Steve Ovett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Steve Ovett
OBE

Ovett in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in September 1986
Personal information
Born	(1955-10-09) 9 October 1955 (age 69) Brighton, Sussex, England
Height	6 ft 0 in
Weight	154 lb
Sport
Sport	Track
Event(s)	800 metres, 1500 metres, mile, 5000 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800m: 1:44.09 1500m: 3:30.77 Mile: 3:48.40 3000m: 7:41.3 2-mile: 8:13.51 5000m: 13:20.06
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 1980 Moscow 800 m Bronze 1980 Moscow 1500 m European Championships Gold 1978 Prague 1500 m Silver 1974 Rome 800 m Silver 1978 Prague 800 m IAAF World Cup Gold 1977 Düsseldorf 1500 m Gold 1981 Rome 1500 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1986 Edinburgh 5000 m

Stephen Michael James Ovett (born 9 October 1955) is a famous retired British track and field athlete. He was an amazing middle-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 800 metres race at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Steve Ovett set five world records in the 1500 metres and the mile run. He also set a world best time for the two miles race. From 1977 to 1980, he won 45 races in a row over 1500 metres and the mile.

Early Life and Talent

Steve Ovett was born in Brighton, Sussex, England. He went to Varndean Grammar School. As a teenager, he was a very talented athlete. He was good at football, but he chose athletics instead. He preferred sports where he didn't have to rely on teammates.

When he was younger, he won the under-15 English Schools' Athletics Championships for the 400 metres in 1970. In 1972, he won the under-17 800 metres title.

Steve Ovett's Athletics Career

Early Success and Olympic Debut

Steve Ovett won his first big athletics title in 1973. He won the 800 metres at the 1973 European Athletics Junior Championships. The next year, when he was only 18, he won a silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1974 European Athletics Championships. He even set a new European Junior record for the 800m with a time of 1:45.77.

He won AAA titles in the 800m from 1974 to 1976. Later, he also won AAA titles in the 1500m in 1979 and the mile in 1980.

Ovett gained Olympic experience at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. He ran in the 800m final and finished fifth. He didn't reach the 1500m final because another runner fell, and he had to jump over him.

Becoming a World Star

In 1977, Ovett started beating the 1500 metres Olympic champion John Walker regularly. He set a British record of 3:54.7 in the Debenhams Mile. At the first IAAF World Cup in Athletics, he showed amazing speed in the last part of the 1500m race. He won the gold medal, leaving John Walker far behind. His time of 3:34.45 was a new British record.

People in Britain became very interested in Ovett. At the European Championships in 1978, he raced against Sebastian Coe for the first time. This started a famous rivalry between them. In the 800m, Ovett was caught by Olaf Beyer from East Germany and finished second. Coe finished third. Ovett then won the gold medal in the 1500m, where Coe did not race.

In 1978, Ovett ran very fast times in different races. He ran an 800m in 1:44.09. He also set a world best time for the 2-mile race with 8:13.51. He even beat Henry Rono, who was named Athlete of the Year that season.

Ovett was known for running many different types of races. Before the 1980 Olympics, he ran four different events in 10 days! These included a mile, 800m, 600m, and 3,000m. In 1977, he even won a half-marathon race easily, even though he had never run such a long distance before.

The 1980 Moscow Olympics

Ovett went to the 1980 Moscow Olympics as the favorite to win the 1500m. He had not been beaten in the 1500m or the mile for three years. Before the Olympics, he set a new world record for the mile (3:48.8). Two weeks later, he matched Sebastian Coe's world record of 3:32.1 in the 1500m.

The Moscow Olympics was only the second time Ovett and Coe raced each other. There was a lot of talk about who was the better runner. Ovett ran in the 800m final as a test for the 1500m. He was in sixth place halfway through, but he pushed forward and took the lead with 70 metres left. He held off Coe to win the gold medal by four metres.

Six days later, they raced in the 1500m. Ovett stayed close behind Coe for most of the race. But on the final bend, Coe made a strong burst of speed. Ovett couldn't catch him and finished with the bronze medal. Jürgen Straub from East Germany won the silver.

Ovett in an 800 metres quarter-final at the 1984 Summer Olympics

In 1980, Ovett tied Coe's 1500m world record. Later that year, Ovett set a new record of 3:31.36. In 1981, Ovett and Coe were both at their best. They didn't race each other that year, but they kept breaking each other's mile world records three times in just nine days.

Ovett had a tough 1500m race in Oslo in 1981. A pacemaker named Tom Byers started very fast. The other runners thought they were going faster than they were, so they didn't follow him. Byers ended up with a huge lead and won the race. Ovett finished second, saying, "We all ran like a load of hacks."

Injuries affected Ovett's 1982 season, making it difficult for him to compete.

Later Career and Retirement

Ovett returned to racing in 1983, even though injuries still bothered him. He wasn't chosen for the 800m at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki. He ran in the 1500m final but finished fourth, behind Steve Cram. However, a few days later, he set a new 1500m world record of 3:30.77 in Rieti.

In 1984, Ovett faced more health issues before the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He tried to defend his 800m title. He struggled with breathing problems and finished eighth in the final. He even collapsed afterward and spent two nights in the hospital. Despite this, he returned to compete in the 1500m. He dropped out of the race and collapsed again with chest pains.

His career slowly came to an end after that. In August 1986, he won the 5000m at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. He retired from athletics in 1991, a year after Sebastian Coe.

After Retirement

Since 1992, Steve Ovett has worked as a television commentator for track and field events for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He now lives in Australia. He was also part of the BBC's commentary team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

In 1987, a bronze statue of Steve Ovett was put up in Preston Park, Brighton. It was stolen in 2007 but replaced with a copy in 2012.

Personal Life

During the Moscow Olympics, Steve Ovett made a special signal to a TV camera after winning the 800m. This signal meant "ILY" (I love you) and was for his girlfriend, Rachel Waller. They later married but are now divorced.

His brother, Nick Ovett, competed for Great Britain in luge at the Winter Olympics in 1988 and 1992.

Steve Ovett's son, Freddy, was also a promising middle-distance runner. He won the U-13 Pan-Pacific 800m title. Later, he switched to road cycling after a knee injury.

Personal Best Times

• From UK Athletics

See also

In Spanish: Steve Ovett para niños