This is the story of two of the world’s greatest ever milers, Seb Coe and Steve Ovett. Before the Moscow Olympics, Coe and Ovett had barely raced each other.
They had, however, established impressive race credentials and traded world records.
So when the Olympics came round, it was showdown time.
There is still no athletics clash which in living memory has come close to the Olympic duels of Coe and Ovett in Moscow.
The combination of record-breaking runs and media hype generated huge public interest.
And when, just weeks before the Olympics started, Ovett first broke and then equalled two of Coe’s world records, the stage was set for the most titanic of Olympic duels.
The Coe-Ovett showdown in Moscow was, and still is, sporting theatre of the highest order.
