I had not previously seen video of this race. Watching it unfold, I was reminded that there have been few sights in athletics more electric than Sebastian Coe in full flight. At his best, he seemed to flow rather than run, light on the balls of his feet and with a stride longer than one would expect from his height.
I met Seb's mum and dad up in the Crystal Palace stands at a BMC evening in September that year. I was with Frank Horwill, who'd suggested I run the 1,000m, against a certain David Warren. Coe had just run 3.29.77 in Italy which equates to a 3.45 mile. Peter Coe looked me up and down and said 'one tired, young runner!' ...I didn't have the heart to say I'd only just finished my warmup. [True story.] -Victor
@@deano27671Hey Deano Ha ha Luckily I didn;t make 'a right ricket' of the race: just the usual hanging-on for grim death! Hope you enjoyed the Worlds!!!!!! Vic.
Thanks Deano! I’ve been looking for this race online for years! I was there, cheering on Coe! This was the only time I ever got to see him race! Was a teenager, and just happened to be in London (over from US) for a couple days, and was super lucky that this meet was scheduled at Crystal Palace! I remember Coe taking his victory lap, and looking right at me waving as he ran by! Took a taxi to the meet, and a subway back to hotel I remember well. Got back late at night, and even had to avoid a solicitation by a beautiful girl on the way back to the hotel. What a great memorable evening for a young runner from America, whose favorite runner was - and always will be - the great Sebastian Coe! So glad I got to see him, though in the final twilight years of his glorious career! And that he won!
You're welcome. Glad the video brought back good memories. You were lucky to watch him in such good form. The 2 times I saw him live at Crystal Palace he was ill (in 83) and coming back (in 84) from injury. He practically won every othet race there! lol.
Coe's running style gets a lot of attention, rightly so, its very elegant and efficient. Something I've noticed about him, unlike most runners, when he "toes off" his feet point straight behind him with every stride, like he's flicking his foot, maximising the benefit from his drive phase, you normally only see that when top athletes are all out. He's got bloody massive thigh muscles as well.
really enjoy seeing races haven't seen before. credit to sebby for the win. gray was an up and down performer oddly. if he, gray wasn't leading, or very close from the get go, he often didn't seem to have the desire to win.
What an athlete the best in the world at the time.his 141.7 will be hard to beat by any british runner or european.must still be in the top 5 times for the distance.also a drug free athlete
His 1:41.73 WR from 42 years ago has only been bettered by 2 athletes, so he is still #3 on the All time 800m list and #2 on the 1000m list! I doubt either will be broken as British records for at least another 10 years, unless either the shoes or track surfaces continue to get faster and more scientific.
would like to see that Stockholm race. I suspect Coe let Gray make the running and had to make up ground. In this race he clearly decides to get out in front and not let anybody past - a tactic that had he employed in 1980 would have landed him a gold medal in the 800 moscow.
Stuart hmmm...not sure....you could say Ovett did the same in the 1500. I think Coe underestimated Ovett’s strength in that 800. Likewise, I think Ovett thought he had the beating of Coe and let him kick first in the 1500.
@@jamescarpenter6585 No in the 1500 Ovett didn't employ this tactic of controlling the race from the front. In fact it was very rare for Ovett to take it out from more than 200 out. In the 1500 Ovett allowed Coe to lead which was a fatal error. If Coe is fit and well no-one out sprints him with 120 to go. I agree with Stuart that if Coe had employed these same tactic as he did in this video, he would have beaten Ovett in the 800 @ Moscow. BUT he didn't and he finished 2nd.
As a competitive runner in my teens and early 20s i participated or otherwise attended hundreds of track meets in the UK in the 80s. Was fortunate enough to see Cram run twice, Coe a few times, Elliott loads of times, Buckner, Hutchings, Steve Binns and many others. Was never a Coe fan (he seemed a bit posh and aloof) but out of all of those great athletes Coe (at his best) had a balance and exuded controlled power that was just on another level when seen in person. Having said that, even doing 1:44 low he didn't look to be at his best here.
It was HIS race, but after running that great time in Florence in 81 he never really came close to breaking 1:42 again. The 800m is a young man's race and at age 25 in Florence Coe had peaked in the 800m.
@@jimmason8502 He was still 24 when he ran in Firenze and broke the WR. It was very early season and he should have been able to run a bit faster had he attempted another crack at it peak season (August) rather than trying to break the 1500 and mile world records. He probably thought he had another 2 seasons to lower it further, but those 2 years - 82 & 83 - were ruined by injury and illness. When he finally got well and fit again for 84, he was 27, and the priority was the Olympics in LA rather than a fast time. When the opportunity would come post LA, he ran 1 fast 1500m (3:32.3) in Zurich and then curtailed his season due to another injury. But be in no doubt, when he took silver in LA he was in 1:42 low shape - he ran wide on every bend and conservatively covered an extra 10m in distance, worth 1.3 secs. That brings his 1:43.6 time down to 1:42.3. And that doesn't even take into consideration the fact he was baulked twice in the home straight when clashing elbows with Earl Jones. The same is true of Stuttgart 86. There he ran 10m + extra on the bends and ran the last 203m in 24.8 (24.4 for 200m had he not run wide). His 1:44.5 final time was equivalent to a 1:43.2 with a 24.4 last 200m! Anyone capable of that is certainly in 1:42 low shape with the right pace on the circuit following a pace maker. After his 2 world records, his next 2 fastest times came in seasons where he was far from his best (certainly not as good as 84 or 86): - 85 (1:43.07) - where he had prepared to run 5k but was injured on/off throughout summer with first a calf then a back injury. The only reason he ran that fast is that he found himself in a race against Cruz in a fast set up in Cologne; the other was 1:43.38 in 89, when way past his best at almost 33. The circuit back then didn't have as many top meets and didn't have sub 50 sec pace set in every race.
And in the 42 years since Coe's 1:41.73, only two men have ever run faster....Kipketer and Rudisha. Coe was the first ever to break 1:43 and the first ever to break 1:42.
![Diggy Graves - Red Vineyard [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Ro085T0mnQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Truly poetry in motion. See was a runner for the ages, even here in ‘86, a tad past his prime.
I had not previously seen video of this race. Watching it unfold, I was reminded that there have been few sights in athletics more electric than Sebastian Coe in full flight. At his best, he seemed to flow rather than run, light on the balls of his feet and with a stride longer than one would expect from his height.
I met Seb's mum and dad up in the Crystal Palace stands at a BMC evening in September that year. I was with Frank Horwill, who'd suggested I run the 1,000m, against a certain David Warren. Coe had just run 3.29.77 in Italy which equates to a 3.45 mile. Peter Coe looked me up and down and said 'one tired, young runner!' ...I didn't have the heart to say I'd only just finished my warmup. [True story.]
-Victor
That was a bit rude of him (Peter Coe) to say that!?
@@deano27671Hey Deano Ha ha Luckily I didn;t make 'a right ricket' of the race: just the usual hanging-on for grim death!
Hope you enjoyed the Worlds!!!!!! Vic.
Thanks Deano! I’ve been looking for this race online for years! I was there, cheering on Coe! This was the only time I ever got to see him race! Was a teenager, and just happened to be in London (over from US) for a couple days, and was super lucky that this meet was scheduled at Crystal Palace! I remember Coe taking his victory lap, and looking right at me waving as he ran by! Took a taxi to the meet, and a subway back to hotel I remember well. Got back late at night, and even had to avoid a solicitation by a beautiful girl on the way back to the hotel. What a great memorable evening for a young runner from America, whose favorite runner was - and always will be - the great Sebastian Coe! So glad I got to see him, though in the final twilight years of his glorious career! And that he won!
You're welcome. Glad the video brought back good memories. You were lucky to watch him in such good form. The 2 times I saw him live at Crystal Palace he was ill (in 83) and coming back (in 84) from injury. He practically won every othet race there! lol.
Coe's running style gets a lot of attention, rightly so, its very elegant and efficient. Something I've noticed about him, unlike most runners, when he "toes off" his feet point straight behind him with every stride, like he's flicking his foot, maximising the benefit from his drive phase, you normally only see that when top athletes are all out. He's got bloody massive thigh muscles as well.
Excellent. Another Coe race I've never seen before. Thanks for posting it Deano.
really enjoy seeing races haven't seen before. credit to sebby for the win. gray was an up and down performer oddly. if he, gray wasn't leading, or very close from the get go, he often didn't seem to have the desire to win.
Thanks Deano for the upload.
What an athlete the best in the world at the time.his 141.7 will be hard to beat by any british runner or european.must still be in the top 5 times for the distance.also a drug free athlete
His 1:41.73 WR from 42 years ago has only been bettered by 2 athletes, so he is still #3 on the All time 800m list and #2 on the 1000m list! I doubt either will be broken as British records for at least another 10 years, unless either the shoes or track surfaces continue to get faster and more scientific.
COE FOREVER 👍👍👍👍👍
would like to see that Stockholm race. I suspect Coe let Gray make the running and had to make up ground. In this race he clearly decides to get out in front and not let anybody past - a tactic that had he employed in 1980 would have landed him a gold medal in the 800 moscow.
Stuart hmmm...not sure....you could say Ovett did the same in the 1500. I think Coe underestimated Ovett’s strength in that 800. Likewise, I think Ovett thought he had the beating of Coe and let him kick first in the 1500.
@@jamescarpenter6585 No in the 1500 Ovett didn't employ this tactic of controlling the race from the front. In fact it was very rare for Ovett to take it out from more than 200 out. In the 1500 Ovett allowed Coe to lead which was a fatal error. If Coe is fit and well no-one out sprints him with 120 to go.
I agree with Stuart that if Coe had employed these same tactic as he did in this video, he would have beaten Ovett in the 800 @ Moscow. BUT he didn't and he finished 2nd.
thanks for posting deano!
You're welcome!
As a competitive runner in my teens and early 20s i participated or otherwise attended hundreds of track meets in the UK in the 80s. Was fortunate enough to see Cram run twice, Coe a few times, Elliott loads of times, Buckner, Hutchings, Steve Binns and many others. Was never a Coe fan (he seemed a bit posh and aloof) but out of all of those great athletes Coe (at his best) had a balance and exuded controlled power that was just on another level when seen in person. Having said that, even doing 1:44 low he didn't look to be at his best here.
Wearing his sweet signature diadora spikes too .... i remember watching the meeting on TV that night. Coe loved the 800 didn't he, he really did.
It was HIS race, but after running that great time in Florence in 81 he never really came close to breaking 1:42 again. The 800m is a young man's race and at age 25 in Florence Coe had peaked in the 800m.
@@jimmason8502 He was still 24 when he ran in Firenze and broke the WR. It was very early season and he should have been able to run a bit faster had he attempted another crack at it peak season (August) rather than trying to break the 1500 and mile world records. He probably thought he had another 2 seasons to lower it further, but those 2 years - 82 & 83 - were ruined by injury and illness. When he finally got well and fit again for 84, he was 27, and the priority was the Olympics in LA rather than a fast time. When the opportunity would come post LA, he ran 1 fast 1500m (3:32.3) in Zurich and then curtailed his season due to another injury. But be in no doubt, when he took silver in LA he was in 1:42 low shape - he ran wide on every bend and conservatively covered an extra 10m in distance, worth 1.3 secs. That brings his 1:43.6 time down to 1:42.3. And that doesn't even take into consideration the fact he was baulked twice in the home straight when clashing elbows with Earl Jones. The same is true of Stuttgart 86. There he ran 10m + extra on the bends and ran the last 203m in 24.8 (24.4 for 200m had he not run wide). His 1:44.5 final time was equivalent to a 1:43.2 with a 24.4 last 200m! Anyone capable of that is certainly in 1:42 low shape with the right pace on the circuit following a pace maker. After his 2 world records, his next 2 fastest times came in seasons where he was far from his best (certainly not as good as 84 or 86): - 85 (1:43.07) - where he had prepared to run 5k but was injured on/off throughout summer with first a calf then a back injury. The only reason he ran that fast is that he found himself in a race against Cruz in a fast set up in Cologne; the other was 1:43.38 in 89, when way past his best at almost 33. The circuit back then didn't have as many top meets and didn't have sub 50 sec pace set in every race.
great run,pretty good time too
OOOOOOOOH WHAT???David Mack the pacemaker carried on and look what he did,,,,WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
Another corker, Deano - I WAS THERE!
Johnny Gray; a lovely runner but what do you do with a problem named Sebastian??
Poetry in motion
David Mack is in prison now.🤕
And in the 42 years since Coe's 1:41.73, only two men have ever run faster....Kipketer and Rudisha. Coe was the first ever to break 1:43 and the first ever to break 1:42.