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

Ralston, thanks so much for those; particularly the 1986 Euros. Do you happen to have Coe's 1st world record - 1979 Oslo Dream Mile? He was just floating along on Steve Scott's shoulder.

Thanks again.

try here

http://www.joffroirunning.com/videos/dl_list.html

I was only seven when that race happened but can remember being really disappointed for Cram. Having watched it again Coe makes all the mistakes he did in 1980, hanging around at the back, whilst running wide. Had that have been a World Class field and not just European Coe wouldn't have been able to get round that field like he did on the back straight and would have been in lane three round the top bend. Still, an awesome piece of running.The 1500m's great. Cram was in unbelievable shape. That was his fourth Championship final in a matter of weeks and by far his best. Webb etc could learn a lot from these guys!

Helsinki wrote:

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.

I think Coe's size dictated how he ran in a physical race. Coe was only 9 stone and always susceptible to the hand off. Back in the 70's he ran a European Cup 800m and was manhandled by Wulbeck and I am sure this incident influenced his future tactics. The 1500m Olympic finals (apart from 1st 2 laps in 1980) were fast races where the field was strung out and he was able to run freely. As a lightweight in a slow physical race he was always vulnerable. This happened in a 1500m in Paris 1982 where he almost fell headfirst into the long jump sandpit and at the 1989 1500m Commonwealth trial where he stumbled and was almost brought down by Steve Crabb when he fell. Conversely Steve Ovett loved a physical tussle and could look after himself against anyone including 6 foot 5 East Germans.

Steve Ovett again - wonder what happens in this race?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxKoESsnNrE

Seb Coe - 1981 1000m WR - Seb full of lactic at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH8PxazV_Bk

just like his 2 mile record where he let Rono do all the work; Steve Scott did all the work in this one. Ovett is a chickenshit runner. and before you talk about smart tactics and who wins at the end is what counts, remember, that without Rono or Scott, Ovett has NO 2 mile or 1500m record. "one man made the race, the other won it".

ralston wrote:

Steve Ovett again - wonder what happens in this race?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxKoESsnNrE

Seb Coe - 1981 1000m WR - Seb full of lactic at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH8PxazV_Bk

Coe's best WR and probably his best distance - running the last lap on his own and the 200m from 600-800 is absolutely awesome (26.2).

Coe is not an idiot, but many times he run like an

idiot. Cruz and Ovett had tactical brains superior to

Coe. That is a fact and you can`t change it !

Helsinki wrote:

Coe is not an idiot, but many times he run like an

idiot. Cruz and Ovett had tactical brains superior to

Coe. That is a fact and you can`t change it !

I dont think you can consider Ovett to be a tactical genius. Look at that Byers race above - the winning time was what 3:39. Ovett had run 3:31 that year. I remember the 'excuse' being that the timer was calling out the leader splits instead of the following pack's times. I think you would realise that you were running a lot slower than normal pace. Ovett's tactics in the 1980 800m final were pretty awful. He barged his way through 3 or 4 times and admitted that he could well have been disqualified. In the 1983 World Championship 1500m he ran apallingly. From his bio (p214/5): I ran like an absolute fool. I found myself in situations which I would normally avoid and doing things that I would not otherwise do in racing ... I really lost that race a long way before the last lap started, but there was no excuse for getting into the position of being so badly trapped. Cruz's tactics were predominantly like Johnny Gray's - blast it out from the gun, 50 seconds at the bell and try and hang on - exciting to watch though.

Helsinki wrote:

Coe is not an idiot, but many times he run like an

idiot. Cruz and Ovett had tactical brains superior to

Coe. That is a fact and you can`t change it !

here we go again - you really don't have a clue do you. I have seen just about every top middle-distance race over the past 30 years and your claim that Coe ran like an idiot is plainly pathetic. I suggest you study some championship middle-distance races and learn something about the sport. As the previous poster has suggested Ovett made tactical errors too as have all top athletes. Look at John Walker's tactics in the 1977 World Cup 1500m where he got hopelessly boxed and ended up dropping out of the race. He made a similar mistake in the 1982 Commonwealth 1500m final allowing Cram to easily defeat him. Middle-distance running at an elite level is about making decisions in a split second when you are running at speed. If you ever get to compete at a good level you will understand exactly what I mean.

anyone have a link to the 1983 bislett games 5000?

I wish someone would put up Moorcroft in 1982. At the time that was considered an unbelievable 5000 (13:00). All alone for almost the entire race, second place thought he was the rabbit.

I still put guys like Rono and Moorcroft ahead of the dozens of 12:45-12:50 runners who were sucked along by 2-3 rabitts and a huge pack.

clip of Steve Ovett running in a X-Country

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9AWhYjSdJc

nice video of a superlative Crammie in a 800m just prior to 1986 Commonwealth Games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwesRM_W5qE

Cram in 83,85 and 86 was absolutely awesome. So unlucky that his purple patch did not correspond to an Olympic year.

Helsinki wrote:

Coe is not an idiot, but many times he run like an

idiot. Cruz and Ovett had tactical brains superior to

Coe. That is a fact and you can`t change it !

Actually Coe running wide was an intentional strategy. I have read his father discussing it. The idea was that he would often waste far more energy on the inside trying to maintain position and get where he needed to be than he would waste simply by running wide. Plus the ability to be able to move at the moment he needed to move was considered more important. Finally he was so often just more fit and faster than the others in the field that it was considered acceptable.

sergio wrote:

I wish someone would put up Moorcroft in 1982. At the time that was considered an unbelievable 5000 (13:00). All alone for almost the entire race, second place thought he was the rabbit.

I still put guys like Rono and Moorcroft ahead of the dozens of 12:45-12:50 runners who were sucked along by 2-3 rabitts and a huge pack.

here you go

Where's Ovett's 1980 1500 WR where he ran 3:31 after Moscow?

look up the user "1981 aLaN" on youtube. hes got everything ... british.