Cram-Coe double feature starts tonight

Press, 28 July 1986, Page 20

Cram-Coe double feature starts tonight

From

ROD DEW

in Edinburgh

The first act in the Steve Cram-Seb Coe Commonwealth Games track and field 800m1500m double feature begins late this evening (New Zealand time) with the heats of the men’s 800 m in the windy Meadowbank Stadium. The two talented Englishmen, who have held centre-stage in middle distance running in recent years, have not met on the track for almost a year and their shoot-out for the gold in both the 800 m and, later in the Games, the 1500 m, is attracting more attention thap anything else. f

Cram is very keen on gaining revenge for bis defeat by Coe in the Los Angeles Olympic 1500 m final. He has already had a substantial degree of

satisfaction. In their last meeting in Oslo last European summer, Cram not only beat Coe over a mile but took Coe’s world mile record into the bargain. Many of Cram’s other international successes have been in the absence of Coe, which has limited any real track showdown between the pair. Cram won the last Commonwealth Games 1500 m crown in Brisbane without Coe, he is the European 1500 m champion and the holder of the world 1500 m championship. Coe, on the other hand,

has two Olympic golds in his trophy cupboard, and it is freely acknowledged that he is faster than the “Jarrow Arrow,” as Cram has become known, in basic speed. But he has never before competed in a Commonwealth Games. The 800 m is particularly important to him, because he has never won a major outdoor title at this distance, although he has been among the medals at Olympic and European levels. With his great basic speed and ability to change Into a higher gear just when it seems he has reached his limit, Coe should be the favourite for the 800 m title, which will be decided on Friday morning (New Zealand time).

Thejp rivalry has been

increased in recent weeks by the manner in which both gained selection for the England team. Cram won the English 800 m title to earn his place, but Coe missed the championships, preferring to demonstrate his form in other places. Another of England’s gold medal hopes, Steve Ovett, also missed the championships. He will, however, run in the 5000 m — the main stumbling block in the path to a gold medal by New Zealand’s John Walker. Cram was loud in his criticism of both Coe and Ovett for failing to compete in the English championships. “It is a disgrace,” he said. “You have got to have .some responsibility,

couldn’t care less attitude is very selfish. When is this preferential treatment going to stop?”

Cram said that if they were afraid to compete against other leading English athletes then they shouldn’t be in the Games team. This has not endeared him to Coe, particularly, who will be out to show a clean pair of heels to his rival over both middle distances.

Nevertheless, Cram is in superb form and must start as the man to beat over both distances, although his prime objective must be the 1500 m gold on the last day of the Games. His coach, Jimmy Hedley, has been doing a lot of the speaking for him in the build-

up to the Games.

“Steve is hell-bent on winning, and he is in the best shape he has ever been,” he said. “He is getting faster and faster. I think Seb will want to wait until the dying seconds before taking Steve on, because he feels he is faster than Steve, but Steve will not let him get a way with that”

There is a third Englishman in the 800 m - who has gone largely unnoticed but who could easily surprise both the superstars. Peter Elliott was very unlucky to miss selection for the team * which contested the Brisbane Games four years ago after winning the English 800 m title. This time he has made the the third selec-

tion, but he has a recent best of Imin 46.47 s which puts him into world class. A very gritty performer, he will not give his better-known rivals a centimetre.

Coe heads the rankings for the 800 m with Imin 44.175, and a repeat of this might mean that the final on Friday will be too fast for the longstriding Cram. Cram’s best this year is Imin 46.155. Fourth down the ranking list is Scotland’s Tom McKean, with Imin 46.665. He, too, is a top performer, capable of making his presence felt in any company. Scotland is hoping that next Friday will be his special day, but it is hard to go past the two top Englishmen. Cram and Coefare

everybody’s bet for first and second. The order is not quite so clear. In the 1500 m, Cram is very much the man to beat He heads the rankings with 3min 30.815, comfortably ahead of Coe (3min 34.325) and Mike Hillardt (3min 34.55), of Australia. Another Englishman, John Gladwin, holds fourth ranking and he might prove the dark horse of the feature track event The event has been weakened by the absence of at least three highly regarded Kenyans and the decision of Walker to go for gold in the 5000 m. In spite of this, it remains one of the really; big attractions of the Games and should prove a fitting finale.