Seb Coe, England v USA, 800m, London 1981.
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- Seb Coe's first international outing of his glorious 81 season. This is a match between England, USA, Ethiopia and Belgium at Crystal Palace on June 3rd 1981. Coe front run from the gun and went through 400m in 51.9 and 600m in 1:18.4, before finishing in a world leading 1:44.06. It was just one week before his incredible world record of 1:41.73. What was perhaps more impressive than the time at the Palace that night, was the ease with which he kicked entering the straight, pulling 15m clear of Garry Cook, and running the last 100m in 12.3! He was to return to the track 90 minutes later to run the last leg in the 4 x 400m relay. recording a 45.6 split after stumbling at the change over.
Only 1 week later he ran his epic 1:41.73 which would be the world record for a long time and is still a time that only two other men have ever beaten. A legend and a gentleman. He worked hard for what he got and was never arrogant about it. My favourite athlete of all time in any sport.
Peter S I agree totally! He was a great ambassador for his sport and country, and in my opinion the greatest middle distance (800/1500m) runner of all time.
1.44.0 and looking so comfortable; no wonder the world record fell a week later
Coe's last 100 meters was beyond impressive.
Coe the best ever! What an amazing privilege to grow up during the Coe/ Ovett era. Great Britain!
I am Italian, I live in Florence, and I was in in the stadium of my city when the great Sebastian Coe brought the world record in June 10th, 1981! It was an amazing, solitary race of this fantastic champion, and I still remember the speaker announcing the new record: he told it in English, "one, fortyone, seventytwo" (yes, that evening was 72, and not 73 as later)... Thank you for the great emotions, Mr. Coe!
I was in the stadium for this performance which was on June 3, 1981. I think he could have run 1:41 on that night too.
Lucky you! I am Italian too and I could see him to run at " 5 Mulini" cross country in March 1980.It was just a training session for him because the distance of 10km was too long and ,mainly, the uneven ,muddy track was a risk for his ankles.He finished 21st I remember.What a memory!
EscursioniMusicali lucky man for seeing coe
I got this man's autograph at Meadowbank in June 1978 and I still have the programme.
Supreme athlete and look at the tracks he set world records on !! Amazing
That guy was unbelievable - never be another Seb. He didn't just win that race, he destroyed an international field. That acceleration off the last bend - wow!
Yes, I agree with you. Best last 100m of any middle distance runner ever!
deano27671 You forget just how good he was, don't you?! I am the same age so used to watch all his races, the amazing years with the Ovett rivalry and then Cram. I will never forget that period in 1979-80 when he set, was it 4 records in a month at different distances? And the amount of time both his 800m and 1000m records stood is testament to how good he really was.
It really was the best period in athletics dominance for this country that I can recall.
30+ years on, Coe's times have now of course been bettered, but you would expect that - but were he running now, with the same evolution and development behind him, no question he would still be beating everyone out of sight.
***** Even though it is more than 30 years later, not only is Coe the only man ever to have run both sub 1:42 for 800 and sub 3:30 for 1500m, but based on IAAF scoring points he has the best combined score for 800 and 1500 of any athlete. Kiprop comes 2nd, followed by Baala and the Cram
Poetry in motion. At his best Seb was as good a middle distance runner as has ever graced a track.
That kick was incredible.
As a 13 year old at the UK Championships at Meadowbank in, I think, June 1978 I saw Coe talking to someone down at the front of the grandstand shortly after he'd just won the title in 1:46 something. I was the only person to come down to ask him for his autograph, which he duly gave. This was one autograph I really wanted to have. He'd run 1:44.95 the previous season to break the British record. Only later did I realise he was probably being told at that moment that he'd been disqualified for leaving his lane too early down the back straight. There was worried look on his face. He was of course reinstated after an appeal, but not anyone would give a kid his or her autograph in those circumstances.
Simply the best middle distance runner ever. Poetry in motion.
Agree. In terms of medals, world records set, world rankings and legacy, he is the top 'pure' (800 - Mile) middle distance runner of all time.
Nuetral observer: Awsome, one of the best ever, but you wrote THE best ever. How can you justify that?
run Caz :- His record. Retaining the 1500m Olympic Title- who else has done that? He's also the only man to podium in the 800 and 1500 in the same Olympics. He may have won 3 in a row but controversially wasn't selected. Also his record of world records @ so many different distances. And finally his running style which as I said earlier is poetry in motion.
And imho his style of winning was just breathtaking. He could and did go out from the front and destroy fields but even more impressive was his ability to wait, and wait and wait just until about 150 metres out before changing gear and just leaving world class fields for dead!!
It's hard to justify that he is the best as there have been so many amazing middle distance runners but it's even harder to dispute that Coe is the greatest ever.
Neutral Observer. I appreciate your knowledge of middle distance and of Seb Coe in particular. All of your description of him is true. Your final paragraph seems to condradict itself. I agreed with the first sentence but the second sentence said the contrary.
I feel there are too many great runners throughout history. For example David Rudisha. The manner in which he set the 800 record in winning olympic gold, was just sick. I'm not saying he's better, just that they are both too good to pick.
run Caz- To be fair to him, the time to judge Rudisha in comparison to others is when his career is over.
If you re-read my final paragraph you will note there is no contradiction.
I was there! Amazed that such great athletes turned out for relatively minor meetings. Coe's kick was amazing.
I still think that after all these years that Coe is the greatest middle distance runner of all time.
NO,Herb Elliot is.
So cool to see the American Scott Poehling still in TV frame with Coe on the last curve. Poehling was from a small Class C high school in Nebraska, and his younger brother was one of my xc/track rivals. And as a teacher, I had a student do an internship in UK and came home with a gift for me, an autographed picture of Sebastian Coe!
How effortless!!!!
I loved watching Coe and Ovette. I was in Alaska at the time and loved to watch him and Ovette Run esp against each other.It was amazing what they did that one year. Seemed like every time they hit the track they lowered a WR.
There will never be another rivalry like it.
To be fair STEVE OVETT only ran one world record in1981 but came so close to breaking the records for the 1500m and mile another 4/5 times that year......STEVE OVETT SHOULD HAVE RUN 4/5 WORLD RECORDS IN 1981!!!!!!!!!!!
Loosing to pacemaker TON BYERS is one example of a season thwarted by missed opportunities!!!!!!!!! DAMN IT MAN!!!!!!!!
Wow, I wondered if I'd ever see this race again. Thanks so much. I have always remembered his kicking off the front. When i heard that he was due to run in Florence a week later, I thought, 'the WR will go'". I must find your vid of the relay. i seem to remember that he stumbled and still took the USA guy on the anchor.
There were many wonders in Athletics (Track and Field) Seb Coe was one of the best of them.
Coe is simply pure Talent and very Gifted!
His basic leg speed was a gift from above, but he did the training as well.
@@cegtown I actually think his speed was mainly developed. The book his Dad wrote with David Martin (Better Training for Distance Runners) indicates that Seb's best times for 200 meters really weren't that fast when he was 14 or 15 years old. But his Dad developed his speed very nicely with his emphasis on quality. Seb also hit the gym like a sprinter during the winters, doing heavy weight training and plyometrics.
Когда-то восхищался ,но мне тренер ,глядя на его рост результатов по годам ,сказал когда что то подозрительно скакнули результаты...и с тех пор сомневаюсь в "чистоте от допинга"этого парня. Тогда они бежали ,Овет ,Крэм , а потом школа кончилась ...Сейчас правда новый шедевр Б.Фара !
Thanks Deano!
I wish professional athletics were still this special
Thanks for posting mate I am forever in your debt. I find this a very emotive video theres no way Coe could have predicted what he would achieve in 81 before the two years of comparative ignominy and consequent redemption in 84.
I love British track announcers, great calls
@marlin804 Hi! Sorry for delay responding. I think Coe's LA splits for his 3:32.5 compare quite favourably with Ngeny's 3:32.1 in 2000.
Ngeny's lap splits were: 54.6, 60.5, 56.8 & 40.2 (54.1 last 400m);
Coe's were: 59.0, 58.0, 56.3 & 39.2 (53.2 last 400). When looking at the closing stages we find Coe was quicker for almost every split: last 800m, Coe 1:49.8, Ngeny 1:52.7;
last 700, C= 1:35.6, N= 1:37.0, last 400 & 300 given above.
last 200m- C= 25.7, N=26.5. last 100m-C= 12.7, N=12.8
@@APBCTechnique good ,,,good??? SEBASTIAN COE WAS TWICE OLYMPICS CHAMPION,,THE ONE AND ONLY PERSON TO DO THIS,,SEB WAS PHENOMINAL !!!!!!! GOOD DEFINITELY DOES NOT FIT THE BILL FOR THIS EXTRAORDINARY ATHLETE!!!!!!! GOOD??? YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!!
Great story! I grew up in Eugene, Oregon and have so many incredible memories and encounters like that!
The Best Seb
Fantastik Run...
Yes, I did look at the link thanks. Spent about an hour reading some very interesting comments. Didn't get through all of them though, so have saved it as a favourite and will go back to it. Yes, I live just outside London and have tickets for 1 of the T&F finals session. I will get to see the 1500m men's final and the 800m men's semis. I've been v. lucky. Also got tickets for the men's singles semis for tennis. Did you see Rudisha tonight? Great run, though no better than Coe's 31 years ago!
Shocking how slow these times are compared to what Seb would run later that year, below the 1:42 second barrier!
YOU MEAN ONE WEEK LATER!!!!!! 1:41,73 June 6th !!!!! Not even july yet!!!!!!!
So Good for so-o long. GREAT!
I plan on changing my name back to my original name, Stephen Lee Ethridge, on about my 75th b-day which occurs on 6/12/2019. My being "great" should be in ranking at or near the top in the mile races which take into consideration one's age. And, in setting many world records for the arbitrary 5 year increments for as long as I live, which I expect to be well above 100.
Great upload
Most runners would die a death trying to do this gun to tape, and here's Coe belting out a 1:44.0 almost effortlessly. On that kind of form who's to say he wouldn't still be winning Olympic and world titles today?
I was there as a 23 year old. Great evening and if I remember Micky McFarland did the 200m but came up against some pretty hot US runners.
Mike McFarlane,,,
I follow athletics quite closely then and now, and I'm surprised to have to say this is the first time I've heard of Gary Cook.
A great upload, thanks. That's how to make 1:44 look easy!
Worth remembering that not only did Coe break 4 outdoor world records and one indoors in 81, and remained undefeated, but he was able to win the Universities' 400m championship (as well as run for his country in the 400 relay) and be the AAA champion over 3000m indoors. I can't think of any other runner in history with that specific range. Yes, Aouita and Geb had a wider range, but neither would come anywhere near Coe at 400m.
@richard141724 Glad I could help! He actually ran another 400 relay leg a few days after this and about 3 days before the Florence run. I'll try and upload it soon when I'm less busy with work.
Yes, his kick with 100m to go was awesome ~ 12.3!! I can think of only Rudisha today who would be even capable of that in a 1:44 flat race.
Looked like a training jog and 1:44 dead! Some question the 1:41:73 he ran that year (hand timing, 'short track' etc) but he looked like he was capable of sub 1:41 here. Would have been great to have seen this version of him against 84 Cruz.
I agree. There was nothing wrong with the Firenze track, apart from it being old, worn and not as fast as the current mondo tracks being used. There was something wrong with the stadium timing but the hand times from the official time keepers that night got 1:41.6, which is what I get most times when I time the video. It was certainly way under 1:42, and if he hadn't run most of the 3rd bend wide to pass the rabbit, it would have been 0.2-0.3 faster. That puts it around the 1:41.4/1:41.5 mark. And it was early June, hardly peak season. I asked him in person what he felt he could have run in 81, had he taken a few
More cracks at it, and he said 1:41.2.
I asked him that same question and he said: "Mind your business, who the hell r u anyway?"
Just kiddin.
@@deano27671 I thought the Florence time was judged from the photo cell?
@@deano27671 WOW! So you got to meet the great man!
@@LPCLASSICAL yes it was. I was just reinforcing the accuracy of the time by stating that there were 3 official hand timekeepers there and the average they got was 1:41.6. The IAAF could have ratified it as such - 1:41.6H, but they chose to use the average of the 2 photo cells positioned on the finish line, which was 1:41.73.
It has been uncharacteristically hot over here this summer. It was even worse in NY two weeks ago with the extremely humid weather which I'm not used to (Calgary has a very dry climate).
Mo Farah completes the double, although I could've run with the pack for the first 3000. I saw your comments about Makhloufi and agreed with everything except for one comment about Manzano improving a lot. He's always been inconsistent even back to his university days, one week good, the next week he bombs. :-)
Greatest ever
@deano27671 And I should've said thanks for sharing. I could check out these old middle- and long-distance videos for days... Those were heady times with many great athletes I admired but could not get enough information on. John Walker was actually my main idol...and I can remember exactly where I was when I heard the news on the radio about Sebastian Coe breaking his mile mark.
Yes, I was with friends last Sat night & it was the most excited I've ever been watching athletics on tv. I thought the odds were we'd get 1 of them, and a distant possibility of getting 2, but all 3!! No one expected that. Everything just aligned right in the heavens for Britain that night. It probably won't happen again for 50 years. I was most happy for Rutherford, who has always been plagued with injuries. He comes across as a real down to earth guy.
Lucky you Octavian! He was at his sublime best that year.
Hey Deeno. Just watched the 2000 Olympic Final and was really impressed. What was Ngeny final 100 or 200m compared to Coe in 84? I think Coe could have beaten anybody that day, but Ngeny had a pretty impressive finish in that race!! Curious to your thoughts....Thanks!!
Coe was a beast in this race btw. Hard to imagine 1:44 at the beginning of the season. This would be a world leading, impressive time today no matter when it was run!!
Yes, it will be very interesting to see what Rudisha runs tomorrow in Paris. It will be practically a month after his 1:41.74. I suspect a 1:41.2. I don't think he'll quite get the WR, but by Zurich in mid/late August, I think he'll break 1:41. As you suggest, I think Coe would have done a similar time if he'd focussed on the 800 and had the incentive to improve his own WR in 81.
@sebcoe81 You're welcome! If he'd known what a wretched time he was to have in 82 & 83, then I'm sure he'd have had a few more cracks at the 800 WR in 81. He wouldn't have been at a peak on June 10 when running 1:41. In the interview afterwards, he said he'd just finished a hard period of training & was hoping for a gradual improvement over the season. He'd have beaten anyone in the following years in this form, let alone the form he showed in the weeks and months to come.
With the exception of a few moments, the Games have gone well. Know they've gone pretty well for you. Three golds in one hour on Saturday, Congratulations! That's gotta be the greatest moment in British athletics history (that's what Dave Moorcroft, whose commentating for a network over here said moments after Farah won). On an unrelated note, how's your summer gone and are you going to go on a vacation? I've been to NY already and will be a Paramedic in the fall. Just thought I'd ask :-)
I think you're pretty spot on with that scenario. Did you get the link I sent you called "drugged to the gills"? Also, since you live in London, (you live in London right?) do you have tickets for the Olympics?
Hi. Yes, Tuesday in the stadium was great atmosphere. Would have preferred to see Rudisha's WR on Thurs or seen 3 golds for UK last Sat, but hey, I'm lucky to have seen any Olympic finals. I'm not sure about Makhloufi. If you've seen my posts on LetsRun, then you'll see I agree with your comments about it being a poor field. The Kenyans ran abysmally! Makhloufi's finish looked better than the stats suggested. The closing stats were in keeping with a 1:43, 3:30 runner.
Oops, it is tomorrow. I just briefly checked out Letsrun yesterday and it said that the DL would resume on Saturday. Now the site says Friday. My bad I guess. Facepalm
There you go! Great run by Rudisha tonight. Gutsy awesome performance dragging Amos & Kimut to exceptional times too, although I seriously doubt they're 18 & 17! Amos practically had full drafting to 600m & then had Rudisha as a target in front to aim for in the last 200m. So, after running 1:41.74 in early June, Rudisha now improves to 1:40.91 in August. I feel vindicated, as that's exactly the sort of time I believe Coe could have run later in the 81 season. Hope u are enjoying the Games?
go on Seb go on laddy
Rudisha aiming for the world record in Paris this Saturday. Having run 1:41.74 in early June like Coe did 31 years earlier, I reckon that whatever time Rudisha goes on to run later this year was what Coe could've done towards the end of his 81 season. But Rudisha can't run 3:47(more than likely 3:45 ability by Coe in 81)
Lucky thing. Wish I had seen him in this form.
Coe was like Nijinsky. You were privileged just to see him run on a road. Absolute talent. Actually saw the bloke who once held the British mile record from my bedroom window and he seemed amazing enough. He knew Coe from being on the same Yorkshire County team. Only a few short years before this.
@@SirPeter6464 who was that? Frank Clement?
@@deano27671 no... Walter Wilkinson. Great stayer and good enough to medal at European level. Reading some memories he had on the York Press site. Easy to find if so interested. Broke four minutes younger than Coe. Victim of one paced training methods if you ask me.
@gpc31 You're welcome! I'll put the relay on here soon.
Wow.
@ARRISIPPY Just uploaded
Ovett, 3:30.77 1500m WR, 1983, Rieti.
the first 300m is missing, but the last 3 laps are all there, and it's pretty good quality.
Hope u like, as I know you're a big Ovett fan.
:0)
I wish it had been hot here all summer! Wasn't bad for the Olympic fortnight, but it's raining today and forecast all week! :0(
I wasn't raising any suspicion about Manzano. I know he's always been rather inconsistent, and I don't think he's doping. I was just using him and Willis as examples of people who have shown improvements in recent weeks in order to highlight the double standards some posters show.
@singingal Hi! I'm afraid they are not readily available online. There is one site, a German one, The Great Distance Runners, which has some of the splits for some races, although not all are 100% accurate. I have to admit I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to stats, and have acquired most of them through a vast library of books, back issues of AW & T&FN, and having many of the races on dvd myself. This I find is the most reliable source, as one can pause the running clock, at each 100m mark.
Yes, I saw Rudisha today. He needs to drop Tangui as a pacemaker.
What did you think about the womens 1500? A total joke. Then there is the mens 5000, where something like 6 guys went sub 12:50, where second place in 12:47 is barely "18" years old who improved his PB by 83 seconds from last year. Sorry for being so cynical, but that 5000 today raised some suspicious eyebrows. Farah's gold medal hopes and Rupp's medal hopes took a knock. Still be rooting for the two in London
Cheers Buddy
@deano27671 If we look at their last 8 100m splits they look like this:
Ngeny - 15.7, 14.7, 14.0, 14.2, 13.9, 13.7, 13.7, 12.8;
Coe - 14.3, 14.1, 14.2, 14.1, 14.0, 13.5, 13.0, 12.7.
And don't forget this was Coe's 7th race in 9 days. Ngeny had run 2 races prior to the final in 5 days with 3:38.03 on the 25th, a 3:39.29 on the 27th and then his 3:32.07 winning gold on the 29th.
I think Coe's final run and his seres was superior to what Ngeny did in Sydney.
@bootymanager Yes, I think he was in better form in 81 than 80. His last 100m here was 12.3, and I can't think of any other athlete ever running as fast as that over the last 100m in a 1:44 flat or faster 800m.
I agree he could have run a 3:45 mile that year with better pacing than he got in Brussels, which is actually worth more like 3:28.5 for 1500m using the /1.08 conversion.
Hey!
It was very hot here yesterday (+34) and then we had a hail storm in the evening with hail almost the size of tennis balls. A few cars were damaged and some of my plants are destroyed.
Would like to see Rudisha set a WR in Zurich, which I think may be the last WR in his career. Would also like to see him attempt Ngeny's fraudulent 2:11.96 (I think Rudisha is clean) but he would need sub 3:30 1500 endurance. Letsrun is full of hypocrites, like Ventolin our village idiot.
@WaryBuck1 Wow! Good claim to fame. Cheers for sharing.
He sure looked pretty majestic in that 3rd 200. With a decent pacemaker that can drag him to 600 in low 1:14 I think he could run 1:40.6-1:40.7. Still don't think he'll ever go sub 1:40 though. Solomon ran 1:42.82 and didn't even medal! You saw the 1500 final, how was that? Amazing that you were there. Makhloufi is being lambasted but he dominated a weak field. Still think he's dirty though. Despite what Eldick says, Coe could've gone sub 1:41 in August 81 had he wanted to. Farah and Rupp go 1-2
Interestingly enough, Jessica Zelinka, who finished second behind Ennis in 12.65, does most of her training on the same track that I do most of mine on, and just this year, I have been on the track six times when she's been doing a training session. Just my really small claim to fame.
Amine Laalou, another Moroccan :-) has been busted. What do you think of that sixteen year old Chinese swimmer that's generated a lot of buzz?
Will be rooting for Farah and Rupp tomorrow
Ta ta for now
@ARRISIPPY I've just uploaded another 4 x 400m relay featuring Coe four days after this run.
Search for
Coe, 4x 400m June 7th 81, Eng v Sco v Italy
Enjoy
I've now uploaded the 4 x 400m relay.
You're studying to be a paramedic? Cool! I've been to the coast fro a few days in England & am off to Barcelona for a week at end of month. Thanks for asking. Is it hot over there at moment?
Sorry. Should have replied to this sooner! Great claim to fame. The Canadian girl did well. I don't care what Ventolin says, that is a very fast track. I don't think Ennis ever thought she could run 12.54! And look at the women's 4 x 100 quartet tonight! To beat the GDR world record by over half a second, one of the oldest in the book. Definitely a super fast track.
What time was the last 100m, Deano?
12.4. Last 200m 25.6.
I think the Ethiopians are going to run as a team and make it fast, knowing Farah & Rupp have already run the 10k. I think it will be good if either of them medal. I don't think Farah will win gold, but hope I'm wrong. Come on Mo & Galen!
@runningshoe1 Undoubtedly! He was actually speeding up in the closing stages here with a last 100m of 12.3, so he had loads left. In this form he would be a match for Rudisha today and head and shoulders above the rest of the current crop of 2 lap runners.
England v USA back then in the 800m??? Ridiculous miss-match!!
No idea, haven't seen track and field in yonks.
@deano27671 Wow! I've never seen a bloke run so fast so easily - maybe Kipketer? You could see that he may well have broken the world record with a slightly faster 1st lap. That year Seb seemed to be even better prepared than he was for Moscow. With better pacing, he would likely have run 3.30 and 3.45-46. The 1000m record was about as brilliant as you could imagine (2.12.18 - which, as you know, lasted for 18 years)
Yes, but then they always seem to bust a few athletes before a global champs. I would actually be encouraged if some big names get busted in London. This will give some confidence with the testing procedures.
Ennis ran a 12.54 Brit record in the heptathlon this morning! That would have won her gold in Beijing. Looks like it's a v fast track. A few athletes said so after their event, which just goes to show that Ventolin is wrong when he says that all tracks are the same! Enjoy the Games.
Barring Mo Farah’s 1500m best,why is it that today’s team GB middle distance runners can’t run as quick as Coe, Ovett and Cram in the 80s - what are people’s views ?
This is how Coe should have ran at the 1980 Olympics.
Night Nurse that was a physical race so coe had to run wide otherwise theyd of knocked coe over or winded him
Yes - had Coe led from the gun he would have won. But he decided to run the race as if Ovett wasn't in it.
Yes, I thought the whole Paris meet was a farce, what with Gatlin in the 100 and the 2 cheats in the W1500. Very disappointing that they are even competing at this level. I was unaware of the 18 year old, but I too am cynical like you. The only consolation is perhaps they will have to come off whatever they are on for London, in case they expect the drug testing to be much more stringent. Hopefully both Farah & Rupp will medal. Chat more soon. :0)
Yes blood doping and heavy springs in your spikes...The Lance Armstrong of track.. Con...
Wow...not even out of breathe...amazing...cheater.