| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Conway
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2002 11:09 am Post subject: Favorite All Time Track AND Field Athletes ... |
 |
|
We've discussed who the best all time American runner is .. and we've talked about all time best 10 meter man ... But I don't believe wehave discussed our favorite athletes of all time by event ... And not just #1 but maybe the top 3 or so ... Sprints, hurdles, distance and middle distance ... And hey, we can even talk about the field events AND women - two topics that tend ot get short shrift ..... So if anyone is interested name your event / athletes and let's get started !!! If not, no wasted bandwith .. 
Conway |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Paul
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 28 Apr 2002
Posts: 1610
Location: Oregon
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2002 11:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
Right out of the shute I'm going with Valeriy Brumel. He changed the face of the High Jump until Fosbury came along. My alternates would be Fosbury who revolutionized the event, and shot putter Neil Steinhauer. And all three Crouser brothers along with Mac Wilkens.
I guess I really am a 60's and 70's guy!! 
Paul |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2002 12:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Leave it to Paul to pick people I've never heard of. 
This is by no means comprehensive, but I'll see if I can't go 3 deep on a few events, obviously heavily biased toward the generation of athletes I've witnessed (roughly '84 on) and can remember:
Men
100m:
Ben Johnson
Maurice Greene
Donovan Bailey
200m:
Michael Johnson
Frankie Fredericks
Maurice Greene
400m:
Michael Johnson
Butch Reynolds
Quincy Watts
800m:
Wilson Kipketer
Juaquim Cruz (local fave)
Vebjorn Rodahl (only to see if his head would really explode)
1500m/Mile:
Nouredine Morceli
Fermin Cacho
Noah Ngeny
3k/Steeple:
Daniel Komen
Moses Kiptanui
Wilson Boit Kipketer
5k:
Daniel Komen
Paul Tergat
Haile Gebrselassie
10k:
Paul Tergat
Haile Gebrselassie
Said Aouita
110h:
Allen Johnson
Colin Jackson
Florian Schwartkoff (sp?) (hey, you said most entertaining! )
400h:
Angelo Taylor
???
???
Long Jump:
Mike Powell
Carl Lewis
???
Triple Jump:
Jonathan Edwards
Kenny Harrison
???
High Jump:
Javier Sotomayar
Charles Austin
???
Pole Vault:
Sergey Bubka
???
???
Shot Put:
Randy Barnes
John Godina
???
Discus:
???
???
???
Javelin:
Jan Zelensky
???
???
Hammer:
Balasz Kiss (cool name)
???
???
Women
100m:
Marion Jones
FloJo
Gwen Torrence
200m:
FloJo
Gwen Torrence
Marie Jose Perec
400m:
Cathy Freeman
Marie Jose Perec
Grit Breuer
800m:
Maria Mutola
Ana Quirot
Svetlana Masterkova
1500m/Mile:
Svetlana Masterkova
Gabriela Szabo
Regina Jacobs
3k/Steeple:
Gabriela Szabo
Paula Radcliffe
Mary Slaney
5k:
Gabriela Szabo
Paula Radcliffe
Mary Slaney
10k:
Edith Masai
Paula Radcliffe
Gete Wami
100h:
Gail Devers
Jenny Adams 
Ludmila Enquist
400h:
Sally Gunnell
Kim Batten
Sandra Farmer-Partick
Long Jump:
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Heike Dreschler
Fiona May
Triple Jump:
???
???
???
High Jump:
???
???
???
Pole Vault:
Stacy Dragilla
Tatiana Grigorieva
???
Shot Put:
???
???
???
Discus:
???
???
???
Javelin:
???
???
???
Ok, that's a start. A few holes to fill in, obviously... That gives me a template to come back and edit as I think of more and better examples, at least.
Thanks for the time waster!
Dan
Last edited by Dan on Thu Sep 05, 2002 10:16 am; edited 2 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Conway
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2002 12:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Whoa !!! We start with a couple of field events ... Cool
High Jump and Shot Put ... If we're talking shot put it would be real hard for me to leave off Brian Oldfield .. The original 75 footer ... And he was always so animated ... And Al Fuerbach was another favorite of mine growing up ... I'll also have ot throw in Michael Carter ... HE had a short career wiht the international implement, but I was at the Golden West when he threw 81'3" with the high school shot and that was one of the most dynamic things I have ever witnessed in track and field !!!!
The high jump has had some CHARACTERS !!! Literally .... I like Brummell and Fosbury - both were ahead of their time !!! I also like the American pair of Charles Austin and Hollis Conway - two high quality competitors for many years ... Part of me wants to include Dwight Stones and part of me doesn't ... His career was defnitely one of character - and success .. His post career leaves me somewhat disappointed though ... But I guess we are talking about their careers so I will include him ...
and yeah I know Wilkens was more renowned for the discuss than the shot ... I'll have to add his friend Wolfgang Schmidt ... And also Ben Plucknett ... I know Ben (bad name I guess) ended up being suspended and all, but I was there when he threw 233 and THAT was another of those awesome moments !!!!!
Conway |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Distance_Guru
World Class
Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2002 2:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
For give me if I go a little old school here.
Favorites All Time.
Sprints
1) Jesse Owens
2) Micheal Johnson
3) Carl Lewis
Jumps (All Jumps combined)
1) Sergey Bubka
2) Bob Beman (sp?)
3) Carl Lewis
Hurdles
1) Edwen Moses. (no other hurdlers belong on the same list as this guy)
Mid Distance
1) Dave Woddle (you've gotta cheer for a nerdy guy in a cap)
2) Rodger Bannister
tie 3) El G
tie 3) David Krummenacker
Distance:
1) Emil Zatopek (He won the triple!!!)
2) Abbie Bikila (with or without shoes)
3) Steve Prefountaine
4) Lasse Viren (I wanted to put him ahead of Pre but just couldn't do it)
Throws:
1) Mac Wilkins (the best track athlete on his college track team)
2) Adam Nelson
3) Andy Meyer (who also happens to be my boss )
Women
Sprints:
1) Willma Ruldolf
2) Gail Devers
3) Marion Jones
Jumps:
1) JJK
2) Stacie Dragila
3) Amy Acuff
Hurdles:
1) Gail Devers (I can't think of any other worthy female hurdlers  )
Mid Distance
1) Marla Runyan
2) Nicole Teeter
3) Gabriela Szabo
Distance
1) Paula Radcliffe
2) Deena Drossin
3) Elva Dreyer
4) Fatuma Roba (sp?)
A few brief justifications Elva Dreyer went to Western and for a while I trained with a guy who was also a training partner of hers. And Andy Meyer was a NCAA All American several times of Nebraska, he's the head track coach for Team Guru and is a real class act.
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Distance_Guru
World Class
Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 4:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
Dan, I was just reviewing your list and I noticed that you left off two guys that I figured were locks for almost everyones list, Edwin Moses and Pre. Do you just not like Moses? And isn't leaving Pre off a list of this type a serious crime inside the state of Oregon :question:
And as a distance guy I should probably be ashamed to admit this but I have never heard of Fermin Cacho.  Who is he?
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Hammer
Varsity
Joined: 17 Jan 2002
Posts: 385
Location: New Mexico
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 5:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
My favorites coincide with my youth. These were the athletes I saw when I was growing up and learning to love Track and Field (for the most part.)
Men:
Said Auita (sp)
Butch Reynolds (from my Jr. High 400m days; I was slow)
Viren
Zatopek
Carl Lewis
Women:
Suzy Hamilton (just on looks, My new fav. is Teeter though)
Deena Drossin (Just love the way she runs)
Elva Dryer (Martinez) (the fastest woman I have seen in person) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 6:21 am Post subject: |
|
|
DG, I purposefully left off those that I didn't see perform "live." I did see some of Edwin Moses, but I was too young and new to the sport to remember any of it... I figure it isn't right to include athletes for 'most entertaining' consideration where my idea of their entertainment value really is nothing more than the way the media and other fans have presented them long after the fact... That's someone else's idea of most entertaining, not my own.
Cacho is the Spanish runner who always comes up big in the biggest of races, making for some very exciting and unpredictable finishes.
Dan |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Distance_Guru
World Class
Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 7:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
I see your point about the entertainment value of actually seeing the athlete perform yourself. Unfortunatley for me I haven't been able to watch as many top notch athletes perform as I would like. Therefore a lot of my favorites are based on their accomplishments, and reading about them in articles, books, documenteries ect. And besides a lot of being a persons favorite is about who they are, personality, where there from, attitude, and the circumstances they have had in their lives. Which unless you know them personally isn't much easier to know of athletes today than it is to know about athletes that competed in the past.
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Conway
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 8:18 am Post subject: |
|
|
OK Dan ... How did your post skip to the head of the class ???
I'm amazed at how US-centric the lists are turning out to be ... Are we a weee bit biased here ??? LOL ... I'll try to add mine, but will have to do it in phases as I do have ot try to make a living ... So I'll post in groups ... First group sprints and hurdles ... And a warning ... As I put my lists together I will be including known users ... Why ??? Simply because I liked the way they performed as I look at style, performance, and impact as my primary criteria (although you will see some omissions as I simply didn't like some attitudes) .. Anyway you all be the judge ...
100 - men
Maurice Greene
Steve Williams
Valeri Borzov
Linford Christie
Ben Johnson
100 - women
Evelyn Ashford
Renate Stecher
Katrin Krabbe
200 - men
Tommie Smith
Calvin Smith
Don Quarrie
Steve Williams
200 - women
Irina Szewinska
Gwen Torrrence
Merlene Ottey
Barbel Wockel
Marita Koch
Pam Marshall
400 - men
Lee Evans
Quincy Watts
Michael Johnson
400 - women
Marita Koch
Jarmila Kratochvilova
Valerie Brisco |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 9:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | OK Dan ... How did your post skip to the head of the class ??? |
Don't believe what they say, size does matter...
| Quote: | | I'm amazed at how US-centric the lists are turning out to be ... |
I noticed that with my own list... I would have added Ottey in the 100 and maybe the 200 if I had gone 4 deep, but it seemed like international athletes just got squeezed out of my top 3 in several instances. I guess I'm just a lot more familiar with the North American athletes.
Dan |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Conway
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 9:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
OK ... Let's try the Hurdles ...
110h - men
Willie Davenport
Rod Milburn
Renaldo Nehemiah
Thomas Munkelt
Alejandro Casanas
Guy Drut
100h - women
Gail Devers
Ludmila Enquist
Yordanka Donkova
400h - men
Edwin Moses
Samuel Matete
Harald Schimd
Danny Harris
400h - women
Irina Privalova
Sally Gunnell
Kim Batten
Tatyana Ledovskaya
Debbie Flintoff |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Distance_Guru
World Class
Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 9:34 am Post subject: |
|
|
I'm just biased, I generally like Americans better than non-Americans, it may not be PC, but hey this is a favorites list not a best ever list. 
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Conway
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 9:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Distance_Guru wrote: | | I'm just biased, I generally like Americans better than non-Americans, it may not be PC, but hey this is a favorites list not a best ever list. |
Very true, this is a favorites list ... Which is why I can leave off guys like Carl Lewis and feel no pain !!! You know looking at these lists made me realize something ... Part of being someones favorite is that for most folks you had to have seen them compete for yourself ... And I notice that I have a lot of foreigners on my list ... But I got to see them all compete and most of them live ... Which made me realize the following:
Whereas now foreigners rarely come to the US to compete (outside of going ot college) and top Americans rarelly compete here either (preferring to chase foreign money) ... Not to long ago everyone came HERE to compete for various reasons !!! We used to have US v Russia and US v East GErmany and other similar meets ... We used to have meets like the Pepsi and Bruce Jener Invitationals (and others) 0which generally brought some of the best talent in the world here ...
Its amazing at the NEGATIVE impact that profesionalism has had on the sport here in the US !!! Thank you Carl Lewis 
Conway |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Distance_Guru
World Class
Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2002 10:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
Very true now the only major meets we have in the US are the Pre Classic and the Millrose games (at least those are the two biggys that come to mind) which attract any foregin athletes at all. Which of coarse means that if you don't live in the pacific northwest or the NY/NJ area it's a pretty long trip to see any top notch foriegn athletes at all. Unless you count when we host the Olympics every 12 to 16 years.
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
