Defeat for Coe, Slaney bid fails

Press, 5 August 1985, Page 44

Defeat for Coe, Slaney bid fails

NZPA-Reuter London Britain’s 1500 metres Olympic champion, Sebastian Coe, was beaten in the men’s mile, and the American, Mary Slaney, failed in a bold bid on the women’s world mile record at Crystal Palace in the International Athletes Club Grand Prix meeting at the week-end. Coe, running in obvious pain after suffering a muscle spasm in his right but-

tock, fought bravely in the finishing straight but could manage only second place behind Switzerland’s Pierre Deleze. Deleze clocked a creditable 3min 56.7 s in cold, windy conditions, while Coe was timed in at 3:56.89. Slaney’s attempt on the Romanian, Maricica Puica’s, world record of 4:17.44 was ruined by a combination of the wintery weather and the lack of a

pacemaker in the third lap. The Australian, Raylene Coster, took the field through the halfway stage in 2:05, well within world record schedule, but Slaney was left to run the final 880 yards on her own and the effort proved too much. Slaney laboured up the straight to finish in 4:19.59, a British all-comers record, with the Briton, Christina Boxer, a well beaten second in 4:34.36.