Sebastian Coe vs Said Aouita - 1500/mile race - Who would win?

Sayn-Wittgenstein wrote:

Straub has some strange arm action.

Is there the 1500m race footage from this event which Ovett won?

I don't think so, but it's rare to has such good quality recordings of 70's races as that Peter Hoffman one, hopefully it's out there somewhere and will be uploaded sometime.

Hoffman does have the 1978 UK 800m championships final where he faces off against Seb Coe and is declared the British champion - a similarly excellent recording.

Ciganda wrote:

I read somewhere that Olaf Beyer after crossing the finish line in the 800m final of the 1978 EC, ran straight to the tunnel to avoid drug testers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjzR8AOvEzc

Yeah, I think Coe mentions that in his autobiography.

Coevett wrote:

Sayn-Wittgenstein wrote:

Straub has some strange arm action.

Is there the 1500m race footage from this event which Ovett won?

I don't think so, but it's rare to has such good quality recordings of 70's races as that Peter Hoffman one, hopefully it's out there somewhere and will be uploaded sometime.

Hoffman does have the 1978 UK 800m championships final where he faces off against Seb Coe and is declared the British champion - a similarly excellent recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkFlzcEQAQo

Wow! Thanks for that link Covett. I had never seen that race before! And you're right, excellent quality.

It's quite ironic that they were trying to big up Hoffman's finishing kick as a dangerous weapon, in a race against Seb Coe!? Made me chuckle.

With regards to former poster's question, apparently Beyer ran straight to a GDR official who was waiting at the entrance/exit of stadium for athletes, wrapped in a blanket and escorted down the tunnel! No victory celebration, lap of victory, nothing! Very suspicious.

Coevett wrote:

Sayn-Wittgenstein wrote:

Straub has some strange arm action.

Is there the 1500m race footage from this event which Ovett won?

I don't think so, but it's rare to has such good quality recordings of 70's races as that Peter Hoffman one, hopefully it's out there somewhere and will be uploaded sometime.

Hoffman does have the 1978 UK 800m championships final where he faces off against Seb Coe and is declared the British champion - a similarly excellent recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkFlzcEQAQo

Amazing quality footage of that race.

What was the outcome of Coe's appeal against his DQ?

Ciganda wrote:

Coevett wrote:

I don't think so, but it's rare to has such good quality recordings of 70's races as that Peter Hoffman one, hopefully it's out there somewhere and will be uploaded sometime.

Hoffman does have the 1978 UK 800m championships final where he faces off against Seb Coe and is declared the British champion - a similarly excellent recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkFlzcEQAQo

Amazing quality footage of that race.

What was the outcome of Coe's appeal against his DQ?

Successful - he was reinstated.

Coe racing Aouita over 2000m will be a better race.

Zagitova wrote:

Coe racing Aouita over 2000m will be a better race.

Aouita easily.

His stamina will hold off Coe.

Michael Swenson wrote:

Zagitova wrote:

Coe racing Aouita over 2000m will be a better race.

Aouita easily.

His EPO will hold off Coe.

v42jrb41 wrote:

Michael Swenson wrote:

Aouita easily.

His EPO will hold off Coe.

Prove it.

Circumstantial evidence does mean Aouita is guilty.

Michael Swenson wrote:

v42jrb41 wrote:

Prove it.

Circumstantial evidence does mean Aouita is guilty.

What is Coe's PB in the 2000m anyway?

Alekhine wrote:

Michael Swenson wrote:

Prove it.

Circumstantial evidence does mean Aouita is guilty.

What is Coe's PB in the 2000m anyway?

4:58.84 when winning in Bordeaux in early June 1982. The pacers went off far too fast and he ran practically the whole race alone. Went through 400m in something like 56 and 800 in 1:55.

He won by quite a bit, beating amongst others, Thomas Wessinghage, who a few weeks later broke the European record, with 4:52.

Undoubtedly Coe was capable of threatening the then WR of Walker (4:51.4) in his peak years, but the distance might have proved a bit too far to beat a peak Aouita.

Over 1 mile I think Coe would more often beat Aouita, but over 2000m, I think the pendulum swings back a little into Aouita’s favour.

Deanouk wrote:

Alekhine wrote:

What is Coe's PB in the 2000m anyway?

4:58.84 when winning in Bordeaux in early June 1982. The pacers went off far too fast and he ran practically the whole race alone. Went through 400m in something like 56 and 800 in 1:55.

He won by quite a bit, beating amongst others, Thomas Wessinghage, who a few weeks later broke the European record, with 4:52.

Undoubtedly Coe was capable of threatening the then WR of Walker (4:51.4) in his peak years, but the distance might have proved a bit too far to beat a peak Aouita.

Over 1 mile I think Coe would more often beat Aouita, but over 2000m, I think the pendulum swings back a little into Aouita’s favour.

Speed v Stamina

Coe v Aouita

Too many people underestimate Coe's stamina.

Coe could train with 5k runners with ease.

If he focused on the 5k after 1984, he could matched Aouita.

Bernard Delaney wrote:

Too many people underestimate Coe's stamina.

Coe could train with 5k runners with ease.

If he focused on the 5k after 1984, he could matched Aouita.

And would have broken 44s in the 400m - if he just focused on the event.

exactly!!! wrote:

Bernard Delaney wrote:

Too many people underestimate Coe's stamina.

Coe could train with 5k runners with ease.

If he focused on the 5k after 1984, he could matched Aouita.

And would have broken 44s in the 400m - if he just focused on the event.

I don't know about 44 secs but maybe 45 secs lol.

Bernard Delaney wrote:

Too many people underestimate Coe's stamina.

Coe could train with 5k runners with ease.

If he focused on the 5k after 1984, he could matched Aouita.

Agree 100%

People forget or don't realise that he beat many very good 5k runners over longer distances than a mile, on the roads or X-Country.

He beat Wessinghage over a 2.7km X-country race in 78 or 79 (Schweppes International) and over 2000m on the track in 82, the year Wessinghage broke the 2000m European record (4:52) and won the European 5000m title.

He beat Coghlan and McLeod over 4 miles on the road in the autumn of 78, breaking the course record of Brendan Foster by 11 secs in 17:54.

He also beat Cova over 7.5km on the roads.

I don't think Coe could have broken 44 secs for 400m if he trained for it. I do think he was capable of 45. 6 - 45.8 in 81, and had he focused on 400m for a season, then he could have approached 45 flat (the UK record at the time was 44.93).

I think people forget that Coe had the endurance of a college boy, with a 14:02 personal best over 5000m and about a 7:54 for 3000m.

kjlk wrote:

I think people forget that Coe had the endurance of a college boy, with a 14:02 personal best over 5000m and about a 7:54 for 3000m.

lol, you obviously don't know what you are talking. Coe never was in good shape when racing these times. He could have run 13:10 and 7:40 and sub 13/7:30 when concentrating on the events. And I'm not biased.

Jarod Word would win, in 3:22