Lord Coe was the dominant middle distance runner of his generation and is generally regarded as one of the greatest British athletes of all time. He set 12 world records at 800m, 1500m, the mile and 1000m. In one memorable 41-day period in 1979 he consecutively set new times for the 800m, the mile and 1500m and his next 800m record, set in 1981, was not broken for 16 years.
His final Olympics and European Championships medal tally was four golds and three silvers.
Following his athletic career, he became an adviser to Nike and set up a chain of health clubs. He entered politics as a Conservative MP for Falmouth and Cambourne and became private secretary to William Hague, host for the TTJ Awards two years ago.
Most recently Lord Coe has been in the news for leading the successful London bid for the 2012 Olympics and heading the organising committee.
His personal views on the contribution the Games could make for London and UK sport generally are thought to have strongly influenced the approach of the bid, with its focus on supporting athletes, encouraging young people to take up sport and regenerating a rundown, multi-ethnic part of the capital.
When it was announced that London had beaten Paris to host the Games, Lord Coe said it eclipsed his athletic success. “This is almost entirely on a different planet to winning the gold medals,” he said.
TTJ editor Mike Jeffree described securing Lord Coe as Awards host as “absolutely fantastic”.
“To have such an inspirational figure leading the TTJ Awards presentation is tremendous for the event, and I believe for the timber industry,” he said.
The TTJ Awards take place in their new venue, the Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London on Thursday September 20. For further information contact Natasha Moorey, 0208 269 7833, nmoorey@wilmington.co.uk.
