Sebastian Coe
Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe (born September 29, 1956) is a British athlete, and Conservative Party politician. He is the head of London's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Coe won four Olympic medals and set eight world records in middle distance track events. His rivalries with fellow Britons Steve Ovett and Steve Cram dominated middle-distance racing for much of the 1980s.
He was coached by his father, Peter Coe, who designed workouts specifically for his son.
Coe studied economics and social history at Loughborough University and won his first major race in 1977 - an 800-meter event at the European indoor championships in San Sebastián, Spain.
He first ran against Ovett in Prague in 1978 in an 800 meter race that neither won. The next year in Oslo, Norway, Coe set his first world records (in the 800-meter and mile races). One of the most famous races between Ovett and Coe was in the 1980 Olympic Games in the 1500-meters. Coe won in Olympic Record time.
Coe set world records in the 800 meter and 1,000 meter races in 1981. His world record of 1:41.72 in the 800-meters remained unbeaten until August 1997 when it was broken by Wilson Kipketer.
Coe returned to the Olympics in 1984. He took silver in the 800-meters and gold in the 1500-meters. The latter made him the only person to win the distance twice.
Coe was appointed MBE in 1982 and OBE in 1990.
Coe became member of Parliament for Falmouth and Camborne in 1992, for the Conservative Party, but lost his seat in the 1997 general election. He was made a life peer in 2000.
In May 2004 at the High Court Coe failed to stop two Sunday newspapers publishing details of a woman's claims of a 10-year affair in which she became pregnant by him and had an abortion.
Personal Bests
| DISTANCE |
MARK |
DATE |
| 400m |
46.87 |
1979 |
| 800m |
1:41.72 |
1981 |
| 1000m |
2:12.18 |
1981 |
| 1500m |
3:29.77 |
1988 |
| Mile |
3:47.33 |
1981 |
| 2000m |
4:58.84 |
1982 |
See Also
