A complete lack of XC by Geb does somewhat negate Bekele's lack of a marathon. I also went back and looked and I agree with the poster in-between. I forgot how much of Geb's shorter/track stuff was before 2000.
I may have to change my vote.
A complete lack of XC by Geb does somewhat negate Bekele's lack of a marathon. I also went back and looked and I agree with the poster in-between. I forgot how much of Geb's shorter/track stuff was before 2000.
I may have to change my vote.
world KB
us lagat
Assuming we're limiting our scope to just runners...
World Male Athlete of the Decade: Kenenisa Bekele (you can name the people who have defeated him with one hand)
World Female Athlete of the Decade: ? Paula Radcliffe? Tirunesh Dibaba?
USA Male Athlete of the Decade: Meb Keflezighi (Silver in Athens, winner of NYC marathon, USA 10k record)
USA Female Athlete of the Decade: Shalane Flanagan (5000mi AR, 10000m AR, bronze at '08 Olympics)
now some might question why i didn't include a sprinter like bolt or gay, but the fact is it's a lot easier to break records in their events than it is in distance events. that's just a fact. statistically, physiologically, however you look at it. the fact is sprinters always get the glam and press so when someone like bolt comes around everyone focuses on him because no one's interested in starved east africans running around a track for 25 laps. i'm sticking with my picks.
Gebreselassie
10000m Olympic Gold Medal 2000
10000m Bronze Medal WC 2001
3000m Indoor World Champion 2003
10000m Silver Medal WC 2003
10000m 5th place Olympics 2004
He has a ton of world bests and world records on the roads including his great marathon world record but he has yet to win a major marathon. Also, many of his records have since been broken. 1990-1999, yes he wins hands down for that decade. This decade, just look at what I posted for Bekele and look at this. NOT EVEN CLOSE!
RUNNER of the Decade.
There is NO OTHER AMERICAN choice but GAY. Sorry.
Sam Smithson, he won states for the 3rd year in a row with a new state record.
KNIGHTS RULE MOFO!!!!!!!!!!
I would actually take Deena over Meb or Shalane.
7 US XC titles
2 World XC silver medals
Chicago and London Marathon wins
Ranked #1 in the world in '06 for marathon
3 Olympics
Olympic bronze medal
Countless AR on track and roads including 1:07 and 2:19.
The Vindicator wrote:
Countless AR on track and roads including 1:07 and 2:19.
Countless? Really? Normally I don't post stuff like this, but why would you even use that word? I mean she probably holds like 15 or 20. At MOST she holds 50, which should easily be enough to count.
CoachB wrote:
Men
World: Bekele
US: Meb
Women (tougher)
World: Ndereba, Radcliffe, Diaba....hard to choose
US: Deena, Shalane
I agree.
Hicham El Gerrouj, Jeremy Wariner.
Please youre all joking wrote:
RUNNER of the Decade.
There is NO OTHER AMERICAN choice but GAY. Sorry.
About time someone got it right.
World is Bolt.
Chicks - World is Dibaba.
US is Deena.
Technically, this decade spans from 2001 to the end of 2010. Way to sound like a skuntsuckler, though.
Mens World: 1. Bekele 2. Bolt 3. Gebrselassie
Mens US: 1. Wariner 2. Gay 3. Lagat (LaShawn & Meb close behind)
Womens World: 1. Dibaba 2. Radcliffe 3. Campbell-Brown
Womens US: 1. Felix 2. Kastor (has fallen off considerably in the last 2 years, but obvious pick upon review) 3. Richards
The US is so naive, how can your best runners be Meb and Bernard Lagat, they weren't even born in America.
MSCoach wrote:
Men-World: Gebrselassie, Bekele. Maybe Tergat (but that might be swayed by pre-2000 success).
Men-U.S: Meb, Angelo Taylor (400/400H only but international success, longevity. He's kind of forgotten.)Broe (not really but I thought I'd throw it out there).
Women-World: Radcliffe. 2:15 is ridiculous. Not to mention the 2nd and 3rd fastest times as well.
Women-U.S: Kastor, Flanagan, Felix..... Toss up?
At least you tried to include non-distance runners, unlike most of the posters.
But seriously:
Felix v Flanagan is a toss-up? Uh, no. Felix by a mile. How can Flanagan be rated ahead of any of our gold medal winners? Or Kastor either, for that matter.
Same with Meb v Angelo Taylor. And Tim Broe? What the hell?
Tergat not even close for this decade. I think regardless of events, it's Bekele for men. He has dominated for years now. I love Geb, more than I like Bekele, but it's not close for this decade. Bekele has dominated 5k, 10k and XC.
Bolt would be close if he came around mid-decade but he only has two years of spectacular dominance.
guntburglar wrote:
Technically, this decade spans from 2001 to the end of 2010. Way to sound like a skuntsuckler, though.
First of all, this a stupid and arbitrary argument. Second of all, you're wrong (unless, of course, you arbitrarily count decades in a manner different from me). When you say 'the eighties' you are including 1980 and not 1990. When future people speak of the aughts (or whatever you call this decade) people will include 2000 and not 2010. I can see the point when people make it with regards to millenniums, but it seems like you're being purposefully difficult purposefully in this case.
Also, I agree with Meb/Bekele.
Millenniuai? Millenneos? (I don't know the plural)
US m - Lagat
US w - Deena
World m - Geb
World w - Ndereba
i will acknowledge the cleverness of your post.
Al Sharpton wrote:
It's not even close...........Osama Ben Ladin, he has been running since 2001 and NOBODY can catch him.
Blowing.Rock Master wrote:
Please youre all joking wrote:RUNNER of the Decade.
There is NO OTHER AMERICAN choice but GAY. Sorry.
About time someone got it right.
World is Bolt.
Chicks - World is Dibaba.
US is Deena.
How can people pick Deena? She didn't win a single major championship. Holy cow, people, take of the distance blinders.
Bolt is the runner of this millenium - his records could survive forever.