Is Peter Rono the greatest one race wonder of all-time?

Follow the sport much? wrote:

1984 1500 World Junior Champion

1984 5000 World Junior champion

1985 All-Africa XC Champion

1986 1500 2nd WJC

1988 1500 Olympic Champion (youngest champion ever)

NOT a one-hit wonder.

This is straight from the wikipedia article. I challenge you to find another reference for the 1984 results. Given the first World Junior Championships were first held in 1986 this might be hard.

You should quit while you're behind. Peter Rono - one race wonder.

I would run against Rono from time to time in college, and while he was better, I certainly belonged on the track with him. Earlier in the Olympic year, I led off a DMR against him and was probably within a few yards at the handoff.

About 7 or 8 months later in September I came home from my first job to see Rono win the Olympic 1500. Wow.

Ralph Doubell, gold 800m 1968

Marathoner Dude wrote:

But how about Mark Plaatjes.

In 1993 he won the World Championship Marathon and was ranked 2nd in the world that year. He was not ranked in the top 10 again any other year. Even worse he wasn't ranked as a top 10 Americans any year but 1993. All this based on his one WC victory.

As I recall, Plaatjes became a U.S. citizen in mid-1992. Before that, he had run a sub-2:09 on a downhill course in South Africa, and was well-known internationally, even though the international boycott of South Africa prevented him from competing much outside his homeland. At the 1992 Olympic trials, the big question was whether he would become a U.S. citizen in time to be eligible to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. At the time, most observers -- but not all -- believed that he would be the prohibitive favorite to win the trials if he received his U.S. citizenship in time.

As Marty Liquori and John Parker said in their excellent "Guide for the Elite Runner," good runners are like trains -- you can see them from a long way off. If some relative unknown "suddenly" pops a great race, it's usually because he's been busy training instead of racing in high profile events.

Plaatjes falls more into the Henry Rono than Peter Rono category. Politics kept him out of the Olympics and other international races at his peak. He could not get into 88 or 92, and by the time the 96 Olympics came around he was 35.

Belayneh Densimo set the world best for the marathon with a time of 2:06:50. The record lasted 10 years. Densimo did nothing else comparable to that.

Living in the Past wrote:

Belayneh Densimo set the world best for the marathon with a time of 2:06:50. The record lasted 10 years. Densimo did nothing else comparable to that.

On that note, what about Ronaldo da Costa who finally broke Densimo's record with a 2:06:05, the first guy to average sub 3 minute 1k's the whole way?

Living in the Past wrote:

Densimo did nothing else comparable to that.

Neither did anyone else.

desert rodent wrote:

Camoo wrote:

Pekka Vasala, maybe

Yeah, that's a good one. Although his entire 1972 was great. Of course Munich was the capper.

I still say winner of 1974 world x-c champs. Who knows him without looking it up....honor system at work here.

Pekka Paivarenta?

Living in the Past wrote:

Belayneh Densimo set the world best for the marathon with a time of 2:06:50. The record lasted 10 years. Densimo did nothing else comparable to that.

Yes he did. In 86 he ran 2:08:29 and 2:09:09. Almost a decade later he ran 2:10:30.

In classic Letsrun form the title of the thread "Is Peter Rono the greatest one race wonder of all-time?" has devolved into something completely unrelated, "World record holders who didn't break their world record again."

Stay on topic guys.

malmo wrote:

Confirmed.

July 7, 1982 Oslo, Norway

5000m results

1. 13:00.41 Dave Moorcroft

2. 13:20.85 Mr Freeze

3. 13:21.89 Nick Rose

4. 13:25.14 Henry Rono

Ralph King in the 2 slot?

How would you know if Peter Rono is the greatest one race wonder without comparing him to other runners?

I think Alejandro Cruz is an excellent candidate. He ran 2:08:57 at the age of 20 and went downhill from there. But not for lack of trying.

Living in the Past wrote:

I think Alejandro Cruz is an excellent candidate. He ran 2:08:57 at the age of 20 and went downhill from there. But not for lack of trying.

God you're dense. Cruz ran 2:09:25 the very next year. He's not a candidate at all. That's all folks.

Sammy? wrote:

Ouch.

I feel very dumb. As well I should.

Nevermind...

actually, contrary to malmo's stats, why should you feel dumb?

the guy's best marathon before that 2:04 was 2:08!!!!

talk about a freaking drop.

*cough cough

There was a German around 1982 that just missed the WR for 1500, getting beat by Ovett. I believe he ran 3:31 and his previous pr was around 3:36. He was never mentioned along with the numerous big names of the time(Coe, Cram, Ovett, Scott, Walker, Coghlan, Flynn, Maree...).

Was his name Harold Hudak. Something like that.

Mr Freeze == Ralph King? sure there's a story there

Music Snobs--Unite! wrote:

actually, contrary to malmo's stats, why should you feel dumb?

the guy's best marathon before that 2:04 was 2:08!!!!

talk about a freaking drop.

*cough cough

That's really dumb logic. Sammy Korir was as consistant as anyone'ever been in the marathon running 2:08 6 times before his 2:04:57.

I still say winner of 1974 world x-c champs. Who knows him without looking it up....honor system at work here.[/quote

Pekka Paivarenta?

NOPE. Wrong year.