Coevett wrote:
said88 wrote:You are definitely on a par with Ventolin/Calculo and Bad Wigins.
On a normal forum where the administrators also look for some reasonable behavior and some profitable conversations, you (and your friends) long would have banned.
Aouita has a 6/0 win/loss record against Ovett. But for sure I would never list this to demonstrate how great he was and how weak Ovett. Because most of these races were run when Aouita was in his prime and Ovett not anymore.
Aouita choose to run the 800m in Seoul because the brits were not anymore at their best? This is just so laughable. He knew in 87 that Cram is not at this best in Seoul? But Cram and Coe not at all were the main contenders. Billy Konchellah in his '87 form would have been close to unbeatable for anyone. What a senseless discussion...
Do you really think he could make this decision just a few weeks before Seoul? This was his long time plan (the 1500m and - if he reached a sub 1:44 - also the 800m). That Ovett never would have beaten Aouita over 800m in Aouita's prime is out of question. Also that he would have not a chance against Coe and Cram at their best.
Yeah, bit unfair to claim Aouita has a 6-0 head to head over Ovett (you list it and then say you would never list it. What a completely immoral idiot you are). I wonder what the head to head would be if Aouita wasn't stuck in B races on the European circuit in 81 and 82 and was racing against Ovett when he was breaking world records while Aouita was running 1:50 and 3:40? The one race over 1500m when both were near their best was Helsinki. Ovett was short of confidence and ran the worst tactical race of his life. He was still eating up the ground on Aouita with every closing stride and would clearly have beaten him if not for such a poor tactical run.
Yes, it's clear Cram wasn't just injured in 87 but had a major confidence problem. Watch the 87 1500m final where he just appears to give up when he realizes he's not going to compete with Bile. Nobody would put much money right then on him performing in Seoul the next year. The fact that he got himself back into a position to do just that is amazing, and tragic that he got injured again just before the Games.
Billy Konchella was already known as somebody prone to illness , and in fact, he did get ill again shortly after Rome. I don't like to make accusations against athletes who are world beaters one season and ill the next, but in Konchella's case given his subsequent conviction for drugging and raping two Finnish children, I guess it might be justified.
On that note, Aouita's behaviour in interviews in the 80's are strongly suggestive of somebody taking steroids and God knows what else. I've read that cannabis can improve endurance. Constantly talking about what he'd do to the Brits, even openly fantasizing about murdering them, accusing them (and Scott...and Cruz) of doping, claiming to be able to run 3:27, 3:42, 12:45 when you spent most of your career at an elite sporting institution running 1:50, 3:40, 13:50, declaring your intention to compete in the 800, 1500 AND 5000 in the same Games, trying to break every world record from 800 to 10000 INCLUDING the steeplechase. That's hardcore even for the average high as a kite Arab.