ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos president of football operations/general manager John Elway and president and CEO Joe Ellis have each tested positive for the coronavirus and are isolating at home.

Ellis and Elway both received their positive test results early Tuesday morning. Both have experienced mild symptoms, and team sources said Tuesday that neither Ellis nor Elway has been in close contact with any of the team's players and coaches in recent days as the Broncos were already operating under the NFL's enhanced COVID-19 protocols.

The Broncos' facility was closed for the players and other team employees Tuesday for Election Day, but as a precaution the team also told its coaches to work from home. Ellis sent an email to Broncos employees early Tuesday, around 7 a.m., revealing he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Ellis and Elway were notified of their positive test results shortly after 4 a.m. Tuesday.

In a statement, the Broncos said: "Based on a review of contact tracing data with the league, we are confident these cases originated independently outside team facilities. There were minimal close contacts identified for each (no players or coaches), and those individuals have been notified.

"While our facilities are closed for Election Day, coaches are conducting their game preparations today remotely as a precaution. Our organization will remain in communication with the NFL, making all decisions in consultation with the league and based on guidance from medical experts.''

The Broncos are scheduled to play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Broncos currently have two coaches isolating under the league's COVID-19 protocols -- Mike Munchak and Ed Donatell -- though the team hasn't announced whether either has tested positive for the virus or was in close contact of someone who did.

Broncos guard Graham Glasgow also tested positive last week and was moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list. Running backs coach Curtis Modkins tested positive last month and has since returned to the team.

Team sources said Tuesday that Ellis was not in the Broncos' complex Thursday or Friday last week as he was working remotely and only stopped in briefly Saturday morning to pick up his credential for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Ellis, 61, did not attend the game because he did not feel well, the first game he did not attend in the last 26 years.

Elway, 60, was in the team's complex Monday, but left when he experienced some mild COVID-19 symptoms. Under the enhanced protocols, Elway has not been in close proximity with the team's players and coaches inside the team complex.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be with the top-ranked Tigers for Saturday's showdown against No. 4 Notre Dame, but he won't see any action, head coach Dabo Swinney confirmed Tuesday.

Lawrence will have cleared the 10-day isolation protocol following a positive test for COVID-19 by Thursday, Swinney said, but a battery of cardiovascular tests designed to identify symptoms of myocarditis must also be completed before Lawrence can return to the field, and that won't be done by Saturday.

"He's doing great. He's in the meetings [via Zoom] and all that stuff. He's just anxious to get out," Swinney said of his quarterback. "There's no way to get through that in time to play."

The ACC's medical advisory group requires all players who test positive to remain in isolation for a minimum of 10 days, which Swinney suggested would be concluded Thursday for Lawrence. But in order to evaluate for symptoms of myocarditis or other cardiovascular issues, a three-part testing protocol is also in place that Clemson said can take an additional two to three days. In addition, the school employs a "reacclimatization" period of at least two days to ensure players are healthy enough to return to action.

Swinney said he anticipates Lawrence will be back at practice early next week and will play against Florida State on Nov. 21.

In the meantime, Swinney said Lawrence will be an asset to freshman QB D.J. Uiagalelei on the sideline Saturday against the Irish.

"He's an incredibly knowledgeable guy and he's been there so he'll be able to bring a great presence to D.J.," Swinney said. "He's got a great mind and great eyes, so he's going to be Coach Lawrence."

Swinney said he expects a tight matchup against Notre Dame, praising Irish QB Ian Book as "similar to Trevor" in his knowledge and confidence on the field, while citing Notre Dame's defense as among the best in the country.

"You've got to win your matchups, got to make some plays," Swinney said. "You're not going to tiptoe through the lilies and beat these guys."

Swinney said that with Tuesday's NCAA-mandated off day, the team is still unsure whether linebacker Mike Jones Jr. and defensive tackle Tyler Davis -- both starters who missed last week's game against Boston College with injuries -- will be ready to go against Notre Dame, but he said Wednesday's practice would likely determine their availability.

Wisconsin announced Tuesday that its football game this weekend against Purdue has been canceled and team activities remain paused indefinitely because of the number of positive coronavirus cases within the program.

The Badgers originally canceled the game against Nebraska on Oct. 31, after the program had 12 positive tests, including starting quarterback Graham Mertz and head coach Paul Chryst. That number of positive cases then rose to 22, made up of 12 players and 10 staff members.

Athletic director Barry Alvarez initially announced the team would pause football activities for seven days on Oct. 28, but now says it will be indefinite as the program deals with the outbreak and it is canceling its second game with no plans to reschedule.

"I share in the disappointment of our student-athletes and staff," Alvarez said. "We have seen a level of improvement in our testing numbers, but not enough to give us confidence to resume normal activities and play our game on Saturday. We will continue to test regularly, take the proper health-related precautions and look forward to getting our team back on the field as soon as possible."

There have been five positive tests since Oct. 31, and there are now 27 total active cases within the program, which includes 15 student-athletes and 12 staff members.

The program has said that Chryst could return Thursday, and there has been no change in that, according to a school spokesman.

Alvarez said the program initially felt as though it would be able to get the outbreak under control and that the team had sufficient depth to execute a game. While it is not yet in the red/red category under Big Ten protocols that would force the team to stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days, the team decided it would be best to halt activity to get the virus under control.

"I felt very confident -- if we continued we were getting things under control. In the last three days, if I counted right, we had 11 positives in the program and just didn't feel as though we had our arms around it, had things as I thought we needed," Alvarez said. "Keeping your priorities in order, the health and safety of our student-athletes is top priority."

The Badgers continue to conduct antigen testing as well as PCR testing. But despite the regular testing, the athletic department is still searching for answers on how the outbreak happened and where it started.

"We try to take a look at that, each of us talking about different situations. Analyzing, we've got one of the doctors on campus who has some research on tracking where the virus came from," Alvarez said. "He's trying to help us, we're trying to locate a source and trying to figure it all out. We haven't put it together yet, but that's something we're all trying to do. Hopefully we'll get an answer soon."

While football activities are paused, Alvarez said the team is still meeting via Zoom calls. Players who had previously been positive for coronavirus but had completed the protocol were permitted access to the weight room on Monday. He doesn't know the full extent of what the team is allowed to do and when team activities will resume.

He and the rest of the program continue to look for ways to improve going forward and were given some help from former Badgers football player Troy Vincent, who is now the executive vice president of NFL operations, on what the NFL has done to help mitigate spreads.

"[He] sent me all of the protocol that they use in the NFL. From how they board planes, how they sit, how they space at meals," Alvarez said. "How they space in meetings, how they do everything and how it's charted. Wanted me to share it with Paul [Chryst], with our doctors, study it and see if there are some things we haven't done, the things we can do better that the NFL has really researched and studied and put together."

Said Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski in a statement: "While we looked forward to our game this weekend against Wisconsin, we understand the Badgers' decision to cancel based on medical advice and their need to control any additional transmission of the virus within their team and staff."

Wisconsin will provide another update on the team's status on Saturday.

With two canceled games, Wisconsin is now teetering on the brink of not being able to compete in the Big Ten championship. In order to compete in the game, a team must play at least six games. If Wisconsin is able to play every remaining game on its schedule, it will have played a total of six games this year.

If the average number of Big Ten games falls below six, then teams must play no less than two fewer games than the Big Ten average to be considered for the league championship. The champion will be determined in each division by its winning percentage, unless there is an unbalanced schedule because of the cancellation of games. If that's the case, there are several scenarios in play.

If two or more teams have the same number of conference losses, but a different number of wins, head-to-head results will take precedence over winning percentage. If the canceled game was between the two teams with the same winning percentage, the records of the two tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage within their division.

Information from ESPN's Heather Dinich was used in this report.

FRISCO, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys will be without quarterback Andy Dalton for a second straight game but not because of the concussion he sustained two weeks ago.

Dalton will be placed on the reserve/COVID 19 list on Tuesday, which will knock him out of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple sources.

Dalton did not practice last week as he worked through the concussion protocol, but he was in some team and quarterback meetings later in the week. He did not fly with the team to Philadelphia because he was officially ruled out the day before kickoff.

Dalton has started the self-quarantine process, and the Cowboys have begun contact tracing, but no players on the trip tested positive before the Philadelphia game, and Monday's tests were negative as well.

Rookie Ben DiNucci started in the 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 180 yards, was sacked four times and lost two fumbles, including one that was returned for a touchdown. Garrett Gilbert served as the No. 2 quarterback last week, and the Cowboys added Cooper Rush to the practice last week. Rush has completed the COVID-19 protocols.

Dalton started two games after taking over for Dak Prescott, who is out for the season with a right ankle injury, before taking a hit from Washington Football Team linebacker Jon Bostic in the third quarter of the 25-3 loss. Bostic was fined $12,000 by the NFL for the hit.

Dalton has completed 52 of 85 passes for 452 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in four appearances. The Cowboys have scored one touchdown in their three games without Prescott and none the past two games. It's the first time in his head-coaching career Mike McCarthy has presided over an offense that has failed to score a touchdown in consecutive games.

On Monday, McCarthy was asked about the Cowboys not having any players placed on the COVID-19 list during the regular season. In training camp, wide receiver Jon'Vea Johnson and cornerback Saivion Smith were on the COVID-19 list, although Smith's test was a false positive.

"It's part of the team meeting messaging," McCarthy said. "Pretty much almost every day or definitely a couple times a week there's always feedback that our football operations is giving us as far as what the new emphasis is and how we can continue to improve on it, and I think our players and staff have done a very good job, the best they can, as far as the social distancing and the tracking and all the components that go into it. So hopefully we can keep it going."

The skinny kid from Amite, Louisiana, stood on the floor of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and watched as Livonia celebrated a Class 3A state championship. Tears welled in his eyes, but he wouldn't look away. There, across the field, he saw players running around, hugging and high-fiving one another. And there he was, frozen on the losing side, in sweatpants, nursing a broken collarbone and refusing to walk away.

Zephaniah Powell sat in the stands six years ago and noticed this kid in pain. One who hadn't played all game because of his injury, but who was as invested as anyone who took a snap that day. A coach at rival Sumner High, Powell knew exactly who he was: DeVonta Smith, or as he was better known around Tangipahoa Parish, Tay-Tay.

Smith, Powell recalled, had a "hunger in his eyes."

And a few months later, when Powell was hired to lead the Amite High program, he learned exactly what that hunger meant. It meant Smith grabbing every quarterback on the roster to throw him passes after practice. It meant him getting extra reps of squats and power cleans in the gym at night. It meant him running stadiums on the weekends.

It was grueling work, Powell remembers.

"It's a nice little incline," he said of Russell Memorial Stadium. "It goes up pretty good."

Powell understood right away that while Smith was his best player, he was still hungry for more. Smith was determined to transform his body and outperform expectations. He refused to walk away from a defeat -- from a challenge -- back then, just as he does now.

Nine months ago, Smith could have walked away from Alabama. He'd already caught 118 passes and 23 touchdowns in three seasons in Tuscaloosa, including a school-record 14 scores in 2019. He was the reason the Crimson Tide had won a national championship, immortalized in paintings hung around living rooms across the state. In other words: He had nothing left to prove.

What's more, the wide receivers he came to school with, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, were leaving for the NFL, along with quarterback and fellow junior Tua Tagovailoa. But something told Smith to stay.

We never saw him shed a tear during those heartbreaking losses to LSU and Auburn last season that ultimately knocked Alabama out of the College Football Playoff, but Smith told us exactly what they meant to him when he announced that he was returning for his senior season:

"I have unfinished business to take care of, and the only way to do that is to stay one more year."

Powell was walking the halls at school one day when he saw his star wide receiver abruptly stop, hit the floor and crank out 10 pushups as his classmates maneuvered around him.

"Tay, what's going on?" Powell asked.

"Coach," Smith answered, "I'm just trying to get bigger."

Powell nodded.

"I understand," he said. "As long as you're not tardy for class."

Smith was a little over 6 feet tall but tipped the scales at 140 pounds at the time. He was teased regularly about his weight, Powell said, and rather than let it frustrate him, Smith took it as a challenge.

So whenever he saw his reflection, whether it be in a mirror, a window or a polished car door, Smith would drop whatever he was doing and crank out 10 pushups.

That's just the way he was, Powell said, calling Smith a quiet and cerebral kid. Others played checkers, he said. Smith played chess, thinking several moves ahead.

A common comparison Smith has received is that his style is reminiscent of a young Marvin Harrison. Like the former Indianapolis Colts star receiver, Smith isn't physically imposing, but he's ruthlessly effective.

"And that's a good comparison," Powell said. "But for us, DeVonta was Jerry Rice 2.0. Because Jerry Rice was the same way coming out of Mississippi Valley State University: He wasn't the biggest, he wasn't the fastest, he wasn't the tallest. But once you got him on that football field, he was technically sound."

Smith's routes were so precise. His hands were so strong. He got up to speed so quickly, and the way he ran, Powell said, was so effortless.

"It's like he's running on pillows," he said. "You can barely hear his feet."

Billy Napier, formerly the wide receivers coach at Alabama, remembers the sound of those footsteps well. Napier recruited Smith for what felt like four years, he said, trying and ultimately succeeding in fending off in-state LSU.

Napier recalled the first time Smith came to a camp at Alabama, still an underclassman in high school. Smith's size was a major question mark with coaches worrying about his durability. But there were intangibles there, Napier said.

There was a physicality that came from playing defense. There was a toughness that seemed ingrained in him.

"What you saw was a guy that was very skilled and a guy that could get open and make plays and was very productive regardless of the talent level," Napier, now the head coach at Louisiana, said. "Even at a young age, you put him up against the best cover guys and he could get open."

Said Powell: "Because of his slight build people are going to overlook him. But DeVonta likes it that way because the next thing you know he's got six catches and 200 yards."

Napier was struck by Smith's hand size.

Mike Locksley, who would take over for Napier as receivers coach at Alabama, said it was as though Smith never dropped a pass that was within his reach. As a freshman, Smith went up against future pros Marlon Humphrey and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who were older than him, and he'd hold his own, bringing in more than his fair share of 50-50 balls.

"When the ball was in the air," Locksley said, "he would find a way to get the ball and make the play."

Napier was only weeks on the job as head coach at Louisiana, trying to build a staff from scratch, when he stopped what he was doing to watch a game in Atlanta that had gone into overtime.

Alabama and Georgia had gone back and forth all night, and now his former team was on the ropes, trailing by a field goal with a national championship on the line. Tagovailoa took a poorly timed sack, and hope was fading.

Then, on second-and-26, Napier watched as the freshman, Tagovailoa, drew back and found another freshman, Smith, racing down the sideline for the winning touchdown.

Napier was proud.

"A lot went into that," he said.

Powell was at home in Louisiana, lying in bed and watching the game on TV when Smith etched his name into history. Powell screamed, sending his sleeping wife into a panic. They had a newborn baby. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Is everything OK?"

Powell kept screaming and pointing at the TV. Then he called the other coaches on staff and suddenly they were all crying.

That's Tay-Tay.

Is this really happening?

It was, and Powell said it was a testament to how Smith had kept his head on straight. Even though Smith didn't play much as a freshman, he never let himself get frustrated. He kept working, asking to be put on special teams as a gunner on punt coverage.

"A kid that was frustrated couldn't have gone out against the University of Georgia and caught the winning touchdown," Powell said. "A frustrated kid wouldn't have been locked in."

Fast forward about a year from that seminal moment, and Smith was still locked in. He told reporters at the time that he didn't want to talk about the Georgia game or his touchdown catch. He said he didn't care and, "It's a new year. We're moving on."

And that's who Smith is in a nutshell. He might not be flashy like his former teammates Jeudy and Ruggs. Entering this season, he continued to get lost in the hype surrounding fellow wideout Jaylen Waddle, who was as dynamic a player as there is in college football.

But then, four games and one kickoff into the season, Waddle was knocked out for the year with a broken ankle against Tennessee, leaving Smith as the last of the so-called Ryde Outs standing.

According to CBS, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian calls Smith "Rubber Band Man" because of the way he can contort his body to catch passes. But losing Waddle brought new meaning to the nickname: Smith, a senior among primarily freshmen and sophomores at the position, had to be the one to hold the group together.

He doesn't say much. He never has. But he set an example by going right back to work. A week after the Tennessee game, Smith made a statement with 11 catches for 203 yards and four touchdowns against Mississippi State.

If there's a trademark beyond Smith's strong hands, it's his consistency. You can watch, Powell said, and you'll see that it doesn't matter who he's going up against.

"If it's a Western Carolina all the way up to a Clemson," he said, "they're going to get the business."

On Nov. 14, Smith will face his home state team, LSU, which helped knock Alabama out of the playoff race in 2019. The head-to-head battle of Smith and All-America cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. will be appointment viewing and could go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game.

Through six games, Smith has hauled in 56 catches for 759 yards and eight touchdowns. His next touchdown catch will be the 32nd of his career and make him the school record holder, surpassing former Crimson Tide great Amari Cooper.

He's building a legacy now.

Folks around Tuscaloosa have taken to calling him Smitty, and he's no longer the string bean cranking out pushups in the hall, having bulked up to a respectable 175 pounds. But Powell said he's still Tay-Tay to everyone back in Tangipahoa Parish.

He never was able to win a state championship for Amite. But he got a title at Alabama, and he's hungry for another.

The 1980 Olympic 800m champion enjoyed a long and successful career and here we list his 15 finest moments

Steve Ovett is uniquely the only athlete to win major championship golds at 800m (Olympics), 1500m (Europeans) and 5000m (Commonwealth).

His first mention in AW was 50 years ago in 1970 and his biggest honour, the Olympic gold, came 40 years ago in 1980.

No other athlete had his unique blend of speed and endurance that as a junior saw him win national titles at 400m and over six miles of cross-country.

And who else would run a half-marathon a few weeks before the biggest race opportunity of his life at the 1977 World Cup?

It is true he cannot match Coe’s Olympic record with a gold and bronze to his rival’s two golds and two silvers and Coe also clearly has the edge in record breaking, especially as that range included multiple records at 800m and 1000m.

However Ovett arguably had the better competitive record. In 1974 all the way through to just before the 1984 Olympics, not one British athlete beat him at 800m and that included wins over Coe in both the Europeans and Olympics. He ran in three Olympic 800m finals and also gained two European silvers.

From 1977 to the Olympic final in 1980 he won 46 consecutive races at 1500m and mile and though he lost in Moscow, he still then went on to win a staggering number of races at the longer distances until 1986.

He turned 65 last month and here we pick out 15 of his most memorable meeting performances but if you want to see detailed information of 150 of his best races in chronological order from his English Schools 400m win in 1970 to his Commonwealth gold in 1986 you will need to visit the AW Clubhouse here (available to AW magazine subscribers).

1. 1980 Olympic 800m/1500m, Moscow, July 26/August 1
1st 1:45.40 and 3rd 3:38.99 (3:36.8 heat)

World record-holder Seb Coe was a clear favourite for the 800m but the slighter Briton ran a terrible tactical race. Ovett’s race was far from flawless as he managed to barge his way out of trouble a few times on the first lap in a manner that many thought was lucky to survive disqualification. However, he ran a brilliant second lap, following the bursts of first Dave Warren and then Nikolay Kirov. He hit the straight in second but easily passed the Russian to win by around four metres. He covered the last 200m in around 24.9 and last lap in 50.5 as Coe’s late burst nabbed second (1:45.85).

For the 1500m, Ovett was favourite but found it hard to motivate himself and was not helped by running history’s fastest ever first round heat of 3:36.8 to maintain his unbeaten record. In the final at the second attempt, Coe (3:38.40) ran a perfect race, following Jurgen Straub’s burst 700m out (54.2 third lap) and kicking a 52.2 last 400m of his own. Ovett was close to the pair 100m out but failed to even get past Straub (3:38.80), who he had always easily beaten in the past.

2. 1977 World Cup 1500m, Dusseldorf
1st 3:34.5 (UK record)

Ovett went into the first ever IAAF World Cup as a promising young Brit yet to prove himself at the very highest level but ended it as the world’s most exciting runner. Olympic champion John Walker led down the back straight on the last lap in a fast race but Ovett produced one of the greatest change of paces in history as he blasted an unparalleled 11.8 100m on the final bend. Walker was so shocked, he dropped out on the final bend. Had the Briton run through the line he would have broken the European record as he went eighth all-time with his UK record. Thomas Wessinghage was a distant second in 3:36.0.

3. 1978 European Championships 800m/1500m, August 31/September 3
2nd 1:44.1, 1st 3:35.6

He had not prepared specifically for the 800m and had only run one international standard two-lapper in the past two years though seemingly his major rival Coe ran a far too fast 49.32 first lap with Ovett third in 49.9. Coe faded on the second lap and Ovett kicked past in the straight but he was himself shockingly passed by relatively little-known Olaf Beyer (1:43.8), who had actually been ahead of Ovett at the bell.

Ovett’s run was ridiculously portrayed as a failure by some in the press, but it was a British record and ranked eighth all-time in the world and was only 0.6 off Alberto Juantorena’s world record. He still had his main event to go and there he kicked 200m out and despite celebrating early he covered that stretch in 24.8 to win easily from Eamonn Coghlan (3:36.6) and Commonwealth champion Dave Moorcroft (3:36.7). Beyer was ninth.

4. 1986 Commonwealth Games 5000m, Edinburgh, July 31
1st 13:24.11

Making his Commonwealth debut, 12 years after being disappointed he had been overlooked for 800m selection, he won comfortably. The battle for gold proved an all-English affair with Tim Hutchings’ 60.13 lap around 3000m being the major move but Ovett covered that and a 57.3 last lap of his own pulled him well clear of Jack Buckner (13:25.87) and Hutchings (13:26.84), who would go on to finish first and third respectively in fast times at the Europeans the following month.

5. 1980 Oslo 1500m, July 15
1st 3:32.1 (equals world record)

After effectively missing equalling the record in Brussels in 1979 (3:32.11) by a hundredth of a second as times then got rounded up, here he just about did enough (3:32.09) to get a share of Coe’s 3:32.1 record, in his last major pre Olympic run. After a slow 57.8 first lap, Steve Scott, who was missing the Olympics because of the US boycott, and keen to make a point to the Brit, blasted a vicious 55.8 second lap. He was still ahead at 1200m but as Thomas Wessinghage went to take over 200m out, Ovett kicked away with an incredible blast of speed in a world record pace run.

He seemed to ease off a little in the straight and waved to the crowd but he still equalled the record. Wessinghage, who was second in 3:33.16 and who moved to sixth all time, said: “Never have I seen running like that. To run at uneven pace, to fool around and play to the crowd and equal a world record. A year ago I felt we were starting to run closer to Steve. I sensed he was human after all. Now I know I was wrong.”

6. 1978 IAC Coca-Cola Meeting 2 miles, Crystal Palace, September 15
1st 8:13.51 (world best)

Having pulled out of the meeting earlier in the week, due to tiredness after Prague, he changed his mind and was then involved in one of the greatest ever duels on a British track. Bronislaw Malinowski led through the mile in a slow 4:08.8 and they were six seconds down on Brendan Foster’s world record schedule three laps from the finish. Then Henry Rono, who had set 3000m, 5000m, steeplechase and 10,000m world records during the season, started a series of surges to break Ovett but a sprint was followed by a jog and the record looked impossible at the bell (7:17.7). Rono gave it everything down the final back straight but Ovett eased past him at the start of the straight and gave a wave to the crowd. A 55.8 last quarter gave him a world best by 0.2 of a second with Rono (8:14.7) setting a Kenyan best.

7. 1980 Oslo Mile, July 1
1st 3:48.8 (PB/world record) (3:32.7 1500m)

Less than a hour after he had set a world 1000m record, Coe lost his mile record to his fellow Brit. Dave Warren got to halfway in 1:53.5 with Ovett going ahead uncharacteristically early with 600m left. He passed three quarters in an unprecedented 2:51.0, over two seconds up on Coe’s time. He was only marginally ahead versus Coe at 1500m though (3:32.7) but he held his form to nip Coe’s time (3:49.0) by a few tenths. Steve Cram was a distant second (3:53.8) which sealed his Olympic spot.

8. 1980 Koblenz 1500m, August 27
1st 3:31.36

It had seemed Ovett might be tiring after a packed racing schedule following a gruelling Olympics and some less than impressive results. Not so. Before the race the world’s fastest 1500s in tenths of a second were 3:32.1: Coe (32.03) and Ovett (32.09), 3:32.2: Ovett (32.11) Bayi (32.16) and Coe (32.19). This was all cleared up in Germany. Garry Cook led through 800m in 1:53.00 and Wessinghage led at 1200 in 2:50.69 and was still ahead in the straight and though Ovett passed him and ran a 40.6 last 300m and 53.9 last 400 and smashed the world record, he only won by two metres from the German doctor (3:31.58) while little-known Harald Hudak (3:31.96) also bettered the old mark with a four second PB.

9. 1981 Koblenz Mile, August 26
1st 3:48.40

After Coe had taken his mile record back in Zurich (3:48.53), a week later the promoter agreed to add a mile to this meeting though Scott and Wessinghage refused to change events and ran the 1500m instead. Bob Benn led most of the first half but James Robinson took over and led through halfway in just over 1:54 and most of the third lap before Ovett was ahead at the bell in 2:51.5. He ran a strong last lap but it was close as he took just 0.13 of a second off Coe’s mark. Craig Masback was a distant second in 3:54.14. The record lasted just two days as Coe then ran 3:47.33 in Brussels.

10. 1983 Rieti 1500m, September 4
1st 3:30.77 (world record)

On the notoriously fast Italian track, he set his third world 1500m record – a feat only previously achieved by Gunder Hagg in the 1940s as he took just under half a second off Sydney Maree’s mark of 3:31.24. David Mack set a perfect pace of 54.17 and 1:51.67 before Ovett took over by 1200m (2:49.14) as looking strong throughout he achieved a 55 last lap and 41.63 last 300m well clear of Pierre Deleze (3:34.55).

11. 1974 European Championships 800m, Rome, September 4
2nd 1:45.77 (PB/UK junior record)

Just 18 years old, he set a one second PB and gained a silver medal in his first senior championships but was dismissive of his run as he was boxed when Luciano Susanj (1:44.1) burst away with a 25 last 200m. Finishing strongly he went from fifth to second in the straight passing world record-holder Marcello Fiasconaro (1:46.3) who was sixth.

12. 1976 Olympic 800m/1500m, Montreal, July 24
5th 1:45.4 (PB)/3:37.7 ht (PB)/3:40.3 semis

Much to his annoyance, the first 300m of 800m races (a failed experiment!) in this year were run in lanes, and with an outside lane, the then 20 year-old went off too slow and then used too much energy catching up when they broke. It did not help that the race was at a cracking pace and won in a world record 1:43.5 by Alberto Juantorena.

In his 1500m heat, he ran a 39.0 last 300m to defeat Wessinghage (3:37.9) in a PB but got balked in his semi and, tired in his fifth race of the Games, failed to qualify.

13. 1973 European Junior Championships 800m, Duisburg, August 26
1st 1:47.53

He won his first major title but only just as he held back from a fast 52.6 first lap. He caught front-running future world champion Willi Wulbeck (1:47.57) with virtually his final stride. Future double Olympic medallist Ivo Van Damme was fourth.

14. 1980 IAC/Coca-Cola 5000m, August 8
2nd 13:27.9

The only Olympic 800m champion who would ever choose to run a 5000m in his homecoming race in front of a capacity crowd welcoming Britain’s Olympic heroes. He suffered an embarrassing loss but only because of complacency and carelessness and a 13:27 5000m with the after effects of flu, still warrants a special mention.

The race on YouTube is headlined ‘arrogance personified’ and has had seven million views. Ovett looked like he was jogging most of the race and he sprinted into the lead 100 metres out and waved to the crowd. John Treacy, the two-time world cross country champion, sprinted up to his shoulder and the Briton went three metres clear again but he again eased before the line and held his arms aloft only for the Irishman to sprint and dip under his raised right arm and both shared the 13:27.9 time though Treacy got the verdict by a few hundredths.

15. 1981 World Cup 1500m, Rome, September 5
1st 3:34.77

Representing the winning Europe team, a 53.6 last lap was enough to comfortably defeat John Walker (3:35.49) and Beyer (3:35.58) and he broke Herb Elliott’s 21-year-old track record set in winning the 1960 Olympics (3:35.6).

Leicester Tigers have released attack coach Rob Taylor from his contract on compassionate grounds just four months after he joined the Premiership club.

Taylor was set to continue working with fellow coaches Geordan Murphy, Scott Borthwick and Mike Ford for the forthcoming 2020-21 Premiership season.

Tigers are due to start the campaign at home against Gloucester on 21 November.

"On behalf of the players, coaching team and everybody at Leicester Tigers, I thank Rob for his efforts and contribution to our club," said head coach Borthwick.

"It's been a shorter stay than we would have all hoped, but we are grateful for what he has given to Tigers and wish him well in whatever comes next."

Taylor's previous coaching experience before he moved to Leicester came mainly in Australia and New Zealand with his most recent role as director of rugby at Sydney University.

He arrived on 1 July after a reshuffle in the Tigers coaching staff, with Borthwick joining as head coach alongside Murphy, who became director of rugby. Both worked alongside Ford, former scrum coach Boris Stankovich and fellow coach Brett Deacon when the Premiership restarted in August.

Leicester won two of the nine matches they played in that time, finishing 11th for the second consecutive season. Only Saracens - deducted 106 points for salary cap breaches - finished below them.

Worcester have bolstered their forward options with the signings of George Merrick and Marc Thomas.

He played more than 100 games for Quins in a six-year career at The Stoop

Loosehead prop Thomas, 30, started last season at Championship side Doncaster before joining Harlequins in August.

"Both George and Marc will provide invaluable cover for us in what will be an arduous season," Warriors' director of rugby Alan Solomons told the club website.

"George is a really big man with heaps of Premiership experience and we are most fortunate to have secured his services," he added.

"Marc is an experienced player and a good scrummager who comes to us after a spell with Harlequins.

"Both lads have fitted in well here at Sixways and I have no doubt that they will make their mark. I look forward to working with them."

Worcester have not disclosed the length of contract either player has signed.

LONDON – Formula E officials have announced that the series has become a minority shareholder in Extreme E – the new off-road motorsport which will see electric SUVs competing in remote ecosystems around the world.

The partnership demonstrates an extension of Formula E’s commitment to developing electric vehicles and sustainable mobility technologies, including now through Extreme E, which is set to trial electric SUVs in some of the most testing off-road conditions in the world.

The two sports have a common ambition to fight climate change, accelerate the transition to electric mobility and use their platforms to catalyse positive change for generations to come. Their distinct but complementary products mean each benefit from amplifying the other. Both series are all-electric motorsports, with Formula E operating the open-wheel single-seater FIA world championship competing in iconic international city centres, while Extreme E is a radical rally-raid showcasing the abilities of electric SUVs against the backdrop of remote ecosystems.

With Formula E’s minority investment comes a seat on the Extreme E Board of Directors which will be held by Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle. While the two businesses remain independent, the close collaboration of their leadership will allow a truly strategic partnership, as Extreme E CEO and Formula E Founder Alejandro Agag also retains the role of Formula E Chairman.

“Formula E and Extreme E stand out as sports founded with purpose,” said Reigle. “As we both race for better futures, a strategic partnership with Extreme E is a natural progression for Formula E. We are joining forces in our fight against climate change, while each continuing on our independent and complementary sporting paths. It’s an honour for me to be invited to join Extreme E’s Board of Directors and I’m committed to delivering the greatest impact for both businesses as we light up the world with the transformative power of electric racing.”

It’s time for a new edition of the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings! Who sits in the No. 1 spot after a busy weekend of racing? Click below to find out!