If the question is reframed as who is the GOAT of track and field, then the answer is:
1. Bolt
2. Mondo
Daylight
3. Bekele, Rudisha, Hicham, insert other multi-gold/WR holding athlete
This post was edited 24 seconds after it was posted.
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Seth Jamess Demoor wrote:
Wtf is that
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One of my grandfather's (who was born in 1900) once told me that seeing Paavo Nurmi run in NYC (probably in 1925) was the most exciting sporting event he ever went to. Here is link to a cool article about Nurmi's crazy USA tour of 1925. His wiki page is also fun to read. Dude was a machine.90
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huh?? wrote:
RunBum wrote:
You don't consider there to be a difference between sprinting and running?
No, that's a very conceited notion that some distance runners promulgate.
Not really, in high school for example the 100m, 200m, and 400m are called a "dash", whereas everything 800m and above is called a "run". Don't think that distance runners came up with that distinction..
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Not sure what the argument is for Bekele over Bolt, other than forum's distance running bias.
Bolt was more dominant than Bekele. From 2008 to 2016, he won all except one of the Olympic / World 100m / 200m, and that was the jumped start at the 100m in 2011. That's 6 doubles (and 1 single). Bekele has 2 doubles at 5000 / 10000. And 13 to 8 gold medals overall in these individual events in Bolt's favour.
It is also easier to be dominant in distance running. In sprinting, even if you are the best in a race by a reasonable margin, it's harder to win consistently, because there's more randomness in a short race, with a lot of emphasis on the start which is a big variable where things can go wrong.
Bolt still has his world records.
It's a shame Bolt never took on the 400m. A single gold there or the world record on top of his achievements would mean this wouldn't even be a discussion.
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Oh, and sprinting is a type of running. To suggest otherwise is just a bit weird.
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I think you need to break this into categories, otherwise I'm not sure how you compare across such drastically different disciplines.
Marathon - Kipchoge
Distance - Bekele
Mid-distance - Coe
Sprints - Bolt
Mid-distance is the toughest one I think. I gave the edge to Coe because he was world class in the 15 and 8, over Rudisha who was an 800m specialist. El G was close, but Coe ran world records as well and was a little better in championship racing, so in my mind Coe was the most complete mid-d guy ever.
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So many great names down the years, Bannister, Viren, Prefontaine, Coe, Ovett, Cram, Morcelli, Geb, Kipchoge, Farah, Rudisha, Nick Bester, Ingebrigtsen, Kiptum...
However I've gotta agree with Bekele on balance of everything he's won.
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Surely it has to be Molly Seidel! No one else has this range.
NCAA indoor 3k champ.
Olympic marathon bronze medalist.
Golden ticket recipient, Black Canyon 100k
No one else is competing at the highest level available from 3-100k
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Another vote for Bolt, with the only argument against being some contrived mental gymnastics claiming that "sprinting isn't running".
It can make sense to look at GOATS in different disciplines. But running with no qualifier - it's Bolt. The OP clearly intended it to include sprinting anyway given their own answer.
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Sprinting is running. Running is just rapid movement on foot. That's all. Whether something is called a "dash" is irrelevant.
It's pretty clear the best runner of all time was Usain Bolt. Not an interesting answer but the correct one. He's the highest ranked runner by World Athletics points (Zelezny is the only athlete ranked ahead of him). Next highest runner is Warholm FWIW.
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Kratochvilova, who still holds the oldest WR in track and field.
Good from 100 m up to 800 m.
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RunBum wrote:
huh?? wrote:
No, that's a very conceited notion that some distance runners promulgate.
Not really, in high school for example the 100m, 200m, and 400m are called a "dash", whereas everything 800m and above is called a "run". Don't think that distance runners came up with that distinction..
Sprinters are known run in heats, semi finals and finals.
Hope this helps.
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Haile G is the greatest of all time, no one broke the(and their own) world record more times than him. A master at racing too that was shown in his hurt Gold's in the olympic final (back when they had 10,000 trials first in the games!)
you can utter bolt's name and bekele's name as well, because of course they are greats too!
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Bekele
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I think it’s Faith Kipyegon. 8 golds on the track (3 Olympic 5 Worlds) plus 4 more silvers. 4 cross country golds (including juniors). She broke the 5,000 WR and won worlds in her first year moving to the 5,000, which is insane; who does that?!?! Currently holds world records in the mile, 1500, and basically the 3000 (everyone knows the Chinese record doesn’t really count, and Faith still almost broke it). Utter dominance in her event for 10 straight years and counting (minus the one year she was returning from pregnancy). Who else has been on top for that long?
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Carl Lewis. He's so fast he got mentioned in this hit 1980s jam.
Rodney O & Joe Cooley- Everlasting Bass
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best across multiple disciplines - K Bekele
best at his event - El G
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I think the fact we have so many amazing 1500m guys now who with super shoes, bicarb, better nutrition paces lights etc can’t take down El Gs time is more a testimony to how dirty it is…
Even with more talent those things should level the playing field.
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Bekeke, Komen, ryun in terms of raw talent and ability.
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