1978 European Athletics Championships – Men's 800 metres

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{{Infobox sports competition event

| event = Men's 800 metres

| competition = European Athletics Championships

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{{1978 European Athletics Championships}}

These are the official results of the Men's 800 metres event at the 1978 European Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjzR8AOvEzc 1978 European 800m - men, youtube.com. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

{{ Citation

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| title = European Athletics Championships Zürich 2014 - STATISTICS HANDBOOK

| url = http://www.european-athletics.org/mm/Document/EventsMeetings/General/01/27/31/44/StatisticsHandbookZ%C3%BCrich2014_Neutral.pdf

| pages = 427–435

| publisher = European Athletics Association

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| accessdate = 13 August 2014

}}

The final was held on 31 August 1978.http://home.swipnet.se/athletics/resultat1978.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929194616/http://home.swipnet.se/athletics/resultat1978.htm |date=2012-09-29 }} European Championship 1978. Retrieved 15 May 2012.

The two favourites for the race were Steve Ovett[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171115/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ov/steve-ovett-1.html Steve Ovett at Sports Reference] Steve Ovett biography, Sports-Reference.co. Retrieved 17 May 2012. and Sebastian Coe[https://web.archive.org/web/20121102084951/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/sebastian-coe-1.html Sebastian Coe at Sports Reference] Sebastian Coe biography, Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 17 May 2012. Ovett had won silver at 800 m at the previous European Championships in 1974 in Rome,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU9Gqhoqno4 'ROMA 1974: 800 MASCHILI - LUCIANO SUSANJ', youtube.com. and had won the 1500m, in spectacular fashion, at the IAAF World Cuphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7GogWlv7Q 1977 World Cup 1500m - Steve Ovett, youtube.com. the previous year (he was to remain unbeaten at that distance until the 1980 Olympics).http://www.uka.org.uk/e-inspire/hall-of-fame-athletes/steve-ovett/ {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20090617064516/http://www.uka.org.uk/e-inspire/hall-of-fame-athletes/steve-ovett/ |date=2009-06-17 }} Steve Ovett, United Kingdom Athletics biography. Coe was the new British record holder at 800 m and the fastest man that year leading into the race at 800 m.http://www.uka.org.uk/e-inspire/hall-of-fame-athletes/sebastian-coe/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515223423/http://www.uka.org.uk/e-inspire/hall-of-fame-athletes/sebastian-coe/ |date=2012-05-15 }} Sebastian Coe, United Kingdom Athletics biography.

The race was billed in the press, the British press in particular, as a 'Coe versus Ovett' contest - a race that was the start of a rivalry that was to dominate not only British and European but World middle-distance running over the next few years.http://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/sja-news/sja-1948-2008/we-will-never-see-their-like-again/ "We will never see their like again.", Randall Northam, 9 June 2008, Sports Journalists' Association. Retrieved 15 May 2012.http://www.sportinglife.com/olympics/history/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=others/00/07/05/OLYMPICS_Coe_and_Ovett.insdat "Olympic greats - Coe and Ovett", Richard Gibson, sportinglife.com. Retrieved 15 May 2012. However, by concentrating on Coe and Ovett the press were ignoring the other talents in the race, including East Germany's Olaf Beyer.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418022939/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/olaf-beyer-1.html Olaf Beyer at Sports Reference] Olaf Beyer biography, Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 17 May 2012.

In the race itself, Coe led from the front setting a blistering first lap pace, going through the bell in a suicidal 49.32 s. At 700 m, he was spent and Ovett kicked past him for home. However, the fast-finishing Beyer first caught Coe and then Ovett to strike gold, in doing so recording the fastest time that year.http://digilander.libero.it/Mennea/Stagionali/WRL/1978/800.htm 1978 800m performances. Retrieved 16 May 2012.