100, 200, 400 and 800 and a few relays (that's a maximum of 6)... That shows you know nothing about track and field.
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Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - Caution, may contain results!
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100, 200, 400 and 800 and a few relays (that's a maximum of 6)... That shows you know nothing about track and field.
I don't disagree that swimming different strokes is more difficult than most people probably think, but the kind of training you go through for the various sprint races is even more different, IMO.
Sure, some 100 sprinters can be good 800 sprinters (Michael Johnson is a good example), but they're the exception rather than the rule. I'd argue that you'll never see a 100m sprinter race the 800. Those races are simply too different.
We were having a discussion in the pub a week or so ago about whether Phelps should be considered the greatest Olympian. I argued that he shouldn't, simply because I don't think you can compare achievements in hugely different sports in this way.
Can he be considered a greater Olympian than, say, rower Sir Steve Regdrave, who won gold at five consecutive Games in one of the most physically gruelling Olympic disciplines? Or what about Aladár Gerevich, who won seven fencing golds (plus a silver and a couple of bronze) at six different games over a period of 28 years despite missing two Olympiads due to the Second World War? I don't think Phelps can, but equally I don't think you can elevate others from different sports above his achievements either.
Personally, I prefer to think of an elite group of greatest ever Olympians rather than one individual standing head and shoulders above the other it's just too subjective to pick just one. I'd list Phelps among their number, mind.
that is the most relevant sentence on this subject on the last several pages of this thread.
could you kindly remind me who is the last athlete who qualified for an olympic or world championship final in both the 100m and the 800m (let alone winning both races)?
on the other hand, a dominant swimmer will frequently participate in several finals (with a chance of winning them).
what Phelps (and spitz before him) did was obviously phenomenal, but in the realm of doable.
to win 8 gold medals in running events is impossible.
Or maybe Phelps is a better swimming than the others are runners. I just don't believe that it's harder for runners to do than swimmers.
if it was as you say, some runners would at least try to compete at high levels in more disciplines, the fact that it is unheard of in running and common in swimming suggests me that it is harder to compete in different running disciplines than in different swimming ones.
imagine if they would assign three medals in high jump: one for fosbury-style, one for straddle-style and one for the scissor-style. make it four: standing high jump!
The Greeks invented the ancient Games, a Frenchman the modern ones.
Just saying, like.
Stop trying to thwart my efforts to re-rail the thread Jaffa! Don't go getting cocky thinking you'll beat Derby's points total, now!
Has anybody been to any parades for their local Olympic sportspeople?
Some friends and I were there to greet Ben Ainslie, Nick Rogers and Pippa Wilson on Wednesday
No, our local Olympians failed quite miserably* so they've been keeping a low profile since they returned.
(*Miserable failure was, as you hinted at in your post, invented in Derby so no one else had best go trying to claim that one as theirs).
In case anyone is wondering a large portion of this thread was moved to the PRSI forum "Americans: what have they ever done for us?" - Split - lets keep the politics there and the sport here.
Oh this is pretty funny. Owens is calling out Bolt saying he could beat him with a 20 yrd head start.
I could have seen this coming...link
Sure, on paper.
But saddle Bolt with NFL gear and Owens would probably beat him.
Is Owens "challenged" in some way that a 20 yard head-start is necessary?? Well, except mentally I mean.
But saddle Bolt with NFL gear and Owens would probably beat him.
Is Owens "challenged" in some way that a 20 yard head-start is necessary?? Well, except mentally I mean.
I consider that highly questionable. 40-yard times for football players are timed without the players wearing football gear, so both athletes would be unencumbered. Given Mr. Owens' 40-yard time of 4.6 seconds, it seems as though his 100-metre time would be somewhere in the neighbourhood of thirteen seconds. I find it hard to believe that adding football gear to both players would even things out to the point that Mr. Owens could make up more than three seconds. Even spotting Mr. Owens a twenty-metre lead, Mr. Owens would still get beaten by at least a half-second.
It seem most places kept that quite. The only reason I knew about it was I was watching the event when it happened.
Did anyone see that Misty May & Walsh just lost their winning streak? I'm sure they're happy it happened after the Olympics