Bad Wigins wrote:
Deanouk wrote:
With regards to his 400m ability, yes his official pb was 46.87, but he was very likely capable of sub 46.0 in an open race.
he ran a 45.6 relay
Every 800m runner who ever lived has ran more all-out 400 reps in workouts than they can count, and more by far than in competition. That's where their PR's happen, and they do remember them.
If Coe could run sub 46 open, he WOULD have gone 44.8 fly in a workout at least once. Has he ever claimed to? If not, you could ask him.
Why 44.8!? The general consensus for a conversion from relay to open is 0.7secs. Certainly no more than a second.
Coe ran a 45.5 split in 79, a couple of hours after winning the Europa Cup 800m. I don’t know if he ran either of bends wide, but certainly that suggests 46.2-46.5, and that’s when not entirely fresh.
As I said above, he was disappointed when he ran 46.87, as he had easily run 46.95 the evening before, jogging in the last 40m.
When he ran the 45.6 leg in June 81 (on YouTube) he tripped at the takeover, lost about 4-5m, and passed through the start/finish line practically standing and stationary. Without that incident his split would have been more like 45.0. And again, this was 90mins after front running 1:44.0.
It is in print that Aouita (in Athletics Today magazine) claimed he hand timed Coe run a tt 400m of 46.8 in training in Switzerland in 1985. 85 wasn’t One if Coe’s best years, and a 46.8 in training suggests a bit faster in competition, and quite a bit faster in 81 form.
I think there is enough evidence to suggest Coe was capable of at least 46.0 in an open 400m in 81, had he run a couple to gain pace technique. And that was while he was training for 8 and 15.