Steve Cram World Mile Record at Bislett Games 1985
The Dream Mile at the famous Bislett Games in Oslo. Steve Cram breaks Seb Coe's World Mile record.
Comments
Cram was a great athlete but a bit lucky tbh. In all of his major championship victories aside from the European 1500m 1986 Coe and Ovett were either absent or injured (in 86 Coe was 30 y.o.). Coe and Ovett should have put the 1500m and Mile WRs out of sight in 81/82. They had agreed (finally) to a series of races in 82. Imagine the times they would have recorded with both at their peak, with good pacing, and racing each other?! Coe certainly was capable of running 3:28/3:45 with better pacing in 1981. In fact, Coe had already thrashed Cram over 800m early in 1985 but suffered a back problem in the weeks before this race. He had spent the winter training for a move up to 5000m yet was running the 800m faster than ever early season and his father/coach expected him to smash the 1500/mile wrs in the summer. Cram also benefitted from the fact that Peter Elliot only went full time later in his career, from which point he was faster than Cram. Despite being a few years older, Coe still managed to rank number 1 in the UK for both 800m and 1500m in 1989, when Cram's glory days were already long in the past.
Cram only ever looked that good when he broke the World record, so his personality had much more to do wit his performances on the track than his ability!
Cram could have challenged Hicham EG
I know it means nothing but it's a pity the lack of warmth between Coe, Ovett and Cram. Yes they were fierce competitors but post race, other than this one I never saw a "Good job lad" feeling between them. They may miss that in their dotage...
Drogas...
Cram had the most elegant, perfect running style I've seen. It's poetry in motion.