This just in - Bolt NOT as good as Carl!

[Marlow]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/lew ... 53854.html
:-)

[Speedfirst]

I concur with Tellez

[IanS_Liv]

Meh. I always considered Bob Hayes and Tommie Smith to be the greatest ever sprint exponents until Bolt. Then there came Michael Johnson and then there was Lewis (not counting the long jump).

For sprinter jumpers I always considered Heike Drechsler his better in terms of greatness. Or Jesse Owens if you insist Lewis is only compared to men!

[jazzcyclist]

Let's see, if we only compare global individual titles and world records, here's the tally:

Carl Lewis

• 100 - 5 golds, 2 WR
  200 - 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze, 0 WR
  Long Jump - 6 golds, 1 silver, 0 WR

Usain Bolt

• 100 - 2 golds, 3 WR
  200 - 2 golds, 1 silver, 2 WR
  Long Jump - 0 medals, 0 WR

I think I'll side with Tellez, but time is not on Lewis' side.

By the way, has anyone else seen Carl Lewis' first pitch video?

[Marlow]

CL's greatest accomplishment was his 4 LJ Oly Golds. Bolt's 2008/9 run of DEVASTING WRs trumps even that.

[jazzcyclist]

CL's greatest accomplishment was his 4 LJ Oly Golds. Bolt's 2008/9 run of DEVASTING WRs trumps even that.

Certainly Bolt's performances in Beijing and Berlin trumps Lewis's 4 Olympic long jump golds, at least in my opinion. However, as illustrated in my previous post, Lewis did a lot more than win four Olympic jump golds, and no objective person would ignore those other accomplishments. And if you do believe that four Olympic long jump golds are the only things in Lewis' career worth mentioning, then I guess you also believe that Lewis is no greater than Al Oerter.

[Marlow]

then I guess you also believe that Lewis is no greater than Al Oerter.

If Oerter's particular talent could have been used to win other golds, like throwing other sized discs far, he might have had more golds than Lewis. CL had blazing speed and he used that one skill in the 100, 200 and LJ. The fact that he used his speed so efficiently in the LJ, which so many other sprinters have failed to do, does not change the fact that without his world-class speed he could not have won the 4 LJ golds. Powell was obviously a better 'jumper' because he did NOT have CL's speed. The only reason that CL IS better than Oerter is because Oerter did not dominate his event during his run, but CL did.

[Pelpa]

I concur with Tellez

Yet another thread about Bolt huh. Wonder if your view still remains that there are too many topics concerning Bolt. That is, of course, until the right one comes along. :wink:

[jazzcyclist]

If Oerter's particular talent could have been used to win other golds, like throwing other sized discs far, he might have had more golds than Lewis.

If my aunt had gonads, she'd be my uncle.

CL had blazing speed and he used that one skill in the 100, 200 and LJ. The fact that he used his speed so efficiently in the LJ, which so many other sprinters have failed to do, does not change the fact that without his world-class speed he could not have won the 4 LJ golds. Powell was obviously a better 'jumper' because he did NOT have CL's speed.

I find it interesting that you've penalized Lewis for his speed but not Bolt for his. Also, you hold Lewis' speed against him despite admitting that others with his speed were unable to come anywhere near duplicating his fetes. Furthermore, you don't seem to give him credit for his technical proficiency, which the long jump requires, nor his longevity.

[shearer39]

I never understand these discussions. So Lewis did the long jump and Bolt does not. So what? the 100/200m are Bolt's specialities. CL did the 100/200/LJ.

Tellez's argument that Carl could have run faster if he didnt do the long jump is weak. Does that mean if Bolt took up the long jump he would be slower?

Look, Lewis is one of the all time greats but Bolt will be greater by 2012.

[Barry Allen]

I concur with Tellez

Yet another thread about Bolt huh. Wonder if your view still remains that there are too many topics concerning Bolt. That is, of course, until the right one comes along. :wink:

CL will always be the greatest for certain people who wear white, blue and red tinted glasses :!:

[TrainerPhil]

I concur with Tellez

Of course you would........

The semi-retired coach is a massive Bolt fan who gets a wistful tone in his voice when asked about a hypothetical match race between the two greatest sprinters the world has seen. ''I know that Carl could have run faster. I always felt he didn't reach his full potential as a sprinter,'' he says. ''If Carl was running today he would be running faster.''

Impossibe to compare runners from different eras, but I also think it is absurd that he would suggest Carl would definitley be running faster than Bolt right now.

It's also amusing that he throws out 2 "excuses" or reasons for why he didn't run faster times.

''Carl didn't run for times, that's not how we coached him. He was a competitor and he ran to beat the man, not the clock. It's what we always focused on.''

''I definitely know Carl could have run faster if he was just sprinting,'' he says. ''The way he combined sprinting and long jump,

I doubt that at the top of their careers (we haven't see Bolt's yet) that Carl would be able to beat Bolt in a 100m race. That doesn't mean Bolt is greater, because longevity is a big factor IMO on who the greater sprinter is............time will tell.

[Daisy]

Carl didn't run for times, that's not how we coached him. He was a competitor and he ran to beat the man, not the clock. It's what we always focused on.

If CL only trained and raced to beat the opposition, rather than tap his full potential, then why didn't he beat Ben Johnson?

[Smoke]

This is another example of media unsavvy. Tom Tellez should go review Terrell Owens interview last week for the correct way to frame this article and interview.
It should have read something like this....
Tom Tellez says Carl would have run faster if he had just concentrated on the sprints. Tellez believes Carl would have challenged Bolt if they were both in their prime today. Tellez also believes there is no real comparison between Bolt and CL because of the various disciplines CL chose to compete in through his career. Carl was first and foremost a jumper. His ability to sprint was phenomenal and we trained to win. We did not race times but trained for the gold. Carl loved to compete and WIN, etc.
See how I avoided any COMPARISON to Bolt, or exhibited any clear bias towards Bolt.
I am sorry I have to say between Carl and Tom it just comes across as sour grapes. Stop trying to demean or marginalize what Bolt is doing. I do not care if you think he is dirty, people thought you were dirty. So get over it. Talk abotu what is. Carl is one of the most respected voices on the planet, he is synonymous with sprinting, yet he has never found it in him to talk about sprinting in any in depth form. What about the start, the mid race, the finish.
Do you know my lasting memory of Carl's technical commentary? He once did a sprint video, I am sure many of you have it, he says, he does not stretch, it is not that important to sprinting. Great, thanks Carl. You were only the greatest thing on 2 feet. SO now 20 years later, his level of sprint talk has regressed. Now all I get from Carl and apparently his supporters is how great Carl IS and how he would still be the best now AND how drugs are ruining the sport. And he wonders why he was ignored for a decade after his retirement???
And I grew up a Carl Lewis FAN!!! So much so that I was crushed when MP broke the record in 1991. My mistake, glad I rectified it.

[Marlow]

Carl is one of the most respected voices on the planet

I agree with everything else you say, except this. Carl and Mary Slaney have created virtually identical places for themselves in the sport's memory. HUGE talents, but lacking in self-awareness.