Olympics 2008

Which duo tops your list of greatest sporting rivalries?

Perhaps it's the Bjorn Borg v John McEnroe tennis duel from the early 1980s, Formula One's Alain Prost v Ayrton Senna of the late '80s or the golf shoot-outs between Jack Nicklaus v Arnold Palmer in the '60s.

For me, it's the middle-distance battles of Britain's Seb Coe and Steve Ovett in the late '70s and early '80s.

The pair rarely met in international competition, but they traded world records like kids swap football stickers - most memorably in the mile, where they combined to lower the world best three times in 10 remarkable days in 1981.

In my eyes, Coe had the edge - in a remarkable six-week spell during 1979 he became the first man to hold the 800m, 1500m and mile records at the same time.

At the 1980 Moscow Olympics Ovett drew first blood, outsprinting Coe to take 800m gold, but he suffered his first defeat in three years over 1500m when Coe kicked off the final bend to win.

After the Games, Ovett took the mile and 1500m record before that extraordinary summer in 1981 which ended with Coe again holding the mile mark.

Coe also broke his own 800m record in 1981 to set a world best of 1:41.73 - it would stand for 16 years and remains the British record.

The 1984 Games in Los Angeles effectively signalled the end of their rivalry.

Coe became the only man to win successive 1500m titles, out-running new rival Steve Cram, but he again missed out on the 800m gold medal, beaten by Brazil's Joaquim Cruz.

Ovett meanwhile, spent two days in hospital after finishing last in the 800m and collapsing. He returned for the 1500m but was forced to pull out on the final lap when lying in fourth place.

The duo are now firm friends, but whose side were you on back then?

And just which personal sporting rivalry do you think has been the best?