Place Name
Sebastian Newbold Coe (September 29, 1956), better known as Seb Coe or Lord Coe, won four Olympic medals, including the 1500 metres gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. Along with his fellow Britons Steve Ovett and Steve Cram these rivals dominated middle-distance racing for much of the 1980s. 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. After retiring as a track and field athlete Coe became a Conservative MP for Falmouth in Cornwall. 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 December 2012, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Jim Bush notes: “Interestingly, Coe’s great rival, Steve Ovett, is not represented here, but there is an Ovett Close elsewhere, in Upper Norwood at the Crystal Palace triangle.” This road is named, like many on the former brickworks site in Woodside, after British Olympic athletes. The cluster includes Christie Drive, Redgrave Close, Adams Way, Backley Gardens, Goodhew Road, and Akabusi Close.
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