I watch this race on TV where Luciano Sušanj (pronunced SuShan, not Suzani as wrong pronounced by Italian commentator) won with a big advantage. We were very proud of him back then in Yugoslavia. Then he went to one year obligatory service in Yugoslav army where training conditions as well as his motivation were not anymore as good as before. He explained this on the interview on youtube. ua-cam.com/video/iYKS8n-ElCA/v-deo.html . On Olympic in 1976 he finished on the sixth place.
In David Miller's book "Born to run" (P.46) on Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett's coach, Harry Wilson, is quoted as saying, 'He [Ovett] had the kick to run it his way. Nobody but Aouita has had the same, and not even Aouita at 800m. Mind you, the best kick I've ever seen was that of Susanj of Yugoslavia, in winning the European Championship in 1974. He suddenly went with 250 metres to go, and within 30 metres he's gone eight or ten metres up. Steve was a bit trapped at the time, but he said afterwards that he was astonished that anyone could win a race within such a short distance'.
Ovett also mentions being trapped in 'A Portrait of an Athlete' (paperback, top of page 45). He says: "If I could have broken at 300m [to go] I think I could have won, but there was no way out for me at that point. I was blocked in..." But I don't see him being blocked at 300m, and nor do I think he was yet capable of running the winner's time. He could also have followed the winner when he kicked but didn't.
@@redrum4100 Thanks for your comment giving Ovett's side of events. I disagree with Ovett. The camera angle is a real pity, however, from what I can see, Ovett, chose to take the shortest route along the back straight, a decision which left him boxed. However, when Susanj made his move with 200m metres to go, Ovett could have moved out to go with him, but didn't. In fact, Ovett was faced with a small gap to the other runners and although he made this up, he knew that going the long way round at the end of the curve would give him no chance, so resorted to shoving another athlete on the crown of the bend, a move which proved fruitless. I think that what really happened is that Ovett was surprised by the pace on the first lap (50.1!) leaving him several metres behind and by the time the great man's strength began to show it was simply too late. Given that Ovett, with a career best at 800m of 1:44.09, never bettered this time, it is doubtful that he could have won on the night.
@@mickeymouse7861 We will never know what Ovett was capable of for 800m. Most argue under 1:44 - I believe probably under 1:43 - but not at this stage of his career. I think he ran as well as possible on this night.
@@redrum4100 I agree. Ovett could have probably run 1.43. However, after a freak injury during a collision with a railing on a training run in 1981, he severely injured his thigh and was, in my opinion, never the same athlete again.
@@mickeymouse7861 I've edited this - yes his thigh was end of 1981 and affected his 1982 season (sorry, my mind was elsewhere). Some would say that he was at least as good again afterwards, given he broke the world 1500m record in 1983 and was the pre-race favourite for the Olympic 1500m in 1984, but I'm with you. He was on-off after 1981, and those great moments (was surely capable of the world record when cantering home for the Commonwealth 5000m title in 1986) were far more intermittent than they would have been if not for that ****ing railing. Excuse this frustrated Ovett fan's French.
Ridiculous back in those days to have to run the first 300 metres in lanes. It gives the athletes in the outside lanes absolutely no chance after the first lap. As an ex athlete myself I was pleased when it was changed to the break coming after 100 metres, making it a more even race over 800 metres.
I remember watching this race. I was devastated at the time that Steve Ovett didn't win. But he was only 18 years of age. Also the wide draw with breaking after 300 didn't seem to help the widely drawn athletes. I mean look at the bell and you see Ovett metres behind. So he'd have had to run an astonishing last 400 to win. Given all that bad luck, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have beaten Susanji on the night at his age. Whatever happened to Susanji I wonder. He seemed to do absolutely nothing after this gold medal performance.
Для 1974 года результат Сушаня 144.07 - из разряда супер! За всю историю чемпионатов Европы быстрее бежал только Олаф Бейер- 143.84, на ЧЕ 78. А мировой рекорд -143.7 принадлежал , как раз, Фьясконаро .
What happened to Fiasconaro,s career. I remember him from south africa , he was a big sport hero in early 70s in south africa. Set world record in 1973, then faded from scene. Did he have injuries ?
@@redrum4100 I remember Fiasconaro running in south Africa around 75 or 76. It was a small interclub meet, I went to the track specially to see him run. He won the race in 1 . 49, he threw up his hands at the finishing line. I was so disappointed, realised something was wrong. Previous to that I had seen him run in sa in early seventies, he was a big star then. A rugby player who came to track only because villagers rugby club, who he played for, had amalgamated with Celtic harriers track club. It's quite a amazing story, the rugby player who became one of south Africa's great athletics heroes. Pity there no vids of him in early 70s, apart from his world record run in 73. If someone has any of those old vids, maybe African Mirror vids, can they put it on internet?
@@roybean7166 Somewhere or other I've got a dvd of his 1971 European 400m 'silver medal' race, where he was just pipped at the post by 400m specialist David Jenkins. I will try to find it. The year after Fiasconaro set a world 400m indoor record. He qualified to run in the 1972 Olympics but did not start.
@@redrum4100 Thanks. !! Would love to see it. And maybe any more of sa runners from late 60s and onwards. The other sa 800m guys, Malan, Bromberg, van Zeil, and Paul Nash.? I do also remember the 72 olympics, when Fiasconaro could not start due to injuries. Don't remember him setting indoor record, though. Was long time ago. I ran for same club as Fiasconaro, but was a young schoolboy.
This finish is very impressive, but closer analysis of the stats of the race shows that it wasn't anywhere near the best finishing speed off a fast pace ever seen. In reality, the relatively slow last 200m from the rest of the field flattered Susanj's own finish. Susanj’s last 200m was over 25 secs, as Fiasconaro went through 600m in 1:17.6 (an official split published in AW at the time. I’d estimate Susan (who is in 4th just before the 600m mark and level with the 3rd guy at 1:17.6, goes through in around 1:18.1/1:18.2(he's about 4m behind Fiasconaro at this point), which makes his last 200m c. 25.8/25.9. Still good for a 1:44.1, but not as amazing as it looked (the opposition was clearly not up to his 1:43/1:44 standard) when one considers Coe ran a 25.3 last 200m in Oslo 84 in a 1:43.8 and a 24.8 last 200m when winning the Europeans in 86 in 1:44.5. In the latter he ran 10m wide on the bends and 2.5m on the last bend alone. That makes his finish more like a 24.5 in a 1:43.2 race. He also ran an almost identical time (to Susanj) of 1:44.06 in 1981, where his last 200m was 25.6, and he only kicked with 100m to go (12.3). ua-cam.com/video/z5zTzMciyxw/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/vRxr5BCoDk8/v-deo.html
Sušanj was class apart... it was even better than famous Steve Ovett's kick at WCup 1977 1500m... BTW - Ovett never run 800m as fast as Sušanj, not even in his "prime"
Vedo che la cultura sportiva in Italia resta a zero. Solo battute idiote. Fiasconaro non aveva il cambio di passo e i tendini già non reggevano più. Poteva puntare solo sul passo e sul coraggio, che non gli è mai mancato e mancò pochissimo per arrivare comunque a medaglia.
That's the most amazing kick I've ever seen in an 800m - certainly one with such a fast winning time.
Good old UA-cam. Not seen this since September 1974. My teenage track hero.
+banjocracy You mean Susanj?
@@PaulVinonaama Indeed I do.
R.I.P. 🙏
I watch this race on TV where Luciano Sušanj (pronunced SuShan, not Suzani as wrong pronounced by Italian commentator) won with a big advantage. We were very proud of him back then in Yugoslavia. Then he went to one year obligatory service in Yugoslav army where training conditions as well as his motivation were not anymore as good as before. He explained this on the interview on youtube. ua-cam.com/video/iYKS8n-ElCA/v-deo.html . On Olympic in 1976 he finished on the sixth place.
In David Miller's book "Born to run" (P.46) on Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett's coach, Harry Wilson, is quoted as saying, 'He [Ovett] had the kick to run it his way. Nobody but Aouita has had the same, and not even Aouita at 800m. Mind you, the best kick I've ever seen was that of Susanj of Yugoslavia, in winning the European Championship in 1974. He suddenly went with 250 metres to go, and within 30 metres he's gone eight or ten metres up. Steve was a bit trapped at the time, but he said afterwards that he was astonished that anyone could win a race within such a short distance'.
Ovett also mentions being trapped in 'A Portrait of an Athlete' (paperback, top of page 45). He says: "If I could have broken at 300m [to go] I think I could have won, but there was no way out for me at that point. I was blocked in..." But I don't see him being blocked at 300m, and nor do I think he was yet capable of running the winner's time. He could also have followed the winner when he kicked but didn't.
@@redrum4100 Thanks for your comment giving Ovett's side of events. I disagree with Ovett. The camera angle is a real pity, however, from what I can see, Ovett, chose to take the shortest route along the back straight, a decision which left him boxed. However, when Susanj made his move with 200m metres to go, Ovett could have moved out to go with him, but didn't. In fact, Ovett was faced with a small gap to the other runners and although he made this up, he knew that going the long way round at the end of the curve would give him no chance, so resorted to shoving another athlete on the crown of the bend, a move which proved fruitless. I think that what really happened is that Ovett was surprised by the pace on the first lap (50.1!) leaving him several metres behind and by the time the great man's strength began to show it was simply too late. Given that Ovett, with a career best at 800m of 1:44.09, never bettered this time, it is doubtful that he could have won on the night.
@@mickeymouse7861 We will never know what Ovett was capable of for 800m. Most argue under 1:44 - I believe probably under 1:43 - but not at this stage of his career. I think he ran as well as possible on this night.
@@redrum4100 I agree. Ovett could have probably run 1.43. However, after a freak injury during a collision with a railing on a training run in 1981, he severely injured his thigh and was, in my opinion, never the same athlete again.
@@mickeymouse7861 I've edited this - yes his thigh was end of 1981 and affected his 1982 season (sorry, my mind was elsewhere). Some would say that he was at least as good again afterwards, given he broke the world 1500m record in 1983 and was the pre-race favourite for the Olympic 1500m in 1984, but I'm with you. He was on-off after 1981, and those great moments (was surely capable of the world record when cantering home for the Commonwealth 5000m title in 1986) were far more intermittent than they would have been if not for that ****ing railing. Excuse this frustrated Ovett fan's French.
Ridiculous back in those days to have to run the first 300 metres in lanes. It gives the athletes in the outside lanes absolutely no chance after the first lap. As an ex athlete myself I was pleased when it was changed to the break coming after 100 metres, making it a more even race over 800 metres.
It's really weird watching that now.
Non conoscevo questo atleta fortissimo tempo
Io invece non bevo + vino da quando ho visto Fiasco - Naro. ......
I remember watching this race. I was devastated at the time that Steve Ovett didn't win. But he was only 18 years of age. Also the wide draw with breaking after 300 didn't seem to help the widely drawn athletes. I mean look at the bell and you see Ovett metres behind. So he'd have had to run an astonishing last 400 to win.
Given all that bad luck, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have beaten Susanji on the night at his age.
Whatever happened to Susanji I wonder. He seemed to do absolutely nothing after this gold medal performance.
Susanj still placed 6th in the Olympic 800-metre final of the Montreal Summer Olympics in 1976.
Somebody from former Yugoslavia here commenting he was drafted into military service and ruined him
Для 1974 года результат Сушаня 144.07 - из разряда супер! За всю историю чемпионатов Европы быстрее бежал только Олаф Бейер- 143.84, на ЧЕ 78. А мировой рекорд -143.7 принадлежал , как раз, Фьясконаро .
Steve Ovett still 18 here!
Вот это дал финиш! А время-то!
Telecronaca di Paolo Rosi.
What happened to Fiasconaro,s career. I remember him from south africa , he was a big sport hero in early 70s in south africa. Set world record in 1973, then faded from scene. Did he have injuries ?
Yes, injuries. 1975 onwards his fastest 800m time was 1:48,79. Frustrated, he quit in 1978 a month before his 29th birthday.
@@redrum4100 I remember Fiasconaro running in south Africa around 75 or 76. It was a small interclub meet, I went to the track specially to see him run. He won the race in 1 . 49, he threw up his hands at the finishing line. I was so disappointed, realised something was wrong. Previous to that I had seen him run in sa in early seventies, he was a big star then. A rugby player who came to track only because villagers rugby club, who he played for, had amalgamated with Celtic harriers track club. It's quite a amazing story, the rugby player who became one of south Africa's great athletics heroes. Pity there no vids of him in early 70s, apart from his world record run in 73. If someone has any of those old vids, maybe African Mirror vids, can they put it on internet?
@@roybean7166 Somewhere or other I've got a dvd of his 1971 European 400m 'silver medal' race, where he was just pipped at the post by 400m specialist David Jenkins. I will try to find it. The year after Fiasconaro set a world 400m indoor record. He qualified to run in the 1972 Olympics but did not start.
@@redrum4100 Thanks. !! Would love to see it. And maybe any more of sa runners from late 60s and onwards. The other sa 800m guys, Malan, Bromberg, van Zeil, and Paul Nash.? I do also remember the 72 olympics, when Fiasconaro could not start due to injuries. Don't remember him setting indoor record, though. Was long time ago. I ran for same club as Fiasconaro, but was a young schoolboy.
This finish is very impressive, but closer analysis of the stats of the race shows that it wasn't anywhere near the best finishing speed off a fast pace ever seen. In reality, the relatively slow last 200m from the rest of the field flattered Susanj's own finish. Susanj’s last 200m was over 25 secs, as Fiasconaro went through 600m in 1:17.6 (an official split published in AW at the time. I’d estimate Susan (who is in 4th just before the 600m mark and level with the 3rd guy at 1:17.6, goes through in around 1:18.1/1:18.2(he's about 4m behind Fiasconaro at this point), which makes his last 200m c. 25.8/25.9. Still good for a 1:44.1, but not as amazing as it looked (the opposition was clearly not up to his 1:43/1:44 standard) when one considers Coe ran a 25.3 last 200m in Oslo 84 in a 1:43.8 and a 24.8 last 200m when winning the Europeans in 86 in 1:44.5. In the latter he ran 10m wide on the bends and 2.5m on the last bend alone. That makes his finish more like a 24.5 in a 1:43.2 race. He also ran an almost identical time (to Susanj) of 1:44.06 in 1981, where his last 200m was 25.6, and he only kicked with 100m to go (12.3).
ua-cam.com/video/z5zTzMciyxw/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/vRxr5BCoDk8/v-deo.html
faster than Rudisha today in WC finals
"Tashinen" pronssilla.
Sušanj was class apart... it was even better than famous Steve Ovett's kick at WCup 1977 1500m... BTW - Ovett never run 800m as fast as Sušanj, not even in his "prime"
What was winning time.
1:44.07 (Ovett 1:45.76).
Come hanno fatto a tenere...
Era un cavallo..
Fiasco........Naro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!........posalo r'fiasko!!!!!!!!
Fiasconaro ha fatto fiasco !!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ir vino selo scola di continuo......deh
Si vede che non ne capite......non aveva lo spunto finale
Vedo che la cultura sportiva in Italia resta a zero.
Solo battute idiote.
Fiasconaro non aveva il cambio di passo e i tendini già non reggevano più.
Poteva puntare solo sul passo e sul coraggio, che non gli è mai mancato e mancò pochissimo per arrivare comunque a medaglia.
Commento becero