Sebastian Coe
Sebastian Coe in 2012
Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, KBE CH ( born September 29, 1956 in Chiswick, London, Seb Coe known as ) is a British sports official, politician and former athlete. As a middle-distance runner, he won four Olympic medals, including two gold in the 1500 meter run at the Summer Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. Moreover, he set eight world records. After retiring from professional racing Coe was from 1992 to 1997 Member of the House of Commons for the Conservative Party. In 2000 he became a life peer and became a member of the House of Lords. He led the successful bid for the London 2012 Olympic Games and was from 2005 Chairman of the organizing committee LOCOG, until he took over the presidency of the British Olympic Association in late 2012. Since 2007 he is also the Vice President of the Athletics IAAF.
Biography
Youth
Coe was born in London's Chiswick. His mother, Tina Angela Lal came from India and was the daughter of a Punjabi father and an English mother. His father was Peter Coe, an engineer of Welsh and Irish origin. The family also included a brother and two sisters. Coe grew up in Sheffield and showed talent as a middle-distance runner. He was trained mainly by his father, who implemented specifically geared to its own training programs with little theoretical knowledge. Coe studied economics and social history at Loughborough University and joined the Haringey Athletics Club at. At the University he met athletics coach George Gandy who had developed a fitness training that was " revolutionary," according to Coe's statements and formed the basis for the later successes.
Sports career
1977 Coe won his first major race, a 800 - meter race at the European indoor European Championship in San Sebastián. His first encounter with his rival Steve Ovett main later he had five years earlier had in a school cross-country running, but won neither. The first international meeting of the rivals followed at the European Athletics Championships 1978 in Prague. In the 800 -meter run, the Olaf Beyer won, Ovett ran on the second and Coe to third place.
A few weeks later Coe brought in Crystal Palace with 1:43:97 minutes the British record which had undercut the Ovett in Prague. In 1979, Coe within 41 days, three new world records. In Oslo, he ran the 800 meters in 1:42:33 min and the mile in 3:48:95 min, then in Zurich, the 1500 meters in 3:32:03 min. Coe was the first athlete who held all three records at the same time. Across all three distances he remained unbeaten this year. In 1980 he was undercutting with a time of 2:13,40 min Rick well Huters world record in the 1000 -meter run. For about 45 minutes he held the world records in all four middle-distance until Ovett improved the mile record. At the Olympic Games in 1980 Coe was more than 800 meters as a favorite, but was only second to Ovett. Coe described the race as "the worst tactical race of my life. " He retaliated and won four days later the 1,500 -meter run.
In June 1981, Coe ran with 1:41,73 min a 800 - meter world record that would be only 16 years later broken by Wilson Kipketer. Its a month later be imputed world record over 1000 meters of 2:12,18 min was improved by Noah Ngeny in 1999. Both times are still a British record. As early as 1979, he remained in the 1981 season over 800 and 1500 meters unbeaten. The 1982 season was shortened due to injury significantly, yet he won the silver medal in the 800 - meter race at the European Athletics Championships in 1982 in Athens. 1983 Coe began the season with two indoor world records over 800 and 1000 meters, but then suffered an extended period of toxoplasmosis. For this reason he missed the inaugural World Championships.
Coe took in the spring of 1984, again regular competitor and was nominated for the 1984 Olympic Games, though he had been beaten almost by Peter Elliott at the British Championships. In Los Angeles, he won the 800 meters silver medal behind the Brazilian Joaquim Cruz. The Olympic gold medal in the 1500 meter race he could repeat what has since been no further athletes succeeded. 1985 was the season Coe quiet approach, since it refers to the 5000 meters planned ( but ultimately what never happened ) the transition. In addition, he suffered from back pain, which is why he missed several weeks of training. Opposite end of the season he scored again fast times, but he lost his mile Weltrekod to Steve Cram. The European Athletics Championships 1986 in Stuttgart, the British celebrated a triple victory, as Coe won the 800 -meter run before Tom McKean and Steve Cram. In addition, he won the 1500-meter second place behind Cram.
Due to an injury had to pause Coe almost the entire 1987 season. The following year, he was not nominated for the British team at the 1988 Olympics after being down in the precipitates in Birmingham about 1500 meters had failed to qualify. The Daily Mirror launched a media campaign and IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch sat vainly committed to change the rules in favor Coes. India, his mother's homeland, offered him a starting spot, but he refused. 1989 Coe won again the British championship titles over 1500 meters. At the beginning of 1990, he resigned, after he had missed in Auckland because of a chest infection, the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
Politician and sports official
As a candidate of the Conservative Party Coe stepped up to the general election in 1992. With 36.9 % of the votes, he was elected in the constituency Falmouth & Camborne in the county of Cornwall. Five years later he was defeated in the general election of 1997, when the Conservative Party lost half its seats in parliament and the government was voted out, the Labour candidate Candy Atherton. With 28.8 % of the votes, he came in second place. After he had been chief of staff to William Hague for a short time, he was raised in 2000 to a Life Peer. He holds the title Baron Coe of Ranmore in the County of Surrey and has been a member of the House of Lords. He was honored with various stages of the Order of the British Empire: 1982 as MBE, OBE 1990 and 2006 as CFU.
When London announced the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Coe took over the role of official ambassador and was board member of the bid committee. From May 2004, he chaired the Board and accompanied the application by the last phase. Commentators referred Coes lobbying and the presentation at the decisive IOC Session in July 2005 as particularly effective. After London won the bid on July 6. Three months later, he took over the office of President and President of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. In this capacity he delivered the welcome speech by the Committee at the opening ceremony of the Games on July 27, 2012 in London. Jacques Rogge, Sebastian Coe awarded the 2012 Olympic Order. In November 2012 Coe took over the presidency of the British Olympic Association, and thus became the successor of Lord Moynihan.
Private & Family
Coe married 1990, the former eventer Nicky McIrvine, with whom he has two sons and two daughters. Twelve years later, the marriage ended in divorce. In 2003, he began a relationship with Carole Annett, daughter of cricket international's MJK Smith. The couple married in July 2011.
Personal Best
- 400 m: 46.87 s, July 14, 1979 in London
- 800 m: 1:41,73 min, June 10, 1981 in Florence Hall: 1:44,91 min, March 12, 1983 in Cosford
- Hall: 2:18,58 min, March 19, 1983 in Oslo
Book Release
- With David Miller: Running Free. St Martin's Press, ISBN 0312696000 Running free. Meyer & Meyer, Aachen, 1988, ISBN 3-89124-055-4
Awards
- World Sportsman of the Year 1979, 1981
- European Athlete of the Year 1979, 1981
- World Sportsman of the Year ( L' Équipe ): 1982
- Sir John Cohen Memorial Award 1981
- Prince of Asturias Award in 1987
- Inclusion in the IAAF Hall of Fame 2012