Sebastian Coe vs Said Aouita - 1500/mile race - Who would win?

I think whoever ran faster on the day would win. Line them both up and see.

At the minute 12:10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCUDz9a1vzE&t=719s

Said Aouita classify three levels of poverty:

- Medium poverty

- Normal poverty

- Under Zero poverty

He say that before his fame in Athletics, he was living in the third category.

I like well, people that suffer in their youths, they grow mature.

Not surprising that Aouita helped for rise of a whole generation of runners.

Previous comment seems to have been deleted by Malmo, so I'll make another one.

So what you're saying Passant is...

A guy who had been running 3:37 for three years, at the age of 24 states to his friend that he's going to break the WR next week, and does indeed get close to it. He admits he is entirely motivated by money.

Maybe to a Morroccan reader, that suggests Aouita was 'an honest cheat' or some such.

Passant wrote:

Effectively, Aouita did what he said with a time 3:32.54 very close the world record realized by Coe at that time.

Sebastian Coe 1500m world record was almost beaten by a guy that spent two days in train station sleeping on chairs.

Coe wasn't the 1500m World record holder at the time of Aouita's 3:32.54 in Firenze 83, Ovett was with 3:31.36 from 1980; it would be broken twice later that 83 season by first Maree (3:31.24) and then Ovett again, 3:30.77.

Coe's mile WR (3:47.33) was equivalent to 3:30.5

Coevett wrote:

Previous comment seems to have been deleted by Malmo, so I'll make another one.

So what you're saying Passant is...

A guy who had been running 3:37 for three years, at the age of 24 states to his friend that he's going to break the WR next week, and does indeed get close to it. He admits he is entirely motivated by money.

Maybe to a Morroccan reader, that suggests Aouita was 'an honest cheat' or some such.

He was trying to help his poor mother because his father was a drunkar.

Among all his brother, he was the sole that was left to pursue his studies and doing sport by his mother. She was counting on him to improve the family situation by the sport.

One second of World Record difference and still a great exploit for a guy that slept 2 days in a train station.

Interview:

Tracks & Field News

06 June 1986

T&FN:After your 3rd In the Helsinki 1500 in 1983, what caused you to believe so strongly that you could win the 5000 in Los Angeles?

Aouita: In '83, l was trying to adapt to worldclass levels. At Helsinki, I made the mistake of trying to run a tactical race. I lost because of a lack of experience.

I was injured early in 1984 and I did not have the speed and power to run all the rounds scheduled for the 1500 in the Olympics. So i chose the 5000 at the last moment.

T&FN:What are your predictions of what you can ultimately run—from the 800 through the 10, 000, and even in the Steeplechase?

Aouita: Well, in the 800, 1 really haven't tried hard at it so far. l know I can improve considerably on my personal best [1:44.38], and I feel the World Record is within my capabilities.

The 1500 meters is my favorite event, the distance I like the best. I feel perfectly at ease running it. The same goes for the mile.

Distances like the 2000 meters-a non-Olympic distance-hold little interest for me.

The 5000—that is the distance of the future for me. Yes, even though i already hold the World Record for it! And I may try the 10,000, probably next year. Finally, the Steeplechase also is in my focus for the future.

T&FN: Well then, would you comment on some of your chief opponents, men such as Cram, Coe, Maree, Cova, Padilla?

Aouita: En general, Cram "c'est un bon athlete". [He repeated the same two

words - ”bon athlete"- for each of the runners named.]

There are good athletes whom I respect to the fullest. There are others who might not be quite so good, but whom I also respect.

But there also are some athletes "qui ne sont pas bien": they are not normal. They use “other things“ to improve their performances. I don't like to talk about them at all.

Source:

https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/said-aouita.pdf

Used tool:

Capture2Tex by Christopher Brochtrup

1988 Grand Prix Final Athletics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv0eegXwIwU

That year there were at least 3 British runners with best performances:

Steve Cram 3:30:95

Petter Eliott 3:32:69

Steve Crabb 3:33:95

They all avoided confronting Aouita in this final, distance Mile.

Coe found better to suicide in the 800m than confronting a Moroccan.

Do you know why?

Aouita was the big name that year and he killed that slow tactical mile with his deadly finish, despite the presence of the Americans Sifney Maree and Jim Spivey (who that season has the second best time 3:31:01).

I have done some investigations in my own, 10 days before.

Image:i.ibb.co/WpcS0Xv/tweet01.jpg

Here is Aouita being paced by Abdi Bile in a 1986 world record attempt at the mile in Berlin. Aouita doesn't follow the pace and has to fight hard to hold off Gonzalez.

Compare with how easily Coe and Cram deal with Gonzalez 2 weeks later in the European Championship 1500m final :

Well, if you're claiming that Coe switched to the 1500m in Zurich 85 to avoid Cram and Cruz, he didn't chicken out of racing Cram in the Bislett mile (when he knew he wasn't in top shape), and he raced against Cruz over 800m the following week in Cologne. Coe always ran the 1500m in Zurich. I think he ran it 8 or 9 times, and won 6 times.

Here he is getting pipped by Steve Scott at Zurich 86. He was just coming back after his virus infection that caused him to pull out of the Commonwealth Games. That was a real chance for Aouita to claim a victory over Coe, but guess what? Aouita ran the 3000m that night.

how fanny you are, you take 1 bad race of Aouita over 10 races and you start comparing.

How did Aouita manage to get Best Athlete of the year in 1985/1987 then?

Not sure if either one could crack a 5 min mile now.

Drugs, for 100 Alex.

Pure talent.

Raising in bad conditions and environment is the proof of being strong.

The seringue of the Italian will not save your face.

Aouita was talented and trained hard.

Cram tried to train hard starting 1985 and "cracked" over the cours of a year half.

Coach told athletes to use drugs
By Scott Gullan
February 18, 2006
AUSTRALIAN athletes were ordered to take performance enhancing drugs by former national distance coach Said Aouita.
While Aouita, the former Morocco Olympic 5000m champion, was investigated over drug allegations in 2002, The Saturday Daily Telegraph can now reveal that one of the key witnesses in that inquiry had been intimidated into not speaking out.
Melissa Rollison, a medal prospect in the 3000m steeplechase at next month's Commonwealth Games, has lifted the lid on one of the darkest periods in the sport by revealing that Aouita urged her to take human growth hormone (HGH) while on a training camp in the US in 2003.
"He talked about it [drugs] every day," she said. "We had to go to America because that's where you get HGH and all this stuff.
"I said right at the start that I wasn't interested and he was like: 'Everyone else is on it so why wouldn't you want to?'.
"I said I wanted to make it the proper way, but he then tried to convince me that HGH wasn't illegal. He said it couldn't be tested and that because my hormones were so low it would just bring me up to the normal person."
Aouita's two-year stint as a national coach ended in 2004 amid controversy after Victorian athlete Mark Fountain, who was on the camp in Albuquerque with Rollison, raised the drug allegations in a letter sent to the Australian Sports Commission.
The Moroccan, arguably the greatest middle-distance runner in history, was later cleared after an investigation by the ASC, Athletics Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport.
But Rollison said she now regretted not backing up Fountain and claimed she had been intimidated and manipulated into keeping quiet.
With the Athens Olympics on the horizon, the junior world record holder panicked when then national coach Keith Connor rang and said if the allegations were true she would be coming home.
"All I was thinking about was the Olympics and I stupidly said, 'No, it's not true'," Rollison said. "But everything he [Fountain] wrote in the report was true. I mean we all sat down and wrote it together.
"I was so stupid and it got him [Fountain] into a lot of trouble, but really he was the smart one who got out of there then. I then sort of convinced myself it was all lies and trusted Said again because he was just so good at convincing you, manipulating you."
Rollison, 22, maintains she didn't take any drugs and became so paranoid that she wouldn't eat or drink anything that she hadn't prepared herself during her time with Aouita.
"I was too scared to eat anything that I hadn't made myself and I kept my drinks in my room," she said.
Fountain was shunned by the authorities after his allegations - which included perceived favouritism by Aouita towards one of the squad members, Commonwealth Games 800m and 1500m runner Suzy Walsham of Sydney.
There is no suggestion that Connor or Walsham were involved with drug use or endorsed Aouita's alleged advocacy of drug use.
Fountain has maintained a low profile since until venturing home for the Commonwealth Games

1983

Aouita has beaten Gonzalez (2x 1500), Gonzalez has beaten Coe (1500)

Aouita has beaten Zdravkovic (2x 1500/Mile), Zdravkovic has beaten Coe (1500)

1985

Aouita has beaten Gonzalez (1500/2000/5000), Gonzalez has beaten Coe (Mile)

Aouita has beaten Deleze (1500/2000), Deleze has beaten Coe (2x 1500/Mile)

1988

Aouita has beaten McKean (800, 1000), McKean has beaten Coe (800)

Aouita has beaten Barbosa (3x800), Barbosa has beaten Coe (800)

Aouita has beaten Passey (2x 1500/Mile), Passey has beaten Coe (1500)

1989

Aouita has beaten Kirochi (2x 1500/Mile), Kirochi has beaten Coe (1500)

The Berlin Mile in 86 was not a world record attempt.

You almost got it. He ran it 6 times and won 3 times (50%).

Thank you for your posts.