some more youtube videos Cram, Coe, Ovett, young Geb

whoa, what the hell? I've never seen that punch on the back. What's the story behind that?

Thanks for posting that!

Great post for Geb's race, thanks so much! His opponent was bearing out, while Geb kept a straight line in the final straightaway. They tangled arms, and the other guy was pissed--but it was his fault they tangled!

Thanks for this post. I have always wanted to see that footage. The guy that geb beat is Josephat Matchuka.

He was pissed because he had asked Geb to take the lead many times in the race.. and geb waited till the end to sprint by him.

Machuka, lost it and hit get. He was DQ'd. They later raced eachother many times and squashed the fued. Matchuka ran in the Epic 10,000 Olympic Games where i believe he finished 5th or 6th.

Machuka and geb were both jos herman athletes and i think jos took care of the qurrel.

Interesting footage ... thanks for posting

Ovett equals Coe's 1500m WR just prior to Moscow 1980

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCbyfe-F8Ho

I have almost the whole race on tape and Machuka kept slowing down and speeding up and Geb just stayed on his shoulder til the last lapt. I guess he took exception to it. I think the next year at the World Champs 10,000 is when Moses Tanui threw his shoe at Geb after the finish because he felt that Geb stepped on it on purpose.

What terrible tactics by Coe in the 800.

I don't see how he was able to win being that he ran almost completely in lane 2 for the the last lap.

He was a class above the field and just toyed with them.

ralston wrote:

Ovett equals Coe's 1500m WR just prior to Moscow 1980

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCbyfe-F8Ho

That's impressive.

Ovett's Two Mile Record race is also a treat to watch. He dueled Henry Rono to the finish - and Henry is incalculably wonderful to watch as well.

The best two mile race I have ever seen was in 1978 at the Sunkist Indoor Games. Nick Rose, Henry Rono and Sulemain Nyambui floated through a 4:14 first mile on that 11 lap track in the LA Sports Arena, and then ran a 4:03 or so last mile, all three of them going back and forth - with Nyambui barely winning. Champions all.

quantum wrote:

Ovett's Two Mile Record race is also a treat to watch. He dueled Henry Rono to the finish - and Henry is incalculably wonderful to watch as well.

The best two mile race I have ever seen was in 1978 at the Sunkist Indoor Games. Nick Rose, Henry Rono and Sulemain Nyambui floated through a 4:14 first mile on that 11 lap track in the LA Sports Arena, and then ran a 4:03 or so last mile, all three of them going back and forth - with Nyambui barely winning. Champions all.

I was at that race. I was a college frosh and that race had me amped for the rest of the season. Too bad the indoor circuit in the US has basically died.

toro wrote:

What terrible tactics by Coe in the 800.

I don't see how he was able to win being that he ran almost completely in lane 2 for the the last lap.

He was a class above the field and just toyed with them.

not at all its called championship racing - Cram had just run 1:43 in poor conditions at the Commonwealth Games and was the man to beat. Coe spent the whole race watching him and chose his moment to attack. It is one of the best examples of 800m racing ever. Now if you watch the 1500m it is one of the worst examples. Coe lost his place on the penultimate lap and was unable to reach Cram at all. Good positioning is paramount in elite middle distance racing.

with coe still running at that level in '86, why did he not run in seoul? what about mckean? did he represent the uk in seoul?

McKean qualified for the final in Seoul but was disqualified for pushing another runner in the semi-final. Coe wasn't (controversially) left out of the GB team - as was marathon guy Steve Jones. Those were the days when we could pick and choose.

Ovett looked so good in those races; he should have buried Coe in the 1500m in Moscow. If it had been fast from the gun I think he would have.

awesome

Oh yeah, great championchips tactics. Coe run 809 m.

He run like an idiot, just as in Moscow. Had Mckean used

Coes tactics an Coe Mckeans the difference would have

been 8 metres. Coe won that race because he was in

fantastic shape. His mathematical splits were

52,5 + 50,8. At 1500 m final Coe run 1525m. Great

championships tactics.

Machuka was a nutcase. In the 1995 World Champ he tried to set a world record in the qualifying round. Needless to say, he was toast in the final.

Helsinki wrote:

Oh yeah, great championchips tactics. Coe run 809 m.

er... he won. That's all that matters.

But he didn't win the 800 in '80 or '84 Games... that matters more.

I don't recall the races but if he used those tactics that would expplain why the Word Record holder was not able to win Gold on either attempt.

We know his fitness was good because he won the 1500 in both years.

Helsinki wrote:

Oh yeah, great championchips tactics. Coe run 809 m.

He run like an idiot, .

dont think Coe was the idiot here.