Items24The creator’s order
  1. 1Peter SnellPeter SnellBorn 17 Dec 1938Peter Snell of New Zealand combined Arthur Lydiard's high-mileage training with a devastating finishing burst. He won the Olympic 800 m in Rome in 1960 as an outsider and then the 800 m and 1500 m double in Tokyo in 1964, the last man to do so at a single Games. His strength let him sit in the pack…0i
  2. 2Herb ElliottHerb ElliottBorn 25 Feb 1938Herb Elliott of Australia was never beaten over 1500 m or the mile in his senior career. His instinct was to break races open from a long way out, and in the 1960 Olympic 1500 m final in Rome he surged away with more than a lap to go and won by about 20 metres in a world record. He retired at 22.0i
  3. 3Kipchoge KeinoKipchoge KeinoBorn 17 Jan 1940Kip Keino read the conditions of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics better than anyone. With a teammate pushing the early pace at altitude, he took the lead and ran the finishing kick out of the favourite, Jim Ryun, winning the 1500 m by a large margin despite a gallbladder problem. He added…0i
  4. 4Alberto JuantorenaAlberto JuantorenaBorn 3 Dec 1950Alberto Juantorena of Cuba brought a 400 m runner's speed to the 800 m and simply ran from the front, using a huge stride to dictate the race. At the 1976 Montreal Olympics he won the 800 m in a world record and then the 400 m, a double nobody else has achieved. His races show how raw speed changes…0i
  5. 5Steve OvettSteve OvettBorn 9 Oct 1955Steve Ovett was the great tactical racer of British middle-distance running, comfortable in rough, physical races and lethal from 200 m out. He went 45 races unbeaten at 1500 m and the mile between 1977 and 1980, and at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 he won the 800 m, the event his rival Sebastian Coe…0i
  6. 6Sebastian CoeSebastian CoeBorn 29 Sept 1956Sebastian Coe learned from defeat. After a poorly judged 800 m final in Moscow, he raced the 1500 m six days later with far better positioning and won gold, then defended the title in Los Angeles in 1984. Light, efficient and quick off the final bend, he also set world records at 800 m, 1500 m and…0i
  7. 7Steve CramSteve CramBorn 14 Oct 1960Steve Cram, the Jarrow Arrow, liked to take races on with a long, sustained drive from around 300 m out, daring opponents to hold his pace. It won him the first world 1500 m title in Helsinki in 1983, Olympic silver in 1984 behind Coe, and in 1985 three world records in 19 days, at 1500 m, the mile…0i
  8. 8Noureddine MorceliNoureddine MorceliBorn 28 Feb 1970Noureddine Morceli of Algeria dominated the 1500 m in the early 1990s by making races fast and hard, so that nobody could stay with him at the bell. He won three consecutive world titles, in 1991, 1993 and 1995, set world records at 1500 m and the mile, and won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 after…0i
  9. 9Wilson KipketerWilson KipketerBorn 12 Dec 1972Wilson Kipketer, born in Kenya and running for Denmark, combined front-running pace with a rare ability to change gear in the final straight. He won three world 800 m titles, in 1995, 1997 and 1999, and set the world record of 1:41.11 in 1997, which stood for 13 years. Olympic silver in 2000 and…0i
  10. 10Hicham El GuerroujHicham El GuerroujBorn 14 Sept 1974Hicham El Guerrouj learned the hard way that championship racing is about position: he fell in the 1996 Olympic 1500 m final and was outkicked in 2000. He then won four consecutive world titles, set the 1500 m and mile world records that still stand, and at the 2004 Athens Olympics finally won the…0i