Have to agree with this, and I'm a big Jenny fan. I also think that Centro was one of the smoothest runners I've ever seen; you can barely even tell when he's kicking, it just looks effortless. All that being said, if I had a chance to hang out with one of them, it'd be Jenny.
That's one medal, not a career. Although, I would agree i would rather have that than anything. TrackJenny was force when american women were not real relevant and had a more consistent career. She held down the fort for a long time.
Simpson was the most enthralling track runner I have ever watched. Centro may have won Gold at the Olympics but Simpson kept us reeling....time after time she was never in contention for a world medal but she would pull out the craziest, gutsiest race and we'd be left stunned.
My favorites:
Bronze in Rio. Watching her chase the medal the last 300 meters was one for the books.
The Kipyego years - Sally Kipyego was the most formidable distance runner the NCAA had ever seen during the same time Jenny was in the NCAA. They battled every year but ultimately Sally was in a class above....until she wasn't....the indoor mile at Big 12s culminated in Simpson's first win over Kipyego and smashing the NCAA record (pre-supershoes of course). The tides had turned and it was no longer a foregone conclusion that Simpson was destined for runner up - she had conquered what felt like the impossible for so long by besting Kipyego.
Pre 1500m - watching her break 4:00 and almost run down Jamal at PRE pre-super shoe era was one of the most electric things I have ever seen. Her looks of disbelief. It was the beginning of what was to be the greatest 1500m female track runner for the next decade.
5th avenue - her 8 in a row and tying the then-record of PattiSue Plumer.
The Rowbury years - the back and forth between Jenny and Shannon was something to watch. Throwing themselves over the line against each other. I remember thinking we finally were seeing our top talents be on the heels of the Africans for the first time and that it was going to be possible for Americans to assert themselves on that level. Seeing them break 3:58 and 8:30 3ks was mind blowing pre-supershoes and I still wonder if they would both have the American records had the shoes been available then.
Obviously this list misses many of her medals/championships/records that are part of her reign but these were my favorite and what, to me, made her the most exciting mid-distance American runner we have ever seen.
Most of all, Jenny's enthusiasm, confidence, and ability to articulate will be missed from every interview. She knew what she was trying to do and it was refreshing to see a woman so unafraid to tell her story.
I feel like no one ever mentions Kiprop's doping ban and how that impacts Centro's career. If we retrospectively strip kiprops metals in 2011 and 2013 Centro is upgraded to silver and another gold. That's a hell of a career
That's true, but Jenny finished 2nd in 2013 to an athlete also later suspended for doping. Even though her suspension was later lifted based on a technicality, I don't think anyone thinks Aregawi was clean. Then there was Dibaba. Bottom line, the women's fields in that era were every bit as dirty as the men's, if not more so.
Def the elephant in the room. She ran well enough for Gold against dopers. Centro absolutely deserves his medal, but won it (also against dopers in fairness) the only way he could have won it against dopers and frankly sig faster competition. He was fortunate to get gold in a tactical race. It counts, but not sure that suddenly makes him a better athlete than JS.
Both amazing careers and generational talents. I think I give the edge to Jenny because of her ability to be world class at Steeple and the 1500. Also won NCAA XC.
Why is there a need for this? They both had amazing careers. They did not race against one another. I am happy that I got to see them bring home gold in big world events (and personally really liked Jenny Simpson having met her a couple of times).
I agree that they both had amazing careers, and I enjoyed reading Gault's excellent tribute article on them. There isn't a need to debate who had the better career, but I think it's a fun ESPN First Take kind of question during a relatively quiet time in the sport. I'm grateful for the question because it provides fodder for more discussion on running rather than the political content that's been taking up so much space on the board lately.
Here are some more categories for comparison beyond medals:
Longevity Simpson made global championship teams from 2007-2019 (10 teams total). Centro made global championship teams from 2011-2021 (8 teams total). Advantage Simpson
PBs: Point Value and Place on the US All-Time Lists
800: Centro 1185 points, 38th; Simpson 1154 points, 100th
1500: Centro 1239 points, 6th; Simpson 1228 points, 8th
Mile: Centro 1210 points, 8th; Simpson 1213 points, 5th
3,000: Centro 1197 points, 52nd; Simpson 1210 points, 8th
5,000: Centro 1208 points, 15th; Simpson 1170 points, 29th
Steeple: Centro N/A; Simpson 1212 points, 8th
Advantage Simpson. Their 1500 + mile points and standings are just about even, and their respective 3,000 and 5,000 PB advantages cancel each other out (side note: it's interesting to see that Centro's 5,000 PB is better than Simpson's because in that event I think a lot of us associate Simpson with her NCAA record that lasted so long). So it basically comes down to 800 vs steeple, and that's where Simpson has the advantage because she has the distinction of being able to say she was an Olympic and world championship finalist (plus American record holder) in an event other than the 1500.
Note: I didn't include Simpson's late-career half-marathon and marathon PBs because she didn't excel in those events.
American GOAT Ranking
For fun, I dug up the American distance running GOAT voting contest that Let's Run held four years ago. Simpson finished as a close runner-up behind Deena Kastor as the American women's GOAT, and Centro got bounced in the third round in the men's bracket. Advantage Simpson
Overall, I agree with the general consensus that it's very close. Both were outstanding runners, and I'm glad I got to follow their full careers. There's no wrong answer. I'd say Simpson probably had the better overall career, but I'd rather have Centro's because being Olympic champ and the guy who broke the American distance running Olympic gold drought would be so meaningful.
Kudos and congratulations to both for all their achievements.