greatest runner without an olympic gold medal?

george oscar bluth wrote:

Gym Class Shuffle wrote:

I agree Sileshi Sihine and Paul Tergat top my list. They both would have won countless medals if not for Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie who beat them every time and without their presence they would have won easily.

They weren't even the best of there era. Kipketer WAS the best of his era, and the 2nd best of all-time, and still didn't win an OG. Tergat/Sihine are not the 2nd best of all time.

ok forget Sihine, ill argue for Tergat.

He got Silver at the 1996 and 2000 OGs in the 10k, in 2000 he only lost to Haile by .09 seconds. not to mention in 1997, 1999 he got silver to Haile at the WC.

He was on par to just below Haile Gebrselassie(who many consider the best ever. Bekele is impressive especially with his XC feats (surpassing Tergat's) but he hasn't expanded to the legendary status of Haile or Tergat who were extremely good from 5k-Marathon. Once he does expand to marathons he could be in contention but that's for later discussion).

In 1997 Tergat broke Haile's 10k WR in a new time of 26:27.85(which was bettered in 1998 by Haile again.) This shows he was fully capable of being one of the best ever who set records during his era and was AMAZING and competed again with the "king of distance running" Haile Gebrselassie.

Also while not an Olympic sport Tergat was dominant in the 12km World XC race setting the record (to be broken by Bekele) at 5 consecutive golds.

After his career on the track he set the World Record in the Half and Full marathons and was force in marathoning until 2009. He missed gold in 2004 after cramping issues of drinking cold water given by the hosting officals after missing his own checkpoint or something like that. Where just a year after his WR in 2003 he was still the favorite to win.

Tergat is a legend of distance running with PB's of 12:49 5k, 26:27 10k (WR*), Half Marathon 59:06 (WR*), Marathon 2:04:55(WR*) not to mention countless other road performances. Kipketer was amazing and should have won a gold medal if he did run in 1996 but he was not "The greatest athlete" to never win a gold medal. Who I consider a top candidate to be Paul Tergat.

agip wrote:

Ryun has to be the top American.

or Lagat I suppose.

Renaldo Nehemiah

Kipketer is the 2nd greatest 800m runner of all time and dominated an Olympic event for years.

Tergat is not the 2nd greatest distance runner of all time and did not dominate an Olympic event for years.

Kipketer

You must be under 25 years of age.

Kipketer is the best 800 guy w/o gold. Needs more range.

Tergat is best runner w/o gold.

1. Tergat

2. Ryun

3. Clarke

4. Kipketer

Kipketer is the best 800 guy w/o gold. Needs more range.

Tergat is best runner w/o gold.

1. Tergat

2. Ryun

3. Clarke

4. Kipketer

I'll put in my vote for Wilson Kipketer and Paula Radcliffe.

I think Khalid Khannouchi deserves a mention.

george oscar bluth wrote:

Kipketer is the 2nd greatest 800m runner of all time and dominated an Olympic event for years.

Tergat is not the 2nd greatest distance runner of all time and did not dominate an Olympic event for years.

Kipketer

Kipketer won 1995, (missed 1996 but would have won), 1997, 1999, and then was not in the form he used to be and got silver in 2000 at sydney.

Tergat got silver(bronze in 1995) 1996, silver 1997, 1999, 2000 (lost by .09 seconds). Then he switched to Marathoning/Halfs which he placed high in for the 2001-2009 retirement along with a 2:04:55 WR in 2003. and in 2004 due to missing his own station and drinking cold water given by the event staff he cramped up and got 10th i believe.

*in 1998 he set the WR for half marathon 59:17 and held the WR for 10k in 1997*

and held the record for most consecutive World XC wins at 5.

He was just as dominant if Haile hadn't been there as if Kipketer competed in Rudishas era or vice versa.

Tergat set multiple WR's was 2nd to possibly the greatest of all time for multiple years.

Kipketer simply missed out on an olympics due to nationality switching and then was outcompeted in 2000 just 4 years later. He was dominant and if he ran in 1996 he would have won but he was no where near the athlete that Tergat was.

Gym Class Shuffle wrote:

He was just as dominant if Haile hadn't been there as if Kipketer competed in Rudishas era or vice versa.

If, if, if. And it's hardly a certain proposition that Rudisha would outclass Kipketer the way Geb outclassed Tergat.

had it for a little while wrote:

big ben J wrote:

BEN JOHNSON!

That was my first thought also.

He was nowhere near good enough without the drugs.

In 2000 Haile outclassed Tergat by .09 seconds.. Geb was better no doubt obviously he beat tergat ALOT.1996 Olympics: Haile #1 27:07.34Tergat #2 27:08.17beats Tergat by .83 seconds1997 WC:Haile #1: 27:24.58Tergat #2: 27:25.62Beats Tergat by 1.04 seconds1999 WC:Haile #1: 27:57.27Tergat #2: 27:58.56Beats Tergat by 1.29 seconds2000 Olympics:Haile #1 27:50.01Tergat #2 27:50.10Beats Tergat by .09!!! seconds

Sartor Resartus wrote:

Gym Class Shuffle wrote:

He was just as dominant if Haile hadn't been there as if Kipketer competed in Rudishas era or vice versa.

If, if, if. And it's hardly a certain proposition that Rudisha would outclass Kipketer the way Geb outclassed Tergat.

Geb BARELY outclassed Tergat the most he beat him by in a major championship race was 1.04 seconds! Are you kidding me!? Those could be 5000m differences that were "Close" even for the 1500m they would be "Close" but they were in the 10000m! in 2000 he lost by .09 thats what sprinters lose by in the 100m! Haile was better than Tergat but "the way Geb outclased Tergat" is a mistatement. If anything Rudisha could win by the sub 1 second victories over Kipketer, and its an 800m race!

Edit best he beat Tergat was 1.29 seconds not 1.04 in a championship race.

Its always hard to pick just one but in the modern era you have to go by decade.

1960's

Ron Clarke

Jim Ryun

1970's

Marty Liquori

Bill Rodgers

Henry Rono

1980's

Mary Slaney

Ingrid Kristiansen

1990's

Paul Tergat

David Komen

Moses Kiptanui

Wilson Kipketer

2000's

Paula Radliffe

Khalid Kannouchi

Xfitter543 wrote:

who is in you opinion the greatest runner who hasn't been able to win a gold medal in the olympics? here is my list:

1. Alan Webb

2. Galen Rupp

3. Ryan Hall

You completely overlooked Andrew Wheating? And what about the great Africans, like Allistair Cragg and Zola Budd?

Louis Zamperini

Tyson Gay (doper but he is tied for second fastest all time at 100m)

Paula Radcliffe

Paul Tergat

Sileshi Sihine

Jim Ryun

Renaldo Nehemiah

Ron Clarke

Daniel Komen

And if we're talking individual gold, Yohan Blake might go down as the best to never win individual gold.

I'll throw another name out there that is an american born that never won an olympic gold but could have been a contender. Craig Virgin eliminated in the prelims of 1976 and 1984 even though he really should have made the final. Also 1980 ran 27:29 10 days before olympics (2nd fastest ever behind 27:22 by Henry Rono in 1978) both Kenya and the US boycotted the games though... would have been one hellavuh run.

Gym Class Shuffle wrote:

Geb BARELY outclassed Tergat the most he beat him by in a major championship race was 1.04 seconds! Are you kidding me!? Those could be 5000m differences that were "Close" even for the 1500m they would be "Close" but they were in the 10000m! in 2000 he lost by .09 thats what sprinters lose by in the 100m!

Close, yes, but it was consistent. Geb was like 21-3 against Tergat.

Virgin, Rodgers, and the top American sprinters in 1980 would all have been a factor that lost the most over that boycott. And put Dwight Stones in there in the high jump.

I doubt any would have won Gold at the time other the sprinters over the doped Europeans or the Ethiopians.

Perhaps Henry Marsh in the Steeple among non-sprinters missed his best shot but I think he was a few years away still at that.

Virgin was the World Cross Champ and lose to the WR but would have had to drop Yifter by 800 to go and Henry Rono if he was running. He was no better a favorite than Suzy Hamilton in Sydney in the 1500 when she went in with the fastest time of the year. You just knew some drugged to the hilt Russian was going to beat her. She probably knew it too.