not sure wrote:
ukathleticscoach wrote:
3:29.77 vs 3:29.46
Unlikely ignoring that Coe ran 3:29 when past his best.
If .31 was the true difference between them he would just draft of Aouita and use his superior speed to out- kick him
Even in a race with pacemakers Aouita would be left at the front with 1 lap to go
Not sure about that. I just watched Aouita winning the 800m bronze medal in Seoul behind Cruz and Ereng neither of whom I think Coe could have beaten in a Olympic championship race over 800m. To top it off Aouita seemed to have his leg in plaster so he must have been carrying a heavy injury. Just imagine Bekele or Farah moving down to 800m to win a major bronze behind somone like Rudisha and Amos. Unreal though that may seem, that is effectively what Aouita did in 1988 and it was a diaspointing championship by his standards.
If he finished behind Cruz and Ereng, what does it matter if Coe couldn't (according to you) beat them either?? So Aouita pipped a crippled Elliott? Obviously Coe could never beat a crippled Elliott over 800.
Aouita didn't look injured at all. Probably way less than Elliott.
Aouita's leg was in plaster in the Olympic final? Are you sure he wasn't walking on crutches as well? Maybe he had one of the amputated between the semi and the final?
Aouita was an 800m runner for half of his career. He moved back down for a whole year. Is it really that surprising that the 1500m WR holder could sneak a bronze in an injury ravaged final? Are you saying 81 or 84 Coe would have done no better than Aouita in that Seoul 800 final? Cruz was a shadow of his 84 self. Barbosa committed suicide by taking them through in 49.5. Look what happened when the 800m Olympic final was similarly paced in 2012. Even Andrew Osagie ran 1:43.7 finishing in last place. Aouita couldn't break 1:44 off WR pace in an Olympic final with immortality beckoning.
If Moscow Ovett or any version of prime Coe (even his LA not quite 800m prime version) had been in that Seoul 800, both would have ran under 1:43 easily. 1981 Coe probably breaking his WR if he had got into a good position tucked in at the front.
There are strong parallels between Coe in LA and Aouita in Seoul. Both doubled the 800/1500, with both their best events in the 1500 (for Coe too in 84). Coe got badly knocked several times by Earl Jones in the LA final but was strong enough to take silver, although was prevented from making a race of it with Cruz in the home straight. He then dusted himself down and won the 1500m several days later in an Olympic record time which is still the Olympic non-EPO record.
Aouita, on the other hand, took one knock from Elliott, finished well behind in 3rd, and then hobbled out of Seoul disgraced, claiming that he was too injured to run the 1500, after boasting at the start of the Games that he was going to win gold in the 800, 1500, AND 5000.
Chew on that and stew Said88.