Is Eric Heiden the greatest ever freak athlete for a widely viewed Olympics sport? Or any?

Renaldo Nehemiah was the first hurdler under 13 seconds, four-time world champion, a Superbowl ring with the 49ers and with four Superstars wins the most ever (it was a legit contest for the top guys).

Star wrote:

I do remember watching him and the big news he created.

Heiden and the USA hockey team were huge in 1980.

But I don't think that correlates to being the best at 5 events in running.

And I think Auoita's simultaneous holding of world records in the 1500, 2000, 3000, 2 mile and 5 mile bookended by a 10,000m number one ranking an 800m Olympic medal was a more impressive range in a sport with wider participation.

Except he was a doper at the right time and the right place, the only distance athlete in history to drop down to the 800m for an entire season, and whose times were quickly made to look ordinary when dozens of his fellow Africans (including Moroccans) followed his path to fame and riches by going on the sauce. Ovett's feat of 800m Olympic champion while holding the 2 mile WR is more impressive, especially in that he did it a real race against arguably the greatest natural distance runner in history (Rono) at his peak.

Star wrote:

I do remember watching him and the big news he created.

Heiden and the USA hockey team were huge in 1980.

But I don't think that correlates to being the best at 5 events in running.

And I think Auoita's simultaneous holding of world records in the 1500, 2000, 3000, 2 mile and 5 mile bookended by a 10,000m number one ranking an 800m Olympic medal was a more impressive range in a sport with wider participation.

Eric went from 500m (38s) to 10k (14:30). That is like winning the 400m on the. track and winning the 5k. As far as range that is more impressive given the differences in energy systems in a. 38s. event and a 14 min one. But yeah given the lack of depth in speed skating, it is hard to place in context.

Hadd-like wrote:

Don't forget he also won the US Pro Cycling championships. And missed out on the making the 1980 summer Olympics on the track (velodrome) by one place.

You guys are nuts. As a speed skater for 15-years, his win at every event is more like Bolt winning every race through the 10,000.

You have no idea how hard speed skating is and the depth of skating at the time in the USSR and Scandinavian countries was unbelievable. It is WAY more of a niche sport now than back then.

In the sport there is a HUGE dividing line between the guy who wins the 500 and the guy who wins the 10,000. Just look at the body types. Imagine Justin Gatlin winning the 100 and then lining up in the 10,000. Right...

Pretty much. every winter sport is a niche sport. There just isn't a huge percentage of the population that ever gives those sports a try. A .001%. person from a population from 100m isn't as good as a .001%. person from a billion.

And no it isn't like Bolt winning the 100m to 10k. It is like winning the 400m to 5000m. That is still absurd. We have distance guys. that go down and run 800-5000m at world class levels. Nobody really though is close in the 400ms. The energy systems are just too different. Those distance guys can run. fast 400ms (call it 46. high) but the gap between them and being an olympic finalist is huge.

YMMV wrote:

Renaldo Nehemiah was the first hurdler under 13 seconds, four-time world champion, a Superbowl ring with the 49ers and with four Superstars wins the most ever (it was a legit contest for the top guys).

Nehemiah has a Super Bowl ring but he never did did much as a receiver. He was not ever a starter, let alone all-pro. The only person I can think of that truly dominated in two sports is Jim Brown, who is considered among the greatest ever in both football and lacrosse.

You are basing that on time and as a former speed skater and running coach, 14 minutes on the ice is a TOTALLY different animal than a 14-minute 5k in running. You have no idea what you are talking about.

Eric Heiden (or someone fantastic at impersonating Heiden) has popped in to post here before.

I remember him sharing some of his strength training workouts - like huge repetitions of one-legged squats with a car innertube full of spare change across his shoulders...

Can't find the threads but maybe someone can.

Found the one legged squat post. Apologies: truck innertube. Not car:)https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1056178#1056430

Once-a-Year Post wrote:

Eric Heiden (or someone fantastic at impersonating Heiden) has popped in to post here before.

I remember him sharing some of his strength training workouts - like huge repetitions of one-legged squats with a car innertube full of spare change across his shoulders...

Can't find the threads but maybe someone can.

Interesting perspective. Pretty sure ice hockey is less of a niche sport than baseball or american football. It's played in China. So 1.5 billion people right there.

I would say even speed skating is less of a niche sport than many Americans think are "big" sports. Boxing for example. Pretty sure more around the world try out speed skating seriously vs boxing. Yet, even though its such a "niche" sport, many people think Klitschko or Fury are world superstars, and they are since they were manufactured to be world superstars. People still even talk about Mike Tyson 50 years later or whatever it is. Marciano & Ali 100 yrs ago. Yet this niche sport has such firepower. Thanks to its promotion.

YMMV wrote:

I'm pretty sure they are the best sibling 1-2 punch in sports history.

Reggie and Cheryl Miller say hello. :)

superfreak wrote:

It would be like Bolt winning 5 golds from 100m to 1500m.

More like winning 5 individual golds in track events ranging from 400m to 5000m.

Heiden won 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m on ice.

His 500m time was 37 seconds comparable somewhat to 400m on the track.

His 10,000m time was 14:28 comparable somewhat to 5000m on the track.

past tense wrote:

Interesting perspective. Pretty sure ice hockey is less of a niche sport than baseball or american football. It's played in China. So 1.5 billion people right there.

I would say even speed skating is less of a niche sport than many Americans think are "big" sports. Boxing for example. Pretty sure more around the world try out speed skating seriously vs boxing. Yet, even though its such a "niche" sport, many people think Klitschko or Fury are world superstars, and they are since they were manufactured to be world superstars. People still even talk about Mike Tyson 50 years later or whatever it is. Marciano & Ali 100 yrs ago. Yet this niche sport has such firepower. Thanks to its promotion.

The people only count if they play the sport. China has 188 ice rinks for all those people. Toronto (i.e. a city of 3 million people) has over 100 rinks. You will notice the total lack of chinese players in the NHL:) They do have a good short track program. Track and football have very high rates of people attempting (i.e. everyone kicks around a. ball or runs a race). American football is a lot less. Boxing even less.

And. obviously things like how seriously people take a sport maters a lot. If you could be the 50th best miler in the US and. get a 3. year/10 million dollar contract, I am willing to be our depth would be a lot more impressive:). Look at the development model that european football clubs have and compare it to what track and field does as far as finding talent and refining it.

So in 40 years the time has improved 8 seconds..? Come on...

adsfdasfasfsafadfa wrote:

We have distance guys. that go down and run 800-5000m at world class levels. Nobody really though is close in the 400ms. The energy systems are just too different. Those distance guys can run. fast 400ms (call it 46. high) but the gap between them and being an olympic finalist is huge.

Instead of a distance guy moving down, you should think of a 800/1500 type moving up to 5000 (and down to 400).

Heiden's 500/10000 range is very similar to Ledecky's 100/1500 range, except Ledecky has no chance of winning an Olympic or World title in open 100m. But then again, there is more depth in swimming.

sayer of hello wrote:

YMMV wrote:

I'm pretty sure they are the best sibling 1-2 punch in sports history.

Reggie and Cheryl Miller say hello. :)

Ummm... how about Tirnesh and Genzebe Dibaba?

past tense wrote:

Interesting perspective. Pretty sure ice hockey is less of a niche sport than baseball or american football. It's played in China. So 1.5 billion people right there.

I would say even speed skating is less of a niche sport than many Americans think are "big" sports. Boxing for example. Pretty sure more around the world try out speed skating seriously vs boxing. Yet, even though its such a "niche" sport, many people think Klitschko or Fury are world superstars, and they are since they were manufactured to be world superstars. People still even talk about Mike Tyson 50 years later or whatever it is. Marciano & Ali 100 yrs ago. Yet this niche sport has such firepower. Thanks to its promotion.

Boxing more of a niche sport than speed skating? How on Earth do you work that one out? There's a boxing club in just about every town on the planet. Boxing clubs will attract the roughest, hardest kids in the town. I know of virtually nobody (in real life), who hasn't attended some boxing, or kickboxing/martial arts classes at some stage. I certainly don't know anyone who has done speed skating. In fact, I doubt if I know anyone who knows what speed skating is. Of course not so many people do boxing 'seriously'. That's because it's damned difficult and you have to be pretty hard and motivated to get punched in the head every day.

As for the athletic ability in boxing, just take a look at Audley Harrison at likely 20 stone destroying Mo Farah (and everybody else) over 100m in the BBC Superstars program (when Mo was at his peak).

I'm not belittling this Eric Heiden guy, who sounds a remarkable athlete. But he sounds a bit like Rudolf Harbig, who probably could have won Olympic Golds at everything from 400m to 1500m in 1940 (if the Olympics had taken place), and a finalist in everything from 100m to 5000m, at his peak. Of course that wouldn't be possible now, because standards have improved (still a freak athlete though).

Just Another Hobby Jogger wrote:

sayer of hello wrote:

Reggie and Cheryl Miller say hello. :)

Ummm... how about Tirnesh and Genzebe Dibaba?

Are we talking only brother and sister? What about Peyton and Eli, Pau and Marc Gasol, the Williams sisters, the Watts and Bosa brothers in the NFL, Steven and Valerie Adams. I'm sure there are more.

I was close.

At my high school I was varsity in both Cross Country AND track.

I was also JV Basketball.