Chit Chat
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…. as in the rogerthebutler who likes to take a stroll down Olympic Memory Lane with me now and again.
Hope you're enjoying the latest renewal…. but down to business.
I know it's almost compulsory for any conversation between us to include the words 'Dave' and 'Wottle' but for today's memoir I'm thinking back to the Women's 800m Final in Munich. This was a fantastically strong race, won in an Olympic record and hopefully most of these heroines will be familiar names and faces to you.
Munich 800m Final
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoY6IYqb0sg
Hope you're enjoying the latest renewal…. but down to business.
I know it's almost compulsory for any conversation between us to include the words 'Dave' and 'Wottle' but for today's memoir I'm thinking back to the Women's 800m Final in Munich. This was a fantastically strong race, won in an Olympic record and hopefully most of these heroines will be familiar names and faces to you.
Munich 800m Final
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoY6IYqb0sg
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is there a link with David Coleman commentary? Always an essential part of Olympic nostalgia for me.
Going back to Wottle - fascinating tactics - running 2 evenly paced laps. Borzakovsky did the same in 2004. Risky strategy though and you have to judge the pace perfectly - if they run the first lap very slow you're in trouble. |
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Wottle/Coleman
"Here comes Wottle with the throttle" . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZut7MFZ-i8 |
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Paul Ereng also did the two evenly paced laps trick in Seoul if I recall correctly.
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Munich 1972 was the first Olympics I can really remember.
Of course there was Wottle and Mary Peters for the British fans but my biggest memory of athletics from those games was Klaus Wolfermann beating Janis Lusis by 2 cm in the Javelin. I would have mentioned David Jenkins' mazing final leg in the 4x400 metres - turns out he was a rampant druggie though. |
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....oh and John Aki-Bua in the 400m hurdles, winning Uganda's first (and only?) medal at the Olympics?
Someone 'Wikipedia me up' and tell me I'm wrong on that one. |
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LOL, sadly I have no recollection of the Wolfermann victory, but yes I can remember that afternoon when the great Akii-Bua (later a victim of Idi Amin's Uganda) beat "Hemery Great Britain" (copyright Coleman Mexico '68).
Mexico was my first Olympics, happily off school for a week or so with some problem that required a lot of watching telly and playing with a Spirograph to cure. |
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Mexico '68 was the first Olympics I remember, but I think most of the athletics was on during the night, and indeed it was during school term time. We were treated to a breakfast TV programme on BBC (complete novelty in those days) with Frank Bough.
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That's my memory too Degs.
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...and there goes Juantorena down the back straight,
opening his legs and showing his class.... |
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My mate's dad used to get "athletics weekly" at the time, and sometimes an imported "track and field news". I was just in awe of the American sprinters of the '68 era and to this day Tommie Smith and Lee Evans are still my great sporting heroes.
For the '72 Olympics, my parents got out first colour TV for me to watch it, but I can't remember a more disappointing games (from an athletics pov) |
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I would have mentioned David Jenkins' mazing final leg in the 4x400 metres - turns out he was a rampant druggie though.
to be fair, I don't think Jenkins turned to drugs until about '75/76 |
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Yeah - and crushed the joyous naivite out of the young Rodge, who thought he was the dog'd doo-dahs after his win from lane 8 in the European Championships in....help us out here alun?
It was the year David Bedford was nailed on to win the 10,000 metres until Vaatainen blew past him. |
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Vaatainen & Haase, 1971
. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwyA3sfEED4 |
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My only memories of the 1972 Olympics are of the shocking terrorist attack.
Nothing was worse than the tragic loss of eleven Israeli athletes, of course, some of whom were tortured, but one thing that really makes me angry to this day is the IOC's despicable pandering to the ten Arab countries who complained that their nations' flags were lowered to half mast later that day as a mark of respect to the dead. Instead of the appropriate response of telling them to **** off entirely, the spineless committee immediately restored the flags back to the top. I've always found that disgusting. Fast forward forty years to London 2012 and the IOC refused to hold a minutes silence during the opening ceremony for fear of upsetting Muslim competitors. |
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Apologies, Alun, to hijack your thread with something depressing.
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Borzov winning the 100/200 metres double in 1972 was very impressive to a young me . I did wonder years later how come there were no yanks contesting the Gold ......2 of them got the wrong time for their heat .....wallys.
My kids(adults now) must be sick of my reminiscing about the golden era of the Olympics ....mind they did like the story of Onishenko and his dodgy eppe in the 76 modern pentathlon against Jim Fox.  |
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It was Eddie hart and Rey Robinson who missed their QF races in the 100m. Wasn't really their fault, but added to a woeful athletics games for USA
. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Wright_(track_coach)#1972_controversy |
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Roger - sorry, been watching the Del Potro tennis match for last 3 hours or so. I think Jenkins did his unlikely Lane 8 win at the '71 Europeans (?).
Now Roger, I have a terrific sports trivia question for you, which I was reminded of when watching an old Olympic clip today on this very thread. Who pulled up (uninjured) 300 metres into an Olympic 800m race and shortly afterwards reputedly tried to top themselves by jumping off a bridge but bottled that as well. That's the rumour anyway. Two unparalleled bottle jobs in one unforgettable day. |
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You've got me there!
On all the evidence you've given me it sounds like it should be Tom McKean!! |
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An incredible story I know, but there's never been any denial or cover-up. Could not seemingly cope wit Olympic/National pressure.
Roger - This link will give you some of the details. (See Mexico 1968). Unprecedented I'd say. . http://www.athleticsweekly.com/featured/olympic-history-womens-800m-47922 This woman has always intrigued me, if nothing else because she was as a contemporary of Lillian Board. I remember seeing her on World of Sport years ago, when they covered athletics, blowing everyone away to break the 800m world record, set in Britain. Immense talent and won several Euro titles as I recall, but clearly had issues. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L_iC2CDrEM |
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I have to say I'm disappointed not to see the great Merlene Ottey participating at the Rio Olympics for Slovenia.
Fingers crossed she'll make it onto the plane for one more crack at the elusive Gold Medal in the 100 metres in Tokyo four years from now. |
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Would a zimmer frame be classified as a Performance Enhancing Drug?
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Wow, I never came across that story about Vera Nicolic - did anything ever come to light as to the why's and wherefores?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW0VFxZpDQY
One of my favourite Coleman commentaries, the year I ran as a Junior in the Yorkshire Schools 880 yards. Finished 2nd beaten about 10 lengths but there was a long way back to the 3rd.  |
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While we're discussing Coleman….."Steve Ovett, those blue eyes like chips of ice" (a memorable turn of phrase during the Moscow 800m Final) and "You don't become a bad athlete overnight" (after Coe's salvation in the 1500) both spring to mind.
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Though no athletic event can ever be as good as 'The Olympics 1968 - 1984' (makes you winder why they bother really), having just had a chance to see it, what do you think of Wayde Van Niekerk's run last night.
Off the scale amazing or just 'drop my bacon sandwich' eye-opening? From lane 8 as well. |
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A fantastic effort indeed Rog. Glad I stayed up to watch it.
The last time I stayed up really late to watch a night of Olympic athletics was that great night in Atlanta when Verbjorn Rodal won a thrilling 800m for Norway. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duQ-Wg0SzvU |
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Rodal looked like the ghost of Ovett.
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Coleman did not sound like he was at the races - his powers were waning then.
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Probably wrong, but I think Rodal is still the only Track Gold Medalist
who has qualified for a final as a fastest finisher. |
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Rog - remove Bolt and the disgraced Gatlin, and don't you think the Sprinting division is the most uninteresting in the years you've been watching it?
Just been reading about the Paralympics budget cuts. I reckon if you get your skates on and get out there now and negotiate, you could well be lighting the flame. |
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lase verin
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lase verin
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Rog - before we close this nostalgia-fest for 2016, I can't leave it without recalling what must have been one of the most extraordinary races of ANY Olympics. And it's one I've never seen since the day it happened, nor can I find it at YouTube.
An 800 metres race where the winner came from almost last to first as I recall, and the first 4 home all smashed the existing World Record. The winner continued to win Gold Medals and smash world records….until 1984 when she abruptly retired in 'controversial circumstances'. . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1976_Summer_Olympics_–_Women%27s_800_metres |
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Yeah Kazankina
I only remember her 'cos we had a mature student our course at University a few years later who was her spitting image. You don't suppose our Russian lady crossed the finishing line at Montreal and thought to herself 'Hmm. A few years learning East-Midlands-tinged English and I blag my way into a middling redbrick University in Middle England, develop a chronic scrumpy habit and come away with a 2:2 - and the Politburo can't bloody touch me for it!' Hence her disappearance? No? Probably not. Do you remember Ana Quirot and her pretty tragic story? |
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Quirot…… Cuba??? Lost her family in a house fire ???
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alun2005
19 Aug 16 18:08 Rog - remove Bolt and the disgraced Gatlin, and don't you think the Sprinting division is the most uninteresting in the years you've been watching it? Just been reading about the Paralympics budget cuts. I reckon if you get your skates on and get out there now and negotiate, you could well be lighting the flame. Ha! Outed for the blagger I most definitely am! Yeah, I mean even though I couldn't stand him and he was never the best American at least John DSrummond leant some colour and depth to the Ameriucan challenge 10-12 years back. You also had someone like Geir Moen who put Norway on the map in sprint terms, but nothing like that now. |
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alun2005
Joined: 11 Jan 02 Replies: 30365 20 Aug 16 15:33 Quirot…… Cuba??? Lost her family in a house fire ??? Yeah - and her unborn child I believe. V. sad. |
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One of Quirot's contemporaries if I recall correctly was everyone's pin-up girl, Maria Mutola. the biggest thing to come out of Mozambique since Eusebio and Ebola.
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