RUNNERS


At last, in 1990, Elliott was rewarded for years of toil with the


major gold he craved... Surging to the 1,500m title in Auckland


Steel to concentrate solely on his running. He was installed as the favourite for both the 800m and 1,500m at the European Championships, having run 1:42.97 over two laps in Seville to be recognised as the No. 1 in the world for 1990, and the third fastest Briton of all time over the distance.


ELLIOTT THE ELITE However, the cycle of triumph and disaster continued as injury led to a lack of fitness at the crucial time and he passed up the chance to go for the shorter distance. Then, a mishap in his 1,500m heat brought him literally to his knees. The jury of appeal saw that he had been tripped and reinstated him for the final but Elliott, clearly upset by the controversy, could come only fourth. Sadly, there would be no grand climax to a turbulent career; he missed both major championships in 1991 and 1992 due to injury. After retiring he became a coach and work revolved around running. He also advised John Mayock to European Indoor 3,000m gold in 1998. Elliott was the last of a great generation


of runners. No British man won a major title in the genre for 12 years after Elliott’s 1990 triumph in Auckland. Non-followers of the sport tend to recall Coe, Ovett and Cram…True fans would add Elliott to that elite billing.


RUNNING FREE n 49


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