On the week of his 60th birthday, we look back at the brilliant career of the 1990 Commonwealth 1500m champion
This month Olympic and world silver medallist Peter Elliott celebrated his 60th birthday.
While his achievements are now overshadowed by his older contemporaries and global champions and world record setters Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram, he produced some startling runs of his own and but for injury would have achieved a great deal more and, judging by his 1990 form, even set some world outdoor records of his own.
While renowned as a gutsy front runner, if you want to see him at his best go on YouTube and catch his Seville 800m PB and Commonwealth Games 1500m gold.
Peter Elliott with fellow Emsley Carr Mile winners Aouita, Ibbotson, Stewart, Rowland and Cram in 2003 (Mark Shearman)
His junior career showed his huge potential. He won the English Schools junior boys 800m title in 1977 (2:02.1), having previously won the English Schools cross-country title.
He then set a UK 800m age-15 best of 1:52.1 in 1978 and in 1979 he won the English Schools intermediate title and AAA youth title and also set a UK 16-year-old record of 1:50.7.
Here we look at some of his most notable later races.
1980 English National Cross-Country, Leicester, 1st youth 20:39
A few months before Coe, Cram and Ovett ran in the Olympics, his victory came between wins for Dave Lewis and Jon Richards. He won by 10 seconds and a close third was Andrew Leach, who is the reigning British M55 cross-country champion. Others who would go on to make their mark as seniors included championship medallists Gary Staines (7th), Jon Solly (27th) and John Gladwin (34th) while World Half-marathon medallist Carl Thackery was 69th and World Cup Marathon winner Richard Nerurkar 105th in a record 628 finishers.
Peter Elliott (Eric North)
1981 European Junior 800m, Utrecht, 4th 1:47.35 (PB)
He missed out on a medal despite his fast PB (moving him to fourth all-time among British juniors) as team-mate Chris McGeorge (1:47.03) finished third and the impressive Hungarian winner Jozsef Bereczki clocked 1:46.17 but never went quicker.
1982 AAA 800m, Crystal Palace, 1st 1:45.61 (PB)
While now technically a senior, he broke Ovett’s UK teenage record with a brave front run. Despite his incredible effort from the front, he was overlooked for England’s Commonwealth Games team though eventually Coe and Ovett failed to take their team spots.
1982 AAA 800m (Mark Shearman)
1982 world 4x800m record,…
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