S.O.L.I.N.S.K.Y
S.O.L.I.N.S.K.Y
basque wrote:
Of the americans that some of you mention, I have heard something of them, but you must be joking.
Solinsky?
Fernandez?
Rupp?
What have they done? I am sure they are good runners, but... well. Have you heard the word chauvinist?
Solinsky ran something like the fastest non-african 5000 and 10000 times in history. But yeah, he's nowhere near Nurmi's 15:00 5k's.
basque wrote:
Of the americans that some of you mention, I have heard something of them, but you must be joking.
Solinsky?
Fernandez?
Rupp?
What have they done? I am sure they are good runners, but... well. Have you heard the word chauvinist?
Zatopek
Nurmi
Bannister
Coe
Lopes
Jingoist is even more on point after all this is a thread designed to exclude a whole continent so one would expect chauvinistic responses.
mundus vult decipi wrote:
How has no one mentioned Herb Elliot yet? Are you considering him middle distance?
If people are throwing Webb around, then Elliot is not only in the mix but top three on the list (along with Zatopek and Viren).
Yiannis Kouros EOT
Modern Era:
Lasse Viren
Frank Shorter
Paula Radcliffe
Bill Rodgers
Joan Benoit
Honorable mention: Rod Dixon, Ron Clarke, Mary Decker
Isn't the whole thing like discussing the top 5 pygmy baskeball centers of all time?
Anyway I nominate for considertion:
Wilson Kipketer
Saif Saaeed Shaheen
Oh dear oh dear oh dear. What a laughably small-minded response!
Chris Solinsky is a brilliant runner, but he is not a 'great' in the way that Paavo Nurmi was a 'great'. Solinsky has run, by the standards of his era, a few very fast times. Has he ever broken a WR? Not yet. Has he won an Olympic medal? Not yet. Has he dominated his era? Again, not yet. When he does those things, he might be considered great in the same way that Nurmi is considered great.
Solinsky himself would be embarrassed by any talk that suggests that he is 'greater' than Paavo Nurmi because he's run faster than him! Next time you see him, ask him.
I was the best around too until I realised that other people in Africa and the rest of the USA were faster than me but just not racing me.
Surely people are getting confused here over the terms of the original post.
To me the "LONG DISTANCE" referred to in the title of this post, means 5000m or more. So we're looking at 5000, 10k, half marathon and Marathon. Based on that I'd say the 5 best Non African male athletes would be: -
Clarke, Viren, Zatopek, Kuts and Seko.
For the women I'd choose:- Waitz, Kristiansen, Radcliffe, O'Sullivan & Mary Slaney.
Elliott and Coe have been mentioned, but surely they'd be on a "MIDDLE DISTANCE" list!? In my understanding that includes distances from 800 to 1 Mile, and I guess the rarely run 2000m. The 3k is sort of in "No Man's Land" between middle and long distance.
On that basis I'd choose: - Coe, Snell, Ovett, Elliott & either Ryun or Cram.