Sebastian Coe
British athlete and politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
British athlete and politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe CH KBE (born 29 September 1956, and often nicknamed Seb Coe)[1] is a former athlete and politician from the United Kingdom. A middle distance runner, Coe won the 1500 m gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and set eight outdoor and three indoor world records. He is widely considered to be amongst the greatest middle distance runners of all time. Following his retirement from athletics, he served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party from 1992-97. He became a life peer in 2000. He is the head of the London bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. After the International Olympic Committee awarded the games to London, he became the chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. In 2007, he was also elected a vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
The Lord Coe | |
|---|---|
| |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1956 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Children | 2 sons, 2 daughters |
| Alma mater | Loughborough University |
| Occupation | Peer and retired athlete |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Athletics | ||
Representing  United Kingdom | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1980 Moscow | 1500 m |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 1500 m |
 | 1980 Moscow | 800 m |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 800 m |
| European Championships | ||
 | 1978 Prague | 800 m |
| 1982 Athens | 800 m |
| 1986 Stuttgart | 800 m |
| 1986 Stuttgart | 1500 m |
Coe was born in Hammersmith, London. He grew up in Warwickshire and Sheffield. His mother, Tina Angela Coe, died in Hammersmith and Fulham, London, in 2005, aged 75. His mother was half Indian, born to a Punjabi father Sardari Lal and an English mother Vera.[2] His father, Peter Coe (born Percy N. Coe in Kingston upon Thames), died on 9 August 2008, aged 88, while Coe was in Beijing.
Coe married Nicky McIrvine, a former Badminton three-day-event champion, in Surrey, in 1990. They have two sons and two daughters, all of whom were born in Surrey:
The marriage ended in divorce in 2002 after twelve years and Coe moved out of the family home. Coe married Carole Annett in summer 2011.
On 12 February 2010, Coe was the 19th runner on the 106th day of the Vancouver Olympic Torch Relay. Coe's leg was along the Stanley Park Seawall, and he exchanged a "torch kiss" with the previous runner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the next runner, a 19 year old member of the Squamish community.[3][4]
He was awarded with the first Prince of Asturias Award in sports category in 1987.
Coe was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1982 and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1990. He was created a life peer in 2000 as Baron Coe, of Ranmore in the County of Surrey.
In December 2005, Coe was given a Special award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2006 New Year's Honours List for services to sport.[5]
| Distance | Mark | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 400 m | 46.87 | 1979 & 45.5 relay leg (1979) |
| 800 m | 1:41.73 | 1981 |
| 1000 m | 2:12.18 | 1981 |
| 1500 m | 3:29.77 | 1986 |
| Mile | 3:47.33 | 1981 |
| 2000 m | 4:58.84 | 1982 |
| 3000 m | 7:54.32 | 1979 |
| 5000 m | 14:06.2 | 1980 |
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