DISCLAIMER: This is in no particular order...Really!
Make sure you click on all the links or you will be very very lost...
1- The first is one who I remember watching as a child, Every Saturday we would find ourselves watching American Gladiators...This lady Kelly Mollica rocked! A firefighter, really cute and tough!
2- Maybe Steve Prefontaine should be at the top of the list because: #1 he is a runner, and #2 actually accomplished worthwhile goals in his life. (Let's see Olimpics vs American Gladiators...hmmm...Sorry Kelly...I can only imagine the hate mail now).
His story is almost the stuff to make a fairtale, even with a sore ending its worth the study. He definitely made his mistakes though, as do all humans, super athletes or not! Here is a man driven to excellence. A man who persisted on pushing his limits. He was not built like a runner, one leg was significantly shorter than the other, he was small. And only when you consider drive, stamina and dedication do you realize his strengths. Those were areas that he was anything but underdeveloped.
He is oft quoted, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Wise words.
3- Lets go to another Track athlete... Jim Thorpe. "... winning two gold medals at the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden...heptathlon and pentathlon gold medals which labeled him as the world's greatest athlete." I'll admit I am taking this quote out of context slightly to make the point that he was the man! Read the article yourself if you really have to know, but know that the man was also honest. That makes him a great athlete in my book!
Let's get another chap's opinion shall we?
In 1912, King Gustav V of Sweden told Jim Thorpe, "You, sir, are the World's Greatest Athlete" after Thorpe won the decathlon at the Olympics in Stockholm. Traditionally, the title of World's Greatest Athlete has been given to the man who wins the decathlon, a two-day event that features runs of 100, 400 and 1,500 meters, the 110-meter hurdles, the long jump, the high jump, the shot put, the discus, the javelin and the pole vault.
4- Here is one that you wouldn't expect to see...
see the full article
Tony Azevedo?
Everyone has his parochialism, all fans have their own slant on what athletes are the best.
But how can one argue with this:
Jump into a pool. Tread water for an hour. Don't touch the sides or bottom. Swim about two miles. Throw a ball the size of a volleyball upward of 70 mph. All the while, get punched, pinched and kicked in the mouth, eyes, nose and places you don't want to think about.
That's water polo, a sport that requires the skills of baseball, the strategy of soccer, the teamwork of basketball, the endurance of a marathon, the exertion of swimming, the grit of hockey, the contact of football, the danger of boxing and . . .
"Wrestling. Think of wrestling in the water," Azevedo said. "You're focused in on trying to score, working with teammates while you're getting roughed up like you wouldn't believe. You should see the stuff that goes on under the water. And all the while you're trying not to die from drowning. I'd put water polo up with any sport in the world."
Hmm Good argument...
5- Strongest Man competition, well although this is also entertaining to watch...I don't think it meets the definition of athlete...
6- Lets see what the Wall Street Journal has to say about this topic!
interesting finds!
Is it a coincidence that there is a hurdling picture here? I don't think so!Any comments? disagree? etc.
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