Coe, and the Indian connection

Born to Indian mother Angela and a British father Peter, Sebastian Coe has...

Born to Indian mother Angela and a British father Peter, Sebastian Coe has a special place for Delhi in his heart. 8220;My Indian connection runs pretty deep, not only was my mother an Indian but my extended family continues to live in Delhi,8221; Coe told newsmen on the sidelines of a specially organised training module for young athletes at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in the Capital today.

8220;Moreover, I fondly remember those small rivalries with Sriram Singh and Jaswinder Sandhu. Catching up with them was a special moment,8221; Coe added. Sports runs in Coe8217;s family, Peter Coe was a cyclist, and Seb8217;s grandfather had been a sprinter. Coe was encouraged to play sports, but his family took him to the theatre and museums as well as his mother was an actress.

Despite the fact that both Coe and his father were deeply involved in running, the family helped him to stay well-rounded. If he talked too much about running at family dinners, his siblings would chant 8220;boring, boring8221;. Both Coe and his father deliberately tried not to think about track after they quit training for the day.

After winning four Olympic medals in 1980 and 8217;84, Coe was not selected for the British team for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, thus denying him the chance to retain his 1500 m title for a second time.

The decision snowballed into a major controversy. Britain8217;s Daily Mirror ran a campaign entitled 8216;Coe Must Go8217; in an attempt to change the British selectors8217; minds. The then president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, unsuccessfully tried to have the rules changed to ensure his inclusion under the Olympic flag.

It was said that the Indian contingent was willing to allow him to compete for them on account of his mother8217;s parentage. But that did not work out eventually. Coe retired from competitive athletics in 1990.

Long distance run for Coe

8226;Sebastian Newbold Coe won four Olympic medals and set eight outdoor and three indoor world records in middle distance, including the 1500m gold medal at the 8216;80, 8216;84 Olympics

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8226;He is the only one to win back-to-back Olympic 1500 m titles

8226;He carried a single-minded ruthlessness to win London the rights to host 2012 Olympics and is now the organising committee chairman

8226;Served as a Conservative Party Member of Parliament from 1992-97, and became a life peer in 2000. Is also the vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations

8226;Was coached by his father, Peter

8226;Coe continues to run 15 miles every Sunday and his unflappable stamina was in view today: running 6-7 laps and then the media marathon