The definitive, fully authorised story of the record-breaking rivalry between London Olympics organiser Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett.

Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe presided over the golden era of British athletics. Between them they won three Olympic gold medals, two silvers, one bronze and broke a total of twelve middle-distance records. They were part of the landscape of the late seventies and early eighties -- both household names, their exploits were watched by millions. As far apart as possible in terms of class and upbringing -- Ovett is the art student, the long-haired son of a market-trader from Brighton, a natural athlete; Coe's formative years were spent under the rigorous training routine of Peter Coe, a self-taught trainer who referred to his son as 'my athlete' -- their rivalry burned as intense on the track as away from it. The pendulum swung between the pair of them -- each breaking the other's records, and, memorably, triumphing in each other's events in Moscow in 1980 -- for the best part of a decade, until the final showdown at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 . . .

The Perfect Distance is both a detailed re-creation and a fitting celebration of the greatest era of British athletics.

The definitive, fully authorised story of the record-breaking rivalry between London Olympics organiser Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, published to coincide with the 2012 games.

About the Author
Pat Butcher, a middle-distance runner himself, was athletics correspondent of The Times for most of the 1980s. He has subsequently worked for BBC radio and television, the Financial Times and L'Equipe.

Reviews
Butcher weaves interviews with nostalgia, capturing the mood of those heady days for British middle-distance running. * THE HERALD *
a magnificent book * EL PAIS *



Book Information
ISBN 9780753819005
Author Pat Butcher
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 24mm