Is Sammy Wanjiru the greatest ever?

He was definitely an all-time talent, but what did he do that made him better than those guys? They all have gold medals, too, plus multiple WRs.

Hard to idolize him after what he did.

butwhat wrote:

Hard to idolize him after what he did.

When he ran a 26:41 WJR chasing down Bekele? Or when he ran 58:33 half marathon at 19, a time only one person has since bested?

Or was it when he turned into a hardcore gangster (post WMM winnings) wielding automatic weapons against lecherous thugs who wanted a share of his fortune?

Tell us, what moral high ground do you stand on to judge him??

He's the Roy orbison of marathoning. Truly spectactular, but won't be remembered by the younger generations.

absolutely he is the best ever.

RIP Sammy, love you homie wrote:

Is Sammy Wanjiru the greatest ever?

Yes.

How is this even a question?

Yes. Because in my mind he was clean. No juice. Just raw talent and a big heart.

jack flemming wrote:

Yes. Because in my mind he was clean. No juice. Just raw talent and a big heart.

Why do you think he was any cleaner than the other record setting Kenyans? Wanjiru didn't even train at altitude, did he?

Regardless, his mano a mano battle in Chicago at the finish was epic.

Unfortunately , he spent more time @bars and brothels than he did on the tracks .. Vice will always be man kind's weakness

nevertheless , RIP Sammy gone but never forgotten

My favorite all-time runner. His Olympic gold ranks as arguably the greatest marathon ever run.

yeah he broke the olympic record by nearly 3 minutes! holy cow...only age 21

In warm weather and taking it out from the gun hammering.

Sad story indeed.

RIP Sammy, love you homie wrote:

Better than Keninisa, better than Gebrselassie, better than El G. This guy won the Olympic marathon as a 21 year old. What were you doing at that age? Let's be honest here and pay some tribute. This man was an idol to me. I hate that he died early. RIP Sammy I love you man and will not forget.

he's surpassed Pre in untapped potential...but i don't feel we can call him the GOAT...maybe top 5 in the 'thon

RIP Sammy, love you homie wrote:

Better than Keninisa, better than Gebrselassie, better than El G. This guy won the Olympic marathon as a 21 year old. What were you doing at that age? Let's be honest here and pay some tribute. This man was an idol to me. I hate that he died early. RIP Sammy I love you man and will not forget.

Could Wanjiru have been the first guy to break 2 in the marathon? Maybe, but we'll never know; meanwhile his actual marathon PR will continue to slip further and further down the list and guys like you will have to explain why someone who never broke 2:05 was one of the GOAT. Kind of makes him the (more accomplished Kenyan) Pre of his generation.

RIP Sammy, love you homie wrote:

Better than Keninisa, better than Gebrselassie, better than El G. This guy won the Olympic marathon as a 21 year old. What were you doing at that age? Let's be honest here and pay some tribute. This man was an idol to me. I hate that he died early. RIP Sammy I love you man and will not forget.

No he was not GOAT, although I believe Beijing was the best marathon ever run.. Likely he wouldn't have been bc his career took a sudden nosedive due to drinking.

video link bump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPhCJ4IKeE

his last marathon ever and he is in full beast mode

love you sammy

video link bump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPhCJ4IKeE

his last marathon ever and he is in full beast mode

love you sammy

wow im taking a trip back in time seeing these threads about casey combest and sammy wanjiru. literally crying right now. i miss track. bring it back.