Actually this is a fair question. Remember that Wightman had his father announcing the race and he defeated Jakob in an upset. It was special for him. Centro defeated a decorated field, none of whom appeared to be at their best that day. The only reason I would likely choose Centro’s is because of the intangibles give an Olympic Gold the nod, plus the manner in which Centro won was masterful. But it like 53-47 or something, it is not like a landslide decision.
I just watched both races again. Leaving aside the obvious fact that an Olympic gold medal is more prestigious, Centro’s race was more impressive in my view. He took the lead from the start, controlled the pace, fended off multiple challengers who tried to take the lead from him, and then outran everyone to the finish line. Centro was the clear alpha male of that race.
In contrast, Wightman tucked in behind the leaders, let Jakob duke it out with the Kenyans in front, then snuck through on the backstretch of the final lap in hyena-like fashion. He was still impressive in the way he held off Jakob, and his finish time was fantastic (in part due to essentially having others serve as his pacers), but I think Centro’s win was better. Centro boldly presented himself as the man to beat from the very beginning of the race, and nobody could.
He said he figured he would finish atleast 2nd in this race. He knew how fit he was. 3:50 isn't fast but he closed in 1:45 and while doing so beat a 1:41 800m runner and a 3:27 guy. He deserves way more credit. Whatever.
This post was edited 35 seconds after it was posted.
Honestly Wightman... took down peak Jakob in a very fast time.
No one really remembers who Centro beat that day.
Beating peak Jakob had been done in 2019 again 2021 indoors and then again 2021 outdoors. In fact, Jakob’s 1500m Olympic win was an upset. Not that much of a feat to beat him.
Centro beat the most talented & most decorated 1500m field ever. It’s not close.
Honestly Wightman... took down peak Jakob in a very fast time.
No one really remembers who Centro beat that day.
LOL. Anyone that knows who Jakob is and that beating him was a good thing, also knows that Centro beat Kiprop, Makhloufi, Willis, etc...
And it doesn't matter who beat who, or who ran what time.
Olympic Gold > World Championship Gold.
/thread
Actually your Narcissism makes you think you ended the thread. Did you read the title? It is asking which you would rather have? There is no wrong answer. Work on being less Narcissistic.
When he talks to anyone other than die hard track fans, he can say "I won Olympic Gold."
While Wightman has to explain "well every other year there's a World Championships and its -" (person loses interest).
Wightman's WC gold is the superior performance. But Centro is the Olympic Champ.
This is hilarious. Only hardcore track fans care about the distinction between OG and WC. The average person is going to respond the same way whether you tell them you are Olympic Champion or World Champion.
I’d take Centro’s gold because it’s a better performance, not because it came from the Olympics.