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Who's the greatest Olympic Athlete of All-Time?

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I_Need_A_Detox

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 5:05 PM ET #26

Quote Originally Posted by Henry-Lilly:

All Michael Jordan did in the olymdicks was play basketball..... and gamble.

All Tomba did was ski, all Carl Lewis did was run, all Spitz did was swim....

A lot of things would go into finding the real answer. Starting with how athletic the sport is and then how many people are trying to be successful in that sport.

For example... In the US lets say the most athletic sport is the decathlon .... If you're the most athletic person in the US you're going to play football, baseball, basketball or hockey and never attempt the decathlon.

HutchEmAll

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 5:15 PM ET #27

Edwin Moses was a one trick pony.

Carl Lewis was a heck of a long jumper in addition.

I was looking at the medal count for the '84 Olympics in LA. US won 174 medals. Next closest was West Germany with 59.

And there is a reason you call the winner of the decathlon the best athlete in the world.

I guess I was looking at it as the most dominant athlete in Olympic history. There certainly is a difference.

Mad_Skillz123

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 6:54 PM ET #28

Carl Lewis

Sergey Bubka

Elena Isinbayeva

Jan Zelezny

Henry-Lilly

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 7:20 PM ET #29

Quote Originally Posted by I_Need_A_Detox:

All Tomba did was ski, all Carl Lewis did was run, all Spitz did was swim....

A lot of things would go into finding the real answer. Starting with how athletic the sport is and then how many people are trying to be successful in that sport.

For example... In the US lets say the most athletic sport is the decathlon .... If you're the most athletic person in the US you're going to play football, baseball, basketball or hockey and never attempt the decathlon.

Exactly why I say Jim Thorpe. He played professional football, baseball and basketball in the US and he won the gold in both the pentathlon and the decathlon. Bad Motherfucker.

Viking812

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 7:31 PM ET #30

thorpe

lewis

jenner

realscififan

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 8:47 PM ET #31

Thorpe or Lewis would be my 1&2 in any order.

picc818

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 10:16 PM ET #32

not to discount what michael phelps, mark spitz, carl lewis and many others did but imo anyone who has won a decathalon gets my vote. but if i have to pick one i'd say bruce jenner (the pre kardashian years). after losing in the 1972 olympics, he lived and breathed training for 4 years and vowed he'd win gold in 1976 which he did by setting at the time the world record. he was a national hero. amazing that anyone can compete in all 10 events over a 2 day period.

100 meters
400 meters
110 meter hurdles
1500 meters
Long Jump
High Jump
Shot Put
Discus
Pole Vault
Javelin

TRAIN69

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 10:36 PM ET #33

Mary Lou

potter36

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 11:16 PM ET #34

Forest gump

SarasotaSlim

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Posted: Jul. 30, 2012 - 11:50 PM ET #35

QUOTE Originally Posted by BMA:

Leonidas
of Rhodes

4 festivals
164, 160, 156, 152 B.C.

***************

He was indeed good, but I'll go with six time Olympic victor ....Milo of Croton 540, 536 and 520 B.C...... Milo was a five time Periodonikes a "grand slam" sort of title bestowed on the winner of all four festivals in the same cycle....

Hirschfelder

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Posted: Jul. 31, 2012 - 2:14 AM ET #36

Should rename this thread "Who's the greatest American Olympic Athlete of All-Time?"

searchwarrant

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Posted: Jul. 31, 2012 - 2:24 AM ET #37

He was great, but I still would put Alberto Tomba ahead of him. And he also got the chicks.

alberto was as good if not better hutch. Almost dropped his name in there seconds later.

HockeyTeeth

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Posted: Jul. 31, 2012 - 10:54 AM ET #38

Ben Johnson

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Posted: Jul. 31, 2012 - 1:40 PM ET #39

Dan or Dave?

Frank_Da_Tank

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Posted: Jul. 31, 2012 - 1:53 PM ET #40

Teofilo Stevenson

wizardofroz

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Posted: Jul. 31, 2012 - 2:41 PM ET #41

Juice Brenner.

ZarleyZalapski

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Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 8:01 AM ET #42

I'm starting to lean towards Usain Bolt.

Mad_Skillz123

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Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 1:17 PM ET #43

Quote Originally Posted by HockeyTeeth:

Ben Johnson

the steroid man?

Henry-Lilly

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Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 3:25 PM ET #44

Jim Thorpe (greatest Olympic athlete of all time) in the news today:

https://news.yahoo.com/federal-court-fight-continues-over-america-first-great-101052108.html

HutchEmAll

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Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 3:33 PM ET #45

Phelps the most successful, but not the greatest. Lost a lot of respect for him when he loafed it into the wall in fly last night costing himself gold. He even admitted that he had been mailing in his finishes in practice and he did it in that race.

Not only that, he didn't seem that bothered by it. He's got the record for most medals....that's all he really wanted out of these Olympics.

Slobbasaurus

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Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 3:34 PM ET #46

Honorable mention: Michael Johnson

BMA

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Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 3:54 PM ET #47

Quote Originally Posted by picc818:

100 meters
400 meters
110 meter hurdles
1500 meters
Long Jump
High Jump
Shot Put
Discus
Pole Vault
Javelin

What about Daley Thompson the greatest decathlete ever

Olympic Gold 1980 and 1984
Broke the World Record 4 times

redbook1

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Posts: 1033

Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 5:01 PM ET #48

bob seagren, polevaulter.

he won gold in 68, then silver in 72 (last minute ruling forced him to use a pole he hadn't used in years instead of the pole he was currently using).

then he won the first american 'battle of the superstars' competition in 73, and the first world 'battle of the superstars' contest in 77. these pitted world class athletes against each other in various sports other than their own and was televised by abc.

i remember the 73 contest where he placed first in power lifting, beating out two nfl lineman and a shot putter.

jmw59

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Posts: 14430

Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 7:16 PM ET #49

Quote Originally Posted by Henry-Lilly:

Jim Thorpe

all the way

I_Need_A_Detox

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Posted: Aug. 1, 2012 - 8:53 PM ET #50

Quote Originally Posted by HutchEmAll:

Phelps the most successful, but not the greatest. Lost a lot of respect for him when he loafed it into the wall in fly last night costing himself gold. He even admitted that he had been mailing in his finishes in practice and he did it in that race.

Not only that, he didn't seem that bothered by it. He's got the record for most medals....that's all he really wanted out of these Olympics.

You lost a lot of respect for Phelps for that finish? He has the most medals in the history of the Olympics and 15 golds to date. He had one bad finish where he was caught between strokes.

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