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**waynehobley** · 10-02-2003, 08:54 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

Women
100 Meter Hurdles: Gail Devers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4x4 Relay Team: 1988 Seoul Team

**6 5.5hjsteve** · 10-02-2003, 08:57 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

wayne, you missed one of Slowrunner's caveats; he did not include anyone that won in another event.

**Pego** · 10-02-2003, 09:29 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

My additions:
110H-Skeets Nehemiah (USA)
100H-Ginka Zagorcheva (Bulgaria)

**6 5.5hjsteve** · 10-02-2003, 09:36 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

and I would pull out Cram, as El G is a clear cut choice. And anyway, if anyone would be second it would be Ryun, not Cram.

**Slowrunner** · 10-02-2003, 10:59 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

>and I would pull out Cram, as El G is a clear cut
>choice. And anyway, if anyone would be second it
>would be Ryun, not Cram.

I put in Cram as a second choice as El G is still active & can change things next year. Cram/Ryun is an interesting comparison, I have to think about it.

**Guest** · 10-03-2003, 01:33 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

I think Coe would have to be the guy at 800m.

He got 2 1500 wins but none at 800 and he was the WR holder for a very long time.

**Slowrunner** · 10-03-2003, 02:33 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

I've thought about Cram vs. Ryun - very similar.

Both won silver medals at the Olympics in their prime & did not win a medal in their other Olympics. Cram was closer with a 4th in '88, although Ryun never got the chance to run in the '72 final.

Both ranked #1 in the world in the 2 years prior to the Olympics, but while Ryun never ranked #1 again, Cram did 4 more times, '85-'88.

Both set world records in the mile that lasted for 8 years. Ryun set two world records at 1500, Cram set one.

Cram won a world championship, Ryun never had the opportunity.

Cram lived in an age of dawning professionalism in track which allowed him to compete at the highest level for another 4 years. This opening of track also increased the competition as other athletes were able to do the same.

Ryun had only two "great" runners as adversaries, Kip Keino and later, Marty Liquori. Cram faced Seb Coe and Said Aouita, although Aouita never concentrated solely on 1500.

Largely on the basis of his 6 #1's to Ryun's two, I would still stick with Steve Cram. Interestingly, it seems as though Cram's legacy has been much more quickly forgotten (at least here in the USA) than Ryun by his inability to win Olympic gold.

**The King** · 10-03-2003, 05:52 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

>My additions:
110H-Skeets Nehemiah
>(USA)
100H-Ginka Zagorcheva (Bulgaria)

I know that I'm gonna got a lot of stick for picking this guy over 'Skeets' but;

110H-Colin Jackson (GBR)

And another one of my picks,
Men's Triple Jump-Willie Banks(USA)

**Guest** · 10-03-2003, 06:18 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

>I've thought about Cram vs. Ryun - very
>similar.

>Cram lived in an age of dawning
>professionalism in track which allowed him to
>compete at the highest level for another 4 years.
>This opening of track also increased the
>competition as other athletes were able to do
>the same.

At the great risk of starting another huge argument, I personally wouldn't say that lack of professional opportunities kept Ryun from competing at the highest level for another 4 years.

Ryun had only two "great" runners
>as adversaries, Kip Keino and later, Marty
>Liquori. Cram faced Seb Coe and Said Aouita,
>although Aouita never concentrated solely on
>1500.

I don't think Aouita ever entered an Olympic 1500.

**billthedog** · 10-03-2003, 08:10 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

Gutowski over Warmerdam, Fredericks over Harold Davis? Absurd. Stones over Steers is a little closer. But Godina over Torrance or Fuchs, and Schmidt over Gordien are just about as modernistically (a word?) myopic.

**Guest** · 10-03-2003, 09:30 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

Steve WIlliams
Houston McTear

**6 5.5hjsteve** · 10-03-2003, 09:52 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

careful billthedog, someone will make fun of your age again, but YOU ARE RIGHT.

**Slowrunner** · 10-03-2003, 11:25 PM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

>>I've thought about Cram vs. Ryun -
>very
>similar.

>Cram lived in an age of
>dawning
>professionalism in track which allowed
>him to
>compete at the highest level for another
>4 years.
>This opening of track also increased
>the
>competition as other athletes were able to
>do
>the same.

At the great risk of starting
>another huge argument, I personally wouldn't say
>that lack of professional opportunities kept Ryun
>from competing at the highest level for another 4
>years.

Ryun had only two "great"
>runners
>as adversaries, Kip Keino and later,
>Marty
>Liquori. Cram faced Seb Coe and Said
>Aouita,
>although Aouita never concentrated
>solely on
>1500.

I don't think Aouita ever
>entered an Olympic 1500.

He did enter the '88 race, but withdrew after the heats with a hamstring injury.

**billthedog** · 10-04-2003, 01:48 AM

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

And, at that, I neglected McKenley in the 400m and Harbig in the 800m. I would think they rank ahead of the current nominees.

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