Greatest Double of All Time?

El G, Viren.

Bekele and Zatopek did not have to run heats in the 10k.

I did do a thread search, and apparently it wasn't a very good one. I did give an opinion about 4 lines down, F-tard.

You're welcome.

juantorena

Double + wrote:

Emil Zatopek

1952 Helsinki Games

Gold- 10,000 (Olympic Record), July 20

Gold- 5,000 (Olympic record), July 22-24(finals)

Gold- Marathon (Olympic record), July 27

Isn't that what we dream of doing?

agree running the table in all the distance events when playing at the biggest table----- by far

an open 100 200 400 win at OGs would still rank behind it

for doubles a OG Gold in the shot put & marathon might just might get the nod over Zats 3 distance golds

A shot- pole vault- marathon triple OG golds would top it though

Juantorena because the events require such different training and are not a typical double at all because of this.

Viren

Zatopek

and

Ben Jipcho who ran impressive double (and triples) every week while in the ITA in the 1974 and 1975. He ran tough times against no competition. I wonder what Jipcho could have done if he had top flight athletes to compete against in those years, what would have been is best years. Sort of sad to think about. Jipcho would have been among the best if he was competing against the best in the mid 1970s.

DD

Double + wrote:

Emil Zatopek

1952 Helsinki Games

Gold- 10,000 (Olympic Record), July 20

Gold- 5,000 (Olympic record), July 22-24(finals)

Gold- Marathon (Olympic record), July 27

Isn't that what we dream of doing?

If you take out the 10000.....let me do that for you:

Gold- 5,000 (Olympic record), July 22-24(finals)

Gold- Marathon (Olympic record), July 27

Then you still got the greatest double of all times.

HaileFan wrote:

Double + wrote:

Emil Zatopek

1952 Helsinki Games

Gold- 10,000 (Olympic Record), July 20

Gold- 5,000 (Olympic record), July 22-24(finals)

Gold- Marathon (Olympic record), July 27

Isn't that what we dream of doing?

If you take out the 10000.....let me do that for you:

Gold- 5,000 (Olympic record), July 22-24(finals)

Gold- Marathon (Olympic record), July 27

Then you still got the greatest double of all times.

Except Zatopek was competing in a period where that kind of triple was actually feasible.

My votes:

One-day double: Nurmi, Paris 1924, 1500m/5000m

One-day multi: Jesse Owens, May 25, 1935: set three WRs and tied another, all within 45 minutes: equaled 100y WR (9.4), broke LJ WR (26'8¼", stood for 25 years), broke 220y WR (20.3), broke 220y hurdles WR (22.6).

One-meet double (not triple): Juantorena, Montreal 1976: 400m/800m

One-meet multi (tie):

Zatopek, Helsinki 1952: 5000m/10,000m/marathon

Fanny Blankers-Koen, London 1948: 4 golds--100m, 80m hurdles, 200m (largest-ever margin of victory in OG 200), 4x100m (came from 3rd to win on anchor). Competed in 11 heats/finals in 8 days. (Held HJ and LJ WRs but was limited by rules to 3 individual events.)

__________________________

I guess no one's going to talk about Junxia Wang in 1993. (I know, but people also have doubts about Lewis, Johnson, Bolt, Juantorena, Viren, El G, and probably everyone else who'd make this list post-Zatopek.)

Sept. 9: Unofficially broke 5000m and 3000m WRs in the last 5000m and 3000m of her 29:31.78 10,000m (a WR by :42 and still :22 ahead of next-best ever, 18 years later)

Sept. 11: Broke 1500m WR with 3:51.92 but lost to Qu; still #4 all-time

Sept. 12: Broke 3000m WR by :09 with 8:12.19 in semifinal

Sept. 13: Broke 3000m WR by another :06 with 8:06:11 (still WR by same amount)

____________________

Others worth considering:

Marie-Jose Perec in Atlanta 1996 (beat Johnson to the Olympic 200/400 double)

Mary Decker in Helsinki 1983 (3000m/1500m gold, beat fresh trio of dubious Russians in second race while probably clean herself at the time)

Other than giving Slaney credit for being clean, great info.

I still have to say Bolt if you're talking multi-day.

Juantorena was definitely impressive, although I don't think those two events are as physiologically different as some people think.

Michael Johnson's double was better than Perec's. Also, Valerie Brisco-Hooks did it in '84 and was better. Clean? Well ... she had sweet nails.

Bekele definitely impressive.

bangalangadanga wrote:

I did do a thread search, and apparently it wasn't a very good one. I did give an opinion about 4 lines down, F-tard.

You're welcome.

You're the F-tard for not putting the El G double first and waiting about 4 lines down. Just sayin'.

Don't forget Viren also got 5th in the marathon in 1976. That's an impressive triple too.

Good list.

One more I haven't seen mentioned is Devers' 100m/100m hurdles in 1993 (she almost pulled in off in Barcelona).

I think in some ways it's more impressive than a 100/200 or even 200/400 because it requires great technique as well as great speed.

smanimal wrote:

you have to look hard wrote:

Yes, but if Viren was around today, I think his talent and work ethic would have seen him be every bit as competitive with the Africans.

Doubt it. He also would have been busted for blood doping.

Yawn.

1. There is 0 proof that he did blood doping

2. Blood doping was not illegal back then

that doesn't even make any sense.

Thread Search wrote:

You're the F-tard for not putting the El G double first and waiting about 4 lines down. Just sayin'.

Wendell--

You're right; I completely forgot Valerie B-H. And we're omitting Florence G-J in 1988, too.

About Decker Slaney: My HS team trained on the same track as she did post-regular-season. At age 16, she ran speedwork as fast as our sub-2:00 half-miler boys did, and that year she ran 2:01.8, a WR at the time. She'd been ranked #1 in the U.S. and #4 in the world at age 14, she weighed 89 pounds, and her running form was near-perfect. This has made me give her the benefit of the doubt: would an American 14-year-old really be on PEDs in 1972?

On the downside, she was insufferably disdainful of anyone else on the track--didn't acknowledge good wishes, etc. The attitude probably served her well in races.

Jeremykokoe wrote:

Mark Everett USA in the 90's ran 1:43.20 800m & 44.59 400m.

Not in the same meet.

1.) Bekele's world-cross doubles (greatest competitive depth).

2.) El G's 1500 and 5000 golds

3.) Carl Lewis' 100 meter and long jump golds

4.) Lagat's 1500 and 5000 WC golds.

you have to look hard wrote:

i can see for miles wrote:

But consider this: If Juantorena were competing this year, with those times he would still be a strong contender for medals in both events. The same can not be said for Viren who won his last double in the same Olympics.

Yes, but if Viren was around today, I think his talent and work ethic would have seen him be every bit as competitive with the Africans.

Certainly would. I was fortunate to have been in the stadium for both races. Viren fell right in front of me on th eback straight. What a moment. You couldn't help be inspired when he came around again with no expression on his face except concentration.

Gammoudi was there, and there were plenty of Africans racing in that era. Just not as many.

But only 3 per country can turn up anyway. And they did.

e.g. I'd put Keino in any era best.

Actually, the greatest double ever was Daniel Komen's two-mile world record (even better was his 3000-converted equivalent).