willis the drafter wrote:
Ludd wrote:How many sub 3:30s did Walker manage? Willis has done it twice, once more than Coe and a better pr than 3:29.77, I believe. Makhloufi has not competed yet and is one of the only big guys not in the race. Why?
Walker broke 3:50 a couple of times and Coe ran the last 800 of his PR alone.
Walker and Coe were both better than Willis.
People forget Walker spent the time from '77 to '83 or so suffering from compartment syndrome - or something else - that caused constant cramping and didn't allow him to train as he did up through 1976. The Brits know this but are very good at never mentioning it, lest it make any victories Coe or Ovett had over Walker less spectacular. Walker's problems were covered extensively by Nelson and Quercetani in "The Milers".
Walker at his best was a better runner than Wills, as was Coe. Walker was a stronger runner than Coe, as Seb would never have been able to hang with the big Kiwi over 2k. Seb was more toward the speed end of things.