The late, great Ron Hill earned a PhD in textile chemistry before being ranked number one in the world and setting what was likely the actual Marathon World Record of 2:09:28 in 1970.
The actual WR?
You don't think Derek Clayton's 2:08:33 was legit?
I would assume (zero investigation on my part) that Fisher has become the fastest 5000m runner that had also earned a masters degree prior to the day of the performance.
12th fastest athlete all-time in the 5000m, after finishing a couple Stanford Engineering degrees. Impressive.
So, the question is:
What other world-class athletes have achieved a similar combination of athletic and intellectual/educational success?
Eric Heiden, 5-time winter gold medalist and older brother to Beth Heiden, a 1980 bronze medalist and 1983 ncaa xc ski champion. Dr. Eric Heiden (Stanford '84, '91) is going to be very tough to beat. He is a near perfect human specimen and was able to moonlight his athletic career as a pro cyclist too.
Although nowhere to be found in her wiki and long forgotten, Beth Heiden set the "national record" for the high school girls mile with a time of ~4:55 in 1975. I can verify the newspaper saying "national record" but you all know how that vague statement can be divided up further.
The late, great Ron Hill earned a PhD in textile chemistry before being ranked number one in the world and setting what was likely the actual Marathon World Record of 2:09:28 in 1970.
The actual WR?
You don't think Derek Clayton's 2:08:33 was legit?
No one who knows anything about running thinks Clayton’s 2:08 and 2:09 were run on courses that were 42.195 km.
No one who knows anything about running thinks Clayton’s 2:08 and 2:09 were run on courses that were 42.195 km.
He ran the 2:09 at Fukuoka, which was for a while the unofficial world marathon champs - so unless you've got some solid evidence, I'd be leaning on the idea that the Japanese got the course measurement right.
I don't know anything about the Antwerp course, on which he ran the 2:08.
I would assume (zero investigation on my part) that Fisher has become the fastest 5000m runner that had also earned a masters degree prior to the day of the performance.
12th fastest athlete all-time in the 5000m, after finishing a couple Stanford Engineering degrees. Impressive.
So, the question is:
What other world-class athletes have achieved a similar combination of athletic and intellectual/educational success?
Yeah its probably Fisher. The all time lists are littered with Africans who are less likely to get a formal college education, let alone a masters degree.
Eric Heiden, 5-time winter gold medalist and older brother to Beth Heiden, a 1980 bronze medalist and 1983 ncaa xc ski champion. Dr. Eric Heiden (Stanford '84, '91) is going to be very tough to beat. He is a near perfect human specimen and was able to moonlight his athletic career as a pro cyclist too.
According to those dates, his degrees were after his athletic accomplishments.