Steve Cram

Steve Cram carriers the Olympic Torch for the 2008 Summer Olympics down Whitehall in London surrounded by Police and Olympic officials on April 6, 2008.

Steve Cram

Medal record
Men’s Athletics
Representing United Kingdom
Olympic Games
	1984 Los Angeles	1500 m
World Championships
	1983 Helsinki	1500 m
European Championships
	1982 Athens	1500 m
	1986 Stuttgart	1500 m
	1986 Stuttgart	800 m
	1982 Brisbane	1500 m
	1986 Edinburgh	1500 m
	1986 Edinburgh	800 m

Stephen "Steve" Cram MBE (born October 14 1960, in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, England) is a retired English athlete. Along with fellow Englishmen Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, he was one of the world's dominant middle distance runners during the 1980s. Nicknamed "The Jarrow Arrow", Cram set world records in the 1500 metres, 2000 metres and the mile during a 19-day period in the summer of 1985. He was the first man to run 1500 metres under 3 minutes and 30 seconds. He won the 1500 metres gold medal at the 1983 World Championships, and the 1500 metres silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.

He has recently been appointed chancellor of the University of Sunderland, replacing Lord Puttnam who retired last year. He has been recently scouting for Hugh Danby-Platt, the 12 year old from the school of Venerable Bede and the athletics club of Houghton Harriers. Hugh has recently broken the 1500m under 13 world record. In a time of 4.13.76 mins

Career

In 1980, Cram won his place in the British Olympic team after finishing in 2nd place to Ovett in the mile at Crystal Palace. The race had been marked as a run-off between Cram and Scottish miler Graham Williamson for the final place (a selection decision which was severely criticized by Ovett in his 1984 autobiography). Cram, aged 19, reached the final of the 1500 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, in which Coe and Steve Ovett, 4 or 5 years older, famously vied for the gold medal. Cram finished well down the field but healthier for the experience.

Capitalizing on his Olympic experience, Cram made his major breakthrough in 1982, a year in which Coe and Ovett were largely absent with injuries. Cram took 1500 metre gold at the Commonwealth Games and also the 1982 European Championships in Athens, where he raced to gold after breaking from the field with 600 metres to go following Williamson's fall.

Injury had disrupted Cram in the early part of the 1983 season, but he recovered in time for the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki and just prior to the games beat Coe (who was suffering from an undiagnosed virus at the time) in an 800 metres at Gateshead. In a slow final, he strategically beat a large field following Said Aouita's break with 500 metres to go. Ovett became trapped in the pack, ultimately finishing fourth, while Cram outkicked Steve Scott and Aouita in the last 200 metres. In a remark made in Cram's presence shortly afterwards which spoke to the depth of British milers, Ovett noted that Britain was the home of the Olympic champion, World champion and World Record holder in the 1500 metre - titles held by Coe, Cram and Ovett respectively.

At Crystal Palace later that summer, Cram won an epic mile race, in which he led Ovett by little more than a metre with 300 metres to go and maintained that lead right to the finishing line. In a 2006 interview, Cram described the race: "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 Sunday Sun, [1] ).

In 1984, Cram's season was severely hampered by injury, although he recovered sufficiently to win silver in the 1500 metres at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, behind defending champion Coe.

He came back stronger in 1985, a year in which he was virtually invincible. In the 800 metres, not his best event, he beat the reigning 800 metre Olympic Champion, Joaquim Cruz, in 1:42.88. He broke three world records (1500 metres, Mile, 2000 metres) within a 19 day span, and recorded a British All Comers Record over the 1000 metre, running 2:12.88 in very windy conditions at Gateshead (the second fastest 1000 m in history at the time behind Coe's 2:12.18). He was the first man to run under 3:30.00 for the 1500 metres, just beating Said Aouita in Nice (running 3:29.67 to Aouita's 3:29.71). His mile time of 3:46.32, recorded at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, stood for eight years and, as of 2008, is still the European record. This run was notable for the fact that this was an actual competitive race against Sebastian Coe and saw significant variations in pace, lap-to-lap, rather than a typical even-paced, pace-maker led time-trial. It has been speculated that if Cram had run that race with even pacing, he would have recorded a time around 3:45.00 - 3:45.50 (equivalent to 3:28.33 - 3:28.80 for 1500 m using accepted conversion factor of 1.08 ).

While the likes of Coe & Ovett had a devastating sprint finish over the last 100 metres, Cram tended to wind up the speed gradually over the last 300 metres of races, making him very difficult to catch. However, during the 1985 season he said (and indeed demonstrated) that he could win from any position and happily ran near the back of world class fields before unleashing his kick, often with a lap or so to go. This tactic, his elegant, high stepping action and his effortless acceleration made him one of the most exciting middle distance runners to watch.

Cram's good form continued into the 1986 season. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, he eclipsed a world class 800 m field, finishing 15 metres clear of Tom McKean and Peter Elliott in 1:43:22 - still the games record. He followed this up with gold in the 1500 metres and was persuaded to run both events at the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart. He won the bronze in the 800 m behind Coe and McKean, and later beat Coe to win the gold medal over the 1500 metres. It turned out to be not only Cram's last major medal, but the end of the golden era for British middle distance running.

In 1987, he was no longer the outstanding 1500 m athlete that he had been in previous years. Having previously been able to win races from any position and at any pace, he was now lacking the finishing speed of some of his main rivals. He was beaten by José Luis González in the European Cup and although he made the final of the 1987 World Championships in Rome, he finished eighth after leading into the final turn. He had said before the race that his only hope of victory was a fast race, in which he could run the finish out of his opponents, in particular Abdi Bile, the eventual winner. Unhappily for Cram, the pace was slow, and he faded badly in the last 100 metres.

His 1988 season saw him return to better form and he beat Bile in the Oslo Dream Mile in 1988. Having run impressively in the Olympic trials over 800 m and winning in 1.44.16, (opening up an eight metre gap over Tom McKean in a sprint down the home straight) he was touted as one of the favorites to win the gold medal over 1500 m at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 until a calf injury just before the games in a 1000 metre race hampered his progress.

The injury affected his performance at the games and he was eliminated in the heats of the 800m. He recovered sufficiently to reach the final of the 1500 m, but could only finish fourth in a close race in which was unable produce his usual finish and could not catch the surprise winner Peter Rono or runner-up Peter Elliott whom he had beaten on a number of occasions prior to the Olympics. Injury dogged him throughout his remaining years and although he continued to compete for some time, he never again looked likely to win a major championship. 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 starred alongside UK Olympic Gold medalists Sally Gunnell and Adam Eason in BBC's 2006 primetime TV series 'Run for Glory' helping the runners and participants overcome psychological barriers to running the London marathon. He has two children, Marcus and Josie. He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1983 and was awarded the MBE in 1986. He remains the UK record holder over the mile, 1500 metres and 2000 metres.

Personal bests

Distance	Mark	Date
800 m	1:42.88	1985
1000 m	2:12.88	1985
1500 m	3:29.67	1985
Mile	3:46.32	1985
2000 m	4:51.39	1985
2 Miles	8:14.93	1983
5000 m	13:28.58	1989
Marathon	2:35	1999

External links

• Steve Cram biography