August 28, 1981 - 3rd mile world record in 9 days between Sebastian Coe & Steve Ovett

Today is Thursday, August 28th, 2025 and on this day in 1981, English phenom Sebastian Coe reclaimed his mile world record from fellow Brit Steve Ovett, marking the third time the duo had traded the record in just 9 days.

In this episode we’ll learn more about the 2 men who dominated middle distance running for the first half of the 1980s, the 5 times in 23 months that they traded marathon world records, and the third Brit who claimed the record just 4 years later.

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Bibliography:

• https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NYMyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YucFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6706%2C3984125


• https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/apr/18/50-olympic-moments-coe-ovett-moscow-1980


• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9664314/Running-My-Life-The-Autobiography-by-Seb-Coe-review.html


• https://archive.ph/20130131214231/http://postcodegazette.com/news/9002024837/london-2012-chairman-lord-coe-visits-his-old-school-AT-sheffield-tapton-secondary-school/


• https://web.archive.org/web/20090412105803/http://www.made-in-sheffield.com/People/sebastianCoe.htm


• https://www.teamgb.com/article/seb-coe-versus-steve-ovett-re-visiting-moscow-1980/5Nw7st6GkR1ducwGqpJoFk


• https://scottishathletics.org.nz/2019/08/26/rivalry/


• https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2016/08/olympics_1500-meter_glory_when.html


• https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20806272/ovett-recalls-fabled-rivalry-with-coe/