Seb Coe

Seb Coe

Seb Coe

Reflections

Sebastian Coe or Lord Sebastian Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. He has set 8 word records for middle distances running, 3 of which were set in a span of 41 days! Now, Seb is the chairman of the British Olympic Association.

Everyone has their ups and downs. We asked Seb whether he ever doubted himself and if so, how did he manage to overcome it. His answer was definitely inspiring and to some people, maybe slightly unexpected. Seb said that there were many times that he doubted himself, but he also said that doubt helped him understand his strengths and weaknesses. He said doubt helped motivate him.

Have you ever felt self-doubt? Does it motivate you like it did for Seb?

Biography

Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, CH, KBE, Hon FRIBA (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe or Lord Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including the 1500 metres gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. He set nine outdoor and three indoor world records in middle-distance track events – including, in 1979, setting three world records in the space of 41 days – and the world record he set in the 800 metres in 1981 remained unbroken until 1997. Coe’s rivalries with fellow Britons Steve Ovett and Steve Cram dominated middle-distance racing for much of the 1980s.

Following Coe’s retirement from athletics, he was a member of parliament for the Conservative Party from 1992 to 1997 for Falmouth in Cornwall, and became a Life Peer on 16 May 2000.

He headed the successful London bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and became chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. In 2007, he was elected a vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and re-elected for another four-year term in 2011. In August 2015, he was elected president of the IAAF.

In 2012, Coe was appointed Pro-Chancellor at Loughborough University where he had been an undergraduate, and is also a member of the University’s governing body. He was of one of 24 athletes inducted as inaugural members of the IAAF Hall of Fame. In November 2012, he was appointed chairman of the British Olympic Association. Coe was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December 2012.

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