Steve Cram

Stephen Cram, (born 14 October 1960) is a British retired track and field athlete.

Along with fellow Britons Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, he was one of the world's dominant middle distance runners during the 1980s.

In 1980, Cram won his place in the British Olympic team after finishing in 2nd place to Steve Ovett in the mile at Crystal Palace.

Cram, aged 19, reached the final of the 1,500 m at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, in which Ovett and Sebastian Coe famously vied for the gold medal.

Cram finished in eighth place.

Capitalising on his Olympic experience, Cram made his major breakthrough in 1982, a year in which Coe and Ovett were largely absent with injuries.

Cram took 1,500 m gold at the Commonwealth Games and also the 1982 European Championships in Athens, where he raced to gold after breaking from the field with 600 metres to go following Williamson's fall.

He won the 1,500 m gold medal at the 1983 World Championships and the 1,500 m silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.

Injury had disrupted Cram in the early part of the 1983 season, but he recovered in time for the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki and just prior to the games beat Coe (who was suffering from an undiagnosed virus at the time) in an 800 m at Gateshead.

In a slow final, he strategically beat a large field following Saïd Aouita's break with 500 metres to go.

Ovett became trapped in the pack, ultimately finishing fourth, while Cram outkicked Steve Scott and Aouita in the last 200 metres.

In a remark made in Cram's presence shortly afterwards which spoke to the depth of British milers, Ovett noted that Britain was the home of the Olympic champion, World champion and World Record holder in the 1,500 m - titles held by Coe, Cram and Ovett respectively.

At Crystal Palace later that summer, Cram won an epic mile race, in which he led Ovett by little more than a metre with 300 metres to go and maintained that lead right to the finishing line.

The race had been marked as a run-off between Cram and Scottish miler Graham Williamson for the final place (a selection decision which was severely criticised by Ovett in his 1984 autobiography).

In 1984, Cram's season was severely hampered by injury, although he recovered sufficiently to win silver in the 1,500 m at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, behind defending champion Coe.

Nicknamed "The Jarrow Arrow", after his home town, Cram set world records in the 1,500 m, 2,000 m, and the mile during a 19-day period in the summer of 1985.

He was the first man to run 1,500 m under 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

He came back stronger in 1985, a year in which he was only beaten three times; by Coe at 800 m, McKean at 800 m and Ovett in a road Mile.

In the 800 m, not his best event, he beat the reigning 800 m Olympic Champion, Joaquim Cruz, in 1:42.88, the fastest time he was ever to run, off even splits of 51.2 & 51.7.

He broke three world records (1,500 m, Mile, 2,000 m) within a 19-day span, and recorded a British All Comers Record over the 1,000 m, running 2:12.88 in windy conditions at Gateshead (the second fastest 1,000 m in history at the time behind Coe's 2:12.18).

He was the first man to run under 3:30.00 for the 1,500 m, just beating Saïd Aouita in Nice (running 3:29.67 to Aouita's 3:29.71).

His mile time of 3:46.32, recorded at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, stood for eight years and, stood as the European record until 2023 (new record pending).

This run was notable for the fact that this was an actual competitive race against Sebastian Coe with the first three laps being below schedule, although pretty even in pace distribution (57.2, 57.3, 58.7), followed by an exceptional last lap (440yds) of 53.2.

While the likes of Coe and Ovett had a devastating sprint finish over the last 100 metres, Cram tended to wind up the speed gradually over the last 300 metres of races, making him very difficult to catch.

However, during the 1985 season he said (and indeed demonstrated) that he could win from any position and happily ran near the back of world class fields before unleashing his kick, often with a lap or so to go.

This tactic, his elegant, high stepping action and his effortless acceleration made him one of the most exciting middle distance runners to watch.

Cram's good form continued into the 1986 season.

At the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, he won the 800 m, finishing 15 metres clear of Tom McKean and Peter Elliott in 1:43:22 - still the Commonwealth Games record.

He followed this up with gold in the 1,500 m and was persuaded to run both events at the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart.

He arrived at the European Championships "just over the edge" as he suggested in David Miller's biography of Coe, "Born to Run".

Nevertheless, he won the bronze in the 800 m having been blocked down the back straight by Tom McKean who made his run at the same time as Cram and, though leading into the straight, lacked the zest he showed in the Commonwealth games and was unable to hold off the challenges of McKean and a superlative Coe.

Although disappointed by his 800 m defeat Cram bounced back to beat Coe to the gold medal in the 1,500 m. It turned out to be not only Cram's last major medal, but the end of the golden era for British middle distance running.

In 1987, he was no longer the outstanding 1,500 m athlete that he had been in previous years.

Having previously been able to win races from any position and at any pace, he was now lacking confidence in his finishing speed, an area in which he had fallen behind some of his main rivals.

In 2000, Cram co-founded international children’s charity COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas) with British Army Major Jim Panton after running the Bosnia Comrades ultramarathon in 1998.

Cram remains chairman of COCO, an organisation which currently provides education to children living in poor, remote parts of East Africa.

In a 2006 interview, Cram described the race: "It was a cat-and-mouse affair - we both started off running at the back of the field. I beat him by little more than the thickness of a vest."

In 2008, Cram was appointed Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, replacing Lord Puttnam, and in 2009 was elected as President of Jarrow & Hebburn Athletics Club.

Cram now works as a television presenter and athletics commentator, motivational speaker and athletics coach.

In 2021, he was elected as the new president of the British Orienteering Federation.