An astute observation in which I concur. Being involved in the sport myself since 1962, for me it was the greatest race I ever saw, albeit only on the screen. Ian Stewart's snatching of the bronze from miles out ........ I have no words! The top four were legends - week after week unfailingly winning.
It's 46 years later, and I'm still watching this and saying, "C'mon Pre". As if, my encouragement will change the 4th place outcome. Pre was my only hero in life. Used to watch him run in person at L.A. Times and Sunkist indoor races in Los Angeles.
To the Finns. Wasn't Paavo Naomi an olympic champion also. The flyin' Finn. I was told that Viren was the first to successfully blood dope before it was declared illegal. No illegal drugs just harvesting blood after moderate training span several weeks prior to competition than reintroduction that high protien blood prior to major competition.
"Bear" who are you? I ran with Shorter and Pre in Long Beach in '72 and competed in Sunkist that year. Thought I might know you after all these years. Peace
Bizarrely Lackie Stewart actually didn’t want the Bronze afterward as he was just focused on the Gold. I’d given up on him winning the medal as he was out of the picture; I couldn’t believe it when he bolted in third. Viren definitely cut up the American , as he was getting ready to kick for home and it so put him of his stride.
I read at the time in a reputable athletics' magazine that just before a truly major race Viren had a (then quite legal) total oxygenating blood change. Viren has a blistering finish, even though not quite as quick as Vaatainan. Big Bren (Foster) took him apart several times mid-race typically with a 60 secs. lap.
@@keithmaxine7163 Weak argument, could use to any legend, if wanted! At those days there were no annual Diamond league series or a like. So it was basically same for every runner who wanted to achieve something really big. So, get over it! ; )
@@oldtimer7635 Viren was something special. Winning the 5000 and 10000m in '72 and again in '76; even after falling! They still had to run in heats to qualify for the 5000 and 10000m finals at the Olympics in his day.
Still painful to watch almost 5 decades later. Great clarity. I’ve watched this race over a hundred times. Pre ran a gutsy race. He never settled. Going for the win cost him a metal. Go Pre.
do you think at 2 laps to go he doesn't grab the lead but lays back (against his every instinct as a runner)? he medals or better ? i feel yes he would have , he looked like the best in the field , how i wish we would have seen him run in Montreal and Moscow and LA
If he gad geld off the pace he would have win the bronze. One thing that was obvious was the absence of East African athletes. To think that as they entered the final lap Bekele would have been finishing in his world record race
Pre was SUCH a tough little runner. He had to work so much harder than everyone else, but he had the most amazing vô2 max(STILL among the top 50 EVER recorded)& guys for days. Such a shame his life was cut short
I think it's because in Europe they had a different video standard for broadcast than we have here in the states. They have PAL-SECAM and we have NTSC - at least pre-digital signal days. PAL-SECAM is much higher resolution.
Pre was all over the place, Viren hugged the kerb and saved energy he out thought Pre. I think with four more years experience Pre would have been ready for Viren in Montreal. Its a tragedy that it never happened RIP Pre.
With 200 to go, Pre ran out of gas. Prior to Munich, he inadvertently told the Press he was going to run the last 1600 in less than 4 min. That gave away his plan and Viren steamed up his training for that. Viren ran the last 1600 at 4 min! And Pre barely behind his prediction. Valiant effort and sad to see that he didn't medal. Still my hero. Fight on Pre!
The 1976 5000 was a magnificent race for Viren, a masterpiece, but this one in 1972 is instructive. Notice how Viren - let's not forget, the recently credentialed world 2-mile and European 5000 record holder, and THEN breaks the 5000 WR 5 days after this race - holds the inside lane, never wasting time or distance, with economy of movement, patience, and control. In contrast, notice how Pre - with a US 5000 record but with very little international experience - is surging, relaxing, running wide around curves, hyper exaggerated arm swings and body movement, and the constant surges over the last two laps, all expending energy. And that last surge at 200m to go, only to stop himself yet again to wait for a straightaway sprint that never comes, is incomprehensible. No wonder he ran out of gas. Yes, he was a prodigy, from high school onward. But a world beater? From this race -- with true competition, unlike in the US where he overpowered inferior athletes - his flaws in racing tactics, patience, and ultimate speed become very evident. People often ask if things would have been different in 1976, when Viren destroyed milers in the 5000. Pre was never a pure miler and I believe would have been left floundering. But of course we will never know.
I believe after Pre had four years to really hone in his fundamentals and get more experience internationally he would have a great chance at the gold in 1976
@@haydenpadgett6431 Haha, there were many tougher racers in 1976, like Quax, Dixon, and Hildenbrandt. I think Prefontaine would have had hard time to try to defend his 4th place position.
Pre probably ran 50 meters farther than the winner by running the second lane so long. He wanted to be a miler but just wasn't built for it. Bauerman was in the process of fine tuning him as a distance runner.
Yes Gammoudi's running style is unique in that he constantly looks back to check who's chasing after him instead of putting down his head and giving the race his all! This running style got him the silver! He might have been good enough for the gold!
Such great colour quality considering it is almost 50 years ago. Thanks for all your uploads. These races first caught my interest as a child and I went on to become a fairly decent middle distance runner in my teens and 20s.
Yes, unique in that it's constantly looking back to check who's chasing after him instead of putting down his head and giving the race his all! He got silver this way instead of gold!
It was the result of the best training available and running many kilometers a week all the time on Finland's country roads! Finns have a storied past of long distance runners! You build up stamina with so much practice! Nothing tricky about that formula!
He needed more discipline, smarts combination IMO. Of all his big races I've seen on video, he runs like an animal in them, not a smart, wily, experienced professional....like Viren did. No denying his talent or heart....but was proven you need MORE than that.
many gave there heart out in that race, there endurance to still have so many kicks is astounding to the rest of us, what pre lacked was better strategy and he never liked that to begin with that was his problem ,he had combo of speed and strategy but not enough strategy ,going for the gut race was his mistake here ,he should have either done that all the way or done just strategy and he would of possibly had the kick to beat them by a land slide
This video shows the big tactical error Pre made in this race. He’s expecting David Bedford to begin pushing the pace around the halfway point, and is waiting to time his move with Bedford’s. Five laps in, Bedford moves to the front of the pack; Pre runs way wide around the next turn to stay on his shoulder. The problem is, Bedford isn’t in his best form on this day, and he’s not looking to finish from a long way out. Seven laps to go, six laps to go: Pre’s in a position to attack, but he’s waiting on a surge from Bedford that isn’t coming. Coming up to five laps to go, the contenders make their way to the front of the pack, and Pre is boxed in. He finds a way out on the next lap, but there’s only a mile left now, and the best chance to take the kicks out of the fast finishers has gone.
I know nothing about running, so without the tactical error does Pre when this race or was he never going to beat Viren no matter what he tried other than substances?
If he had ran the way he normally did, front running from the gun, he would have burnt everyone else out. Unfortunately he didn't have the typical runner build so him hanging with the guys with the longer legs while they were running their normal race styles left him basically no chance to win. If he had run up front from the get, the only one who would have had a chance to run him down at the end would have been Viren and even he would likely have faltered due to the massive strain of trying to stay close to Pre while he was pushing them harder than ever. At that point Pre could keep running his top speed and the others wouldn't have enough gas to throw down their usual kicks and utilize their longer legs. The problem was two fold, they (his coaches) got a little gun shy and made up an unusual race plan for him to follow and it didn't suit him at all, and the other problem was that Viren was an absolute monster and they underestimated how much they'd capitalize on the first mistake with the race plan. I really wish he'd have just run his race the way he always did and left it all out there, they changed plans shortly before the race too, they initially were just going to have Steve run his normal (well normal for Steve) way but got a little twitchy after Viren won the 10k.
Prefontaine wasted alot of energy in that race. He should've just stayed behind Viren and matched his kick. Thinking he could just run these guys into the ground was a mistake. This ain't college.
I am not sure in a 250 or 300m kick he could have beat them e. I think he did what he had to to try and win. Not being a speedster (kicker) his best shot was to run away from the competition. We see this discrepancy still today. The greatest runners set world 5000/10000 world records. The greatest kickers win Olympic 5000/10000 golds.
I like the way Bootsy Bedford waits for his friend Juha Vaatainen to finish. That's what track & field is all about. He finished last, unfortunately, no doubt due to injury, but a beautiful runner to watch.
Prefontaine ran such a gutsy race but you can see that he pushed himself too hard too early in that last charge down the back straight (where he can't seem to over take mohammed Gammoudi). You can notice it in how he adjusts his stride and tucks in behind Lasse Viren. Movies aside, I bet Pre knew he was gassed and couldn't win but was thinking "I'm just gonna settle in behind viren and get me a medal" and he either didn't see or didn't count on Ian Stewart making his own late surge. The group was so close together right up to the end, it could have easily swung in Pre''s favor had he saved that last surge for the home straight He just got beat, lots of track races at all levels go that way: one guy runs a gutsy performance only to be overtaken at the end.
TheWonderStraw Stewart admitted later that he was content on finishing 4th once the 3 pulled away on the backstretch but got surprised once Pre faded down the stretch which allowed him 2 make that last jump 2 steal the bronze!!!!
Pre didn't push the pace EARLY enough. The race was too slow early on to play to his strength. He was the type of runner that had to wear out his competitors over the entire race with his endurance. That takes away his competitors' otherwise superior kick because they're exhausted. But maybe he'd have been beat anyway...he was only 21 here.
interesting to watch this type of race. really toe to toe bravely not just like todays runner just wanting to keep following and at last kick sprint and win. salute for old days runners they are true fighter racer.
We can talk about would've and should've with Prefontaine in this race for 50 years, but the fact is we saw the whole race before our eyes and he was outrun by 3 other people in this race. he was young and he was naive to think that the world's best racers were somehow going to bend over and let him dictate the race. Instead, others dictated the pace. he must have thought that as long as stayed with the pack until the last mile, he could break the pack by running the last mile in 4 minutes. Prefontaine ended up running a 4:04 instead. He lost the gold by a full 2 seconds. He didn't even have a kick in the last 100meters, and didn't have the strength to chase the 3 runners who passed him in the final stretch. But he was very young here, and it was his first Olympics, and the 2 days leading up to the race were surrounded by the Black September events unfolding just a few hundred yards from where this race was held. Prefontaine was beat in this race. period. You guys should focus on the Dave Waddle 800 finals race instead. Waddle came from way in the back to steal the gold from the frontrunners in the final seconds. IMHO, it is one of the greatest races ever run.
Pre had a lot working against him in this race. I honestly think pre could of silvered. He burned himself out making all those moves and not running the bends, he ran so much in lane 2.
Every time I see this race I keep saying "C'mon Pre you can do it".....He was so good and had a passion for the sport which is incomparable even to this day.
Pre ran a lot further than Viren, but he was still improving and he was trying to win...agreed he should have just stayed inside behind vixen, and he would have medaled
We pity Prefontaine for his tactical errors, such as running so many bends (curves) wide, and giving Viren a handicap of over 40 meters. Of course, we grieve for his untimely death at the age of 24 in May 1975. That being written, it would have been tough for the other competitors to defeat Viren in this 5,000-meter final, even with better tactics. Viren amazingly peaked his fitness for the 1972 and the 1976 Summer Olympics. As a Finnish expatriate and a Christian global citizen living in the Philippines, I appreciate the sincere, compassionate, merciful, and righteous people LITERALLY all over the world. Have a wonderful and blessed remainder of the summer of 2024 - and the time beyond this season!
A tactical race , Pre made a couple of mistakes but still was there at the end ! Made mistakes near the mid point! My opinion! He was truly a great runner
I had seen Pre race several times in the US in the years leading up to the '72 Olympics, and in the years afterwards. This is not meant to be disrespect towards him, but he never impressed me as a runner with the talent to have a strong finishing kick, as he usually managed to put distance between himself and the competition leading up to the finish. Outside of the '72 Olympic Games, I saw where those competitors staying close to Pre, that they could out-kick him at the finish. What vividly comes to mind was the mile race at the San Francisco Examiner Indoor Track & Field Games at the Cow Palace, in the Winter of 1974. In that race, Pre got dusted by South African Fanie Van Zilj, Marty Liquori, and Len Hilton, at the finish, because they had finishing kicks, and Pre didn't.
Lot of 'if only' comments regarding Pre here but speaking as a Brit I well remember how disappointed we were that Stewart's amazing finishing kick was too little and too late - Ian himself was so disgusted by his race tactics that day he had to be talked out of flinging his bronze medal over the stand...
Pre didn’t relax first 9 mins running wide wasting energy and metres. I think running in lane 2 and wide in lane 1 he lost 15-20m. Really in a 5000m be relaxed and run on the kerb and only run 5000m. I believe if Pre relaxed and run on the line he’d of got the fight for the gold in him that day. Tactically looking at Viren he was relaxed on the kerb all the way.
Viren was world-class, and was always going to beat this field in a tactical race. Prefontaine would certainly have got a medal if he stopped his stupid surges off and on, slowing down and speeding up. Knackered on the last lap he had nothing left. He never learned to race properly, if he had done, who knows. Still never would beat Viren, on of the all-time greats and my favourite track runners, I was in no doubt this day, or with the 10000m.
Really what an idiotic comment, I remember this race. He was only effing 21, or something like that. And still, finished 4th against a drugged up Viren. Think before you post here moron!
I watched this to remember Virren. I had forgotten that Pre was in this race. Man, with about 500m left it really looked like Pre was going to just destroy them all like he often did in those days, but he just didn't have enough juice. Look at how things have changed in the world of distance running. There wasn't a single black athlete in that race. Now there are almost no white athletes at that level ... at least not in any leading group of the best 8-10 runners. Why weren't there any Africans running in the 5,000m final? There were 3 Kenyans, 2 Ethiopians and a Moroccan in the heats but incredibly none of them made the final.
It is all about purposeful investment in African athletes. They are on a more level training with western countries. Finally nutrition, acceptable facilities and opportunity to compete on highest leavel have brought them great success.
Russ, we will never know of course but it's great to speculate. However, the flying Kiwis had come to the fore. Dick Quax (new world record holder) Rod Dixon. 1500m bronze medalist from 1500m in 72 plus others, had all surpassed Pre. He had improved: but many others had improved more. So it is doubtful Pre would have been successful at Montreal. (I was there but only watching!) Although the lack of the African runners due to the boycott would have helped Pre to at least make the final. There were at least a dozen Africans faster than Pre at that time. Note: Viren was brilliant in the final at Montreal.
I think one reason the video quality is so good is with the PAL format used in most parts of the world at the time, which has a higher video resolution than what the North American NTSC format offered.
Thanks for informing us the spoken language of the announcers, and for writing your comment in English, as I'm clueless when it comes to Nordic languages.
My cross country team did a training run and then stopped at one of our team mate's house and watched the race together. Gutsy race but his strategy was a little off. He did beat Viren in a different race a year or so later and with the additional experience would've been an even stronger contender next olympics. Broke my heart when he died.
I don't think so! Look at the 5000 meter race in the 1976 Olympics. It was absolutely stacked with former 1500 runners that had a big kick and that Africa boycotted the olympics.
@@flamingored960 That race was slow for 1976. If Pre had set a fast pace in 72 he would've broke everyone except Viren and he would've broke everyone again except Viren. So another silver medal.
God what heartbreak. He made one fatal error with 300 to go, making that gigantic move too soon. He may not have won, but certainly a medal if he had not wasted 100 meters of sprinting on the backstretch.
Greatest race of all time...Bedford not only screwed the pooch but completely knocked Pre from medaling...Viren was magnificent...but The winning time here was sooo slow and was hugely behind Pre’s qualifying time at the American Olympic trials...a total luster f-k!
There was just too many mistakes Pre did during this race. If he was a little more patient and stuck with Viren he would have had a chance. But we know he was arrogant and had a large ego but that can lead to your downfall. Either way he was a great runner in his day may he rest in peace. The sport of distance running requires patience. Pre should have realised this was an Olympic final competing against the best in the world. This was not some throwaway college race where he could have raced with arrogance. He paid the price for it.
Had Pre set a fast pace like he usually did, he would've been in the inside lane instead of running in the 2nd lane, and he would've broke everyone except Viren and got a silver medal for himself. Was he cocky? Absolutely but so was Ali. As far as Viren, we will never know if he blood doped in 72 & 76. It was legal back then.
Ha! ha! Good one! You fooled me. At first I thought he must be an athlete. Then Spanish or something........Yes, I remember the "flying Finn". I watched the whole Munich Olympics on TV in 1972. Never done that since.
I heard the opening of these Games on a Cristal Radio that I had just made/finished on the day. I was 11 and happy to to be able to lay in my bed listening and then SHIT invaded, I was too young to understand. Great Race and they all put their heart into the sport they loved. John, Australia.
If you watch the tactics, quite a few racers were taking lead n shifting positions. With 800m, Pre pushed arnd 60 but all top guys were with him. Maybe he shouldn't have surged w 300m because it did nothing, he seemed to wait and geared up for last 100m but a guy smoked him n almost won
Yes ! Gammoudi: Gold medal - 1968 Mexico City 5000 metres Silver medal - 1964 Tokyo 10000 metres Silver medal - 1972 Munich 5000 metres Bronze medal - 1968 Mexico City 10000 metres
Stewart said Pre was to out of touch with the class in Europe,. Pre said he would run 4 mins in the last mile in the final like that it was a threat when Stewart knew he could run 4 in the last and that Viren could definitely run a 4 in the last. He was a bit naive but you had to had it to him he had balls.
Your posting name is the name of the man who I think was the greatest athlete of the last 50 years of the 20th century, Herb Elliot.The greatest middle distance runner ,probably in history,never mind the 20th century .Unbeatable.
@@richardmilliken8705 Yes,Elliott would have kept to one race,the mile/1500 metres.I would still put Elliott at number one,the winner ,but for just that one race / mile / 1500 .,no other !
man once the third guy came you can tell pre seemed to have given up hope and juts lost his stride at 9:16 bowing down slow, it was very sad to see this, but i think had he had a better strategy he could have possibly beat them all by a land slide
The reality is that should have Prefontaine survived, the best he would have done in 1976 is get the silver. I think we could all agree that Pre could not outkick Viren in the 1976 10,000. Lopes and Pre would have fought for the silver. Had Prefontaine run the 5,000 in the 1976 Olympics, his only chance would be to do the same race as in 1972 and try to run the last mile under 4 minutes. Cause Quax and Dixon had beaten Prefontaine on kicks consistently. Still I don't see Pre getting any medal in the 5,000 only the 10,000. Hard one to swallow for this big PRE fan.
Had he competed in the Montreal 5K it's very likely he would have finished 4th again. As some people have said he might have been a better marathon runner as he got older.
At that time (early seventies), nobody in the world could beat Lasse Virén, even Gammoudi ! I remember Munich (I was a young teenager), also with the great and so elegant Russian, Valeri Borzov in 100 m ... Thanks a lot for this video, with so very good colors [for that time] .....
Yes I agree that at first sight Viren appears to have been an athlete from another universe,he was so good.Unfortunately the revelations in later years about the Finns using unorthodox means to help win races,which at the time was not illegal ,but very immoral, has tainted Virens image for life.Many people within the sport believe the rumours to have some credibility, especially after Virens 1976 triumphs. I don't think that dark shadow cast over Virens victories will ever be lifted ,not helped by his off the cuff, evasive answers when asked about the rumours ,even to this very day ,so perhaps we will never know..
A truly legendary race. Never were there so many great runners in one epic race.
An astute observation in which I concur. Being involved in the sport myself since 1962, for me it was the greatest race I ever saw, albeit only on the screen. Ian Stewart's snatching of the bronze from miles out ........ I have no words! The top four were legends - week after week unfailingly winning.
It's 46 years later, and I'm still watching this and saying, "C'mon Pre". As if, my encouragement will change the 4th place outcome. Pre was my only hero in life. Used to watch him run in person at L.A. Times and Sunkist indoor races in Los Angeles.
I agree. I am also still trying to will a medal placing for Pre
@John Taylor-Cox And I have confidence that Viren will win, as I had in 1972 as an 8-year-old.
To the Finns. Wasn't Paavo Naomi an olympic champion also. The flyin' Finn. I was told that Viren was the first to successfully blood dope before it was declared illegal. No illegal drugs just harvesting blood after moderate training span several weeks prior to competition than reintroduction that high protien blood prior to major competition.
"Bear" who are you? I ran with Shorter and Pre in Long Beach in '72 and competed in Sunkist that year. Thought I might know you after all these years. Peace
Bizarrely Lackie Stewart actually didn’t want the Bronze afterward as he was just focused on the Gold. I’d given up on him winning the medal as he was out of the picture; I couldn’t believe it when he bolted in third. Viren definitely cut up the American , as he was getting ready to kick for home and it so put him of his stride.
Lasse Viren forever, an unbelievable athlete!
I read at the time in a reputable athletics' magazine that just before a truly major race Viren had a (then quite legal) total oxygenating blood change. Viren has a blistering finish, even though not quite as quick as Vaatainan. Big Bren (Foster) took him apart several times mid-race typically with a 60 secs. lap.
Lasse viren, an incredible athlete, and my compatriot! Thank you for this video.
No form for 4 years then wins easy.
Drug user for certain.
@@keithmaxine7163 Weak argument, could use to any legend, if wanted! At those days there were no annual Diamond league series or a like. So it was basically same for every runner who wanted to achieve something really big. So, get over it! ; )
@@oldtimer7635
Viren was something special. Winning the 5000 and 10000m in '72 and again in '76; even after falling!
They still had to run in heats to qualify for the 5000 and 10000m finals at the Olympics in his day.
@@keithmaxine7163 Or Blood Doping.
@@stephenherring Bad loser...😎
Still painful to watch almost 5 decades later. Great clarity. I’ve watched this race over a hundred times. Pre ran a gutsy race. He never settled. Going for the win cost him a metal. Go Pre.
do you think at 2 laps to go he doesn't grab the lead but lays back (against his every instinct as a runner)? he medals or better ? i feel yes he would have , he looked like the best in the field , how i wish we would have seen him run in Montreal and Moscow and LA
If he gad geld off the pace he would have win the bronze. One thing that was obvious was the absence of East African athletes. To think that as they entered the final lap Bekele would have been finishing in his world record race
@@anthonyparkinson5544 The Kenyans including Ben Jipcho, got knocked out in the heats and Yifter missed the start of his heat.
Every time I watch this, I have that glimmer of hope that he will medal, no matter how many times I see it...
Mohamed gammoudi is my oncle
He's SO close to getting that bronze...
Who is "he"? Why are you talking about like the video is about 1 (unnamed) person?
@@Rapora9 Steve Prefontaine.
What a quality field, and Ian Stewart medals yet again, great runner.
Pre was SUCH a tough little runner. He had to work so much harder than everyone else, but he had the most amazing vô2 max(STILL among the top 50 EVER recorded)& guys for days. Such a shame his life was cut short
The picture quality is the best that I have yet to see for this race. Thank you. Go Pre!
You know why--it is Finnish video! Can you spell Nokia? They have always been electronics wizards.
@@sikaerkki666hank you Viren... best quality.
I think it's because in Europe they had a different video standard for broadcast than we have here in the states. They have PAL-SECAM and we have NTSC - at least pre-digital signal days. PAL-SECAM is much higher resolution.
@@billplaney2585 Yes it was and is PAL in Finland, not PAL-SECAM. 3 things PAL, SECAM and NTSC .
Pre was all over the place, Viren hugged the kerb and saved energy he out thought Pre. I think with four more years experience Pre would have been ready for Viren in Montreal. Its a tragedy that it never happened RIP Pre.
With 200 to go, Pre ran out of gas. Prior to Munich, he inadvertently told the Press he was going to run the last 1600 in less than 4 min. That gave away his plan and Viren steamed up his training for that. Viren ran the last 1600 at 4 min! And Pre barely behind his prediction. Valiant effort and sad to see that he didn't medal. Still my hero. Fight on Pre!
This is my second favorite race of all-time.
Seeing Prefontaine die at the end never gets old...lol
The 1976 5000 was a magnificent race for Viren, a masterpiece, but this one in 1972 is instructive. Notice how Viren - let's not forget, the recently credentialed world 2-mile and European 5000 record holder, and THEN breaks the 5000 WR 5 days after this race - holds the inside lane, never wasting time or distance, with economy of movement, patience, and control. In contrast, notice how Pre - with a US 5000 record but with very little international experience - is surging, relaxing, running wide around curves, hyper exaggerated arm swings and body movement, and the constant surges over the last two laps, all expending energy. And that last surge at 200m to go, only to stop himself yet again to wait for a straightaway sprint that never comes, is incomprehensible. No wonder he ran out of gas. Yes, he was a prodigy, from high school onward. But a world beater? From this race -- with true competition, unlike in the US where he overpowered inferior athletes - his flaws in racing tactics, patience, and ultimate speed become very evident. People often ask if things would have been different in 1976, when Viren destroyed milers in the 5000. Pre was never a pure miler and I believe would have been left floundering. But of course we will never know.
I believe after Pre had four years to really hone in his fundamentals and get more experience internationally he would have a great chance at the gold in 1976
Don't forget looking around constantly for no reason.
@@haydenpadgett6431 More likely not; he was nearing burnout, sad to say.
@@haydenpadgett6431 Haha, there were many tougher racers in 1976, like Quax, Dixon, and Hildenbrandt. I think Prefontaine would have had hard time to try to defend his 4th place position.
Pre probably ran 50 meters farther than the winner by running the second lane so long. He wanted to be a miler but just wasn't built for it. Bauerman was in the process of fine tuning him as a distance runner.
En finsk legend!!!!!! 👍🇫🇮👍🇸🇪👍🇺🇦
Yes Gammoudi's running style is unique in that he constantly looks back to check who's chasing after him instead of putting down his head and giving the race his all!
This running style got him the silver! He might have been good enough for the gold!
Excellent footage...incredible race
Such great colour quality considering it is almost 50 years ago. Thanks for all your uploads. These races first caught my interest as a child and I went on to become a fairly decent middle distance runner in my teens and 20s.
Gammoudi run style is unique.. Great champion.
Yes, unique in that it's constantly looking back to check who's chasing after him instead of putting down his head and giving the race his all! He got silver this way instead of gold!
Lasse Viren makes it look all so effortless, inside track, jogging along
It was the result of the best training available and running many kilometers a week all the time on Finland's country roads! Finns have a storied past of long distance runners! You build up stamina with so much practice! Nothing tricky about that formula!
Cool as a Cucumber😊LASSE!!!!
@@williedaniels3882 some blood transfusions came in handy also.
Drug user
@@huzcer along with the drugs
Nobody can ever question Prefontaine's heart. He gave it all he had.
He needed more discipline, smarts combination IMO. Of all his big races I've seen on video, he runs like an animal in them, not a smart, wily, experienced professional....like Viren did. No denying his talent or heart....but was proven you need MORE than that.
I thought Pre was going to surge into the lead with 300m to go. We’ll never know if he could have finished 3rd if he’s gone for broke at 300.
I think they all gave it all they had. It was after all the olympics
many gave there heart out in that race, there endurance to still have so many kicks is astounding to the rest of us, what pre lacked was better strategy and he never liked that to begin with that was his problem ,he had combo of speed and strategy but not enough strategy ,going for the gut race was his mistake here ,he should have either done that all the way or done just strategy and he would of possibly had the kick to beat them by a land slide
@@-ShootTheGlass- 300? i think he would have been dead at 100 left had he tried that
He was so stubborn. Pushing the pace constantly... i wish he had medald, it breaks my heart
Baby Blue your right!!!!!!!!
This video shows the big tactical error Pre made in this race. He’s expecting David Bedford to begin pushing the pace around the halfway point, and is waiting to time his move with Bedford’s. Five laps in, Bedford moves to the front of the pack; Pre runs way wide around the next turn to stay on his shoulder. The problem is, Bedford isn’t in his best form on this day, and he’s not looking to finish from a long way out.
Seven laps to go, six laps to go: Pre’s in a position to attack, but he’s waiting on a surge from Bedford that isn’t coming. Coming up to five laps to go, the contenders make their way to the front of the pack, and Pre is boxed in. He finds a way out on the next lap, but there’s only a mile left now, and the best chance to take the kicks out of the fast finishers has gone.
Classic in american culture to feel the best. My respects for that overcome from 4th to 3rd place!!
I know nothing about running, so without the tactical error does Pre when this race or was he never going to beat Viren no matter what he tried other than substances?
If he had ran the way he normally did, front running from the gun, he would have burnt everyone else out. Unfortunately he didn't have the typical runner build so him hanging with the guys with the longer legs while they were running their normal race styles left him basically no chance to win.
If he had run up front from the get, the only one who would have had a chance to run him down at the end would have been Viren and even he would likely have faltered due to the massive strain of trying to stay close to Pre while he was pushing them harder than ever. At that point Pre could keep running his top speed and the others wouldn't have enough gas to throw down their usual kicks and utilize their longer legs.
The problem was two fold, they (his coaches) got a little gun shy and made up an unusual race plan for him to follow and it didn't suit him at all, and the other problem was that Viren was an absolute monster and they underestimated how much they'd capitalize on the first mistake with the race plan. I really wish he'd have just run his race the way he always did and left it all out there, they changed plans shortly before the race too, they initially were just going to have Steve run his normal (well normal for Steve) way but got a little twitchy after Viren won the 10k.
i'm crying thinking about Pre right now! Rest in peace, brother! You ran a great race!
No he didn't. He wasted loads of energy running wide and changing pace to no purpose.
Mohamed gammoudi is my oncle
Agree Pre ran a very poor tactical race.
@@markcynic808 Technically you are right, but spiritually you are wrong. Pre ran according to his passionate philosophy.
LASSE VIREN..the best of his ERA.. unique accomplishments..a DEER 🦌
Super la vidéo, la belle époque.
Double gold for Lasse Viren ☺
PRE IS WAS GREAT RUNNER.LEGEND FOR EVER YOUNG
Prefontaine wasted alot of energy in that race. He should've just stayed behind Viren and matched his kick. Thinking he could just run these guys into the ground was a mistake. This ain't college.
Agreed. A lot of unnecessary little surges that got him nowhere, he lacked the patience.
I am not sure in a 250 or 300m kick he could have beat them e. I think he did what he had to to try and win. Not being a speedster (kicker) his best shot was to run away from the competition. We see this discrepancy still today. The greatest runners set world 5000/10000 world records. The greatest kickers win Olympic 5000/10000 golds.
@@DMGC529 Also wasted a lot of time looking around, he ran the outside lane. He needed more international racing experience.
Fantastic Quality...One of the Best! #WeGetShipDone
Gained an appreciation for Ian Stewart after this. And I mean after watching this years ago. What an effort!
I like the way Bootsy Bedford waits for his friend Juha Vaatainen to finish. That's what track & field is all about. He finished last, unfortunately, no doubt due to injury, but a beautiful runner to watch.
Prefontaine ran such a gutsy race but you can see that he pushed himself too hard too early in that last charge down the back straight (where he can't seem to over take mohammed Gammoudi). You can notice it in how he adjusts his stride and tucks in behind Lasse Viren. Movies aside, I bet Pre knew he was gassed and couldn't win but was thinking "I'm just gonna settle in behind viren and get me a medal" and he either didn't see or didn't count on Ian Stewart making his own late surge. The group was so close together right up to the end, it could have easily swung in Pre''s favor had he saved that last surge for the home straight
He just got beat, lots of track races at all levels go that way: one guy runs a gutsy performance only to be overtaken at the end.
TheWonderStraw Stewart admitted later that he was content on finishing 4th once the 3 pulled away on the backstretch but got surprised once Pre faded down the stretch which allowed him 2 make that last jump 2 steal the bronze!!!!
could not agree more, that charge at the start of the last 300 was his problem, he used valuable atp he would desperately need in the last 80
Well said.
Pre didn't push the pace EARLY enough. The race was too slow early on to play to his strength. He was the type of runner that had to wear out his competitors over the entire race with his endurance. That takes away his competitors' otherwise superior kick because they're exhausted. But maybe he'd have been beat anyway...he was only 21 here.
@@thomasmoen9110 Finally, an intelligent comment here.
interesting to watch this type of race. really toe to toe bravely not just like todays runner just wanting to keep following and at last kick sprint and win. salute for old days runners they are true fighter racer.
Pre never got his second chance at the next olimpics. Sad.
Viren would have again slaughtered him.
We can talk about would've and should've with Prefontaine in this race for 50 years, but the fact is we saw the whole race before our eyes and he was outrun by 3 other people in this race. he was young and he was naive to think that the world's best racers were somehow going to bend over and let him dictate the race. Instead, others dictated the pace. he must have thought that as long as stayed with the pack until the last mile, he could break the pack by running the last mile in 4 minutes. Prefontaine ended up running a 4:04 instead. He lost the gold by a full 2 seconds. He didn't even have a kick in the last 100meters, and didn't have the strength to chase the 3 runners who passed him in the final stretch. But he was very young here, and it was his first Olympics, and the 2 days leading up to the race were surrounded by the Black September events unfolding just a few hundred yards from where this race was held. Prefontaine was beat in this race. period. You guys should focus on the Dave Waddle 800 finals race instead. Waddle came from way in the back to steal the gold from the frontrunners in the final seconds. IMHO, it is one of the greatest races ever run.
Wottle.
Pre had a lot working against him in this race. I honestly think pre could of silvered. He burned himself out making all those moves and not running the bends, he ran so much in lane 2.
Pre ran a young man’s race. Rookie errors. No one was going to beat Viren that day.
Every time I see this race I keep saying "C'mon Pre you can do it".....He was so good and had a passion for the sport which is incomparable even to this day.
Pre ran a lot further than Viren, but he was still improving and he was trying to win...agreed he should have just stayed inside behind vixen, and he would have medaled
Великий финн! Затем пришли эфиопы и иные негры.
Viren ran a totally smart race. Pre did just the opposite.
Prefontaine ran the longest distance, being almost all the time in the outer lanes. Viren did the opposite.
Great quality! Even if I can't understand the commentary! 😜
I was wondering myself what language it was-Finnish perhaps?
@@stevebbuk Yes. And even if you can't understand a word, it's still a lot better than bloody Colemanballs!
The Americans underestimated the quality of the European athletes Ian Stewart. Came like a train and would have run through a brick wall to the end
Pre seems to have run most of the race in lanes 2 or even 3. A lot of extra running. Viren almost never outside lane 1
Yes, Viren even filtered out the middle of the pack late in the race when he was boxed in.
Pre ran an extra 80 meters and had he set a fast pace he would've broke everyone except Viren.
I just watched that for the 15th time, and I don't believe it: Pre won this time ;)
We pity Prefontaine for his tactical errors, such as running so many bends (curves) wide, and giving Viren a handicap of over 40 meters. Of course, we grieve for his untimely death at the age of 24 in May 1975. That being written, it would have been tough for the other competitors to defeat Viren in this 5,000-meter final, even with better tactics. Viren amazingly peaked his fitness for the 1972 and the 1976 Summer Olympics. As a Finnish expatriate and a Christian global citizen living in the Philippines, I appreciate the sincere, compassionate, merciful, and righteous people LITERALLY all over the world. Have a wonderful and blessed remainder of the summer of 2024 - and the time beyond this season!
Prefontaine spent so much time running on the outside of the group he must have run an extra 50 meters.
The voice of this clip belongs to Mr Anssi Kukkonen, he is now 90 years of age and plays golf very active in Finland and other countries ...
A tactical race , Pre made a couple of mistakes but still was there at the end ! Made mistakes near the mid point! My opinion! He was truly a great runner
Men's 5000m On Roids- And Kukkonen slighly intoxicated. Oh Those were the days...
Lasse Viren "Olympic Games":1972; 5000m #1. 10 000m #1.
1976; 5000m #1. 10 000m #1.
1980; 10 000m #5.
And also 1976: marathon #5 (less than 24 hours after the 5000m gold)
Cheater... blood doper
@@fleetfoot75 , just rumours. How do you know that Prefontaine wasn´t doped?
I had seen Pre race several times in the US in the years leading up to the '72 Olympics, and in the years afterwards. This is not meant to be disrespect towards him, but he never impressed me as a runner with the talent to have a strong finishing kick, as he usually managed to put distance between himself and the competition leading up to the finish. Outside of the '72 Olympic Games, I saw where those competitors staying close to Pre, that they could out-kick him at the finish. What vividly comes to mind was the mile race at the San Francisco Examiner Indoor Track & Field Games at the Cow Palace, in the Winter of 1974. In that race, Pre got dusted by South African Fanie Van Zilj, Marty Liquori, and Len Hilton, at the finish, because they had finishing kicks, and Pre didn't.
he was not in the same class as the European athletes. Trouble is, he did not know until it was too late.
Lot of 'if only' comments regarding Pre here but speaking as a Brit I well remember how disappointed we were that Stewart's amazing finishing kick was too little and too late - Ian himself was so disgusted by his race tactics that day he had to be talked out of flinging his bronze medal over the stand...
Pre didn’t relax first 9 mins running wide wasting energy and metres. I think running in lane 2 and wide in lane 1 he lost 15-20m. Really in a 5000m be relaxed and run on the kerb and only run 5000m.
I believe if Pre relaxed and run on the line he’d of got the fight for the gold in him that day. Tactically looking at Viren he was relaxed on the kerb all the way.
His first and last Olympics and Viren was an old pro at that point.
@@erzug Viren was neither old nor pro. He was 23 years old and was, like Pre, in his first Olympics. Moreover, he worked as a policeman.
believe what you will, he was out classed by so many other great runners
Dios todo poderozo te bendiga
@@erzug indeed 👍
So sad seeing Pre not medal! A true grit runner from Coos Bay
I think Pre would have made an excellent Marathon runner. He probably had several sub 210's waiting for him. But it wasn't meant to be.
He had good speed but not great speed compared to competition in the 5000. His ability to run through pain might have made him a great marathoner.
Viren ran always from the inside, it made the diference at the end
Viren was world-class, and was always going to beat this field in a tactical race. Prefontaine would certainly have got a medal if he stopped his stupid surges off and on, slowing down and speeding up. Knackered on the last lap he had nothing left. He never learned to race properly, if he had done, who knows. Still never would beat Viren, on of the all-time greats and my favourite track runners, I was in no doubt this day, or with the 10000m.
Really what an idiotic comment, I remember this race. He was only effing 21, or something like that. And still, finished 4th against a drugged up Viren. Think before you post here moron!
Une course vieille de 48 ans et les athlètes turbinaient comme des dingues ! Chapeau bas.
I watched this to remember Virren. I had forgotten that Pre was in this race. Man, with about 500m left it really looked like Pre was going to just destroy them all like he often did in those days, but he just didn't have enough juice. Look at how things have changed in the world of distance running. There wasn't a single black athlete in that race. Now there are almost no white athletes at that level ... at least not in any leading group of the best 8-10 runners. Why weren't there any Africans running in the 5,000m final? There were 3 Kenyans, 2 Ethiopians and a Moroccan in the heats but incredibly none of them made the final.
Mohammed Gammoudi was from Africa .
It is all about purposeful investment in African athletes. They are on a more level training with western countries. Finally nutrition, acceptable facilities and opportunity to compete on highest leavel have brought them great success.
Miruts Yifter of Ethiopia the bronze medallist in the 10,000m arrived too late for his heat and didn't make the final.
Love it ..
4:04ish last mile..
i64stupid is slower than world record 5k pace
i64stupid but still an amazing performance
Viren runs about 3.59,2 those last 4 laps. I don`t think he used allmost five seconds for the missing 9 meters. I would guess around 4.01.
The Flying Fin................VIREN!!!
Oh, what might have been........Pre would have DOMINATED the Montreal Games.
RIP Steve Prefontaine.
Russ, we will never know of course but it's great to speculate. However, the flying Kiwis had come to the fore. Dick Quax (new world record holder) Rod Dixon. 1500m bronze medalist from 1500m in 72 plus others, had all surpassed Pre. He had improved: but many others had improved more. So it is doubtful Pre would have been successful at Montreal. (I was there but only watching!) Although the lack of the African runners due to the boycott would have helped Pre to at least make the final. There were at least a dozen Africans faster than Pre at that time. Note: Viren was brilliant in the final at Montreal.
to dominate the field he would have to change his event, may by shotput, as he has the right build
www.nytimes.com/1976/08/01/archives/the-blood-scandal.html
African boycotted the Olympics in 1976 and the only chance that Pre could've medal was in the 10000 meters.
NICE TO WATCH IT
Julma-Juha on vielä myllikässä liikkeellä silloin tällöin
I think one reason the video quality is so good is with the PAL format used in most parts of the world at the time, which has a higher video resolution than what the North American NTSC format offered.
BTW--the announcers were speaking Finn! I know - I am 100% Finn. And this was just before Nokia and the Finnish rise in electronic superiority.
Thanks for informing us the spoken language of the announcers, and for writing your comment in English, as I'm clueless when it comes to Nordic languages.
My cross country team did a training run and then stopped at one of our team mate's house and watched the race together. Gutsy race but his strategy was a little off. He did beat Viren in a different race a year or so later and with the additional experience would've been an even stronger contender next olympics. Broke my heart when he died.
I don't think so! Look at the 5000 meter race in the 1976 Olympics. It was absolutely stacked with former 1500 runners that had a big kick and that Africa boycotted the olympics.
@@flamingored960 That race was slow for 1976. If Pre had set a fast pace in 72 he would've broke everyone except Viren and he would've broke everyone again except Viren. So another silver medal.
If you look at the body types vs todays athletes it is almost funny. Pre was still a tough gutty runner! RIP Bro!!!!
nice to watch this
Lasse Wiren in München gold 5000m and 10 000m fall and win.
Saludos y Abrazos desde la nasion de PANAMÀ
just beautfull
remember this well very well
built to run....so smooth and efficient
God what heartbreak. He made one fatal error with 300 to go, making that gigantic move too soon. He may not have won, but certainly a medal if he had not wasted 100 meters of sprinting on the backstretch.
Who "he"? There's no names mentioned in the title or description.
Greatest race of all time...Bedford not only screwed the pooch but completely knocked Pre from medaling...Viren was magnificent...but The winning time here was sooo slow and was hugely behind Pre’s qualifying time at the American Olympic trials...a total luster f-k!
It was only 4 seconds slower than Pre's winning time at the Trials. Not a "hugely" difference. And right after this, Viren took the WR down to 13:16.
There was just too many mistakes Pre did during this race. If he was a little more patient and stuck with Viren he would have had a chance. But we know he was arrogant and had a large ego but that can lead to your downfall.
Either way he was a great runner in his day may he rest in peace. The sport of distance running requires patience.
Pre should have realised this was an Olympic final competing against the best in the world. This was not some throwaway college race where he could have raced with arrogance.
He paid the price for it.
Had Pre set a fast pace like he usually did, he would've been in the inside lane instead of running in the 2nd lane, and he would've broke everyone except Viren and got a silver medal for himself. Was he cocky? Absolutely but so was Ali.
As far as Viren, we will never know if he blood doped in 72 & 76. It was legal back then.
If only Pre had been coached by Salazar! Wow I felt dirty just typing those words.
NICE TO WATCH THIS MY IDOLS PREFONTAINE VIREN AND THE GUY WHO LEADS
❤✌🙂
I LIKED IT....VIREN IS MY IDOL
nice to watch it...my idols viren. bedford
Bedford was my favourite runner before Ovett. Unlike Ovett he had no kick
the germans invented the HD technology in 1970
Pre is the most celebrated 4th placed Olympic athlete of all time
Among Americans
And for good reason
Ha! ha! Good one! You fooled me. At first I thought he must be an athlete. Then Spanish or something........Yes, I remember the "flying Finn". I watched the whole Munich Olympics on TV in 1972. Never done that since.
I heard the opening of these Games on a Cristal Radio that I had just made/finished on the day. I was 11 and happy to to be able to lay in my bed listening and then SHIT invaded, I was too young to understand. Great Race and they all put their heart into the sport they loved. John, Australia.
Mohamed gammoudi is my oncle
If you watch the tactics, quite a few racers were taking lead n shifting positions. With 800m, Pre pushed arnd 60 but all top guys were with him.
Maybe he shouldn't have surged w 300m because it did nothing, he seemed to wait and geared up for last 100m but a guy smoked him n almost won
le mie prime Olymbiade che ricordo'' con apertura fantastica'' tutto in onore della Greccia
Gran carrera
Isn't #904 the same guy that Billy Mills passed in the final straightaway in Tokyo '64? (Gamoudi?)
Yes !
Gammoudi:
Gold medal - 1968 Mexico City 5000 metres
Silver medal - 1964 Tokyo 10000 metres
Silver medal - 1972 Munich 5000 metres
Bronze medal - 1968 Mexico City 10000 metres
When European runners were Great!
Finland have won 7 gold medals 10000 running olympics! Etiopia have won 5 golds! Kenya have won only one in 1968!
NICE TO WATCH THIS
Stewart said Pre was to out of touch with the class in Europe,. Pre said he would run 4 mins in the last mile in the final like that it was a threat when Stewart knew he could run 4 in the last and that Viren could definitely run a 4 in the last. He was a bit naive but you had to had it to him he had balls.
Your posting name is the name of the man who I think was the greatest athlete of the last 50 years of the 20th century, Herb Elliot.The greatest middle distance runner ,probably in history,never mind the 20th century .Unbeatable.
@@djangorheinhardt I think Seb Coe & Peter Snell were more dominant in the 800m & 1500m at the Olympic Games.
@@richardmilliken8705 Yes,Elliott would have kept to one race,the mile/1500 metres.I would still put Elliott at number one,the winner ,but for just that one race / mile / 1500 .,no other !
MY IDOL
👍👍👍👍🔔🔔🔔🔔
man once the third guy came you can tell pre seemed to have given up hope and juts lost his stride at 9:16 bowing down slow, it was very sad to see this, but i think had he had a better strategy he could have possibly beat them all by a land slide
Hyvä Lasse
incroyable : aucun kenyan et aucun ethiopien !
1:53 last 800.
Actually Track and Field News reported 1:56.6 for last 800m.
The reality is that should have Prefontaine survived, the best he would have done in 1976 is get the silver. I think we could all agree that Pre could not outkick Viren in the 1976 10,000. Lopes and Pre would have fought for the silver. Had Prefontaine run the 5,000 in the 1976 Olympics, his only chance would be to do the same race as in 1972
and try to run the last mile under 4 minutes. Cause Quax and Dixon had beaten Prefontaine on kicks consistently. Still I don't see Pre getting any medal in the 5,000 only the 10,000. Hard one to swallow for this big PRE fan.
Had he competed in the Montreal 5K it's very likely he would have finished 4th again. As some people have said he might have been a better marathon runner as he got older.
They need to bring that USA singlet back STAT!!
Prefontaine my respect
l am from argentina
At that time (early seventies), nobody in the world could beat Lasse Virén, even Gammoudi !
I remember Munich (I was a young teenager), also with the great and so elegant Russian, Valeri Borzov in 100 m ...
Thanks a lot for this video, with so very good colors [for that time] .....
Yes I agree that at first sight Viren appears to have been an athlete from another universe,he was so good.Unfortunately the revelations in later years about the Finns using unorthodox means to help win races,which at the time was not illegal ,but very immoral, has tainted Virens image for life.Many people within the sport believe the rumours to have some credibility, especially after Virens 1976 triumphs. I don't think that dark shadow cast over Virens victories will ever be lifted ,not helped by his off the cuff, evasive answers when asked about the rumours ,even to this very day ,so perhaps we will never know..
Borzov isn't Russian, but Ukrainian!