Rieti 1986 - Sebastian Coe - m.1500 - 3'29"77

YFlyer

What a performance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsHwft0p99g

donothoponpop

Ovett had broken the world record on this track three years previous (then 3:30.77), and a British journalist (no friend of Ovett's) afterwards took a chain and measured the circumference- apparently there was debate whether the track was short or not.

Great run by Coe though, and probably would have gone faster but for the pacer overtaking him again before dropping out.

YFlyer

donothoponpop wrote: »

A British journalist (no friend of Ovett's) afterwards took a chain and measured the circumference- apparently there was debate whether the track was short or not.

I never heard about this.

I believe that the measuring of the track should be 30 cm from the inside line.

donothoponpop

YFlyer wrote: »

I never heard about this.

I believe that the measuring of the track should be 30 cm from the inside line.

Here's an article Steve Cram wrote a few years back about the Reiti stadium.
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The town of Rieti in Italy has long had a reputation for giving its visitors spiritual powers beyond the norm as Asafa Powell found out on Sunday when he broke the 100m world record.

Nestled in the hills about an hour or so north east of the nation's capital its ancient history includes a period when it was a favoured papal seat and saw the anointing of kings and saints. Its prowess as a sporting venue does not seem to have been the stuff of local legend, not until the 1980s anyway.

In 1983 Steve Ovett was invited to compete at the track at the end of a troubled season and in the twilight of a glittering career. He stunned the crowd and the athletics world by breaking the record for 1500m when most thought those days were over for him.

In the following years Rieti became a mecca for middle-distance runners looking for fast times, with a further five records tumbling over time. Its place in distance running folklore was assured long since but then on Sunday Powell added to its status. Sprinters have never found the meet much to their liking, with the stadium record before this weekend standing at 9.99sec.

Even Michael Johnson only managed 44.20 around its tight bends. Powell's times in both of his races will widen the discussion around this intriguing venue and what exactly are its hidden secrets.

When Ovett ran that record in September 1983 there was talk of a "short track" or that the race had started from the wrong line. I raced there on a few occasions and in 1986 had a baffling afternoon. First of all I ran a stupidly quick 800m at the end of a tiring season and after a couple of late nights. Half an hour later I watched as Seb Coe smashed his personal best and almost the world record over 1500m. We were all open-mouthed because this was five years beyond his record-breaking year in 1981 and even he looked shocked.

If the track was short then how come the 400m boys weren't all clocking best times? The meet promoter, Sandro Giovanelli, an IAAF council member, will tell you it has been measured more times than any other track in the world.

In the 90s more national and world records followed but all in the distance events: Noureddine Morceli over 1500m and the mile and Noah Ngeny smashing Seb Coe's 1,000m record. Then in 1996 I watched a Bob Beamon-type performance on the track. Daniel Komen of Kenya ran the 3,000m in 7min 20.67sec taking more than four seconds off the old, very good record.

Was it the 1,300ft elevation that somehow is optimal for distance running? What about the track surface? Maybe the September timing was ideal for those whose seasons had come together at a late stage? Then there were the less reasoned theories which usually involved Italian food, religious intervention, the weather or the orientation of the track to the sun.

Asafa Powell rather boringly failed to recognise the significance of the venue and just said he was ready to run fast. It would be nice to think there was something more magical at hand which turned this sometimes sloth-like individual into a blur of action particularly when he appeared damaged goods after he crumbled in the presence of Tyson Gay at the world championships.

I said after his capitulation that he remained a superb physical athlete and his two races were the finest piece of sprinting ever witnessed. His 9.74 in the heats in Rieti had a helpful but legal tail wind but the man eased up just before the line. His run of 9.78 in the final will not go down as the record but may be considered better. The wind reading this time was zero making it easily the fastest ever unaided run.

So Rieti can now add the world's sprinters who will either turn pilgrims or sceptics. The distance-running fraternity have long ago just learned to accept what Rieti offers with an Italian shrug of the shoulders. In some parts of the world they don't need an explanation for everything. Best leave it that way.