The latest episode in the Legends of athletics, signature edition series is now online and features 1983 world 1500m champion Steve Cram.
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The latest episode in the Legends of athletics, signature edition series is now online and features 1983 world 1500m champion Steve Cram.

Legends of athletics, signature edition – Steve Cram

The IAAF Ambassadors Press Conference, marking 30 years of the IAAF World Championships, featured two IAAF Ambassadors, Great Britain’s 1983 1500m champion Steve Cram and Russia’s 1996 Olympic Games 800m and 1500m champion Svetlana Masterkova. US hurdler Ryan Wilson, who won the 110m Hurdles silver medal on Monday, was also there as a guest on Friday (15).<o:p></o:p>The occasion also specifically celebrated the IAAF World Championship Seville 1999, where Masterkova won the 1500m gold medal.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“(Seville) was my second best memory after the (1996) Olympic Games. I wanted to become a two-fold World champion, I wanted to become a two-fold World record holder, but I was third in the 800. My competitor Ludmila Formanova won the 800m, so I shared the titles with her. <o:p></o:p>“I overcame difficulties. My injury was not healed at this time and I was running with some pain. Still, it was a very important time for me,” reflected Masterkova.<o:p></o:p>Did she ever want to coach? “I never wanted to be a coach. You have to be too serious. I was too nervous, I wouldn’t tolerate lazy athletes. When I was an athlete I always wanted to know why we did some things. It was difficult to convince me,” she said.<o:p></o:p>“I am happy as the chair of the Moscow Athletics Federation. I want the children in the Russian Federation to have places to train, so we can raise the young generation in the sport.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“In Moscow, there are wealthy people who are willing to support athletes. A career as an athlete is short so every bit of support is welcome.”<o:p></o:p>Steve Cram was asked what he remembers from the first IAAF World Championships, Helsinki, 1983:<o:p></o:p>“When I think back to that time – it’s hard to remember that long ago! – obviously, it was the first World Championships. I was here for the 1980 Olympic Games and there was a boycott. There would be a boycott in 1984. There had been a boycott in 1976. So it was an important time, the first time for over 10 years that all the athletes had come to a global championship.<o:p></o:p>“There were new stars in the sport: Carl Lewis. In the UK, it was the era of (Sebastian) Coe and (Steve) Ovett. It was a great championship; to win the gold medal was brilliant.<o:p></o:p>“I was on the way up, trying to make my way in the sport. Helsinki was also the first time we saw Said Aouita. The 1500m final was a tactical race and I did everything I was supposed to do. It was one of those rare occasions you do everything right in a race. To do it in a World Championships was brilliant, so Helsinki was a special place for me.”<o:p></o:p>Cram was then asked for his views on the 5000m and 1500m in Moscow.<o:p></o:p>“Mo Farah is a massive hero for the sport. He is becoming a big star. He won the Olympic double last year, but let’s not forget that it started in Daegu when he won the 5000m after just being beaten in the 10,000m.<o:p></o:p>“I think he is better than he was last year, but (Friday night) is going to be tough. I thought in the 10,000m that unless he did something wrong, the race was his to win.<o:p></o:p>“In the 5000m, Edwin Soi has beaten him once this year and there are a lot of other good athletes: the other Kenyans, Thomas Longosiwa, Isiah Koech, can medal, Yenew Alamirew, Bernard Lagat – I think it will be a cracking race. I’ll be intrigued to see if anyone tries anything different to beat him.“In the 1500m, I’m a big fan of Asbel Kiprop. The biggest rivals may be his teammates. Asbel has always been a great runner, but I think he’s getting better, 3:27 in Monaco; I’d be surprised if he doesn’t win here.” Almost inevitably there were questions about Mo Farah and whether he can be regarded as ‘the greatest ever’” without breaking any world records <o:p></o:p>“I’m aware of the debate over Mo and world records. If you win double gold medals, then you’re right up there with anyone; but how do you compare that with Daley Thompson winning gold medals with world records.“Mo is stacking up the medals and he’s not finished yet. It is a little easier to win multiple medals now as there are more championships. <o:p></o:p>“Mo will win more medals, and he will try the marathon, too; but you can only judge someone at the end of their career. Right now, you think of Zatopek, Kuts, Viren, Yifter. Mo can be mentioned with these people. When he’s finished, let’s go down the pub, have a beer and argue about who’s the best, because that’s what lists are for.” <o:p></o:p>Cram also had some erudite and forthright opinions on support for the sport, especially with regard to financing. <o:p></o:p>‘If I was in any other nation right now I would be looking at what the UK has done over the past 15 years with lottery funding. It’s not funding to the athletes, it’s a whole support system: medical, physical and sports science, that’s made the difference for us.”Wilson is also coaching US 100m hurdler Nia Ali so he was posed the question, “Which is harder, coaching or competing at an elite level?”“It’s pretty exiting. This is my first year coaching, and it’s going well so far. I haven’t had the frustrations which inevitably come along yet.“Combining coaching with my own career is a difficult balance, but Nia has been wonderful in allowing me to remain intense and focused on my career as well.<o:p></o:p>“Coaching is definitely more stressful. As an athlete, you know what you can do, what you can’t do. I didn’t know just how stressful it is watching an athlete run. You know the Hurdles, you know any little thing can go wrong at any time.”<o:p></o:p>Wilson’s compatriot Brianna Rollins is the favourite for the women’s 100m Hurdles in Moscow.<o:p></o:p>“She’s a great technician, and that has propelled her all season. She combines a lot of the strengths the other hurdlers are looking for. She’s got great speed, great technique, it’s difficult to pick out a weakness. To beat her, you just have to be better than her on the day.<o:p></o:p>“She’s very consistent, and consistency wins the day usually.”<o:p></o:p>Len Johnson for the IAAF<o:p></o:p>

IAAF Ambassadors Press Conference 16 August: Steve Cram, Svetlana Masterkova, Ryan Wilson 

The IAAF Ambassadors Press Conference, marking 30 years of the IAAF World Championships, featured two IAAF Ambassadors, Great Britain’s 1983 1500m champion Steve Cram and Russia’s 1996 Olympic Games 800m and 1500m champion Svetlana Masterkova. US hurdler Ryan Wilson, who won the 110m Hurdles silver medal on Monday, was also there as a guest on Friday (15).

BBC TV commentator Steve Cram will once again be the man behind the microphone at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. We ask the 1983 World 1500m champion what his role will entail over the course of the nine-day event.
&nbsp; When does your preparation work start for a World Championships?
&ldquo;It starts as soon as one season ends. I&rsquo;m always trying to keep track of the bigger names, which athletes are running indoors, who is injured, etc.&nbsp; If you turn up in the summer and you haven&rsquo;t been following what people are up to, you can get a false impression of where they are heading for the season. My specific work for Moscow started the week or two before the championships, as soon as all the final teams have been named.&rdquo;
&nbsp; Can you describe your typical day during a championships?
&ldquo;They are long days and pretty full on. I get up on a morning and, literally, the first thing I do is to check any news stories that may have happened overnight. I usually head down to breakfast with the start lists, which Mark Butler our statistician provides. I then try to get to the stadium about an hour-and-a-half before going on air, check any late withdrawals, go through the start lists and prep each race adding my notes to anything Mark already has. We might go through a couple of sound checks and then get into position. It is also very important to make sure I&rsquo;ve got some refreshments to hand, as halfway through a morning I&rsquo;ll get hungry.&rdquo;
&nbsp; What do you do between sessions?
&ldquo;I like to go back to the hotel to help refresh the brain and maybe go for a jog, but Moscow will be interesting because there is not a lot of time between sessions and the hotel I&rsquo;m staying in is quite a distance from the track. For the first two or three days I&rsquo;ll be at the stadium all day, where I&rsquo;ll grab some lunch have a bit of downtime and start my prep for the afternoon session. I also might use that time to grab a coach or manager to seek clarification on something that might have happened in the morning session.&rdquo;
&nbsp; When does your day finish?
&ldquo;The hardest challenge on an evening is to get back to bed as quickly as you can. It is tempting to start chatting and I will always grab something to eat whether that is at the stadium or back at the hotel. Often some nights you won&rsquo;t go to bed before midnight or 1am and then I&rsquo;m often up the next day at seven.&rdquo;
&nbsp; Do you get as nervous commentating on big events as you did competing as an athlete?
&ldquo;I get less nervous, but I do get nervous for the big races, because what I do is a performance and I want to do a good job. It is more like a good, nervous anticipation. For me different events have a different feel or pace to them. I probably get more nervous for a 100m or 110m Hurdles final because a lot can happen in ten to 12 seconds. I have to be on the ball and I approach (as a commentator) the sprint races a bit like a sprinter would; very on edge, watching for the false start or who gets away quickly. That nervous anticipation is heightened because of the nature of the race. In a 10,000m race I have more time to go with the pace of the race. I&rsquo;m not as excited at the beginning but then the tension builds and grows during the race.&rdquo;
&nbsp; What qualities does a good commentator need?
&ldquo;A good understanding of the sport. I don&rsquo;t think you need to have been an athlete yourself and some great commentators have not been athletes themselves, but most have been immersed in the sport. You have to have a feel for what you are watching. This gives you a good background, so you are not stressing about the mechanics of the race I don&rsquo;t think anyone is born a great commentator, you have to work at it and learn about it. You have to learn about the different techniques of how to commentate on a race. You have to be able to inform the viewer and deliver a sense of excitement and build to a crescendo and climax.&rdquo;
&nbsp; What advice would you give any young up and coming commentator?
&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t go in with any pre-prepared words. Allow what is happening in front of you to determine how to describe it. I have facts and figures and background details in my head for pointers, but I never write down any pre-determined lines. I prefer to go with what I&rsquo;m seeing.&rdquo;
&nbsp; Do you have a World Championships commentary highlight?
&ldquo;For me, it was (Usain) Bolt in Berlin. He was so good there, it made the job of a commentator a lot easier when an athlete does great things and grabbing for superlatives is a lot easier. Bolt at those championships was a personal highlight, for no other reason than he was an athlete absolutely at the top of his game. I felt I did it justice.&rdquo;
&nbsp; What tricks do you have during a nine-day championship to keep your voice fully functioning?
&ldquo;I have to be careful to pace myself through the week and I try to keep myself well hydrated. I try to be sensible and in that sense it is like being an athlete. I always keep a range of throat lozenges with me and try to keep hydrated and drink lots of water. Some people with a sore throat try to grab a hot drink, but I feel that makes it worse.&rdquo;
&nbsp; How do you feel at the end of a nine-day World Championships?
&ldquo;Tired. I don&rsquo;t think you realise the concentration level needed to be live on air. When it finishes it is a bit like pulling the plug and everything drains away and you feel very tired. When I return home I usually sleep well for a couple of days and my voice needs a day or two to return to normality.&rdquo;
 Steve Landells for the IAAF

Steve Cram: from world champion to world-class commentator

BBC TV commentator Steve Cram will once again be the man behind the microphone at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. We ask the 1983 world 1500m champion what his role will entail over the course of the nine-day event.