THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:
Think he was talking about both. If you really put everyone in their 2010s top form with no pacing, how would it go…probably
Makhloufi (likely doped to the gills)
Tim
Kiplagat
Iguider
Centrowitz
Souleiman (likely doped, yet still never medaled with all the tools and fitness)
Lewandowski
Willis
But again you have to factor that Centro was so good tactically, you run it 10 times he pops Iguider, and Kiplagat some times.
I’d have to put Willis above Lewandowski personally. Lewandowski’s 1500 PR during the decade was 3:31.46, and prior to 2019 he never broke 3:34. Willis as you know ran multiple 3:29s and was only .24 seconds from gold in Rio; even if you can argue he didn’t run to win, I still think he has a good shot at beating Lewandowski in any style of race.
Centro definitely beats Willis for the 2010s, but if you change the question to better career, it gets pretty close. Willis with multiple Olympic medals, five Olympic appearances, and a Commonwealth Games gold while Centro was still in diapers (don’t question it).
Your order is good but it does get a little funky when we shift the question to who would win at their absolute peaks, because Kiplagat did this once (and only once):