10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

Greatest by event is a great category but let's get more specific...Here are my 10 Greatest Male Athletes of all-time
1. CARL LEWIS
2. PAAVO NURMI
3. AL OERTER
4. MICHAEL JOHNSON
5. SERGEY BUBKA
6. EMIL ZATOPEK
7. EDWIN MOSES
8. DALEY THOMPSON
9. HAILE GEBRESILASIE
10. BOB MATHIAS

Re: 10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

I forgot one...JESSE OWENS

Re: 10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

You forgot two: Valeriy Brumel (proving of course, only that a Top 10 in this area has to have at least 20 names!)

Re: 10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

You mean Lasse Viren and his four golds in two OG's don't make it?

Hard to put a list together with just ten names.

[luv2run]

Re: 10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

Jim Thorpe?

Re: 10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

Flo Jo?

[jsquire]

Re: 10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

This brings up a point I see every year in the AOY voting.

How do you compare athletes that compete in just one event to those who compete in several events? Lewis dominated both the 100 and the long jump, but not as completely as Moses dominated the 400H. I think it's pretty hard to decide which was "better".

How often has the AOY been an athlete that competed in only one event? I think it's 14 times in 43 years.

Re: 10 Greatest Male Athletes of All-Time

Juantorena.

The 400/800 double is rare, exceedingly difficult, and therefore a measure of raw athleticism.