These are the official results of the Men's 5,000 metres event at the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart, West Germany, held at Neckarstadion on 28 and 31 August 1986.
Shortly after Cova had passed 1,000 metres in the lead in 2:39.04, Portugal's Fernando Couto accelerated to the front, to help his well-known teammate António Leitão, the defending Olympic bronze medalist at this distance.
Shortly thereafter, Cova passed Couto, who quickly drifted to the rear of the field, to join West Germany's Uwe Mönkemeyer, Czechoslovakia's Ivan Uvizl and Britain's Steve Ovett, who had apparently lost his best shape for the 1986 season.
After his stunningly easy victory at the Commonwealth Games 5,000-metre race, Ovett had been considered a favourite also for the European Championships final.
Surprisingly, the defending Olympic silver medalist at this distance, Switzerland's Markus Ryffel dropped out before 3,900 metres, while still in the lead group.
(See YouTube, user tommytempo1: Jack Buckner-European Athletics Championships 5,000m Final, Stuttgart 1986; tommytempo1: Steve Ovett Commonwealth 5000m 1986.)