Sebastian Coe, born 29 September 1956, was a one in a million talent. A winner of four Olympic medals, he also set eight outdoor and three indoor world records. He was the first man to ever break 1:42 for 800m and is without doubt one of the best middle distance runners to ever live.
Here we take a look back over Coe's career and rank his five top performances of all time.
Number 5: Golden Mile (3:48.95) Brussels 1981 - World Record
"The nine inches right here; set it straight and you can beat anybody in the world" - Seb Coe (as he said this Coe held his fingers up to his head).
1981 saw Coe break the mile world record twice, first with a 3:48.53 in Zürich and then with a 3:47.33 in Brussels (his lap splits were 55.3, 58.0, 58.6, 55.4). 1981 also saw Coe run a PB of 3:31.95 in the 1,500 meters in a fascinating race in which his splits were 51.5 through the 400m and 1:47.4! for the first 800m (fastest ever recorded split). However, the fact that his efforts over the mile produced consecutive world records, in an era when mile running was more in favour, must place this blistering race as one of his best.
Number 4: 1500 metre World Record (3:32.03) Zurich, 1979
"World records are only borrowed" - Seb Coe
In 1979 Seb Coe set the sporting world alight with three world records in the space of just 41 days (800m: 1:42.33, mile: 3:48.95, 1500m: 3:32.03). 1979 was a mesmerising year from Coe. He was voted athlete of the year by Athletics Weekly and Track and Field News and he was ranked number one in the world for both the 800m and the 1500m, a feat he repeated in 1981 (Coe is the only athlete ever to be ranked No. 1 for 800m and 1500m in the same calendar year). This world record sounded a special note for Coe, as it broke Filbert Bayi's record which had stood for five years.
Number 3: 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Gold 1500m
"On the day there was only one man and on the day Seb Coe was that man" - Steve Cram after losing by seven metres to Coe in the 1984 Olympic 1500m final
Coe's victory in the 1984 Olympic 1500m was extra sweet for two reasons. Firstly, he became the first person ever to win back to back Olympic 1500m crowns, and secondly, from July 1983 until January 1984 Coe suffered from Toxoplasmosis, which severely hindered his preparation.
At the Games, Coe again came second in the 800m, this time to Joaquim Cruz of Brazil. However, Coe once again recovered to win gold in the 1500 metres, this time in a new Olympic record of 3:32.53 . The splits for Coe's final two laps of this race were amazing; his last 800m was 1:49.8, his last lap was 53.2, and his final 100m was 12.7 seconds.
Number 2: 800m World Record; 1:41:73, Florence Italy, June 1981,
1981 was an amazing year for Coe. In what many consider to be Coe's best ever performance, his world record 800m on June 10th in Florence of 1:41.73 stood until Wilson Kipketer broke it in August, 1997. Interestingly, as of 2009, Kipketer is still the only man to ever run faster than Coe over 800 metres. Shortly after this 800m world record, Coe also took ownership of the world 1000m record clocking a 2:12.18, this particular record stood for a whopping 18 years.
Number 1: Moscow Olympics 1980 1500m Gold
"Tomorrow is another day, and there will be another battle" - Seb Coe a few minutes after placing second to Steve Ovett in the 1980 Olympic 800m final in Moscow.
It's hard to go past this famed race. The story is well known: Coe was favourite for the 800m, in which he lost to Ovett, only to strike back to win the 1500m crown, beating Ovett, who at that stage was considered pretty much unbeatable over the 1500m/mile distance. Given the tremendous pressure he was under and the recovery from what must have been a huge psychological blow in losing the 800m, this race must be Coe's most memorable of all.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
