LONDON – Sebastian Coe’s rivalry with Steve Ovett in which the two middle-distance runners took turns breaking the world record for the mile in the late 1970s and early ’80s is going to be highlighted in a BBC movie.
Based on the book “The Perfect Distance,” by Pat Butcher, the movie should be out before the 2012 Olympics in London.
The two British runners had an intense rivalry and between them broke the world mark for the mile five consecutive times.
Ovett beat Coe in the 800 meters at the 1980 Moscow Olympics but Coe won the 1,500 gold and went on to retain it four years later in Los Angeles.