It gives me great pleasure to reveal and for once this isnt a joke that bbc films has finally announced, today, the production of a screenplay based on my book the perfect distance, an account of the rivalry between steve ovett and sebastian coe thus, a quarter of a century after their heyday, arguably the greatest rivalry in athletics history is finally destined for the silver screen. Running my life the autobiography by seb coe waterstones. As a middledistance runner, coe won four olympic medals, including the 1500 metres gold medal at the olympic games in 1980 and 1984. Much the bigger of the two runners, and the more obviously muscular, he exemplifies the virtue of getting there by hard graft. Between them they won three olympic gold medals, two silvers, one bronze, and broke a total of twelve middledistance records. Between them they won three olympic gold medals, two silvers, one bronze and broke a total of twelve middledistance records. Getty so i told him it was 27 degrees, the beach was about a 50yard walk from my house, i would go for a two or. Daniel radcliffe is to trade in his magic wand for a set of running spikes to play british olympic icon sebastian coe in a film chronicling the athletes intense rivalry with steve ovett on and. Sebastian newbold coe, baron coe, ch, kbe, hon friba born 29 september 1956, often referred to as seb coe or lord coe, is a british politician and former track and field athlete. As a film is to be made of the rivalry of sebastian coe and steve ovett, max davidson recalls the sporting soap opera. The former middledistance stars, who spent most of their running careers avoiding each other on the track, came together for an historic breakfast in melbourne today to talk about the 1970s and 1980s when they played out the most fascinating sporting rivalry.
Because of this closeness to coes greatest rival norman was best man at the ovetts wedding coe never. I knew from my father that seb coe and steve ovett would dominate the 800 and 1500 metres and for the first time since i was very young i would be allowed to watch the finals on my parents roomsized colour sony downstairs. Steve ovett, along with sebastian coe, continued the grand heritage of british middledistance excellence on the world stage in the 1980s. As the author notes, the emergency of ovett and coe strides right into british middle distance runners dominating the world scene in the late 70s and early 80s with cram, elliott and moorcroft. Steve ovett and sebastian coe presided over the golden era of british athletics. He had to endure his fellow countryman seb coe rewrite the record. Seb coe was the weedy posh kid who trained liked a demon, and whose impeccable manners endeared him to reporters. Olympic hero steve ovett says he has found love again.
From sport coe transferred his ideals to politics, serving in john majors conservative government from 1992 to 1997 and developing sharp elbows to become chief of staff to william hague, leader of the party from 1997 to. The record breaking rivalry englisch gebundene ausgabe 22. Individually, sebastian coe and steve ovett were titans of middledistance running. A middledistance runner, he was the gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 olympic games in moscow, and set several world records for 1500 metres and the mile run and a world best at two miles.
Seb coe and steve ovett are the only two sports figures who could have pulled it off. At times, the press was just plain unfair to ovett. Coe and ovett by douglas perry the oregonian oregonlive jamaican superstar usain bolt proved once again this week that the 100meter sprint is the highestprofile track event in the world. This is a very detailed and rich biography not only of ovett and coe but of history of the mile particularly from the british view point. Beating steve ovetts 1500m time in monaco was a performance a decade in the making, charlie grice tells aw read more seb coes three world records in 41 days. Buy running my life the autobiography by seb coe from waterstones today. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Coe and ovett were demi gods of athletics who, when they met over 1,500 metres in the cavernous 103,000seater lenin stadium at the moscow olympics, produced the single most captivating. Theres a pretty infamous story in athletic circles about seb coe going training on christmas day in 1979.
Together, they were one of the best advertisements athletics has ever had. Browse a new selection of discounted kindle books each month. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. His rivalry with steve ovett gripped a nation and made britain feel successful at a time of widespread social discontent. Ovett said seb is the caliber of athlete that only comes around once or twice in a lifetime. Seb coe, like steve ovett, grew up in a family dominated by a strong central figure. Steve ovett was one of the most notable english athletes during the mid1970s through to the mid1980s. On one occasion, they speculated about ovett arguing with coe and coe later reported that ovett was actually talking to him. Norman built his power base in the 1970s through handling the career of steve ovett. Pat butcher recaptures the intense, record breaking rivalry between steve ovett and seb coe in the early 1980s.
The british team travelled and won 21 medals, five of them gold, for duncan goodhew, daley thompson, allan wells, steve ovett and seb coe. In this authorized biography, sebastian coe speaks about, among other things, his rivalry with steve. Steve ovett, by contrast, tends to engage the more rebellious sympathies of disaffected youth and the working man. Never have their like been witnessed before or since. The news had been building up to the olympics over the previous seven months. Okay, i had a cursory understanding of sebastian coe, britains greatest middle distance runner ever, as well as having met the great peter coe, sebs father and coach. Daniel radcliffe to play sebastian coe in film about. We were both chasing the spoils and something had to give. Steve ovett synonyms, steve ovett pronunciation, steve ovett translation, english dictionary definition of steve ovett. Olympic hero steve ovett says he has found love again after shattering marriage split it was the finger message that set millions of tongues wagging and baffled even codebreakers in. Sebastian coe and steve ovett, britains great middledistance rivals, had raced only once on the track before the 1980 moscow games. This is a must read for anyone who remembers the golden era of british middle distance running or who wants to be inspired by it, where records tumbled. But he played a huge part in the unprecedented success british middledistance running enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s by discovering steve ovett and coaching him to an olympic gold medal and string of world records.
Analysis of sebastian coes training methods chris hattersley msc, bsc ascc, cscs, ces 2. I bet steve ovetts out there doing his second training session of the day. As a film is to be made of the rivalry of sebastian coe and steve. Coe and ovetts olympic debt to bureaucrat who defied. Roger bannister, seb coe, steve ovett, kelly holmes and many more.
Drawing on a wide range of interviews and original research, the author brilliantly. Steve ovett and sebastian coe presided over the golden era of. Harry wilson, who has died aged 72, was a name known only to the cognoscenti of the athletics world. In coes case it was his father peter, a factory manager. An autobiography first edition by ovett, steve, rodda, john isbn. Steve ovett definition of steve ovett by the free dictionary. Guy learmonth claims its time for a new golden era of middledistance magic which buries the feats of seb coe and steve ovett deep inside the history books. You were either for ovett, or you were for coe, wrote pat butcher in the 2004 book the perfect distance. Coe beating steve ovett and steve cram to olympic gold in the 1,500 metres in 1984 photo. Once more around the track with seb london evening standard. Aw specials magazine bol 10 steve ovett subscriptions. Training of famous runners steve ovett c runners tribe 2019.
I put the kit back on, faced the snow and ice and did a second training. Seb coe wins the 1500m at the moscow olympics, with steve ovett left trailing in third some 20,000ft over the english channel i asked him what annoyed him. He set nine outdoor and three indoor world records in middledistance track events. Coe and ovett lift the lid on their rivalry after 26. Pat butcher is a writer, journalist, television producer and commentator, who has written a book about steve ovett and sebastian coe, the. The full story of the man who won two gold olympic medals and then brought the olympics to london. In the 1980 moscow olympic games, ovett garnered a gold medal in the 800m and bronze in the 1500m in highlyanticipated races against his british teammate. Sunday times there are precious few good books on athletics but this study of the intertwined careers of seb coe and steve ovett is an exception. They were saying if seb beats steve or steve beats seb the chance is that they will. Coe was an 800m specialist, and ovett a 1500m runner. Middledistance legends seb coe and steve ovett returned to winning ways at a blustery birmingham. Great british runners the greatest british middle distance runners. It was in 1978 when coe started breaking all sorts of records.