Steve Cram Sets a World 1,500 Record--3:29.67

Olympic 1,500-meter silver medalist Steve Cram of Britain, challenged by Said Aouita of Morocco, set a world record of 3 minutes 29.67 seconds Tuesday night at the 10th Nikaia Grand Prix track and field meet.

Cram, 24, blistered the current world record of 3:30.77 set Sept. 4, 1983, in Rieti, Italy, by fellow countryman Steve Ovett.

Wearing a bright yellow jersey, Cram made his move with 300 meters to go and stepped into the lead against Aouita, who had announced before the meet that he also had his eyes on the record.

Aouita had said he was planning to run a “tactical” race, but Cram just burned through the distance and held off a stumbling Aouita at the finish with about a yard to spare.

Aouita also came in under Ovett’s old mark, clocking a 3:29.71 on a sultry, summer night on the French Riviera.

Cram said he did not even realize who was challenging him until the final 10 yards.

“I knew I had a chance when I saw the strength of the field last week,” Cram said. “The last five meters were a bit of a struggle, but I don’t think they made any difference in setting the record.”

Cram was dogged by Aouita, the Olympic 5,000-meter gold medalist in Los Angeles, who made a desperate attempt to slip past as the runners approached the wire.

Cram came close to the Ovett record several weeks ago at the Oslo Grand Prix meet.

“I knew I was getting near then,” Cram said. “I was very nervous here, as nervous as I’ve ever been. It’s also nice to be able to set the first world record on this track.”

The new holder said the formidable field--which raced before more than 18,000 cheering spectators--spurred him on.

Soviet pole vaulter Sergei Bubka also took a shot at a world record--his own, which he set last weekend.

Bubka became the first man in history to clear 19 feet 8 inches Saturday at a Paris meet.

Tuesday, he won the competition with a jump of 19-6 on his first attempt. His long-time rival, Thierry Vigneron of France, ended up at 18-6 1/2.

Bubka made three attempts to break his own record, just tipping the crossbar at 19-8 3/4 on his last try.

Olympian Calvin Smith of the United States won the men’s 200 meters in 20.45 seconds, followed by Carlo Simionata of Italy in 20.57 and Desai Williams of Canada in 20.67. Smith was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. 400-meter relay team at the Los Angeles Games, running the third leg behind Carl Lewis.

American Roddie Haley won the men’s 400 meters in 45.37, followed by countrymen Eugene Sanders in 45.71 and Mark Howe in 45.72. The 5,000-meter race was won by Fernando Mamede of Portugal in 13:23.71.

The men’s high jump went to Jacek Wszola of Poland with a leap of seven feet 7 inches, and the men’s 1,000 meters to Jose Luis Barbosa of Brazil in 2:17.36. David Mack of the U.S. was second in 2:17.43 and George McGeorges of Britain third in 2:17.65

Women’s winners included Americans Judi Brown-King in the 400 meters with a time of 55.30 and Louise Ritter in the high jump with a leap of 6-4.

1,500-Meter World Record From Kiviat To Cram

Mark Name Country Year 3:56.8 Abel Kiviat United States 1912 3:55.8 Abel Kiviat United States 1912 3:55.0* Norman Taber United States 1915 3:54.7 John Zander Sweden 1917 3:53.0* Paavo Nurmi Finland 1923 3:52.6 Paavo Nurmi Finland 1924 3:51.0 Otto Peltzer Germany 1926 3:49.2 Jules Ladoumegue France 1930 3:49.2 Luigi Beccali Italy 1933 3:49.0 Luigi Beccali Italy 1933 3:48.8 Bill Bonthron United States 1934 3:47.8 John Lovelock New Zealand 1936 3:47.5* Gunder Hagg Sweden 1941 3:45.8 Gunder Hagg Sweden 1942 3:45.0 Arne Andersson Sweden 1943 3:43.0 Gunder Hagg Sweden 1944 3:43.0 Lennard Strand Sweden 1947 3:43.0 Werner Lueg West Germany 1952 3:43.0* Roger Bannister Britain 1954 3:42.8 Wes Santee United States 1954 3:41.8 John Landy Australia 1954 3:40.8 Sandor Iharos Hungary 1955 3:40.8 Laszlo Tabori Hungary 1955 3:40.8 Gunnar Nielsen Denmark 1955 3:40.6 Istvan Rozsavolgyi Hungary 1956 3:40.2 Olavi Salsola Finland 1957 3:40.2 Olavi Salonen Finland 1957 3:38.1 Stanislav Jungwirth Czechoslovakia 1957 3:36.0 Herb Elliott Australia 1958 3:35.6 Herb Elliott Australia 1960 3:33.1 Jim Ryun United States 1967 3:32.2 Filbert Bayi Tanzania 1974 3:32.1 Sebastian Coe Britain 1979 3:32.1 Steve Ovett Britain 1980 3:31.36 Steve Ovett Britain 1980 3:31.24 Sydney Maree United States 1983 3:30.77 Steve Ovett Britain 1983 3:29.67 Steve Cram Britain 1985

*--Mark was never ratified by the International Amateur Athletic Federation but is considered statistically valid.