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Nov 2, 2020 · He won his first major title but only just as he held back from a fast 52.6 first lap. He caught front-running future world champion Willi Wulbeck (1:47.57) with virtually his final stride.
- Steve Smythe
- 1980 Olympic 800m/1500m, Moscow, July 26/August 1. 1st 1:45.40 and 3rd 3:38.99 (3:36.8 heat) World record-holder Seb Coe was a clear favourite for the 800m but the slighter Briton ran a terrible tactical race.
- 1977 World Cup 1500m, Dusseldorf. 1st 3:34.5 (UK record) Ovett went into the first ever IAAF World Cup as a promising young Brit yet to prove himself at the very highest level but ended it as the world’s most exciting runner.
- 1978 European Championships 800m/1500m, August 31/September 3. 2nd 1:44.1, 1st 3:35.6. He had not prepared specifically for the 800m and had only run one international standard two-lapper in the past two years though seemingly his major rival Coe ran a far too fast 49.32 first lap with Ovett third in 49.9.
- 1986 Commonwealth Games 5000m, Edinburgh, July 31. 1st 13:24.11. Making his Commonwealth debut, 12 years after being disappointed he had been overlooked for 800m selection, he won comfortably.
A middle-distance runner, he was the gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Ovett set five world records for 1500 metres and the mile run, and a world best at two miles. He won 45 consecutive 1500 and mile races from 1977 to 1980.
Mar 28, 2023 · While Ovett won Olympic gold at 800m, he never set a world record at the shorter event but Wooderson set records at 800m (1:48.4) and half-mile (1:49.2) in 1938.
- Steve Smythe
Feb 9, 2017 · A prodigious junior talent, setting one junior world record and winning a junior European 800m title, Ovett had no trouble converting his talent to results as an adult. The 1980 800m Olympic champion, will go down in history as one of Britain’s best ever middle distance runners.
Mar 29, 2023 · Most notably in the men’s 1500m, where Britain’s 21-year-old Steve Ovett – who had reached the Olympic semifinals the previous year in Montreal – destroyed a field that included the reigning Olympic champion John Walker of New Zealand.
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Jul 22, 2008 · The slender world-record holder Rick Wohlhuter (U.S.) led the first lap, fast enough to leave opponents as good as Willi Wulbeck (West Germany) and the youthful Steve Ovett (Great Britain)...
