Steve Ovett
Medal record
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Stephen Michael James Ovett,
Early life
Born in
Athletics career
Early promise
Ovett's first major athletics title came in 1973, when he won the 800 metres at the 1973 European Athletics Junior Championships. The following year, still only aged 18, he won the silver medal at 800 metres in the 1974 European Athletics Championships, setting a new European Junior 800m record of 1:45.77 in the process.[3][4] Ovett won AAA titles in the 800m from 1974 to 1976; he would later add to these AAA titles by winning the 1500m in 1979 and the mile in 1980.
Ovett gained some Olympic experience in
Breakthrough to world prominence
In 1977, Ovett began to regularly defeat the 1500 metres Olympic champion
The British public by now showed a keen interest in Ovett, and it was at the
In 1978, Ovett set extremely fast times at disparate distances. He ran an 800m in 1:44.09 (the world record at the time was
During his career, Ovett was noted for the unusual range of his races; shortly before the 1980 Olympics, he ran four events of four different lengths in 10 days: a mile in Oslo, 800 metres in Gothenburg, 600m at Crystal Palace and 3,000m in Welwyn Garden City. In 1977, when an airline strike forced him to miss a scheduled event, he signed up at the last minute for the Dartford half-marathon and won it with ease, running a course more than twice as long as anything he had attempted in public before, against the British marathon champion.[10]
Ovett arrived at the 1980 Moscow Olympics as favourite to take the 1500 m title, being unbeaten over the 1500 m and the mile for three years.[10] Earlier that month, he had established a new mile world record of 3:48.8 and two weeks later equalled Sebastian Coe's world record of 3:32.1 in the 1500 m. The Moscow Olympics marked only the second time that Ovett and Coe had met each other in international competition (the first being the 800 m in the 1978 European Championships), and there was huge media speculation over which would emerge as the greater.
Ovett's participation in the 800 m would serve as a test for the 1500 m. In the 800 m final, Ovett was only in sixth place at the halfway mark, but pushed his way through the crowd to second place. Seventy metres from the line, Ovett took the lead and held off a challenge from Coe to win by three metres.[10] In the 1500 m, contested six days later, Ovett ran close behind Coe's shoulder for most of the race, but on the final bend Coe made a strong 'kick' and Ovett dropped two metres behind, unable to close the gap in the home straight. Coe won gold, East Germany's Jürgen Straub, who had accelerated after 800 metres, held off Ovett for the silver medal, and Ovett had to settle for bronze.[3]
Though in 1980 Ovett had tied Coe's 1500 m world record of 3:32.1, new timing rules came into effect in 1981, which would recognise records over 400 m to the hundredth of a second. This would have the effect of giving Coe sole possession of the record, as Coe ran 3:32.03 to Ovett's 3:32.09. However, Ovett avoided this unusual removal of a record via rule change by setting a new record later in 1980 of 3:31.36.
During 1981, both Ovett and Coe were at their peak. They did not meet in a race that year but
Ovett's 1982 season was wrecked by injury. When out training on the streets of Brighton in late 1981, he tripped and impaled his thigh on some low railings at St John the Baptist Church on Church Road.[10] He had recovered by the spring of 1982, but further injuries hampered his progress.
Later career
He returned to action in 1983, although once again his season had been hampered by injuries, which resulted in his not being selected for the 800 m at the World Championships in Helsinki. He was selected for the 1500 m, but ran a poor tactical race in the final and finished 4th, behind winner Steve Cram. He was yet to reach his peak for 1983, which followed with a 1500 m world record of 3:30.77 in Rieti. A few days later, he finished a close 2nd to Steve Cram in an epic mile race in Crystal Palace.[12]
In 1984, after a successful season of winter training in Australia, Ovett's progress was slightly hampered by minor injuries and a bout of bronchitis. He attempted to defend his 800 m title in the 1984 Olympic Games, but after arriving in Los Angeles he began to suffer from respiratory problems.[10] He was unlucky to be drawn against eventual winner Joaquim Cruz in each of his two heats and also the semi-final, in which he only narrowly qualified for the final, lunging for the finish in 4th place and appearing to collapse over the line. He had run 1:44:81, his second fastest time ever at the distance. He recovered in time to make the final, but was clearly below his best and finished eighth, after which he collapsed and spent two nights in hospital. Against the advice of his friends and doctors, he returned a few days later to compete in the 1500 m. Running in fourth place at the beginning of the last lap of the final, Ovett dropped out. He later collapsed with chest pains and was taken away on a stretcher.
His career then wound down, although in August 1986 he won the
Post-retirement
He has been a track and field television commentator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation since 1992. He now lives in Australia and was a part of the BBC's on-location commentary team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
In 1987 a bronze statue of Steve Ovett was erected in Preston Park, Brighton. However, it was stolen in 2007, and later replaced in 2012 with a copy of the original. (The replacement is in Madeira Drive.)[13][14][15]
Personal life
During the Moscow Games, the British press homed in on a signal Ovett had made to a television camera in Moscow, after his 800m win. It later transpired that the signal represented the letters ILY (I love you) and were intended for his girlfriend, Rachel Waller (whom he later married, but from whom he is now divorced).[4]
His brother, Nick Ovett, represented Great Britain at luge in the Winter Olympics of 1988 and 1992.[16][17]
Ovett's son Freddy also showed promise as a middle distance runner, winning the U-13 Pan-Pacific 800m title,[9] before switching to road cycling after sustaining a knee injury whilst at the University of Oregon. He joined the development squad of the French AG2R La Mondiale team in 2015.[18]
Personal bests
Distance | Time | Date |
---|---|---|
400 metres | 47.5 | 1974 |
800 metres | 1:44.09 | 1978 |
1000 metres | 2:15.91 | 1979 |
1500 metres | 3:30.77 | 1983 |
Mile | 3:48.40 | 1981 |
2000 metres | 4:57.71 | 1982 |
3000 metres | 7:41.3 | 1977 |
Two miles | 8:13.51 | 1978 |
5000 metres | 13:20.06 | 1986 |
Half Marathon |
1:05:38 | 1977 |
- From UK Athletics[4]
References
- ^ .
- ^ "List of English Schools' Athletics Championships boys winners". GBRATHLETICS. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ ISBN 0-7538-1900-7.
- ^ a b c d "UKA Steve Ovett". Uka.org.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Simon Turnbull "Steve Ovett - Portrait of an Athlete", 1982, p58
- ^ "Steve Ovett - 1 Mile Run - 1977". Youtube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ^ "Steve Ovett - European Cup 1500m final 1977". Youtube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ^ "1977 World Cup 1500m - Steve Ovett". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Sport | The Times". Timesonline.co.uk. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Simon Burnton (18 April 2012). "50 stunning Olympic moments No23: Coe v Ovett, Moscow 1980". The Guardian.
- ^ "ESPN.com - MORESPORTS - How low can Loroupe go?". Espn.go.com. 21 September 1999. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ "Steve OVETT". World Athletics. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Athlete's statue stolen from park (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ "Steve Ovett to start Brighton Marathon (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ "Steve Ovett statue unveiled in Brighton (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ Todor Krastev (21 December 2009). "Luge Men Singles Olympic Games 1988 Calgari (CAN) - 14,15.02". Todor66.com. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ Todor Krastev (5 February 2012). "Luge Men Singles XVI Winter Olympic Games 1992 Albertville(FRA) - 09,10.02". Todor66.com. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ Clarke, Stuart (4 March 2015). "Steve Ovett's son swaps running for cycling". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 13 March 2015.