Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

[Guest]

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

<I say Lon Myers, but it's kind of hard to defend.>

His only chance would have been at the 1896 (Athens) Games, when he was really past his prime. We should look at people who got a chance to compete and could not win. Otherwise you have really high level people such as Gunder Hagg, Hal Davis, Walter George, Cornelius Warmerdam, to name a few. (Add Rudolf Harbig perhaps, though a "green" Harbig was there at the 1936 Oly, wasn't he?)

[Guest]

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

Warmerdam, hands down.

[Guest]

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

><M400: Reynolds broke a long standing record and
>had a couple of dominant seasons.>

Sorry, have
>to disagree. Herb McKenley is my choice - he got
>a gold in 1952, but in the 4 x 400 relay.

This may be a generational issue. I'm too young to remember McKenley, and he doesn't get the play that other athletes of the era get in the history books.

On the other hand, Reynolds was really dominant in an era when there were many more competitors than in the early 1950s. I think on that basis, Reynolds has to get the nod. (Also didn't Reynolds get a gold on the relay in 1988?)

[Guest]

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

Davis over Fredericks is
>disputed. I would simply say that Fredericks,
>apparently a prince of a fellow, ran (runs; it
>seems he's not retiring) very fast but often
>behind somone who ran faster. Davis ran fast and
>won races. Look at his record for 1940 through
>1943
I'm afraid that war year competitions in the US have to be heavily discounted for obvious reasons. Unless an athlete was smashing WRs, a la Wammerdam or Hagg, it's hard to make comparisons to other eras solely on competitive records. Fredricks faced much stiffer competition.

McKenley over Reynolds is disputed.
>(I wouldn't quarrel with Lon Myers.) Here is a
>case where comparison is reasonably possible
>because the ancient, McKenley, had about as long
>a career as the modern Reynolds. Reynolds has
>67 all-time ranking points, McKenley 60.

But Reynolds career was truncated by what many would consider to be a botched drug penalty case (yes, we can move to another forum to discuss this issue further-not! ;^)).

[Devers66]

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

Gail Devers ( 1992 )

John Capel (2000 Oylmpics, should of been a false start called, but wasn't, John should of won the gold)

[michael lewis]

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

Women 200- Evelyn Ashford

[michael lewis]

Re: Best Athletes to Never Win Olympic Gold

"Women 200- Evelyn Ashford"

Sorry, missed the part about winning in another event. Here are a few of my picks:

Women:

100 - Merlene Ottey
200 - Merlene Ottey
800 - Ana Quirot
1500 Mary Slaney