Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres

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Men's 1500 metres
at the Games of the XXIII Olympiad
Olympic Athletics.png
Olympic Athletics
Venue Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Dates9–11 August
Competitors59 from 40 nations
Winning time3:32.53 OR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Sebastian Coe
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
Silver medal icon.svg Steve Cram
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
Bronze medal icon.svg José Manuel Abascal
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
  1980
1988  
Official Video TV-icon-2.svg
Official Video

The men's 1500 metres was an event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The final was held on August 11, 1984. [1] Fifty-nine athletes from 40 nations competed. [2] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by 0.87 seconds by Sebastian Coe of Great Britain, the first man to successfully defend an Olympic 1500 metres title. Steve Cram's silver made it the first time a nation had gone 1–2 in the event since Great Britain had done it in 1920. José Manuel Abascal's bronze was Spain's first medal in the event.

Summary

From the start Omar Khalifa went to the lead, shadowed by Joseph Chesire with Sebastian Coe marking their lead in third. The first lap was 58.85. 500 metres into the race, Steve Scott ran around the leaders to take the point, Coe and José Manuel Abascal stringing out the field. They passed the 800 metre mark in a slightly faster 1:56.81. Abascal continued to speed up, passing Coe then Scott between 900 and 1000. Scott began to fall back through the field as Steve Cram and Steve Ovett moved forward. At the bell the three Brits were 2–4, three Steves were 3–5. Midway through the penultimate turn, suddenly the world record holder Ovett stepped inside of the curb and stopped. With 300 to go in an even faster 2:53.21, Abascal, Coe and Cram had three metres on Cheshire who accelerated around Scott and Jim Spivey as Ovett dropped out. Cram accelerated down the back stretch, Coe reacting, with about 220 metres to go, the leaders were three abreast across the track. Coe emerged ahead into the turn with Cram sprinting in his wake. Coe looked around to see where his competition was then focused on holding his position. Coming off the turn, Coe checked again, seeing Cram still a metre behind him, breaking away from Abascal. Coe sprinted away from Cram, checking again mid-straightaway to be sure his work was accomplished, then extending his lead to 6 metres by the finish. Cram had another 7 metres on Abascal who was able to hold off Cheshire for bronze. Coe became the only man to successfully defend his title in the 1500 metres. Coe turned back toward the press area and angrily showed them his index finger on both hands, indicating he was number one again. Still fresh after running less than 2 seconds off the world record, Coe jogged back still looking at that area of the stands and again showing his number one finger.

Background

This was the 20th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The only 1980 finalists to return were the three British runners: gold medalist Sebastian Coe, bronze medalist Steve Ovett, and eighth-place finisher Steve Cram. Coe and Ovett had been favorites then, with Cram not considered quite so highly; by 1984, however, they were a true triumvirate (with Cram winning the 1982 Commonwealth and European Championships and the inaugural 1983 World Championship; Ovett had set the world record in 1983; Coe was the defending Olympic champion) and a threat to sweep the podium. Their main competition was Steve Scott of the United States, who had been prevented from running at the 1980 Games due to the American-led boycott; Scott had taken second to Cram at the 1983 Worlds. Johan Fourie did not compete because of South Africa's apartheid ban. [2]

Antigua and Barbuda, Equatorial Guinea, the Gambia, Guyana, Jordan, Niger, Oman, Rwanda, the Seychelles, Suriname, the United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe each made their first appearance in the event. The United States made its 19th appearance, most of all nations (having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games).

Competition format

The competition was again three rounds (used previously in 1952 and since 1964). The "fastest loser" system introduced in 1964 was used for both the first round and semifinals. The 9-man semifinals and finals from 1976 and 1980 were replaced with 12-man races.

There were six heats in the first round, each with 10 or 11 runners (before withdrawals). The top three runners in each heat, along with the next six fastest overall, advanced to the semifinals. The 24 semifinalists were divided into two semifinals, each with 12 runners. The top four men in each semifinal, plus the next four fastest overall, advanced to the 12-man final. [2] [3]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Steve Ovett  (GBR)3:30.77 Rieti, Italy 4 September 1983
Olympic recordFlag of Kenya.svg  Kip Keino  (KEN)3:34.9 Mexico City, Mexico 20 October 1968

Sebastian Coe set a new Olympic record at 3:32.53 in the final.

Schedule

All times are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)

DateTimeRound
Thursday, 9 August 198416:15Round 1
Friday, 10 August 198417:40Semifinals
Saturday, 11 August 198418:55Final

Results

Round 1

Heat 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Joseph Chesire Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:38.51Q
2 Omer Khalifa Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 3:38.93Q
3 Stefano Mei Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3:39.25Q
4 Tony Rogers Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3:39.78q
5 José Luis González Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:47.01
6 Faouzi Lahbi Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:47.54
7 Paul Ceesay Flag of The Gambia.svg  The Gambia 3:59.14
8 Amor Masoud Al-Sharji Flag of Oman (1970-1995).svg  Oman 4:12.76
Antti Loikkanen Flag of Finland.svg  Finland DNF
Charlie Oliver Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands DNS

Heat 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Pascal Thiébaut Flag of France.svg  France 3:45.18Q
2 Sebastian Coe Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:45.30Q
3 Andrés Vera Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:45.44Q
4 Paul Donovan Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 3:45.70
5 Jama Mohamed Aden Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia 3:46.80
6 Mohamed Alouini Flag of Tunisia (1959-1999).svg  Tunisia 3:49.78
7 Dale Jones Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda 3:55.65
8 Kgomotso Balotthanyi Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 3:58.69
Oslen Barr Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana DNF
Abdul Al-Ghadi Flag of North Yemen.svg  North Yemen DNS
Sydney Maree Flag of the United States.svg  United States DNS

Heat 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Steve Ovett Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:49.23Q
2 Agberto Guimarães Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg  Brazil 3:49.26Q
3 Marcus O'Sullivan Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 3:49.65Q
4 Josephat Muraya Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:51.61
5 Gawain Guy Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 3:52.04
6 Claudio Patrignani Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3:52.63
7 Mehdi Aidet Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3:53.92
8 Mouteb Al-Faouri Flag of Jordan (3-2).svg  Jordan 3:59.85
Pierre Délèze Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland DNF
Francisco Figueredo Flag of Paraguay (1954-1988).svg  Paraguay DNS
William Wuycke Flag of Venezuela (1954-2006).png  Venezuela DNS

Heat 4

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Joaquim Cruz Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg  Brazil 3:41.01Q
2 Steve Scott Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:41.02Q
3 Michael Hillardt Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 3:41.18Q
4 Frank O'Mara Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 3:41.76
5 Alex Gonzalez Flag of France.svg  France 3:42.84
6 Mark Handelsman Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 3:45.05
7 Abderrahmane Morceli Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3:45.09
8 Archfell Musango Flag of Zambia (1964-1996).svg  Zambia 3:46.99
9 Adamou Allassane Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 3:56.43
10 Tito Rodrigues Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname 4:02.87
Dragan Zdravković Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg  Yugoslavia DNS

Heat 5

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 José Manuel Abascal Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:37.68Q
2 Peter Wirz Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 3:37.75Q
3 Uwe Becker Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 3:37.76Q
4 Riccardo Materazzi Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3:37.95q
5 Pat Scammell Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 3:39.18q
6 James Igohe Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 3:39.62q
7 Tapfumaneyi Jonga Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 3:40.42q
8 Isaac Ganunga Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 3:53.86
9 Hugo Allan García Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 3:57.59
10 Kim Bok-Joo Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea 4:02.63
Ibrahim Aziz Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates DNF

Heat 6

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Steve Cram Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:40.33Q
2 Jim Spivey Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:40.58Q
3 Peter O'Donoghue Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3:40.69Q
4 Abdi Bile Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia 3:40.72q
5 Kipkoech Cheruiyot Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:41.96
6 Zakaria Namonge Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 3:45.55
7 Batulamai Rajakumar Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 3:55.19
8 Jean-Marie Rudasingwa Flag of Rwanda (1962-2001).svg  Rwanda 3:57.62
9 Philip Sinon Flag of Seychelles (1977-1996).svg  Seychelles 4:25.80
10 Diosdado Lozano Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 4:34.71
Omar Ortega Flag of Argentina (1861-2010).svg  Argentina DNF

Semifinals

Semifinal 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 José Manuel Abascal Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:35.70Q
2 Steve Scott Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:35.71Q
3 Sebastian Coe Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:35.81Q
4 Joseph Chesire Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:35.83Q
Peter Wirz Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 3:35.83Q
6 Tony Rogers Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3:36.48q
7 Riccardo Materazzi Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3:36.51q
8 Michael Hillardt Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 3:38.12
9 Pascal Thiébaut Flag of France.svg  France 3:40.96
10 James Igohe Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 3:41.57
Abdi Bile Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia DSQ
Agberto Guimarães Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg  Brazil DSQ

Semifinal 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Steve Cram Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:36.30Q
2 Jim Spivey Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:36.53Q
3 Andrés Vera Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:36.55Q
Steve Ovett Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:36.55Q
5 Omar Khalifa Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 3:36.76q
6 Uwe Becker Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany 3:37.28
7 Stefano Mei Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3:37.96
8 Peter O'Donoghue Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3:38.71
9 Marcus O'Sullivan Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 3:39.40
10 Pat Scammell Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 3:40.83
11 Tapfumaneyi Jonga Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 3:41.80
Joaquim Cruz Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg  Brazil DNS

Final

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Sebastian Coe Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:32.53 OR
Silver medal icon.svg Steve Cram Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 3:33.40
Bronze medal icon.svg José Manuel Abascal Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:34.30
4 Joseph Chesire Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:34.52
5 Jim Spivey Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:36.07
6 Peter Wirz Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 3:36.97
7 Andrés Vera Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:37.02
8 Omar Khalifa Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 3:37.11
9 Tony Rogers Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3:38.98
10 Steve Scott Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:39.86
11 Riccardo Materazzi Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3:40.74
Steve Ovett Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain DNF

See also

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References

  1. "Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Games: Men's 1500 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "1500 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  3. Official Report, vol. 2, pp. 276–77.