1978 European Athletics Championships – Men's 800 metres

These are the official results of the Men's 800 metres event at the 1978 European Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.^[1][2] The final was held on 31 August 1978.^[3]

The two favourites for the race were Steve Ovett^[4] and Sebastian Coe^[5] Ovett had won silver at 800 m at the previous European Championships in 1974 in Rome,^[6] and had won the 1500m, in spectacular fashion, at the IAAF World Cup^[7] the previous year (he was to remain unbeaten at that distance until the 1980 Olympics).^[8] Coe was the new British record holder at 800 m and the fastest man that year leading into the race at 800 m.^[9]

The race was billed in the press, the British press in particular, as a 'Coe versus Ovett' contest - a race that was the start of a rivalry that was to dominate not only British and European but World middle-distance running over the next few years.^[10][11] However, by concentrating on Coe and Ovett the press were ignoring the other talents in the race, including East Germany's Olaf Beyer.^[12]

In the race itself, Coe led from the front setting a blistering first lap pace, going through the bell in a suicidal 49.32 s. At 700 m, he was spent and Ovett kicked past him for home. However, the fast-finishing Beyer first caught Coe and then Ovett to strike gold, in doing so recording the fastest time that year.^[13]