Sebastian Coe
Sebastian Coe
Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, CH KBE FRIBA, often referred to as Seb Coe or Lord Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Lord Coe won four Olympic medals, including the 1500 metres gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. He set eight outdoor and three indoor world records in middle-distance track events – including, in 1979, setting three world records in the space of 41 days – and...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth29 September 1956
best driven grave shop
I will go to my grave believing that participation is best driven by the well-stocked shop window.
athletics hope light lots medals number saying sit social tough uk
Sport is a bridgehead into any number of things we want. It's not going to be enough to sit there in 2012 saying we didn't get any medals but got lots of social outcomes. I hope in light of what comes out of here UK Athletics will make some tough judgments.
allow concern devote families given half life olympic sorts sports
My overwhelming concern will always be the well-being of the athletes. In Olympic sport, it is rare for competitors not to devote half their young life to this. Their families will have given up all sorts of things to allow them to do that.
bow brought
My mother was Indian, brought up in Delhi. My grandparents were born in Bow and Poplar.
along beaches compete few hang love realised run running trails year
My motivation to compete was always about improving one year to the next. At 34, I realised I'd never run any quicker, so why hang on? But I love running and still run along woodland trails and beaches every few days.
momentum people seriously taken
The international people tell us that we are taken seriously and that there is a momentum.
five sure system
I'm not sure there are enough coaches in the system that can take young talent and consistently get them into the top five in the world.
Charlie Parker was a genius, as was Lester Young.
athletics decided
I can remember the day I decided I would retire from competitive athletics as vividly as if it were yesterday.
defined distances good running
Good running is the ability to have a very well defined on-board computer. The ability to judge distances when running in traffic.
commission delighted evaluation great insight members
I am particularly delighted that so many of the members of the evaluation commission are on this team. They already have a great insight about our plans, aspirations and visions.
politics
I don't want to go back into politics - absolutely not.
joined
I joined the local athletics club when I was 12, that's what I did. I did it of my own volition.
horse silly hero
I wouldn't have raced a horse. But you'll then throw back at me that Jesse Owens raced against a horse, and he's one of my heroes, so I'm not going to say it was a silly stunt. I know too much about horses. They're highly unreliable, and they've got brains the size of golf balls.