Steve Cram

Steve Cram

Steve Cram in 2008
Personal information
Nationality	British English
Born	(1960-10-14) 14 October 1960 Jarrow, County Durham, England
Sport
Sport	Track
Event(s)	1500 metres, Mile
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 metres: 1:42.88[1] 1500 metres: 3:29.67[1] Mile: 3:46.32[1] 3000 metres: 7:43.1[1] 2-mile: 8:14.93[1] 5000 meters: 13:28.58[1]
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Men's athletics Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles 1500 m World Championships 1983 Helsinki 1500 m European Championships 1982 Athens 1500 m 1986 Stuttgart 1500 m 1986 Stuttgart 800 m Commonwealth Games 1982 Brisbane 1500 m 1986 Edinburgh 1500 m 1986 Edinburgh 800 m

Stephen Cram CBE (born 14 October 1960, in Jarrow, County Durham, England) 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. Nicknamed "The Jarrow Arrow", Cram set world records in the 1500 metres, 2000 metres and the mile during a 19-day period in the summer of 1985. He was the first man to run 1500 metres under 3 minutes and 30 seconds. He won the 1500 metres gold medal at the 1983 World Championships and the 1500 metres silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.

In 2008 Cram was appointed Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, replacing Lord Puttnam,^[2][3] and in 2009 elected as President of Jarrow & Hebburn Athletics Club.^[4]

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

Athletics career

In 1980, Cram won his place in the British Olympic team after finishing in 2nd place to Ovett in the mile at Crystal Palace. 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 criticized by Ovett in his 1984 autobiography). Cram, aged 19, reached the final of the 1500 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, in which Coe and Steve Ovett famously vied for the gold medal. Cram finished in eighth place.^[5]

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 1500 metres 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.

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 metres 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 1500 metres - 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. 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."^[6]

In 1984, Cram's season was severely hampered by injury, although he recovered sufficiently to win silver in the 1500 metres at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, behind defending champion Coe.

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 metres, not his best event, he beat the reigning 800 metre 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 (1500 metres, Mile, 2000 metres) within a 19-day span,^[7] and recorded a British All Comers Record over the 1000 metre, running 2:12.88 in windy conditions at Gateshead (the second fastest 1000 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 1500 metres, 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, as of 2013, is still the European record. 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 1500 metres 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 Powell'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 1500 metres. 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 1500 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. Although he won the Dream Mile for the third year running, he was beaten by José Luis González in the European Cup, and although he made the final of the 1987 World Championships in Rome, he finished eighth after leading into the final bend. He had said before the race that his only hope of victory was a fast race, in which he could run the finish out of his opponents, in particular Abdi Bile, the eventual winner. Unhappily for Cram, the pace was slow, and he faded badly in the last 100 metres.

His 1988 season saw him return to better form and he beat Bile in the Oslo Dream Mile in 1988 - his fourth consecutive victory in that race. Having run impressively in the Olympic trials over 800 m and winning in 1:44.16, (opening up an eight metre gap over Tom McKean in a sprint down the home straight) he was touted as one of the favourites to win the gold medal over 1500 m at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 until a calf injury just before the games in a 1000 metre race hampered his progress. The injury affected his performance at the games and he was eliminated in the heats of the 800 m. He recovered sufficiently to reach the final of the 1500 m, but could finish only fourth in a close race surprisingly won by Peter Rono.

Injury dogged him throughout his remaining years and although he continued to compete for some time, he never again looked likely to win a major championship. In the 1990 European Athletics Championships, he still finished fifth in the 1500 metres, but already in the 1991 World Athletics Championships, he was eliminated in the 1500-metre semi-finals.^[8]

He retired from athletics in 1994 and remains the UK record holder over the mile and 2000 metres.

Cram is the coach of middle-distance runner Laura Weightman.^[9] In April 2014 Cram joined British Athletics as an adviser and mentor in the run-up to the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[10]

Cram carries the Olympic Torch for the 2008 Summer Olympics down Whitehall in London surrounded by Police and Olympic officials on 6 April 2008

Television career

Cram now works as a television presenter and athletics commentator predominantly for BBC Sport and as a motivational speaker. He starred alongside UK Olympic Gold medalists Sally Gunnell and Adam Eason in BBC's 2006 primetime TV series Run for Glory helping the runners and participants overcome psychological barriers to running the London Marathon. Cram also featured in the BBC Sport team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, commentating on Curling events and presenting coverage of the closing ceremony. He was the BBC's lead commentator for the Athletic events at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

Personal life

Cram was married to Karen for many years, but they divorced in 2001 and since then he has lived with former athlete Allison Curbishley in Northumberland. He has two children, Josie and Marcus, who have had some success in under age races. Cram had one sibling, a younger brother Kevin, who died in a fall aged 39, while out for a run in Cardiff in 2001. In August 2014, Cram was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.^[11]

Awards

Cram was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1983. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1986 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to sport.^[12][13]

Personal bests

References

Records
Preceded by Steve Ovett	Men's 1,500 m World Record Holder 16 July 1985 – 23 August 1985	Succeeded by Saïd Aouita
Preceded by Sebastian Coe	Men's Mile World Record Holder 27 July 1985 – 5 September 1993	Succeeded by Noureddine Morceli
Preceded by Steve Ovett	European Record Holder Men's 1500m 16 July 1985 – 12 August 1997	Succeeded by Fermín Cacho
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Carl Lewis	United Press International Athlete of the Year 1985	Succeeded by Diego Maradona
Academic offices
Preceded by The Lord Puttnam	Chancellor of the University of Sunderland 2008–Present	Incumbent

External links

• Profile - Steve Cram Professional Sports Group
• Our Chancellor - Steve Cram MBE University of Sunderland

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