Coe pines for athletes who 'double up'

Sebastian Coe enjoyed one of the most heralded rivalries on the track, notably battling with fellow Britons Steve Ovett and Steve Cram for middle distance dominance in the 1980s.

Ovett beat Coe over 800 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but the now-IAAF president rebounded to win the 1,500m final six days later.

The 59-year-old also successfully defended his 1500m title at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, beating Cram into silver.

With those rivalries in mind, Coe, who remains the joint third fastest ever runner over 800m, welcomed the decision that will enable American track star Allyson Felix to have a crack at a 200-400m double at the Rio Olympics.

The athletics programme has been modified slightly, the International Olympic Committee and Rio Games organisers agreeing to implement "a minor swap between the women's 200m and 400m hurdles on 15 August".

Under the new schedule, the first round of the women's 200m, which was formerly in the evening, will be held in the morning, switching places with the 400m hurdles first round.

The moves mean Felix, the Olympic 200m gold medalist and 400m world champion, will now have more than 13 hours between races -- rather than little more than an hour between an opening 200m heat and the 400m final.

In an interview with AFP on Monday, Coe said: "I have always believed where you have the opportunity to see athletes competing in not one discipline but two, it has to be good.

"We have a lot of outstandingly talented athletes from all over the world and the opportunity to watch one of our most popularly recognised athletes in two events has got to be good for our sport.

"It helps create the narrative, it helps create the excitement."

Coe added: "It's not just about Allyson Felix either because it will give a lot of our top 400 and 200m runners the chance to do both distances.

"I have lamented for some time the fact that we have a generation of middle distance runners that don't tend to double up anymore.

"If I go back to my era, I think it did add to the event that you had people like me and Steve Cram and athletes able to double up. I do encourage that wherever possible.

"When the request came through (for the change in Rio), and there was no discernible difference to the timetable, I think it's a good opportunity and I'm delighted that council have endorsed the view of the technical delegates."

Felix's coach, Bobby Kersee, welcomed the change in comments posted by USA Track and Field on Twitter.

"We'd like to thank the IOC, IAAF and USATF for their successful efforts to change the schedule to allow for a women's 200-400 double," Kersee said.

"Being able to pursue the double has been a goal of Allyson Felix's since she entered the sport," Kersee added.

Felix, 30, now has a chance to join American Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984 and France's Marie-Jose Perec in 1996 as the only women to complete an Olympic 200-400 double.

Source: AFP