Stories of the Olympic Games: 1500 Metres
Series exploring the history of the Olympics through the stories of athletes, here looking at the diverse environments and characters that have shaped the 1500m.
BBC2's history of the Olympics now tells the story of the blue riband event of any Games - the 1500 metres, or metric mile.
This was the race that gave Britain its finest Olympic hour in Los Angeles in 1984 when three British world champions competed for gold - Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram.
Travelling to the many and varied environments that have helped shape the greatest 1500m runners - from the forests of Finland to the beaches of Australia, from the city streets and country lanes of Britain to the high altitude terrains of Kenya and Morocco - it reveals that although the race is run on a track, it is ultimately won on punishing training runs in natural landscapes.
With contributions from some of the greatest Olympians ever to run the 1500m - Kip Keino, Herb Elliot, Peter Snell, Sebastian Coe and the current world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj - the programme shows that to win 1500m gold, athletes need the stamina of marathon runners, the explosive speed of the best sprinters and the tactical brains of chess masters.
Last on
![]()
TV blog: The history of the 1500m
Producer/ director Francis Welch shares his thoughts on making the 1500m film.
Music Played
-
![]()
Jóhann Jóhannsson
The cause of labour is the hope of the world
-
![]()
Hauschka
Children
-
![]()
Ludovico Einaudi
Alta Pressione
-
![]()
Ludovico Einaudi
The Dark Line
- La Linea Scura.
-
![]()
Plastikman
Contain
-
![]()
Plastikman
Locomotion
-
![]()
David Axelrod
Holy Thursday
-
![]()
David Axelrod
One
-
![]()
David Axelrod
Reverie
-
![]()
Kodō
O Daioko
-
![]()
David Axelrod
Ken Russell
-
![]()
Dustin O’Halloran
We move lightly
-
![]()
Thomas Köner
Nuuk
-
![]()
David Bowie / Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra
Some are
-
![]()
Ludovico Einaudi
White Night
-
![]()
Plastikman
Consumed
-
![]()
David Axelrod
1000 rads
-
![]()
Max Richter
Sarajevo
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Adrian Lester |
| Narrator | Adrian Lester |
| Series Producer | Alastair Laurence |
| Series Producer | Alastair Laurence |
| Director | Francis Welch |
| Director | Francis Welch |
| Producer | Francis Welch |
| Producer | Francis Welch |
The Olympians who went faster, higher and stronger
Take a look at the sports people who pushed the limits of human endeavour.