If he trained for this event, I think he could run 15:30 but I don’t see him running much faster due to his build.
If he trained for this event, I think he could run 15:30 but I don’t see him running much faster due to his build.
15:XY
Coevett wrote:
Ovett's cousin wrote:
Oh sure! Ovett preferred to race 1:52.xx 800m final at 1984 Olympics. Ovett preferred to drop out of 1500m final, 1984 Olympics. Ovett was a secret sub-13 5000m runner. Go back to your beer drinking.
STFU, Ovett suffered documented health problems in 84 when he was already past his best. If he'd devoted himself to the 5000m in the 70's it's very plausible to believe he would have smoked Yifter and been the first sub 13:00 guy. He looked in close to sub 13:00 shape even in 86 after 1 year of 5000m training when he was past 30 and way past his prime. In 87 he beat both De Castro brothers (one of whom took silver, Hutchins again (who was consistent world top 5 guy), and the guy who took bronze Jack Hutchins was destroyed by him the year before in the Commonwealths. Unfortunately he suffered problems again before the world championships in Rome, moved back down to the 1500 the next year and was never the same.
Hutchins and Bucker were clearly top 5 guys when Ovett destroyed them with ridiculous ease at the Commonwealth Games. There's no doubt at that point, only Aouita was better over 5000m, and Ovett would have given him a good race in that form.
John Treacy finished 7th in the Moscow final, just 2 seconds behind Yifter, not in the best shape after collapsing in the 10000m . Ovett was cruising to victory against him the week after Moscow, but famously relaxed and celebrated too early and got pipped on the line. Ovett was suffering from a flu during that race.
Fun fact. Mo Farah 5000m pb age 23 = 13:30 Steve Ovett 5000m pb age 21 = 13:25 (whilst still moving up from the 400/800 to the 800/1500)
Ovett did his 47.5 when he was 16, and did a 21.5 200 and 35.3 for 300 a couple years later. He won the national junior 6 mile XC, got 4th in the national 9 mile XC championship, won a 1:05 half marathon, demolished Rono to set the world record in the 2 mile, got 4th in the Cinque Mulini XC, got 6th in the national 10 mile XC race, ran a 46.8 4 x 400 relay split, won and beat Alberto Cova in the Golden Shoe XC, won the nike grand prix 8 km XC, and easily won the Commonwealth Games 5000. It's pretty damn silly to think that Ovett couldn't have beaten 13 minutes for 5000 if that was his main race.
He also set a junior long jump record of something like 21 feet that stood for years.
British teeth wrote:
Coevett wrote:
STFU, Ovett suffered documented health problems in 84 when he was already past his best. If he'd devoted himself to the 5000m in the 70's it's very plausible to believe he would have smoked Yifter and been the first sub 13:00 guy. He looked in close to sub 13:00 shape even in 86 after 1 year of 5000m training when he was past 30 and way past his prime. In 87 he beat both De Castro brothers (one of whom took silver, Hutchins again (who was consistent world top 5 guy), and the guy who took bronze Jack Hutchins was destroyed by him the year before in the Commonwealths. Unfortunately he suffered problems again before the world championships in Rome, moved back down to the 1500 the next year and was never the same.
Hutchins and Bucker were clearly top 5 guys when Ovett destroyed them with ridiculous ease at the Commonwealth Games. There's no doubt at that point, only Aouita was better over 5000m, and Ovett would have given him a good race in that form.
John Treacy finished 7th in the Moscow final, just 2 seconds behind Yifter, not in the best shape after collapsing in the 10000m . Ovett was cruising to victory against him the week after Moscow, but famously relaxed and celebrated too early and got pipped on the line. Ovett was suffering from a flu during that race.
Fun fact. Mo Farah 5000m pb age 23 = 13:30 Steve Ovett 5000m pb age 21 = 13:25 (whilst still moving up from the 400/800 to the 800/1500)
Ovett did his 47.5 when he was 16, and did a 21.5 200 and 35.3 for 300 a couple years later. He won the national junior 6 mile XC, got 4th in the national 9 mile XC championship, won a 1:05 half marathon, demolished Rono to set the world record in the 2 mile, got 4th in the Cinque Mulini XC, got 6th in the national 10 mile XC race, ran a 46.8 4 x 400 relay split, won and beat Alberto Cova in the Golden Shoe XC, won the nike grand prix 8 km XC, and easily won the Commonwealth Games 5000. It's pretty damn silly to think that Ovett couldn't have beaten 13 minutes for 5000 if that was his main race.
He didn't run 47.5 at age 16. He was closer to 19 - he ran it in 1974 (he was born in 1955). As talented as he undoubtedly was, his best distances were the 800/1500-mile. If he had the potential to be either a top 400 or 5k runner those would have been distances he would have focused on. As it was, he was a perfect middle distance man - speed with endurance. And way better than certain other XY runners we are talking about here.