Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

[Guest]

With everyone discussing the best athlete(s) never to win the gold, how about someone chiming in on the worst athlete, or the "least deserving" athlete to grab the top prize at the games?

Someone told me once they thought Lindy Remigino was the worst. I think he's just one of the biggest upsets.

[stevehj197]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

how about Jerome Biffle that same year in the LJ

[Arnie]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

They were right Lindy gets my vote.

[Guest]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

Patoulidou, '92 100H

[jhc68]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

Lyn Davies was clearly a terrific athlete, it is not easy to say he was the "worst" at anything. But he was not even close to being in the same class with Boston or Ter-O at the '64 games. The rains came, though, and Davies came away a winner.

[Powell]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

Josy Barthel

[Guest]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

Oh come on, the clear "winner" here is Amos Biwott.

[Slowrunner]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

I'm thinking Ria Stalman or maybe Benita Fitzgerald-Brown.

[larwood]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

I agree, it is hard to pass the ineptitude of
Biwott.

[Guest]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

Jeez, you guys are thinking way too contemporary (although Peter Rono leaps to mind). There are lots of early OG champs who never accomplished much of anything else.

[Pego]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

How about Thomas Munkelt, GDR, 110H '80 and Juha Tiainen, Finland, hammer '84?

[Guest]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

Harold Abrahams, 100m gold medal in 1924.

I know he is the hero of Chariots of Fire, but he did little before the '24 games and nothing after his victory.

In fact, later in the very same Olympics (after he won the 100) he finished 6th in the 200 final and was beaten by 2 yards by the U.S. runner on the opening leg of the 4x1.

Retired the following year after a thigh injury sustained while long jumping.

[Guest]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

"There are lots of early OG champs who never accomplished much of anything else."

This is, of course, entirely true; a result of the fact that the first several OG were (athletically speaking) utterly inconsequential. In this particular hall of shame, we're focusing on the more recent "undeserving" because this--supposedly--is the era in which the OG is the ULTIMATE of ALL SPORT.

[6 5.5hjsteve]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

Replying to the last few threads, if we are going to pick the "worst" winner, it's noit really fair to get down on people like Munkelt and Taienen ( sp. ?). Not there fault others were not there.

And as to the "early days" to my mind "modern Track " started in LA in 1932.

So let's try to pick the worst from 1932 through 2000, ignoring ( sadly ) 1980 and 1984. True to a lesser extent for 1976 as well.

[Pego]

Re: Worst athlete to win Olympic Gold?

<Not there fault others were not there.>

I guess, Steve, you are right. On the other hand, if everybody showed up, the winner clearly was "the best on the given day" regardless of accomplishments before or after :-)