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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: midnight Target on July 23, 2004, 10:56:05 AM

Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: midnight Target on July 23, 2004, 10:56:05 AM
Who would you pick.

My choice is Eric Heiden.
(http://multimedia.olympic.org/pic/heiden_gal_l_04.jpg)

Winner of all 5 events in the Speed Skating competition from 500 meters to 10,000 meters setting Olympic records at every distance. Incredible.

After the Olympics he retired from skating because of the noteriety and took up cycling. He competed in the Tour de France in 1986.

Dr. Heiden is now an Orthopedist.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Sixpence on July 23, 2004, 10:59:30 AM
http://www.cmgww.com/sports/thorpe/thorpe.html

http://www.alphacdc.com/necona/jimthorp.html
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: JB73 on July 23, 2004, 11:06:31 AM
thorpe, or possibly bruce jenner
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: midnight Target on July 23, 2004, 11:07:48 AM
Thorpe's a good choice too. Using modern scoring tables Thorpe would have medaled in the 1960 Olympic Decathlon. He was amazing.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Shuckins on July 23, 2004, 11:08:44 AM
Jim Thorpe...no contest.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Skuzzy on July 23, 2004, 11:09:23 AM
Thorpe, without a doubt
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Reschke on July 23, 2004, 11:12:30 AM
This is a tough one to categorize simply because of the variations in the sports. Just having one "Greatest" Olympian is pretty ambiguous to me.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: midnight Target on July 23, 2004, 11:15:54 AM
Thorpe was a great all-around athlete, but I'd still give Heiden the nod.

Thorpe could not have won the gold medal in every running or jumping event in the decathlon and the pentathlon. He was great, but Heiden won the sprint on up to a 10,000 meter race. Imagine Maurice Green winning the marathon.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Holden McGroin on July 23, 2004, 11:19:54 AM
Sir Steven Redgrave, Great Britian.

5 Gold Medals in Rowing, 1 in 5 consectutive Olympic Games..

1 each in Los Angeles (Straight Four), Seoul (pair), Barcelona (pair), Atlanta (pair), Sydney (Straight Four).  In Seoul, he also won a bronze.

He was 38 yrs old when he won his last Gold Medal.

He won as many as Heiden but in order to accomplish it, he had to be the best in his sport for 20 years.

There are a few who have gone 4 for 4, Steven Redgrave went 5 for 5, plus a bronze.

 http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=65847 (http://)
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Pongo on July 23, 2004, 12:39:01 PM
Dont know if you can give it to a person who competes in teams.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Dago on July 23, 2004, 12:41:53 PM
Thorpe
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: -MZ- on July 23, 2004, 12:42:01 PM
Jesse Owens
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: ra on July 23, 2004, 12:44:21 PM
Tonya Harding.  She briefly made a ghey sport seem interesting.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Nilsen on July 23, 2004, 12:48:35 PM
"Cross-country skier Björn Dæhlie holds several all-time Winter Olympics records. Competing in the 1990s, he is still the only winter athlete to win eight gold medals, the only one to win twelve total medals and the only one to earn nine medals in individual events. He is also the only man to win six gold medals in individual events."

-edit- http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=74576
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Holden McGroin on July 23, 2004, 01:26:23 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
Dont know if you can give it to a person who competes in teams.


You are an idiot if you believe that someone who contributes to a team effort can not be recognized as a great athlete.

And Steven Redgrave did not participate in a team sport, he rowed crew.  A crew is much more than a team.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Pongo on July 23, 2004, 01:38:51 PM
Thats not what I said. I may be an idiot(alought I suspect I have a few dozen IQ points on you) but two people stand on podiums.
One has won 5 olympic golds in a sport where only he is measured against the best in the world. Another has won 5 olympic golds in varios events of team sports, in combination with varios other great athletes.
Myself. Being an idiot, respect the man who has clearly demonstrated that it is indeed his performance alone that won those medals.

If we brought a hockey player in that had participated in 5 olypmpics and won 5 gold medals, I think that is less of an accomplishment then a person that did it all on thier lonesome.

My opinion. My values. My response to the thread. Idiotic I guess. but I wager I am not alone in the feeling.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Holden McGroin on July 23, 2004, 01:51:33 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
If we brought a hockey player in that had participated in 5 olypmpics and won 5 gold medals, I think that is less of an accomplishment then a person that did it all on thier lonesome.


But then there are no Hockey Players who have done that.

Steven Redgrave is the only champion to win five consecutive gold medals in an endurance event.  Three others have achieved the 5 for 5, but in fencing and in equestrian.

So just for you, Pongo, Steven Redgrave stands alone in that respect.

A world class rower generates about 500 W for about 6 to 7 minutes for the 2000 M event, and has to do it without losing form or synchronicity with the rest of the crew.

My idiot comment was conditional.  There is still hope for you.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Red Tail 444 on July 23, 2004, 04:37:09 PM
http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=86364

Jesse Owens.

1936.

4 Golds. 100, 200, LJ, 400M relay.
 3 WRs one OR I think...
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: midnight Target on July 23, 2004, 05:05:19 PM
Jesse was great, but Carl Lewis bettered him in all respects (athletically).

If the best track and field star is chosen it has to be Lewis.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Rino on July 23, 2004, 05:58:07 PM
I hear Mark Spitz won a few golds.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Holden McGroin on July 23, 2004, 06:03:34 PM
Yeah but Spitz, Lewis, and Owens won some of their medals in relays which are team events and for some reason those don't count.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Airhead on July 23, 2004, 09:25:26 PM
The best Olympic performance has to be Bob Beamon in the long jump in 1968.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Grits on July 23, 2004, 10:06:46 PM
Emil Zatopek, without question. He won the '48 10,000 meters, but in '52 he won the 5,000, 10,000, AND[/b] the Marathon. I like all aspects of the Olympics competition, but there really is nothing in its history that compares, and a triple like that will never happen again.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: B17Skull12 on July 23, 2004, 10:08:32 PM
seee ya read the paper this morning MT. LOL
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: GRUNHERZ on July 23, 2004, 10:22:05 PM
Jesse Owens

http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016393.html
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: hawker238 on July 23, 2004, 10:35:52 PM
Owens is awesome, but I'm a Prefontaine guy....
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Pongo on July 23, 2004, 11:13:49 PM
holdin.
I have decided. Let it go.
If your a girl. Maybe rowing can earn you fame and recognition. But a man..no.
And on a team?
It shames the other great names in this thread to even mention it.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Thrawn on July 24, 2004, 02:27:09 AM
Right, we are going to have to go with Björn Dæhlie then.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Replicant on July 24, 2004, 04:51:32 AM
I'll go with:

Steve Redgrave

or

Daley Thompson (Decathalon)
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Holden McGroin on July 24, 2004, 08:38:50 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
holdin.
I have decided. Let it go.
If your a girl. Maybe rowing can earn you fame and recognition. But a man..no.
And on a team?
It shames the other great names in this thread to even mention it.


Your Queen disagrees with you.

'Sir' in front of a name in the British Commonwealth connotes a measure of fame and recognition.

You have confirmed your status by continuing to base your opinion upon your own self professed ignorance.

Quote
Pongo
Dont know if...


Ignorance = 'Don't know if...'
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: midnight Target on July 24, 2004, 11:37:19 AM
Quote
Originally posted by B17Skull12
seee ya read the paper this morning MT. LOL


If you mean the Press Enterprise, nope.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: AWMac on July 24, 2004, 11:53:19 AM
BGB taunting the Rooks around 3:00am after a fifth of Gin and a case of Black Label under his belt while flying a Hurricane.

:aok
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: midnight Target on July 24, 2004, 01:11:24 PM
Quote
Originally posted by hawker238
Owens is awesome, but I'm a Prefontaine guy....


Pre was a bust at the Olympics.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Furball on July 24, 2004, 01:35:27 PM
Eddie ‘The Eagle' Edwards.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: anonymous on July 25, 2004, 08:53:36 AM
eddie the eagle! go uk ski jumping!
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Nilsen on July 25, 2004, 09:03:44 AM
Eddie it is :D
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Airhead on July 25, 2004, 09:07:35 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Replicant
I'll go with:

Steve Redgrave

or

Daley Thompson (Decathalon)


Daley Thompson walked around the Olympic village wearing a t-shirt stating "The second best athelete in the Olympics is gay" in reference to Carl Lewis.

He was right, too.
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: anonymous on July 25, 2004, 09:23:02 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Nilsen
Eddie it is :D


gotta love finland too. eddie the eagle had some number one song in finland i cant remember the finnish words but the translation was "my name is eddie".
Title: The Greatest Olympic Champion
Post by: Krusher on July 25, 2004, 09:56:37 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Red Tail 444
http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=86364

Jesse Owens.

1936.

4 Golds. 100, 200, LJ, 400M relay.
 3 WRs one OR I think...


I am with -MZ- and Red tail on this one.  He "may" not be the best athlete of all time, but he stared down the German super race (in Germany) and made them blink.  Not to mention, as red tail pointed out, that he won an unprecidented amount of medals for his day.