I was around back then - graduated college in ‘78. You are correct - Coe and Ovett did dodge each other and did set several WR’s while dodging 😊 In Moscow ‘80 OG - I think most people expected Coe to win the 800 and Ovett the 1500 - however, the opposite happened. In LA ’84 - Coe won his second 1500 Gold while Ovett struggled with injuries. Even if they were dodging each other - they got plenty of stiff competition from other all-timers like Walker, Scott, Maree, Boit, Wessinghage and later Cram, Peter Elliott and Said Aquita! The 2024 gang is an equally great class. One big difference between then and now was the internet and social media. Major newspapers like NY Times and London Times and publications like T&F News and Athletics Weekly provided good coverage however there was no where near as much banter/discourse as there is today (for better or worse).
This post was edited 36 seconds after it was posted.
Were they dodging each other or maximizing income? Going all out to finish second or winning without the other big star? It's not like the prizes were big back then.
I feel like there wasn't really a rivalry until Kerr won Worlds last year, and this is the first time they've raced since. Like Jakob said in his interview, last year he was really just racing himself on the circuit. I'm glad Kerr has stepped up to challenge Jakob and assert himself as the best in the world, and more than anything, I'm glad they both announced WAY ahead of time that they were racing here, talked a bunch of trash, and still showed up as the 2 best guys in the world. I'll admit I was a bit biased against Kerr after Worlds since I thought he was just the next guy, but I gained a ton of respect for him when he announced he was going for the 2-mile WR a month or two beforehand, and then just switched up to being a fan once he went out and smashed it. If they start dodging each other I will become this board's biggest hater of both of them though. Hopefully they race 2-3 more times before the Olympics. Kerr is ready for a massive 1500 pb, and Jakob will finally have someone to race. If Nuguse gets a bit sharper, it's gonna be a season for the ages.
There was tension with Coe Ovett but, trying to think back, it felt more manufactured by the papers. And, certainly in England, it played much more on (unfair) class stereotypes.
I think Jakob and Kerr are both unlikeable, whereas Coe and Ovett were not.
I was around back then - graduated college in ‘78. You are correct - Coe and Ovett did dodge each other and did set several WR’s while dodging 😊 In Moscow ‘80 OG - I think most people expected Coe to win the 800 and Ovett the 1500 - however, the opposite happened. In LA ’84 - Coe won his second 1500 Gold while Ovett struggled with injuries. Even if they were dodging each other - they got plenty of stiff competition from other all-timers like Walker, Scott, Maree, Boit, Wessinghage and later Cram, Peter Elliott and Said Aquita! The 2024 gang is an equally great class. One big difference between then and now was the internet and social media. Major newspapers like NY Times and London Times and publications like T&F News and Athletics Weekly provided good coverage however there was no where near as much banter/discourse as there is today (for better or worse).
I graduated high school in 77 and I agree with you.
One difference in publicity:
Social media doesn't necessarily reach the general public - you see what the algorithms or whatever figure you want to see.
The major newspapers and networks reached everyone and the options were limited.
More people knew who Coe and Ovett were.
Example - I had a girlfriend who was not into track or any sport but she knew who they were.
I liked Ovett (he was brash and "arrogant". She hated him and liked Coe because he was classy.
I don't think 18-20 year old non running females have an opinion on Jakob and Kerr.
I was around then and Coe and Ovett were front page news in the general media. I ran a marathon connected to a track meet in the early 80's and Ovett was in it. He was classic. Nike tracksuit pants and Mickey Mouse sweatshirt warming up nearby. I was a nobody and we had a quick chat. Seemed like a good guy. It was an entire different running world then. Robert DeCastella's races (like the Rotterdam showdown) were live on TV.
Coe and Ovett combined for over 10 world records in the outdoor 800, 1500, and mile.
Jakob and Kerr combine for 0 outdoor world records in those three events. Jakob has the indoor 1500 and world bests in the 2000 and two mile. Kerr has the indoor 2 mile now.
Not really. Coe & Ovett were elite 800/1500 men. Coe & Ovett usually saved their battles for Olympic Games. Ten years from now we won't post about a silly one mile race, May, 2024.
There was tension with Coe Ovett but, trying to think back, it felt more manufactured by the papers. And, certainly in England, it played much more on (unfair) class stereotypes.
I think Jakob and Kerr are both unlikeable, whereas Coe and Ovett were not.
This^
The pro scene was very different back then, so athletes had to do what they could to maximize their income.
There was tension with Coe Ovett but, trying to think back, it felt more manufactured by the papers. And, certainly in England, it played much more on (unfair) class stereotypes.
I think Jakob and Kerr are both unlikeable, whereas Coe and Ovett were not.
There was tension with Coe Ovett but, trying to think back, it felt more manufactured by the papers. And, certainly in England, it played much more on (unfair) class stereotypes.
I think Jakob and Kerr are both unlikeable, whereas Coe and Ovett were not.
Were they dodging each other or maximizing income? Going all out to finish second or winning without the other big star? It's not like the prizes were big back then.
Making money racing was totally against the rules back then.
There was tension with Coe Ovett but, trying to think back, it felt more manufactured by the papers. And, certainly in England, it played much more on (unfair) class stereotypes.
I think Jakob and Kerr are both unlikeable, whereas Coe and Ovett were not.
How so?
The papers tried to paint it as an upper middle class Coe versus a lower middle class scrapper in Ovett.
It was broadly nonsense. Coe failed his eleven plus (an exam for selective, grammar education) whereas Ovett did attend a grammar school. Their formative years were remarkably similar and Ovett’s purported harder upbringing was a pure fabrication. The only difference was that Mr and Mrs Coe had cut glass Received Pronunciation accents. This was all the papers needed to paint them as posh.
The thing that really stands out is what they shared. Incredible talent and a hugely overbearing parent; Coe his father, Ovett his mother.
Were they dodging each other or maximizing income? Going all out to finish second or winning without the other big star? It's not like the prizes were big back then.
Making money racing was totally against the rules back then.
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