NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Steve Cram

Steve Cram MBE (born October 14, 1960) was a British athlete who vied with fellow British athletes Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett during their domination of middle distance running in the 1980s. He was the first man to run under 3 minutes and 30 seconds for the metric mile. He set world records in the 1500 meters, 2000 meters, and the mile, within 19 days in the summer of 1985. His mile time of 3:46.32 stood for eight years and is still the European record. He was often involved in titanic races with Said Aouita. 1987 World Championship I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... Audio samples composed by John Williams: Olympic Fanfare (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Olympic Theme (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Problems playing the files? See media help. ... Athletics Medal Winners at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Mens medal winners Womenâ€™s Medal Winners External links Zola Budd Categories: ‪1984 Summer Olympics events‬ | ‪Athletics at the Olympics‬ ... The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14. ... The 13th European Championships in Athletics were in held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, a city in Greece. ... The 14th European Championships in Athletics. ... For the XIIth Commonwealth Games the cities of Lagos (Nigeria), Brisbane(Australia), Kuala Lumpur (wins 1998 games) (Malaysia) and Birmingham (England) all interested in presenting their candidatures. ... The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... An athlete is a person who has above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and is thus suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests. ... Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, OBE (born September 29, 1956) is a British athlete, and Conservative Party politician. ... Image:SteveOvett. ... Middle distance track events are track races longer than sprints up to (and arguably including) 5000 meters. ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... A metric mile is a distance of 1,500 meters. ... At World Championship 1987 SaÃ¯d Aouita (born November 2, 1959) is a former Moroccan athlete, winner of 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics. ...

He competed as a teenager at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games in the 1500 m, in which Coe and Steve Ovett, 4 or 5 years older, vied for the gold medal. Cram finished far down the field but healthier for the experience. A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... Badge, released in the USSR The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were held in Moscow, USSR. Another candidate in the bid to organize the Olympics was Los Angeles. ... The 1,500 metres is a premier middle distance track event. ...

Capitalizing on his Olympic experience, Cram became the European and Commonwealth Games champion at 1500 m. The 13th European Championships in Athletics were in held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, a city in Greece. ... Current flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport event held every four years involving the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. ...

In a 2006 interview Cram described an epic 1983 race against Steve Ovett at the Crystal Palace: "It was a cat-and-mouse affair - we both started off running at the back of the field. I beat him by little more than the thickness of a vest." (Quoted in "Face to face: Steve Cram", by John Gibson, May 2 2006, The Evening Chronicle, gazettelive.co.uk ). He also beat Coe in an 800 m at Gateshead in front of a record crowd, broadcast live on BBC. In the 1983 1500m World Championship final, despite injury disrupting much of that season's training, he strategically beat a large field following Aouita's break with 500m to go. Ovett was trapped in the pack, ultimately finishing fourth, while Cram outkicked Said Aouita in the last 200m. At World Championship 1987 SaÃ¯d Aouita (born November 2, 1959) is a former Moroccan athlete, winner of 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics. ...

An Olympic Games gold medal eluded him, although he did win silver in the 1500 m behind defending champion Coe in the 1984 Los Angeles games when not completely fit. For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... Gold Medal is an album by American band The Donnas, released in 2004. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ...

Arguably his greatest year was in 1985 when he was virtually invincible. He beat the reigning 800 m Olympic Champion, Joaquim Cruz, over the 800 m in 1:42.88, broke three world records (1500 m, Mile, 2000 m) within a 19 day span, and recorded a British All Commers Record over the 1000 m, running 2:12.88. He was the first man to run under 3:30.00 for the 1500 m, just beating Said Aouita in Nice (running 3:29.67 to Aouita's 3:29.71). During this season he said (and indeed demonstrated) that he could win from any position and happily ran near the back of world class fields before unweilding his kick, often with a lap or so to go. This tactic and his effortless accelaration made him one of the most exciting middle distance runners to watch. Joaquim Carvalho Cruz (born March 12, 1963) is a former Brazilian athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics. ... At World Championship 1987 SaÃ¯d Aouita (born November 2, 1959) is a former Moroccan athlete, winner of 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics. ...

Cram's good form continued into the 1986 season in which he won both the 800 m and 1500 m at the Commonwealth Games (his winning 800 m time - 1:43:22 - is still the games' record). Later in the season he won the bronze in the European Championships over 800 m behind Seb Coe and Tom McKean while beating Coe to the gold medal over the 1500 m. Also that year he was awarded the MBE. Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe (born September 29, 1956) is a British athlete, and Conservative Party politician. ... Tom McKean (born 27 October 1963) is a former Scottish middle distance runner who won the European Championships 800m gold medal at Split in 1990. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are...

He was favourite to win the gold medal over 1500 m at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 but a calf injury just before the games in a 1000 m race meant that he was only able to finish fourth in a close race. Injury dogged him throughout his remaining years although he made the semi final over the 1500 m at the 1993 World Championships. He retired from athletics in 1994.

Cram now works as a television presenter and athletics commentator predominantly for the BBC and as a motivational speaker. He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1983. A television presenter is a British term for a person who introduces or hosts television programmes. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, sometimes also known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, founded in 1922. ... The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award has been given to one British sportsperson each year since 1954. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Categories: 1960 births | Living people | English athletes | British middle distance runners | Middle distance runners | English television presenters | Athletes at the 1980 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1984 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1988 Summer Olympics Francis Morgan Daley Thompson, born July 30th, 1958 in London, England, is a former British decathlete. ... The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award has been given to one British sportsperson each year since 1954. ... Jayne Torvill (born October 7, 1957, Nottingham, United Kingdom) is a British figure skater who won a gold medal in ice dancing at the 1984 Winter Olympics with her skating partner Christopher Dean and a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. ... Christopher Colin Dean (born July 22, 1958 in Nottingham, Great Britain) is a British figure skater who won a gold medal in ice dancing at the 1984 Winter Olympics with his skating partner Jayne Torvill. ...