If you go by the point tables that IAAF/World Athletics uses, Bolt's 100 is the top performance with 1355 points. His 200 of 19.19 is 2nd with 1350 points. Warholm's 400h of 45.94 is 3rd with 1340 points.
The fact that very few people have even broken 1:42 and 1:43 for 800m speaks volumes about Rudishas success. I personally think the 1500m WR has less than 5 years left, but I’m not sure we will even see someone break 1:42 in the next 5 years. The average male can’t even hit 12.6 100m pace period, and Rudisha did it for half a mile. That’s INSANE to me.
DAVID RUSDISHA 2012 800 WR 1:40.91
When I was young, I was in such awe of Seb Coe's 1981 800 WR 1:41.73, even his previous 1:42.33 from '79 when he took more than a second off of Juantorena's previous WR. Then Wilson Kipketer's 1997 assaults, tying and eventually chipping it down to 1:41.11! Then of course, enter David Rudisha's chipping away and his 1:40.91 in the London 2012 Olympics. What a thrill it was to watch that race in person!
I would probably say that Coe’s WR is most impressive when you consider he ran that time more than 40 years ago! or How about Jim Ryun’s 3:51.1 from 1967? I guess this list is current WRs.
I personally think Bolts 100m and Rudishas 800m rank highest for me personally.
The fact that very few people have even broken 1:42 and 1:43 for 800m speaks volumes about Rudishas success. I personally think the 1500m WR has less than 5 years left, but I’m not sure we will even see someone break 1:42 in the next 5 years. The average male can’t even hit 12.6 100m pace period, and Rudisha did it for half a mile. That’s INSANE to me.
9.58 is 9.58.
7:20 for a 3k is insane though. I just don’t think it’s trained for/ran enough to really get a grasp at just how untouchable or not untouchable that truly is.
The reason that people rarely break 1:43 and 1:42 is because 800 and up runners are stupid and race each other instead being alphas.
But Bekele came 2 seconds close. No one ever came that close to the 1500m record.
Lagat and Kiprop ran within 0.7 of El G's record, that's pretty close.
Bolt's 9.58 is the most impressive. Top guys since then are happy to get in the 9.7s.
A word for Warholm's record as well. Running a solid 400-flat time over the hurdles, in the Olympic final is impressive.
But then one could argue that proportionally, 0.7 seconds over 1500m means 20 seconds over the marathon, and Bekele came 2 seconds close so the comparison isn’t great.
But I do agree 9.58 is the most impressive world record.
Frank Lombardi a high school kid (Cali State champs) jumps the gun, so he has to move back a yard yep the penalty. So at the gun ....zooommmm.......9.6 to tie the world record. Not the HS record, the World Record and he ran 101 yards. Sounds like BS doesn't it?
But Warholm last year and Syd this year both deserve recognition. Both performances were as Bolt-like as you’re gonna get.
Syd's performance was amazing, but the visual of Bolt's is unbeatable. You have a pack of heavily muscled dudes, straining for all they're worth, and then Bolt 2 yards out front, clowning with a big smile. Nobody else makes winning look so good.
I didn't read the whole of this thread (to avoid confrontations) but Komen 3000m record is way overrated. Do you figure the El G. set 7:23.03 time at his first and unique attempt?