Is Bolt the greatest athlete of all time, in any sport?

Everyone is forgetting one name: Jason Rexing. 13:55 in trainers.

EOT

MJ

Ali

Pele

Bolt

Probably top four for the combination of athletics and social meaning in a modern sense (i think Jesse Owens/Wilma Rudolph/Jackie Robinson/BABE DIDRIKSON ZAHARIAS would be pre-1960's choices) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[quote]Phelps = Overrated wrote:

As for Lewis, he has 3 individual Oly track Gold's/quote]

You mean 7.

Long Jump--1984, 1988, 1992, 1996

100--1984, 1988

200--1984

asker of stuff wrote:

Yes or no?

No. He hasn't ran that far in his life time. I would say Wayne the south african 400 meter specalist and WR holder is at least twice as good.

And if you're talking all time best athlete... Their are other sports that require much more skill. How do you compare?

It's like saying the canadian dollar is better than the american because it's made of medal and will last longer... on the other hand the currency value of the american dollar is greater. So whats better?

How do you compare?

Maybe the ping pong players from the rios olympics are the best athletes all time because maybe usain bolt doesnt know how to swing a ping pong paddle.

I nominate Sugar Ray Robinson.

When it comes down to it, the central point of the Olympic Games is to crown the World's Fastest Man. He did that three times. Everything else is a side-show.

100m THREE Golds, twice Olympic Record, once Worlds Record

200m TWO golds, one Olympic Record/ World Record

His Olympic 100m wins are the 2nd, 3rd and 48th fastest all-time (he has the 1, 2, 3, 7, 15, 16, 17, 19 best)

His 200m wins are the 3rd and 4th fastest all-time (he has the #1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18th best as well)

Once event to go.

asker of stuff wrote:

Yes or no?

That's a very tough question. I'm going to sit down for a month and have a good think about this.

Jim Thorpe = most accomplished across the whole spectrum of sports.

Gold medalist in pentathlon and decathlon

Pro football, Baseball, and Basketball

Bo Jackson = most gifted athlete. Period

Wilt Chamberlain = Freak athlete in a 7 foot body

Could sprint, hurdle, do distance, bench press 500 pounds, 40"+ vertical.

Could even run track @ 7' and dominate

Usain Bolt = Fastest ever. Period. ---Could have set records that would stand forever. Didn't.

Slow twitch athletes?? To hard to pick one over all others. (Besides, LRC ers will cry doping if you mention the "best"):

El G., Rudisha, Haille G.

Best Swimmer: Not Phelps. Not fastest at Fastest stroke. (Most Accolmplished, yes)

Carl Lewis would be the most accomplished track athlete if they had running "strokes" on the track. 100 meter skip. 100 meter backpedal. 100 meter walk. 100 meter freestyle (Sprint) !

I guess I'm old school. To me, Bolt is the greatest sprinter ever but to me that's too limited, even as great as he is at that. I got to think decathlon. Such an all around demonstration of athleticism. I think the gold decathlete used to get more recognition, such as Thorpe or even Jenner. Ashton Eaton as the WR holder and Olympic champion, to me, has to be the greatest athlete of all time. There is no one on the planet who can sprint, run, throw, and jump higher, faster, and farther than him.

No, clearly that would be Merckx.

old old schooler wrote:

I guess I'm old school. To me, Bolt is the greatest sprinter ever but to me that's too limited, even as great as he is at that. I got to think decathlon. Such an all around demonstration of athleticism. I think the gold decathlete used to get more recognition, such as Thorpe or even Jenner. Ashton Eaton as the WR holder and Olympic champion, to me, has to be the greatest athlete of all time. There is no one on the planet who can sprint, run, throw, and jump higher, faster, and farther than him.

No. Decathlete = mediocre at ten events. More impressive to be truly dominant in one.