Nutella1 wrote:
Mr. Obvious wrote:On what basis would the IAAF overturn those times?
When I created this thread I already knew which turn it would be taking.
My point is, there are many speculations about what's wrong with these records, short track, faked clock, moved starting line, drugs or even males competing as females. Yet we don't have any proof for it. Therefore it is rather arrogant of the British (BBC) to pronounce Dibaba the greatest female distance runner when she is over a minute slower than Wang.
Dibaba was as much slower than Wang as Farah was slower than Bekeles WR. Is Farah the greatest distance runner of all times? Would he have had a chance against Bekele in his prime? NO WAY.
If that is the basis for your argument than it is either ignorant of intellectually dishonest.
It is silly to post that she is not the greatest female distance runner of all time on the basis that she is over a minute slower than Wang. You are comparing one relatively slow championship race by one to Wang's best race. Tirunish's PR is only ~23 seconds slower. Wang's race when she won the World Championship in Stuttgart was 30:49--slower than Dibaba ran. She has an enormous number of WC and Olympic medals compared to Wang's 3.
There is certainly an argument to be made (though not a compelling one to me) that Wang is better because she was faster. That's not the argument you are making, though.