Set HS and Collegiate mile records that stood for 15+ years. Finished 8th in an olympic final at age 19 in an event he'd only run four times. Then the war hits and never has a chance to reach full potential. Thoughts?
Set HS and Collegiate mile records that stood for 15+ years. Finished 8th in an olympic final at age 19 in an event he'd only run four times. Then the war hits and never has a chance to reach full potential. Thoughts?
Who?
Rank as what? And among whom?
Ranks No1 on the list of all-time tall-story tellers.
For the era and beyond, Louie was one of the best as his running resume shows:
http://bringbackthemile.com/athletes/detail/louis_zamperini
Unbroken opens on Christmas Day.
Bring Back the Mile wrote:
For the era and beyond, Louie was one of the best as his running resume shows:
http://bringbackthemile.com/athletes/detail/louis_zamperiniUnbroken opens on Christmas Day.
"and beyond" ????
he was great for an American in his era
he was good international for his era
beyond????
how can you compare an era in which no one broke 4:00 mile to later eras????
curious , from the times and his last lap speed at Olympics, did he just run DFL and then pass 4 or 5 guys on the last lap to finish 5 spots and 20 seconds off the platform?
'and beyond'
If you claim Zamperini are 'so yesterday' then American medals from the last Olympics are also yesterday's news. Rupp's silver medal in the slowest Olympics 10k final in years is even more so 'so yesterday'.
i did not claim anything was yesterday
i asked how do you compare eras?
the original poster seems to infer that Zamperini would have progressed to even greater heights as a runner but for the war
You can put all of Zamperini's and Pre's medals together and still Rupp has more
LOL, you are hanging your Rupp fanboyism out for all to see.
Rupp will never accomplish what Pre did: helping athletes get paid, like Rupp.
Rupp will never have a movie made about his life.
yes Rupp has more medals
Pre dies and get movies, fails to qualify as real man per Flagpole definition
Zamperini is real man by anyone's definition
but is the question on ranking running achievements, potential, or what?
not sure what the argument you want to have is, but have at it
p.s. per Letsrun forum rules don't you have to be faster than Zamperini in order to evaluate and comment?
"not sure what the argument you want to have is, but have at it"
"p.s. per Letsrun forum rules don't you have to be faster than Zamperini in order to evaluate and comment?"
Of course you're not sure, you are not smart enough to be sure.
So, you are faster than Zamperini? Did you run when he ran, with the tracks and shoes he had available? Did you run in the Olympics? Did you know Zamperini's final lap in the 1936 Olympics was 56 seconds? You must be one fast LRCer, maybe a famous runner, maybe?
4:07 is not amazingly fast anymore bro
beyond? wrote:
the original poster seems to infer that Zamperini would have progressed to even greater heights as a runner but for the war
And you don't think a 19 year old could have progressed?
And have you educated yourself? Do you know what being in a POW camp was like in Japan in 1944/45?
Do you even run?
In case you twits didn't know, there were NO MEDALS TO WIN between 1936 and 1948. At the age Galen Rupp won his medal, he was already a prisoner of war. Like Gunder Hägg, he probably would have continued on improving if there were such thing as financial support for runners.
PS - how many in the NCAA today could run a 1:49 half mile on a dirt track? Maybe five?
Running shoes back then where leather, with no padding. That makes Zamperini's 56 final lap in the 1936 Olympic 5k much more impressive.
Breathe in breathe out wrote:
At the age Galen Rupp won his medal, he was already a prisoner of war.
Now that really is something for Galen to have pulled that off.
Running for AlSal could be equated to being a prisoner.
on this list wrote:
Ranks No1 on the list of all-time tall-story tellers.
I take it you have never heard of Gerry Lindgren?
Oh I guess you guys are right. I never took a position on what Louie could or could not do but for the war. I just said it is hard to compare eras.
However now that you all have educated me I think Louie would have progressed to a 3:39 mile and a 11:59 5k but for the war. He would have won everything all the medals and all. No one else would have emerged to challenge him. He would have benefitted from the golden era of athletic funding for pro distance runners. Like Pre who but for his death would have won everything also.
If someone can help me though cause I am having a challenge intellectually dismissing the fact Louie actually lost and finished 8th in the Olympics just like Pre finishes 4th. There must be an excuse or way to reconcile that with the greatest argument
Louie went out too slow. Pre too fast. Other guys were just right and won.
The great ones like Louie and Pre had the privilege of stepping into that track and ranking themselves. Lesser men can spend their lives on the sidelines of life and history and debate on and on. Don't take great lives and reduce them to numbers times and rankings. Consider them works of art each to be appreciated for what they are.
"However now that you all have educated me I think Louie would have progressed to a 3:39 mile and a 11:59 5k."
Your ignorance of track is showing.
By your calculation method Rupp should be sub 3:30 and sub 11:30: better technologies, and his life-saving TUEs. Now we can compare your eras.
-1/10