heddy days at CP as if they were yesterday. They made us so proud and we'll never forget their efforts. Best wishes to you both from a lifelong fan!!!

[@peterovenden4489]

Ovett was the Goat

[@timrobinson100]

David Coleman the greatest ever commentator, could make any race exciting

[@keithbate9405]

Agreed and my favourite commentary of his was maybe the greatest race I have ever witnessed. The 1969 Euro Champs. The Ladies 400m relay. leading on the final lap was the Olympic Champion and World Record holder French Athlete Carlotte Besson. Chasing her the former world record holder and silver medalist from Mexico (1968) = GB's Lillian Board. What a race what a finish. Lillian B came from 6 meters back and barely won on the line. But David C said "Besson is fading, Besson is dying and here comes Board and Board and Board "

[@jmgreatrex]

Nice to have been part of the race. I had a good view from my position at the back of the pack.

[@user-ro7ee7]

Very good Video Thanks Forever Super Steve Good Luck Ovett...

[@ericgeorge5483]

One of the all time great 800m and 1500m athletes for sure.

[@postmanpat6]

Thanks for uploading. Steve was one of my childhood heros and the reason i started doing athletics.

[@athleticscoach2012]

Thanks for putting this up. Beating the best in the country at 17 against senior internationals and that was only the start. Unlike a lot of top juniors who peak early he went on to massively improve still further ot he extent that he moved middle distance running onto a new level. His rival Coe was waiting in the wings with each pushing on the other to new levels. They would still win championships now

[@anthonyparkinson5544]

I was a great Ovett fan but I didn't remember this race. I thought that Ovett was well beaten

[@englishman1960]

With all the races that Steve Ovett won after this I still think that this one at the age of 18 is his best ever race. It was his breakthrough into Senior competition and in that same year he became the first British teenager to break the four minute mile.

[@Ruda-n4h]

Our best middle distance runner ever IMO. He was more versatile and actually has more gold medals than Sebastian Coe - a sprinter who could maintain middle distance pace. He is also the only 800m Olympic champion to win a major title at 5000m. Unfortunately due to injury I still don't think we saw the limit of his ability.

[@blind47]

A great race by a very young Ovett,a signal of what was to come.

[@peteralainszpiriev4750]

The great Coe Ovett Cram made Track and Field hustory. These are great even better with music of Vangelis.

[@peterguildford2133]

1974 - I remember watching this on TV when I was 12, it was the first time I had seen a British 800 meter runner have a kick like the New Zealanders at the time. Ovett stood out straight away, and the a young kid called Coe turned up and it was race on!

[@KingLiopleurodon]

Incredible that Ovett was able to win this race against senior internationals... such a classic wet Crystal Palace day in the 70s! One thing that has always puzzled me, Andy Carter was hard as nails and he doesn't ever get any credit here in spite of producing PR or near-PR performances in the major championships of this era.... so for the record I salute his 2nd place.

[@redrum4100]

+KingLiopleurodon Well said about Carter. His being ranked third best in the world in 1971, making the 1972 Olympic final, and winning the 1973 European Cup, is no mean feat.

[@anthonyparkinson5544]

Campbell and Carter. Names from my childhood

[@Ruda-n4h]

@@redrum4100 Andy is the forgotten man of British 800m running at that time - just lacking the blazing speed of Coe/Ovett. If he had not gone off so fast at the Munich '72 final and tracked Wottle he would have come fourth but 6th was still a very good performance in such a great race, and in the Commonwealth '74 final - fifth but only just behind greats Filbert Bayi, Mike Boit and John Walker.

[@Jimmy911ism]

The days of the backmarker are long gone. They died with Borzakovskiy. At my local athletics you used to see what I call 'lower distance' guys (1500-3000) in the 800, now it's all 400 guys joining in. They're skipping away to unassailable leads - it takes incredible fitness to run like this and it seems they have it. The fast-twitch guys never had this fitness before.

[@williamkinch3182]

Juantorena did! I predict that the first man to run 800 metres in less than 100 seconds (1:40.00) will be a 'jumped up' quarter-miler, with the strength and power of a sprinter. I seem to remember that the late, great Ron Pickering made a similar prediction way back in the early 1970s. Now there was a chap who knew a thing or two about athletics!

[@archiewoosung5062]

Pickering great?

[@mathematics5573]

Coe wasn't that. He started in Cross country.

[@tommytempo1]

Yes

[@willmorrisusa]

he seemed to have left it to late ! look at this, for a punishing burst across the line ... I love the commentary almost as much as the come from behind win

[@mrrockerjim]

Coleman, in his inimitable style, misinterprets what's going on, and states Ovett is struggling. After Ovett wins, he states how mature his performance was.

[@samhardy6319]

Three As Championship, not 'Triple As'.

[@tommytempo1]

Yep

[@phillylifer]

What an announcer

[@joemcm1]

10:20 have you ever seen anyone as casual as that

[@timrobinson100]

Remember all those names

[@SirPeter6464]

Classic stuff....

[@anthonyjohnson8672]

good old 70s hairstyle steve lol

[@ewaf88]

We still lack any really good 1500m and 800m guys - what's gone wrong?

[@phillylifer]

Things have really turned around since this question

[@raykinsella6895]

What a supreme racer-- the maestro.

[@joemcm1]

omfg ovett in that first race,wtf

[@williamkinch3182]

Absolutely!