deanouk makes some gossipy points that may or may not be true but his case rests on the coe performances, which are inarguable. if coe had been chosen at just one of the events, the 1500m, and he had been in great form at the olympics, as it appears he was, he would have had the chance to be the greatest ever, despite the fact that his 1500m times were pedestrian in comparison to morceli, el guerrouj and lagat.
incidentally, in looking at the 1988 1500m final--cram and elliott had their shot but not much of a kick--I noticed the 1972 5000m final video: is it a trick of the video or did Pre, having come back on Viren three times already, get pushed back or elbowed by Viren as Viren starts to make his final successful kick over Gammoudi(?)--check the video at about 13:06-13:09. Pre is going fast by Viren on the backstretch, then he doesn't cut over to block Viren on the inside, Viren squeezes through on the inside, and then on the turn Pre is going well past Viren again and this time it looks like Pre's momentum is stopped, contact seems to be there, and that same moment sees Viren accelerate as if from a push. Pre dies and is eaten up on the homestretch by a big kick from the third place finisher.