Usain Bolt is the ten biggest stars in track and field today. He's the only runner the average sports fan can name.
Usain Bolt is the ten biggest stars in track and field today. He's the only runner the average sports fan can name.
Bad Wigins wrote:
Here are the most talented stars:
Tero Pitkämäki .
You've got to be Finnish to put that name there, absolutely ridiculous.
top 10 internationally known
1. Bolt - greatest doper of all time
2. Lolo Jones - hot virgin with a catchy name
3. Ryan Hall -Gods greatest disciple(or secret Antichrist?)
4. Ogho Oghene Egwero - 5'0 Nigerian Sprinter
5. Alan Webb - distance running GOAT
6. Carmelita Jeter - hot in a weird, almost homoerotic way
7. Henrik Ingebrigtsen - showed his package on the worlds biggest stage
8. Robby Andrews - fat slob formerly known for a nasty kick
9. Nick Symmonds - one of few US distance runners who actually seems like a cool guy
10. Bernie Montoya
Xfit_guy_the_real_one_1 wrote:
Again, if we take out the dopers, then this is a complete list of T&F athletes that average Joe knows:
Usain Bolt
Alyson Felix
Mo Farah
Haile Gebreselassie (in the decline, will probably retire soon)
Paula Radcliffe (pretty much retired)
Notice two of them are sprinters with very nice body definition.
Mo Farah is somewhat of an exception here. He would never be on this list had he not migrated to the UK...then no one would know him.
I will ignore Haile and Paula since they're about done.
In other words: to make it in T&F, you better look good and are BUFF/SHREDDED.
0/10
In the US, after Usain Bolt, the only track star that most people will know is Lolo Jones. After those 2, I doubt most people will be able to name any track athletes.
Thyme wrote:
...
Bolt on his own - genuine world superstar.
Farah, haile, Ennis - most people who follow sports in general have probably heard of them.
The rest - you have to be on the sport or have a very keen interest in sport to know who they are.
You are significantly overestimating the popularity of the sport, at least here in the US.
Ask the typical American sports fan who Bolt is and he/she will be able to tell you.
Ask them who Farah, Haile or Ennis is and you will be met with a blank stare.
If you asked the average American (who doesn't regularly follow track) who the top track stars are today, he would say:
1. Usain Bolt
2. I don't know anybody else
when you press him anyway, he would say
3. is Carl Lewis still running?
4. that Michael guy with the gold shoes
5. Lolo Jones
if you kept asking, he would throw up his hands and say
6. Frank Shorter?
7. Jim Fixx?
8. Joan Benoit
We have a team picnic tonight. I am going to poll parents and my runners. I will ask them to name 10 people that run track and field professionally and are still alive (if I don't add that requirement, "Prefontaine" will be on the lists). Then I will give them my top ten list and see if they can name their typical event.
I expect there will be parents that can't name a single person, and expect that less than 50% of my guys will be able to properly assign an event to my list of athletes...
These are people that might still be in the top 10:
-El Gerrouj
-Micheal Johnson
-Carl Lewis
-Roger Bannister
-Ben Johnson
-Fosbury, he is on a Mazda commercial currently
Because of the size of China, you've gotta think any Chinese athlete would have a big advantage in terms of total people that know who they are. Lu Xiang.
Any T&F from India?
1. Bolt
2. Liu Xiang - 1 billion fans
3. Jess Ennis
4. Lolo Jones
5. Tyson Gay - still a big star despite the positive test
6. Marion Jones - tons of people know her name and story
7. Carl Lewis - ask anyone over 40 and this he is the face of track and field
8. Ryan Hall - famous among conservative Christians, has been the face of numerous national ad campaigns, including TV ads
9. Mo Farah - famous enough in the UK to make up for little name recognition elsewhere
10. Michael Johnson - had great name recognition after Atlanta, maybe not so many people would come up with his name now but everyone remembers the golden spikes
Nick Symmonds ? What has he ever won ? Not a single medal.
If they gave out aluminum as a medal,he still couldn't win it.
Bolt
Farah
Liu Xiang
Pistorius
Rudisha
Drug ban - Blake
Prior to the 2009 World Championships, Blake (along with Marvin Anderson and Sheri-Ann Brooks) tested positive for the stimulant 4-Methyl-2-hexanamine.[19][20] A disciplinary panel organised by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) cleared him of a doping infraction on the grounds that the drug was not on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list. However, JADCO appealed their own panel's ruling, stating that the athlete should be disciplined as the drug was similar in structure to the banned substance tuaminoheptane.[21] As the panel would resolve the issue after the World Championships, the JAAA took the precaution of withdrawing Blake from the relay race.[22] The appeals tribunal decided that a ban would be appropriate, and Blake and the three other sprinters each received a three-month ban from competition.[23]
Drug Ban – Fraser-Pryce
Fraser-Pryce served a six-month ban from athletics after a urine sample taken at the 2010 Shanghai Diamond League meeting was found to contain a banned narcotic, Oxycodone.[11][12] She claimed to have been suffering from toothache, and her coach, Stephen Francis, persuaded her to take a painkiller he was taking for kidney stones. Fraser-Pryce said the painkiller contained the banned drug, but she was unaware of this. However, Fraser-Pryce has acknowledged responsibility for her actions, "I'm a professional athlete. One who's supposed to set examples - so whatever it is I put in my body it's up to me to take responsibility for it and I have done that".
The Calibrator wrote:
Thyme wrote:...
Bolt on his own - genuine world superstar.
Farah, haile, Ennis - most people who follow sports in general have probably heard of them.
The rest - you have to be on the sport or have a very keen interest in sport to know who they are.
You are significantly overestimating the popularity of the sport, at least here in the US.
Ask the typical American sports fan who Bolt is and he/she will be able to tell you.
Ask them who Farah, Haile or Ennis is and you will be met with a blank stare.
I don't doubt you're right. I'm British and so probably have a different viewpoint then yourself, as would someone in China, or Australia or wherever.
I was trying to compile my list in world terms and still think Bolt is obviously far ahead of everyone else, but then I think haile, farah and ennis would be the next 3 recognisable throughout the whole world. Might have to add Xiang to that as well just by considering the amount of people in China.
Bottom line is though like some others have said, Bolt may as well be the only athlete on the list.
From the casual British punter's perspective:
Bolt
Farah
Ennis
The pole vault girl
The other Jamaican sprinter
Mo Farah's friend.. um.. the white guy
The ginger guy that won the long jump
Does Gebresellassie still run?
That high jump girl
Maaaaybe they've heard of Rudisha, Bekele, Felix and a few others but that's about it.
d3 xc wrote:
Big Ben sathre
+1,000,000
Bolt? Are you craxy? Christian Cantwell is much bigger than Bolt. Tomasz Majewsk, Robert Hartingi? All much bigger than Bolt agin. Heck even Valerie Adams is bigger than Bolt.
I don't know what you guys are smoking.
1) Bolt
2) Farah
3) Blake
4) Ennis
5) Liu Xiang
6) Isinbayeva
7) Rudesha
8) Vlasic
9) Felix
10)Rupp
This is another one from a UK perspective, the inclusion of Rupp might be surprising but I think he is relatively well known here.
Bad Wigins wrote:
Here are the most talented stars:
Tero Pitkämäki .
Barakus Obama wrote:
You've got to be Finnish to put that name there, absolutely ridiculous.
Last of the 90+ spear throwers. Dorkildsen is finished. Pitkämäki still might throw 90+. Vesely tries hard but will never break 90.
Just track:
1. Usain Bolt
2. David Rudisha
3. Tirunesh Dibaba
4. Asbel Kiprop
5. Alyson Felix
6. Mo Farah
7. Ezekiel Kemboi
8. Kirani James
9. Aries Merrit
10.Jessica Ennis