With 5 world titles and a WR, is Mo Farah the GOAT (Greatest of all-time)? We say yes...

No raised to the infinity power.

You guys broke it down nicely! Great points, I also think Mo is not the GOAT just yet!

Wow what a great conversation starter. I wonder about the myriad other athletes with *multiple* *real* WRs. Should we discuss their merits as well?

You're trolling right? Geb broke how many world records in his career? 30? Farah has one, and it's in the freaking indoor 2 mile! Geb's run 12:39 and 26:22 and Mo's run what, 12:53 and 26:46? How is Mo even in the conversation for this?

Good trolling

Bekele, Geb, Tergat WAY out in front. Sileshi Sihane. Hell, Wanjiru is way ahead of Mo and he's dead.

*stipe wrote:

Hell, Wanjiru is way ahead of Mo and he's dead.

Wanjiru is not ahead of Mo, that's Prefontainian exaggeration. He ran some 2:05 marathons, tried to kill his wife, and got drunk a lot.

Just figured since we were projecting what Mo "could do", why not project what Wanjiru could do?

Sammy destroys Mo at the marathon, half marathon and 10k. Neither make the top list in the 5k.

And yes, just talking smack.

Wanjiru >> Farah

*stipe wrote:

Just figured since we were projecting what Mo "could do", why not project what Wanjiru could do?

Sammy destroys Mo at the marathon, half marathon and 10k. Neither make the top list in the 5k.

And yes, just talking smack.

Just laughed at the thought of Farah having to deal with Wanjiru. Farah wouldn't know what hit him. I reckon that most of those sub 2:06 guys would destroy Farah. They know how to race. They don't care. It's a shame none of that fire exists in the 1500-10k runners anymore.

I think that you can fool around all day about who has more medals/better times on what surfaces. The arguments are out there. But I think that one criteria for GOAT should be their role in revolutionizing their distance. Look at the changes Haile wrought on the 5k/10k records - night and day. Farah can't say that - he has no records of note. Bekele can't say that, because his records are a marginal improvement on Haile's. Bannister passed a great milestone, but lets face it, it was going down, and he really just trimmed the progression a couple of times. Haile changed the whole face of 5/10k and brought marathon into the modern era. For instance in hockey Gretzky is the GOAT not just because he had the stats, the cups, the hart trophies etc. but he also totally revolutionized the game.

Farah is not even in top 5 GOAT discussion, even if this purely for track

HG- 3000-10000 WRs, WCs, 2 oly golds over former wr holder Tergat at his prime

El G - untouchable standing WRs at marquee 1500/Mile distance/ WC titles/ double gold oly validation in 2004 over Lagat and Bekele

Coe- WRs from 800 to 2000, 2 oly golds, brought track to front page with charisma and character

Bekele, every measurable accomplishment from standing WRs, Oly titles and WCs. IMO, not THE GOAT as he seemed to be standing on shoulder of giants and lacked "it" factor charisma of 3 listed above.

Zapotec, Elliot, Snell, Viren are joint entries for legacy admission to GOAT discussion for varying combinations of breakthrough WRs and Oly golds.

I would also place Farah behind Tergat for multiple track WRs that are faster than Farah's prs twenty years later.

For Farah to even get in GOAT mid d/ d track discussion he needs to either

1) set a WR at a championship distance or

2) step down to 1500 and win WC or Oly title against legit burners like kiprop and kiplagat.

also, Mo isn't even in the conversation, very funny. To be fair, he still has some time left in his career but, no he is firmly not the GOAT.

[quote]Not close wrote:

Coe- WRs from 800 to 2000, 2 oly golds, brought track to front page with charisma and character/quote]

Coe never broke a WR over 2000m.

You're forgetting Lagat

Rojo, are you outta your mind? Farah, unless it's Fawcett, doesn't even come close to being in this conversation.

Lagat >>> Farah

Not yet, but I throw down with the people who value medals over world records. Imagine trying to set a world record a year in the future on a specific date with a field that is ALSO trying to set a world record. Very difficult. Unheard of, really. In most world records there is one superior runner and no real competition. They are free to RUN. They do not RACE. But that is exactly what World/Olympic champions do. They must race their best on one specific day when everyone else in the world is trying to race their best. This is much much harder to do and carries a lot more weight in my mind. People trying to set records are free to try as many times as they like with no penalty. Not so with runners trying to win medals. Before World Championships, if you failed on that day it would be 4 years before you had another shot. Saying things like world records keep the sport alive because World Championships/Olympics don't happen often enough is ridiculous. When was the last time a distance world record on the track was set? When was one even ATTEMPTED? By that standard track should have disappeared years ago.

I think via Ayn Rand I must have had some irrational respect for Jonathon Gault. It's all gone now. Dude is clearly delusional, or thinks we are. He could write a 50 page diatribe why Farah should be considered as the Goat, just like Rand did, but it's little more than trolling at this point.

Farah being considered the GOAT is like my mom saying I'm the GOAT, we all know it's BS.

You don't actually pay this guy, do you Rojo?

Les wrote:

But that is exactly what World/Olympic champions do. They must race their best on one specific day when everyone else in the world is trying to race their best. This is much much harder to do and carries a lot more weight in my mind.

This is wrong. None of Farah's opponents in the 10k are there to race him. They are just running like you say. He has yet to face competent runners in the 10k (besides that 1 season when Jelian was healthy). The 5k is a little tougher but the competition still isn't really there.

Racing against other people who are trying to race their best only means something if their best is relevant.