Ovett, Steve(n) Michael James (1955– )
English middle-distance runner who won the 800-metre gold and the 1,500-metre bronze at the 1980 Olympics. He was also European 1,500-metre champion in 1978 and Commonwealth 5,000-metre champion in 1986.
Career highlights
Olympic Games
gold 800 metres 1980; bronze 1,500 metres 1980
European Championships
gold 1,500 metres 1978; silver 800 metres 1974, 1978
Commonwealth Games
gold 5,000 metres 1986
| He first came to prominence in 1976 when he finished fifth in the final of the 800 metres at the Montréal Olympics. The following year he began a sequence of 44 consecutive victories at the mile or 1,500 metres which lasted until the 1980 Olympic 1,500-metre final when he was surprisingly beaten by his great rival Sebastian Coe. Over the next 12 months he set three world records at 1,500 metres, and two in the mile. He competed at the Olympic Games for a third time in 1984 but his performances were badly hampered by illness and he left without a medal. |
