T&FN Favourite Athletes THE RESULTS No1 Haile Gebrselassie

[Pego]

If you figure out their respective overall placement (Rodgers, too), I could correct the list.

I think the one above is current for placement, including Rodgers.

I mean what position? I could look it up, I guess . I shall do so later tonight. You understand, of course, that it will move everything below them down. Should I try to re-do those lower placings, or will we live with slight imperfections?

[Daisy]

Should I try to re-do those lower placings, or will we live with slight imperfections?

That's what I meant. The list above has been corrected for the positions to account for Rodgers addition and the loss of the duplicates. He is 101st between Isa and Banks.

[mump boy]

There are a few duplicates labelled with a ** (Jim Beatty, Steve Cram, Larry James and Bob Mathias)

**Jim Beatty 1 20
**Jim Beatty 2 28
So has 2 votes/28 points or 3 votes/48 points

**Steve Cram 1 10
**Steve Cram 2 19
So has 2 votes/19 points or 3 votes/29 points

**Larry James 1 17
**Larry James 2 21
So has 2 votes/21 points or 3 votes/38 points

**Bob Mathias 2 14
**Bob Mathias 3 16
So has 3 votes/16 points or 5 votes/30 points

Thanks for this Daisy, when we do this again next winter i will be coming to you for your spread sheet skills

I can confirm the correct places for those above are

Jim Beatty (2 votes 28 points)
Stve Cram (2 votes 19 points)
Larry James (2 votes 21 points)
Bob Mathias (3 votes 16 points)

As they are all the higher figure the only explanation i have is that i accepted a late entry after already posting or something

If you figure out their respective overall placement (Rodgers, too), I could correct the list.

Sorry Bill Rodgers is approx 100/101

all of these will change a few places when we get to the end and count backwards

[26mi235]

So you are a snow bound Badger.

Normally, yes. But this year we have the magnolia already.

The only Wisconsin Badger for TnF I can think of is Pat Matzdorf.

You probably know of Suzy Favor Hamilton. And more recently Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky.

In my northern Badger garden, snowdrops, early crocus and a few Scilla sibiricas are blooming, the earliest in my memory, the hyacinths and tulips coming out, daffodils not quite yet. What is a pom? Should I feel honored or scream bloody murder ?

P.S. Once mump completes the list, I will re-post the alpabetized thing again, complete with corrections.

Well, Madison is a bit further south but here are a few measures of how unusual the weather it is. Despite the fact that we have the ten normally warmest days of the month to go, this March has (in comparison to the years since 1950):

1 Has four times as many Cooling Degree Days (excess of average daily temperature above 65) as the previous 62.
2 In only four years has April had more CDDs
3 The average temperature is already more than 8 degrees higher than the next highest March and if the forecast for the rest of the month holds, we will end up 12 degrees above the average and higher than the highest April over the period since 1950.

[mump boy]

Is there anyone else that we think may have been missed ? please let me know now before we continue with our top 4

[Vault-emort]

I have 3 left (whom I'd thought would be near the top) so interested to see who the fourth is. All mine are male so guessing there are probably no more women.

ETA - d'oh! Think I've realised who the fourth one is, so I reckon you are good to go Mump. So it looks like all are current world-record holders (though one not in an Olympic event).

[LopenUupunut]

Is there anyone else that we think may have been missed ? please let me know now before we continue with our top 4

Rafer Johnson maybe? He's always seemed pretty popular here - if he really received no votes he must be the most popular zero-vote athlete

[Daisy]

Of those mentioned in previous posts I think all of the following should have got at least 1 vote. For example, I thought that nevets was a big Ivan fan.

Usain Bolt
Edwin Moses
Haile Gebresellassie
Michael Johnson
Rafer Johnson
David Rudisha
Wyomia Tyus
Paula Ivan

[mump boy]

I'm scared to continue in case i've messed up again

anyway

4th (14 votes 124 points)

Usain Bolt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nbjhpcZ9_g

Interesting to note the high amount of votes and the low amount of points, he wouldn't make top 10 on points. So lots of people voted for him but placed him quite low.

At the end we'll work out a points list and also an average list (over a certain amount of votes)

I voted for Usain (quite low) how could you not, he is quite simply amazing. Not just his athletic feats but the personality has been the best thing to happen to this sport in my memory.

[Tuariki]

I'm scared to continue in case i've messed up again

anyway

Doesn't matter mump. It has been a very enjoyable 4 months reminiscing about all of these great (and in some cases) not so great athletes.

4th (14 votes 124 points)

Usain Bolt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nbjhpcZ9_g

Interesting to note the high amount of votes and the low amount of points, he wouldn't make top 10 on points. So lots of people voted for him but placed him quite low.

At the end we'll work out a points list and also an average list (over a certain amount of votes)

I voted for Usain (quite low) how could you not, he is quite simply amazing. Not just his athletic feats but the personality has been the best thing to happen to this sport in my memory.

The relatively low points didn't surprise me but I thought Bolt would have gotten more voters. And like mump I agree that Bolt has been the best thing that happened to TnF in the history of TnF.

And if I think that, then why was I such a miserable tight arse by ranking him only 18th. I think it was because most of my choices were for athletes who were in their prime when I was in school through to when I was still competing.

I have only 1 left.

[Tuariki]

Hey mump - By the way, how many people voted?

[Tuariki]

I know who wins

Out of 1000 votes i've managed to lose 5

i'm going to spend 10 more mins trying to find them and then we get to the coundown

From this it appears that 50 people voted.

If correct then 14 voters for Bolt was surprisngly low in my opinion.

[bushop]

Thanks for this Daisy, when we do this again next winter i will be coming to you for your spread sheet skills

Next winter? Noooooo.
I heard there would be a post-Olympic T&FN Forum Favourite Athletes survey... and the top-25 would be printed in the T&F News' Olympics issue. We'd like to see how London brings new blood to the list.

[Daisy]

If correct then 14 voters for Bolt was surprisngly low in my opinion.

I didn't vote for him, BUT if I had thought about it for more than 5 minutes I would have. I guess, since I did it quickly, my thoughts were primarily on retired athletes.

[Vault-emort]

Bolt was my #8. I still have my #5 and #16 to go.

[mump boy]

Thanks for this Daisy, when we do this again next winter i will be coming to you for your spread sheet skills

Next winter? Noooooo.
I heard there would be a post-Olympic T&FN Forum Favourite Athletes survey... and the top-25 would be printed in the T&F News' Olympics issue. We'd like to see how London brings new blood to the list.

Oh yes we're doing it next winter but with a different question

(and a better prepared organiser)

[mump boy]

I know who wins

Out of 1000 votes i've managed to lose 5

i'm going to spend 10 more mins trying to find them and then we get to the coundown

From this it appears that 50 people voted.

If correct then 14 voters for Bolt was surprisngly low in my opinion.

there were 50 but then 2 people left and Lixuan joined late so i'm not 100% sure if that was before or after we had 50

[pakillo]

Didn't vote for Bolt. He gave massive contribution to popularity of this sport but I'm not a fan...

[mojo]

Didn't vote for Bolt. He gave massive contribution to popularity of this sport but I'm not a fan...

I appreciate the attention Bolt has brought to the sport but he did not even cross my mind for my top 20.

Maybe he is just too darn outlier? I certainly like him but in a way he kind of bores me.

I realize that makes little sense.

I love Tyson Gay-by far my fav male sprinter ever. I love how he goes out there and gets it done with little bravado and strutting. (for those reasons most male sprinters are eliminated from the mojo fav list).

[SQUACKEE]

I love Tyson Gay-by far my fav male sprinter ever. I love how he goes out there and gets it done with little bravado and strutting. (for those reasons most male sprinters are eliminated from the mojo fav list).

If he didnt take that little sip of water everytime he would be purrrfect!

[TN1965]

Not trying to correct you

I wish someone would all help is appreciated

Bill Rodgers also needs to be added (sorry TN1965)

Bill Rodgers (3 votes 20 points)

Thanks for the update.

For a while, I thought "Wow, Rodgers is more popular than Shorter? That cannot be true."

[preston]

I'm a HUGE Bolt fan. What he has done for the sport is probably more than the other 100+ favorites have done for the sport combined. Tyson is likeable, and I like him, but he's no Bolt - which is probably the reason why Gay received so few votes. (btw, If I'm not mistaken, the little sip of water is actually "illegal" and the IAAF has just not enforced it. Before the athletes are called to the blocks, all clothes, personal items and yes water are to be free of the starting area)

Bolt's personality may shock some but I've never considered it even mildly offensive. He was the consummate professional this sport needed and luckily he came at the right time. The fact that some would rather see him make the sport even more boring is, I guess, a matter of preference. Misguided preference from where I sit.

But, the single reason that I absolutely love Bolt, and what I think makes him different than nearly every other athlete out there today is that he is there to perform for YOU, the fan - which is the irony that some either don't care for him or don't like him and claim to be fans of the sport, or worse, wouldn't even put him on their list.

Outside of Flojo I haven't seen another athlete make showmanship such a large part of their 10 min presence in the arena (Willie Banks, Valerie Adams, Chaunte Lowe and Blanka Vlašic are great, too). You see, the sport shouldn't be about sullen athletes just competing and then robotically throwing their winner's flowers into the stands. It CAN be about that athlete that not only recognizes the fans but goes out of his way to make every one there feel as if they had a chance to actually touch/speak with them. Bolt GIVES to the fans, yet nearly every other athlete takes - or certainly don't give nearly as much.

But, what sealed it for me with Bolt, what had me at HELLO began in 2008. Here it was in Beijing and he had already broken the WR for the second time - even though he stopped running and slapped his chest while high-stepping through the line - and he could have easily just ran 19.7 and collected his second gold; he could have run 19.5 and say he was tired and it still would have been the best 1/2 double ever. But instead, with the entire world watching and anticipating and hoping and wondering...if he could...he did. Even though he outclassed the field and everyone knew it; even though it was his 8th race and he was definitely tired, even though it was obvious that the race wasn't going to be close. He gave the fans something wonderful. Not just every ounce of effort. But a history defining reopening of the discussion of what was possible. He broke Michael Johnson's record of 19.32 that most of us thought wouldn't be broken for at least another generation and he did it...because he wanted to. What we thought was near impossible was just a declaration?! Carl Lewis and some other field eventers passed jumps/throws when they're ahead; distance runners wave to the crowd or run a [u]bullshit "tactical race" to steal a win (or lose in the case of Morceli); and Cathy Freeman gave a routine performance and everyone [else] canonized her (why?). Bolt came to the office and gave all. And, it wasn't an accident, it wasn't Beamonesque, it wasn't because he was pushed. It was because he wanted to.

In 2009, in Berlin, with a good portion of the crowd wearing "Bolt arms" and Bolt having already set the WR of a previously inconceivable, 9.58, he began the 200 heats. By the semis, it was clear that he was tired, but his fatigue was forgivable: he had lost weeks of training due to flipping his BMW and he had just easily dispatched Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell in the fastest 100m ever. If ever there was an athlete who would have been appreciated for "mailing it in" it was Bolt in Berlin in 2009. But, the fans wanted more - even if we didn't deserve it. He had already given us something to talk about, something to dream about, and something to just flat out question faith itself because we no longer believed that we had any idea of what was possible. He redefined possibility.

And as the Starter is there to fire the gun, Bolt is there to inspire wonder. It's showtime. Bolt. The preening, posturing and pomp has given way to an all out effort and it's like there is no other athlete on the track, or spectators in the stadium. It's all Bolt and a clock. The strain seldom before visible in a Bolt race becomes evident. His normal ease camouflages itself as work and with no other masters to serve he decides to do the clock's job and tells it to stop. 19.11. For all of us there, for a moment, it felt like time had indeed stood still.

We never saw 19.32 coming, it just kind of came. We never saw 46.78 at all. Even 21.34 was kind of a shock, but 19.11 when we're expecting it and we. still. don't. believe. it.

That is why Bolt is more than a favorite to me. He put a heartbeat back in this sport and flushed it's cheeks. He stiffenend our spine so that we could walk a little taller though his own structure has twisted framework. He gives more than he takes, and takes what we give. I think he would appreciate a 4th place finish, but he would easily be my #1.

[72]

Goodness, I heartily agree with the paean of praise by Preston.

[Flumpy]

Me too and I disagree with him about EVERYTHING!!!

[bushop]

Oh yes we're doing it next winter but with a different question
(and a better prepared organiser)

Curious as to why a new question. A repeat would be much more thought-out by the responders and much more interesting... I think the results would be vastly different.

[mump boy]

Eek that makes 3

(but we could have done without the unnecessary Cathy shade)

My Usain love is similar to Preston's, i love the fact he's actually achieved what we all knew he could at the age of 15. There are so many child prodigies in our sport but very few of them actually go on to achieve anything, never mind legendary status. On top of all that he just seems like the nicest guy going. My favourite moment was in Berlin (i think) when he was dancing on the start line. He does The Arm Wave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn8QI41kNvk passes it to the next lane, which contains Tyson Gay, who just looks at him really uncomfortable and so Usain just shrugs and keeps going. It a prefect illustration of why i LOVE Usain and why Tyson bores me to tears.

[pakillo]

Watching Bolt at warm-up area at big champs is perfect chance to go to take a good leak. Bernard Williams used to make me laugh on the start line, Bolt just doesn't and his dance bores me as hell.

[mump boy]

Watching Bolt at warm-up area at big champs is perfect chance to go to take a good leak. Bernard Williams used to make me laugh on the start line, Bolt just doesn't and his dance bores me as hell.

Oh dear

[bman]

My problem with Bolt is that he doesn't really have an obsession with the sport like many on this list. He is a good guy no doubt about it but I tend to admire passion over other qualities. Usain just happened to be really good from a young age and stuck with it for that reason. I don't get the sense that he is a PhD student of the sprints, or will have a long career. I feel like I relate more to guys like MJ, Carl, Ben, Ato, John Smith, Lee Evans, Steve Williams etc.

[mump boy]

My problem with Bolt is that he doesn't really have an obsession with the sport like many on this list. He is a good guy no doubt about it but I tend to admire passion over other qualities. Usain just happened to be really good from a young age and stuck with it for that reason. I don't get the sense that he is a PhD student of the sprints, or will have a long career. I feel like I relate more to guys like MJ, Carl, Ben, Ato, John Smith, Lee Evans, Steve Williams etc.

Despite what we may think, there are other things in life besides track

[pakillo]

PhD student I assume that was big punch in the face to all Jamaica students who actually studied something. I hope no one here is serious about that. Anyway, he was kind of interesting to me in Helsinki2005 when he was in the 200m final, DNF there, later just not...

[Gabriella]

bman, mump...this is my problem/dilemma with athletes like Kluft too. Similar to Bolt in that they both have brought great personality to athletics. They've both made it exciting to watch and brought the fun back into it.

I wouldnt want every athlete to be like that though, and I like the contrast between a crazy Bolt on the start line vs a focussed and calm Gay; I don't like all these Bolt prenteders prancing around on the start line now; they will never be Bolt. Same with Kluft; love seeing her antics against the old school focus of Sabine Braun or some of the Eastern European girls who maybe lacked a bit of personality.

And the comparison continues in that I'm both frustrated and understanding that Kluft ditched the heptathlon at her very best. Possibly the worlds most naturally gifted all rounder technically, she never fulfilled her talent in the multis and for that I'll never forgive her! but equally I totally respect she is rounded and she has put her sport in perspective. But then I kind of like athelets who make the sport their whole life (Ottey...)

Same with Bolt. He just seems like a mischevious regular guy...only 1ft taller and with ridiculous ability. I like he prats about..as long as the youngsters realise you need to work hard to get there. If he sticks at this sport he could be the greatest ever and if he wanted to lay down his legacy he could even do the 400m. We'll see. But I'd equally respect him if he retired next year and did TV work!

[pakillo]

I pretty much agree on Kluft with ^^Gabriella. Though I've never rooted for her directly her I really enjoyed her attitude,the way she celebrated..., she gave up heptathlon too early, I don't think she will be among the best in London or in Helsinki. Would be great news if she decides to go back to hep again.

[nevetsllim]

Of those mentioned in previous posts I think all of the following should have got at least 1 vote. For example, I thought that nevets was a big Ivan fan.

I already had five Romanians in my top-20 and I thought that was enough. I liked all of the Romanians from the 80s but I just plumped for Melinte who was by far my favourite.

I'm quite surprised Borzakovskiy didn't get any votes. I was sure I voted for him but he must have been one of my final omissions to get it down to my final twenty.

[mump boy]

3rd (14 votes 156 points)

Michael Johnson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jo ... d_field%29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FEh7hDp ... re=related

another with loads of votes and a relatively low score