T&FN Favourite Athletes THE RESULTS No1 Haile Gebrselassie

[Pego]

it tells us that your choices are of no interest whatsoever except to yourselves

...and that is exactly what this exercise is all about. How many people share their favorites. Perhaps some, perhaps many, perhaps none.

[Marlow]

I had to go back into my 'sent PMs' to see whom I listed. I find:

top 2 of 3 are women, but then only one more (#18)
furriners only at 15, 16

4 sprinters
4 hurdlers
6 jumpers
4 multis
3 distance (800 up)
2 throwers
(adds to 23 because of overlappers)

1 from 1910s
6 from 60s
5 from 70s
4 from 80s
4 from 90s
0 from 00s!

3 never won Oly gold

If you ask me this in a month only about 10 names would remain the same! I have a rotating pool of almost 50 who come and go.

[Flumpy]

I thought we had decided no more than five per nation. Looking back I see I was wrong.

I would have had at least seven Americans.

You can revise your list - just resend it with the changes.

We had decided on no more than 5 from 1 nation. I suspect people just forgot or didn't realise.

I think the 5 person rule is a good one.

Mump can we have a definitive ruling please???

[Flumpy]

I hope that despite the questionable word "favourite", as opposed to "impressive" or "highest achieving" or even "greatest", we may get some great athletes at the top of the tree.

Mump asked for a "favorite". That to me is highly personal, having nothing to do with "greatness", accomplishments, or universal appeal. I don't care, if quite a few of my selections receive only my only vote, even though I suspect that some of them will enjoy wide acceptance.

Exactly. That's what "favorite" means, after all. While it will probably be interesting to "parse" various selections, there is no rational reason to demand a "defense" of any choice from anyone. Explanations, sure; justifications, absolutely no.

Some of you are taking this WAY too literally/seriously.

[Conor Dary]

I agree. Much too serious. So check out my favorite, or favourite for the Pommies, color thread in not track.

And don't just choose 'tough guy' colors...after all if pink was good enough for The Band, it is good enough for you...

[lonewolf]

Yup, as I recall, Jim Ryun wore pink and baby blue when he ran for Kansas U.

[mump boy]

I would love a 5 per country ruling but it's way too late now. It would decimate lists od some of the more 'patriot' people who have entered and i can't be bothered to get people to re submit

and an the subject of discussing individual lists, i promise you some people have a LOT of explaining to do

[lonewolf]

[
We had decided on no more than 5 from 1 nation. .

I think the 5 person rule is a good one.

Who, when and where did "we" decide on a one athlete per nation limit?

Imo it is a competely illogical rule for purely subjective listing.

[Daisy]

Who, when and where did "we" decide on a one athlete per nation limit?

FIVE per nation limit was mentioned. But I think most people missed it so the rule is no longer in play.

[Conor Dary]

[
We had decided on no more than 5 from 1 nation. .

I think the 5 person rule is a good one.

Who, when and where did "we" decide on a one athlete per nation limit?

Imo it is a competely illogical rule for purely subjective listing.

Agreed. It would be like choose your favorite 20 books but only five can be in any one language.

[26mi235]

Five does not make much sense if you take it the way it literally reads. A number of favorite athletes might never have made an international appearance, won or even placed at nationals etc. I was underwater by the time the majority of posters would have recognized anyone (I am sure that Skip Shaeffer was not on anyone's list and I was floored that Deines [and I am still not certain how to spell his name] was). I finally dropped some of the locals to get people that, as I was growing up through the sport that I liked, although I took out a few that I was high on at the time (e.g., MJ).

Besides, a limit of five is more binding on someone from the US that has not gone to a single international meet.

[lapsus]

I would love a 5 per country ruling but it's way too late now. It would decimate lists od some of the more 'patriot' people who have entered and i can't be bothered to get people to re submit

and an the subject of discussing individual lists, i promise you some people have a LOT of explaining to do

Yes, I left Merlene Ottey off my list. Please don't revoke my posting rights

[Per Andersen]

Well, I got more than 5 Americans and I even left out Dillard, Oerter, Nehemiah, Stones, Sime, Seagren, Patton, Dumas, Stanfield and Rafer Johnson which for me is a crime

[Bruce Kritzler]

Nurmi, Zatopek, Clarke, Hill

[Pego]

[
We had decided on no more than 5 from 1 nation. .

I think the 5 person rule is a good one.

Who, when and where did "we" decide on a one athlete per nation limit?

Imo it is a competely illogical rule for purely subjective listing.

Agreed. It would be like choose your favorite 20 books but only five can be in any one language.

I could do that easily .

[Conor Dary]

[
We had decided on no more than 5 from 1 nation. .

I think the 5 person rule is a good one.

Who, when and where did "we" decide on a one athlete per nation limit?

Imo it is a competely illogical rule for purely subjective listing.

Agreed. It would be like choose your favorite 20 books but only five can be in any one language.

I could do that easily .

Helluo librorum.

[Flumpy]

[

Agreed. It would be like choose your favorite 20 books but only five can be in any one language.

No it wouldn't.

[mump boy]

i wish i'd had a country limit and i also wish i'd had an international standard limit but i didn't, so we'll all have to trawl through 1 vote US collegians for the first few days

so my plan is to close voting 12pm GMT next Sunday 18th.

I'm planning on doing no work next week so can concentrate on this and then i'm off to Puerto Rico on xmas day, so i'll either have loads of time to lay in the sun and post lists for you or spend time partying with hot latino boys

we'll have to wait and see

[Daisy]

i wish i'd had a country limit and i also wish i'd had an international standard limit

That can be next year.

but i didn't, so we'll all have to trawl through 1 vote US collegians for the first few days

It will be like a pub quiz while we are all trying to figure out who they are. No Google allowed.

[mump boy]

Not even Google would know who some of the choices are

[dukehjsteve]

[quote="Per Andersen"]Well, I got more than 5 Americans and I even left out Dillard, Oerter, Nehemiah, Stones, Sime, Seagren, Patton, Dumas, Stanfield and Rafer Johnson which for me is a crime [/quote

Replying to Per, yes, from where I sit, leaving Duke's Sime out IS INDEED a crime ! (But he was only 2nd with me.... # 1 was some HJ'er from USSR......)

[gh]

....
Replying to Per, yes, from where I sit, leaving Duke's Sime out IS INDEED a crime ! ....

Sorry, after one chooses Armin Hary the '60 Olympic 100 slot is closed

[Conor Dary]

Five does not make much sense if you take it the way it literally reads. A number of favorite athletes might never have made an international appearance, won or even placed at nationals etc. I was underwater by the time the majority of posters would have recognized anyone (I am sure that Skip Shaeffer was not on anyone's list and I was floored that Deines [and I am still not certain how to spell his name] was). I finally dropped some of the locals to get people that, as I was growing up through the sport that I liked, although I took out a few that I was high on at the time (e.g., MJ).

Besides, a limit of five is more binding on someone from the US that has not gone to a single international meet.

The 1971 RW Marathon Handbook spells it Deines. He was also in Joe Henderson's
1969 book LSD: The Humane Way to Train.

[Conor Dary]

i wish i'd had a country limit and i also wish i'd had an international standard limit but i didn't, so we'll all have to trawl through 1 vote US collegians for the first few days
:

I really don't know what else you could have expected from such an eclectic group at the web site of an American publication. If you really wanted a list from your favorite athletes, why didn't you just say so.

[Daisy]

Not even Google would know who some of the choices are

Where's your sense of adventure? You're sounding like a Tory!

[Conor Dary]

Not being able to google some choices seems like a benefit.

PS For it is worth I think this thread was a fine idea....but just leave it at that.

[26mi235]

Skip Shaeffer was not a world or even national class runner, but he was a very classy runner. And not too bad at it. At 44 he ran a PR 2:27 for the marathon; the next year he got cancer and was never really the same. He died a couple of weeks after attending my wedding in a wheel chair. Marlow, he was a ToE.

[mump boy]

Just to remind everyone i'm closing entries on Sunday 18th at 12pm GMT

My plan is to get everything together next week and start posting the week between xmas and NY while laying on a beach with a cocktail

(you must understand that laying on the beach with a cocktail may get in the way of coherant and consistent posts )

[Pego]

Not even Google would know who some of the choices are

Where's your sense of adventure? You're sounding like a Tory!

Just for the funsies I Wikied my lesser known choices. They all appeared there in some form.

[DrJay]

Just got in for a run with a T&F friend. I told him about this thread, he asked "Did ya put Tim Tebow as one of your choices?!? "

[Daisy]

"Did ya put Tim Tebow as one of your choices?!? "

He didn't quite make my top twenty. You think anyone outside the US knows who Tebow is? If it had not been for Marlow raving about him, he would have been nowhere on my radar.

Mump/Flump? You getting excited about Tebow?

[mump boy]

"Did ya put Tim Tebow as one of your choices?!? "

He didn't quite make my top twenty. You think anyone outside the US knows who Tebow is? If it had not been for Marlow raving about him, he would have been nowhere on my radar.

Mump/Flump? You getting excited about Tebow?

Literally beside myself with excitement

(have no idea who that is and i'm guessing even less interest in finding out)

[DrJay]

Tebow=latest Amercian football diva. Think Alan Webb Hysteria c. 2004.

[mump boy]

A reminder that the poll closes tonight at 12pm GMT

If you want to send your list in or make any ammendements to the one you've already submited please do it today

thanks

[mump boy]

Thanks for all the entries

EEK now i've got some work to do !!

See you next week for

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