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I know we've had this discussion before, but on the Beeb they are calling Mo Farah the greatest ever british sportsman after his triple double. I must admit, he is one of personal favourites to watch (Partially because I like to watch distance running and also because I feel sorry for him whenever his wife seems in a mood). Paula Radcliffe was previously in my best of all time list so I guess Mo might be my all time great because he has pretty much eclipsed her.

Steve Redgrave and Chris Hoy also instantly come to mind as contenders.

I know I'm missing a bunch of obvious ones.

Who else makes the 'best of' discussion?

Daley Thompson.

Please see my posts on TFT about how incredibly over rated mo is.  He isn't even in the top 5 all time UK athletes for me. Never mind the greatest of all time. Foster should finally be retired to stud from the bbc for his comically stupid comments today about mo.  He is so out of date even Paula was lol'ing at him the other day with his out of date opinions.

Mo has beat no one to win these medals in the bigger all time ptciture. If mo is the greatest ever then Greg Rutherford is in front of him because he has won the grand slam even though he, like mo, is miles behind the all time greats on the real lists for his events. Please don't fall for the bbc hype.  It is really tilting.

I could win the 5000m if you put Barry Neville, da bookie and Ali mallu as my opposition. Does that make me an all time great 5000m runner? Never mind the greatest sportsman in the history of gb? Do me a favour.

Is it Mo Farah chaps?

This.  Daley for me would get my vote all time.  Not sure who would be second.  Actually I do Phil the powerrrrrrrrrrr Taylor!! 16 time champion of the world!!!!!!  It's not a sport though before all the moaners sign in.

Fwiw if you are a distance running fan Paula has achieved way more than mo has.  She is 1.000001 to have done it clean as well. She has set records in women's long distance running which won't be beat for years and they were set ten years ago.  Please stop with this mo bullshit.  It is really tilting to real sports fans who go by the clock rather than the hype.

Yeah but Radcliffe never beat the Cube

Paula has four of the best six all time marathon records in history. Most of them were ten years ago.  Mo doesn't even appear on any all time top tens in any event, training methods now compared to ten years ago make mo look very average to the real judges.  If you love mo this much you should love Greg just as much.  He has achieved as much as mo. He has beat nothing all time to win all his golds.  

I'm starting to think Mo might not even make your top 5 at this rate.

Sure you are levelling me but why would he even be in the top 5 all time in athletics never mind sport all time?

Just a simple list of world record holders since I was alive.  Coe (his world record lasted 25 years), Daley, Colin Jackson Sally gunnell, linford, Paula. There is just five. I could name many more on the relative all time lists who are far more impressive than mo and he could easily be a drug cheat let's not forget that, his coach is bent as fuck.

 On top of that five is the most obv one edwards whose world record still stands to this day by a mile.

Mo has got as close to a wr in his events as I have in staying sober for a month!!!

🎣

The Mo Bot for a start

On top of all the stats many would argue mo isn't British either.

Lol, stop it Barry, it's too easy.

I believe Coe or edwards are the best athletes we have produced. Radcliffe was a great woman but she couldnt beat a bloke so her achievements dont count as greatest imo. They are the ones who produced long standing WRs and probably win in any era. Cant have a decathlete either, people only try it if they arent good enough to win an individual medal.

By that logic Audley Harrison is a better boxer than Barry McGuigan

Do me a favour being a total athlete at 10 events massively beats being a specialist in one.  I had this ruck with a guy in the pub last night.  

Bottom line Mo isn't even in the discussion for me and i am only 40.  Says it all.  I don't count any uk athlete pre 1984.

Think its a dangerous view tbh. Yes couldnt agree more hes only good because of a genetic advantage from being african. But then you could argue the same with christie and thompson? Where does it end? You can only be white and trace your breeding back generations, like horses? Think british is a state of mind rather than a set of genes.

Mo has lottery funding (yet another advantage not discussed which all my all time greats never had to give them a level playing field Paula might have had it even though she didnt need it)

Plus you could also make similar, equally wrong, counter arguments along the lines of 'XXX athlete isn't British because they train abroad' (Edit: Or because they had lottery funding)

If they were raised here, they're British IMO

most of the people on this thread are 40+.  How on earth can u think mo is the greatest ever?  I have given my argument against it.  Please give yours for it.  I am all ears.  This is my previous TFT post on mo dealing with facts not bbc hype.

To add some context to this historically Mo is 64th on the all time fastest 5000m runs in history 16 seconds slower than the world record (his 2nd best ever 5000m time is ranked 174th of all time)

In the 10000m all time list he is 28th on the all time list nearly 30 seconds off the world record (his 2nd best ever 10000m time is ranked 47th of all time)

http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m_10kok.htm
http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m_5000ok.htm

I appreciate winning gold medals at championships isn't about times etc.  However in a raw sport like athletics where it is so simple to compare generations unlike other sports Mo needs to stop saying times don't matter and crack on and show us how good he really is imo.  Fosters comment about him being better than some of those at the top of these lists is just stupid beyond belief.

What a performance by the yank in the decathlon.  New world record at a major championships.  He is a beast of a human being.

Surely this is easy, Mo Farah LDO

To be fair, Mo's Quorn adverts are way, way worse than Daley's Lucozade advert.

Lets add training techniques/drugs/nutrition in 2015 are miles ahead of years before yet mo still is miles behind the old timers.  He has beat nothing to be the king of quorn.  He probably is the highest paid long distance athlete of all time.  He clearly isn't anywhere near the best.  Let's be honest.

I would say Mo Farah. Not even close imo.

Too good!

Why?  Back up your case?  I have made mine.  he has beat all time cart horses to win 6 golds.  Who cares?  I would argue he is a carthorse himself alltime.

Might start calling you 'Piranha', Arb ;D

All them medals he's won

So as i said earlier if me, barry neville, da bookie and ali mallu rock up for the 100m 5 tiems in a row and i win 5 times a row in a shit time.  I am the greatest 100m runner ever?  Talk me through it?  Athletics is the easiest sport in history to compare era on era because the clock doesn't lie.  Mo has been destoryed by the clock.

If it was at the Olympics and/or World Championships

Do you have ginger hair?

Please take this seriously because i can't have mo on my mind as even in the top 5 all time uk athletes.  It is a sport against the clock and tape measure.  Not how many golds you win.    They get paid huge sums ( more than quorn pay) to break world records.  Why doesn't mo go for them other than the fact he couldn't possibly get close to brekaing a world record?   The rewards have never been higher to break them.  We all know why 'times don't matter' because mo can't get anywhere near them all time.

It is amazing how people still buy into the bbc as being impartial.  This fred clearly shows it.  If the bbc don't state the facts then it must be right! wp cram and foster.

David bedford is our best ever distance runner eh arbs?

You don't have to have him on your mind, believe it or not, we are allowed to have a difference of opinion. If I tell you black forrest gateaux is the best dessert of all time will that give you sleepless nights too?

But in actual reply to that, the longer distance races are way more tactical than you are giving them credit for. When someone chooses to leg it and when they choose to conserve their energy is a big part of it.

BTW if you want me to break it down in more detail, feel free to sign up for my premium tips on BettingEmporium.com

Foster still thinks viren wasnt a cheat lol. Hes skewed by it being his event, his sport.

Top5 in athletics for me are:-

Edwards
Coe
Christie
Rutherford
steve jones

Why doesn't he take the huge financial rewards on offer to break world records if he can?  When he is happy to take the quorn money?  All these times were done outside of championships with huge financial incentives.  most of the legends wanted to be the best ever anyway.  Mo constantly talks about making huge sacrifices from his family so why wouldn't he want to cash in on the golden league season by breaking world records to justify the sacrifices he makes?  Makes no sense to me unless, like me, he knows he can't lace the spikes of the previous all time greats and he knows by going for them it will expose him to quorn that he is an all time jobber rather than the 'greatest sportsman in history' the bbc sells us.

I know understand why Greg is so fucked off about his image in current UK athletes.  Makes more sense.  He is as good as mo all time but gets no credit even with the grand slam.  Greg knows mo is a jobber like he is but he wants the same financial pay day.  You cant blame him

Practice protein, practice protein.

Bit unfair. Mo wins in the current field no matter what they do (yeah they arent great) but rutherford loses if the yank or a few other jump well. Been a dirth of talent in 10k since the kenyans realised it was pointless compared to big city marathons cash.

So what you are saying is Mo is beating nothing and isn't anywhere near the greatest ever in his own event never mind the greatest GB sportsman in history.

There has been a huge lack of talent in the long jump for 20 years in case you missed it.

Where have I ever argued he is?

Greatest UK athlete of all time [2,5]

anybody who can say mo farah is not in top five uk athletes of all time is completely deluded.

lock for top three.

By your reasoning is galen rupp a better 10k runner than mo farah arb?

Coe (30 years world record holder) Edwards 20 years world record holder and counting.  I won't speak about the rest.  Paula.  4 of the fastest 6 marathon times in history (most over 10 years ago and 1/1000000 drug clean).  Talk me through why mo is ahead of these before Delay/Sally/Linford.  I am all ears.

Steve Backley is higher in my all time list than Mo.  We went head to head with the greatest ever to live in his event yet still won loads of golds.

Would you argue there was any chance linford was clean?

You forgot jackson aswell (while we are naming drug cheats)

I think linford was more clean than mo is.  Edwards and Paula are 1.00001 to be 10000% clean.  Both current world record holders even though the records were set 10+ years ago.   No one has got near either fwiw in 10 years of improved training/nutrition etc etc.

Quorns legal bro

I am amazed the judges on here really fall for the bbc drug propaganda rather than the clock.

Mo is def cleaner than Coe was.

I get what you are saying Arb, but Mo Farah is without question a winner.

Who else has won that tally of golds over 5 and 10k?

You can't argue he has won on the world stage time and time again.

BTW, I loved Seb Coe. He was pure class on the track, the most graceful and majestic runner ever.

Greg is a winner as well.  Why isn't he the greatest all time gb sportsman?  Because he is ginger or because, like Mo, he is down at 50th all time on the records list in his chosen events?

Ginger discrimination, obv...

'I think linford is more clean than Mo is' apologies I can not quote on my tablet. But that is the most absurd line I have ever read, period. Whilst OP thinks about the quality of truth, whom did Linford beat and was Linford banned for any time? Some poor form being shown in this thread.

Who did Linford beat?  Were you alive in 1992?

I am the same age as you Mr Wilson so you tell me who he beat. Yes I know.

Half the field he beat were drug cheats.  More importantly who has mo beat?  and in what time?  9.96 in 1992 was rapid.

But he failed a drugs test in 1988. Plus that time vs today suggest christie is a mo farah of 1992?

He might be but i don't have linford in my top 4 gb athletes of all time.  My top 2 are 1/10000 to be drug free and both current world record holders who set their records between 10-25 years ago and they still stand by a country mile.  That was my original argument.

Mo was much better than edwards for championship performances and infinitely better than ratcliffe at champs.

Who has he beat on the all time list?  What records has he set?  Anyone can trot home in their own time beating nobody's!

he can only beat whats put before him

and times mean nothing half the distance records for the past 3 decades were set by uncaught cheats

edwards couldnt beat me on a sunday

Why doesn't cram tell us this then if its true?  He loves barking about a drugs cheat?  The fact mo is more intersted in winning 'easy' golds for $$$$$$ sponsorship wise than setting all time great times tells you exactly why he isn't even close to being GB's best ever athlete.  

I don't knock him for it.  It is his job and profession.  He has 4 kids to feed. 

not for me, not at all

a lot of recency bias on this thread. its just happened its fresh in our minds, we overvalue it


Daley Thompson
Sebastian Coe
Sally Gunnell
Jonathan Edwards
mary rand
david hemery
Rger Bannister

go back as far as Harold Abrahams as well

for athletes


Redgrave
Bobby Moore
Botham
Chris Hoy
Bradley Wiggins
matthew pinsent

for the title of the thread, and thats without pausing to think

all miles ahead of Farah to me who, by the standards of the event, is beating Kenyan statues.. the really good ones are earning zillions running the city marathons

Farah is obviously brilliant, but top three all time? not even close

couldnt agree more, just fancied trolling arbboy tbh.

lolzzzzzzzzzzzzz hard to troll a troll!!!!

1988 wasn't the only drug test Linford failed. He failed another before he retired.

Agree with Arbboy that Mo isn't even in the top 5 athletes never mind sportspeople. Behind Coe,  Daley, Edwards, Paula,, Jess maybe Cram and Ovett in their pomp. In terms of performance Fatima beats him. How she never got caught was a miracle. Her body change made Linfords look reasonable.
Honourable mentions to Sanderson, Black, Jackson, Jarret, Lewis,  Redmond, Gunnell, RutherfordI and McColgan who in terms of times and distances achieved all compare with Mo despite his greater medal haul.
Be interested to know how many of that list doped!

To be fair. It wasn't hard at all :)

A man with some proper knowledge of athletics.  WP sir.  You talk sense.  Will excuse you Redmond if you mean Derek!!!!!!!

In terms of all time greats I think it's difficult to look past setting a world record and then it taking ages for someone else to beat it.

Colin Jackson's lasted 11 years. Daley Thompson's was 8 years. Seb Coe 16 years. Jonathan Edwards 20 years and counting. Paula Radcliffe's marathon record is at 12 years and there are those that think it may stand for 30 or 40 years, as it's so far ahead of what anyone else has done.

I know arbboy reckons Coe was dirty but certainly the others were 100% clean.

I still think Derek would have won gold in Barcelona but for his hamstring. Some great British 400m runners round then but he could've been the best. 44.5 was a great time then. Or now tbh

chris akabusi would of won more medals and broke some records if it wasnt for the laughing gas

I don't think Coe is dirty at all.  He was my idol as a kid and one of the reasons i went to lboro uni!!  Camel is convinced he is a cheat.  His world record was insane so i am dubious but hopeful.


Sebs record stood til 2012 london final from early 80s fwiw unless i am wrong.

Ah, apologies.

(https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/6JZN.Q.1sy9ctyv04ORXYw--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NTAwO3E9OTU7dz01MDA-/http://myfunnyreaction.com/media/k2/items/src/7259f5cd29bb148fa88047b6ec275343.jpg)

Spycam at Arb towers, sometime this evening while the thread developed ;)

Greyhound Racing: £6,708.35  Total P&L:  £6,708.35

The crayford bias has helped to stop me head butting the machine all night.  I haven't had a drink yet.  Looking forward to the boozer in 20 minutes!!!

400h was ridic tough then. Pretty weak now, steeplechaser won the last one.

Ed Moses ftw!

kipketer broke it in the 90s

stood about 15 years.

ok cheers.

Haha, good stuff, son!

Don't think I'm alone when I say that I prefer it when you start polishing the Stella off early doors ;D

2nd one on its way south now.  Always feels better when bf is paying for it.  4pm Monday was a serious one off.  Don't expect a repeat performance any time soon!

6k profit on the dogs on a Saturday night would ease the stress of these lot trying to wind you up arb nice lift bud enjoy the Stella

I don't think anyone was trying to wind me up.  I think most are mobot fan boys who believe the bbc hype.

Think a couple were, but  no way is he anywhere near when you look through all the names mentioned in this thread

I think a fair few were, but could be wrong, of course :)

I think it is a mistake to judge distance runners by times when judging their greatness.

In the 100m, there are no tactics in terms of opponents, you just execute your race plan, which in John Virgo terms is "run as fast as you can". So to win titles you need to be close to world record pace

In the 5K/10K, it is far more tactical with the early laps being run at snail's pace. It is 1.0000001 that a record time will be set in the final of a championship race. ;D

When records are set in the 5K/10K, they are stage managed events with pacemakers.

Mo seems interested in only winning titles. He is competing in fields that have 3 runners from the same country who may be running to a team race plan designed to upset his race plan. You only have to look at the way Mo finishes races off to see how majestic he is.

His full race times may not be great compared to WR times/attempts but I reckon his last 400/800m would compare very favourably. An empty claim without the data, I know but it's just as empty as using his time in a final to judge his overall greatness

He is only interested in winning titles because he wouldn't get anywhere near a WR. As has been said he is dominating a very weak era in distance running. There's no doubt he is a very good championship runner and very strong in the last 400/800m but in a stronger era he would have been tailed off before that stage as the Africans would have taken it out hard to negate his finish. They aren't doing that because none of them are capable of running a fast 10k either.

I'm sorry but this is complete sentimental tosh. Quincy Watts ran 43.50 in the final, the second fastest time ever (at the time) and beat Steve Lewis (champion in Seoul) into silver. Injury free, Watts would have been pushing MJ throughout the 90's. Redmond would have been scrapping around for the bronze but that's as good as it gets I'm afraid. Expect 44.50 to be very ordinary over next 5-6 years if this season is anything to go by. You may have to run sub 44 to be in the final in Rio.

The reason Thompson, Coe, Radcliffe, Jackson & Edwards come out on top in this list for me is that they would still be in the top 5 ever when discussing their events now.

Bekele, Gebresellaisse, Tergat, Skah, Farah for me in my lifetime of 5k/10k, so he's in the discussion - but only just

Imagine what they would have done with top level lottery funding throughout their careers which most didn't have and all the performance centres and improvements in training and nutrition since they competed yet, quite correctly, like you state their marks still stand as world class (or still world records to this day) despite this.

tbf I think paulas records are so good because she was ahead of her time, which includes today. Dont think lottery funding is relevant to anyone who makes it to the top, its relevant to getting them in and keeping them in until they reach a stage where money isnt a concern.

Redmond ran 44.5 in 1987. That time would have come 5th in the 2015 world championship. That's pretty impressive. Maybe he wouldn't have challenged Watts and Lewis in the final. I think he may have done as he was in the form of his life . Both the Americans trained by John Smith (I Think)which casts some doubt over the legitimacy of their times.
Maybe 44.5 will look ordinary in 6 years time but that's irrelevant when discussing an athlete who retired over 20 years ago. Finally can't imagine it's going to be necessary to run sub 44 to get to the final in Rio. Only the medallists beat that in this year's final. Be an amazing final if true though!!

MP all but names Radcliffe as british athlete with questionable blood data.

"When you hear that the London Marathon, potentially the winners or medallists at the London Marathon, potentially British athletes are under suspicion for very high levels of blood doping....When you think of the effect that has on young people and the community nature of that event, what are your emotions about that, how do you feel about that?"

Radcliffe felt the need to defend herself

"I categorically deny that I have resorted to cheating in any form whatsoever at any time in my career, and am devastated that my name has even been linked to these wide-ranging accusations."

what is mp?

Sorry member of parliament, parliamentary select committee has all but named her as the high profile british athlete who had abnormal results

Radcliffe "I was made aware that I would be facilitating mass coverage of my name in connection with false allegations of possible doping, which would enable further irreparable damage to be done to my reputation. As a result of today's parliamentary hearing I can no longer maintain my silence."

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/08/paula-radcliffe-denies-cheating-parliamentary-committee

Haven't MP's got more important issues to discuss currently than blood doping?  WTF are they even doing discussing it in Parliament?  Surely it's an issue with the athletics governing body not UK mp's?

Paula must be fuming at her rep being exposed like this.  The MP might be looking at a serious legal dispute with Paula so effectively saying her name in public regarding this.  So unprofessional.

If Paula is a drug cheat then it is GG WP athletics as a credible sport.

He didnt actually name her, but did make it pretty obvious. Also immunity as with the ryan giggs naming anyway, which is why they do it.

Parliamentary Privilege means they can say what they like without being sued for defamation btw.

Have to 'follow rules of parliamentary language' but that's it (quite low bar)

Wish I had seen this thread earlier, the rumours about Radcliffe have been swirling for a while in the athletics world.

I would be very skeptical about making any statement about athletes from years ago being clean. The recent bbc doc made it very clear that Allan Wells was cheating and that is was rife at the time.

The Cycling world of the late 90s/ early noughties should teach us that these things were covered up for a long time before the truth came out and a bit like that era in athletics the sporting public are pointing their fingers at the confirmed cheats (gatlin now) where in fact pretty much everyone was at it.

Having said all that if Jonathan Edwards is dirty I think I might give up on the human race.

The net is closing in on Sebastian Newbold Coe.

Counting the days until the weasel is unmasked as a cheat.

there has never been a single suggestion that he is, that i have heard or read, apart from yourself

if there was any potential for it, he sure as heck wouldn't have been voted in as IAAF supremo, would he?

I have never seen any evidence Coe cheated, but relying on a sporting organisation choosing someone that isn't dirty seems optimistic.

There weren't any rumours about Paula until today.

oh i had


jonathan edwards
daley thompson
sebastian coe

the unimpeachables, in that order.

pack up and give in if any of those are drug cheats

Why do you think Coe was a cheat? What have you seen/heard?

I would put Daley above Coe on that list.  Think Daley would have done whatever it took to win, including drugs.  Much more so than Coe. 

If Paula and Seb are both proven to be 'cheats' I would probably never watch athletics again.

I've got a friend who is an athletics expert. Would definitely be one of the top 3 judges in the country.

He is utterly convinced Coe is a cheat. Every other athlete who ran in the same era that recorded times which would still be competitive today has been exposed as a drugs cheat.

Either Coe is the best athlete of all time or he's a cheat according to my friend.

I despise Coe with a passion, so I choose to believe the latter :)

lol the amount of people you despise, I think you have issues mate  rotflmfao

It's really a very few individuals I despise.

Not entire races, religions or people from certain countries like some other people do.

I'd say you amount of people you have said you despise over the years amounts to more than certain countries, races or religions  rotflmfao

Blatter and Todt got to lead FIFA and FIA, getting voted to the top of an international sports org does not take talent, skill, or ability.

Ovett, Cram and Aouita havent been exposed as drugs cheats I don't think Keith. Can't see Coe as a cheat.

On a separate note, I'm sure there were lots of rumours about Paula Radcliffe in Europe when she was smashing the marathon up. Think it may have originated in France, possibly L'Equipe. 3 dodgy tests is quite a lot too.

I'll ask my friend to come to thread and explain his reasons.

It was incredibly compelling.

Paula doing an interview on itv, no the news

radcliffe always nailed on to be on the roids

Certainly doesnt look too good for her. The Sunday Times article which started this off says that there was only 1 chance in 1000 of the test results being flawed and that there were 3 suspicious readings.
Additionally the results got progressively higher as she achieved faster times/better results, whilst the blood scores were higher than any other British athlete who was tested.

http://www.paularadcliffe.com/statement-september-2015/

just goes to show that all these "whiter than white" sportsmen are mostly charlatans.

look at jonathan edwards for god sake.

What's he supposed to have done?

Just to go back to a very popular choice here for the greatest ever, Daley Thompson.
Is he really the greatest British sportsman ever? Amazing performance winning and dominating the event for the 1980s.
But it's such a niche event. How many people ever even do the decathalon? Does anybody on here know anybody that has ever competed in a decathalon? I know I don't and I would know different people that have done all sorts of different sports.
Without googling, can you name any other decathalete other than the current World and Olympic Champion and world record holder?
Interesting table on this page shows the world record in events and the decathalon best records in the same events. The biggest disparities %-wise are in 'throwing' events (shot/discus/javelin) and then the 1500m. So short, explosive power and then the stamina event.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decathlon#All-time_top_ten_athletes
I'm not saying Daley isn't the greatest Briton but would you even remember him if he had been Canadian?
"Oh yeah, remember that guy? He was okay at a load of events." :)

Dean Macey!

Those throwing event world records are all 20 years old so, you know...

The throwing events being 20+ years old means........drugs?
The best decathalete shot putt is from 1969, I just noticed! Decathalon is definitely running, not throwing!

Dean Macey rings a bell alright. I remember the name but I couldn't picture him.
Of course there is Caitlyn Jenner, who was the Olympic champ before Daley but we know her for other reasons :)

Chirpy essex chap.  Always injured and could never get through the 2 days!  Mid 1990's would be my guess his peak.

Okay, so you know him coz he was UK.
And any other decathalete? Like one of the other Olympic champions or world champions? I don't, anyway.

Dan O'Brien is the only other one i would remember.  The Czech guy i remembered his performances but couldn't remember his name. 

“In all of these three cases referred to by the Sunday Times (as well as on many more occasions) I was EPO (erythropoietin) urine tested at the time, and also in follow up,” Radcliffe claimed.

 “All of these three cases followed periods of altitude training. Only one of my blood test scores is marginally above the 1 in 100 accepted threshold, and this is invalid given that it was collected immediately following a half marathon race run around midday in temperatures of approximately 30C.

 “None of my blood test scores are anywhere near the 1 in 1000 threshold as was claimed by the Sunday Times and that which is seen as suspicion of doping. No abnormalities were ultimately found and any allegation that the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) did not follow up on blood data results in my case is false.”

I'd be pretty wary of assuming that something printed in a murdoch paper was the truth.  I remember this tawdry episode very well and pretty much stopped reading the Times and Sunday Times at that time, and have regarded them with disdain ever since.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism)

In the following few years, others became skeptical of the HIV theory as researchers initially failed to produce an effective treatment or vaccine for AIDS.[90] Journalists such as Neville Hodgkinson and Celia Farber regularly promoted denialist ideas in the American and British media; several television documentaries were also produced to increase awareness of the alternative viewpoint.[91] In 1992–1993, The Sunday Times, where Hodgkinson served as scientific editor, ran a series of articles arguing that the AIDS epidemic in Africa was a myth. These articles stressed Duesberg's claims and argued that antiviral therapy was ineffective, HIV testing unreliable, and that AIDS was not a threat to heterosexuals. The Sunday Times coverage was heavily criticized as slanted, misleading, and potentially dangerous; the scientific journal Nature took the unusual step of printing a 1993 editorial calling the paper's coverage of HIV/AIDS "seriously mistaken, and probably disastrous."

Yeah clearly the HIV denial is ludicrous, however with regard to drugs in sport the (Sunday) Times has a pretty decent track record following the Lance Armstrong stuff.
It's interesting to see the breakdown of nationalities identified as having provided abnormal test results. Russian athletes seem to account for approx half the tests, which I guess is just down to cheating, but the large amount of suspicious tests from Kenyan and other East African nations was a little surprising. Paula Radcliffe suggests that training at altitude may be a contributory factor towards her unusual blood values and maybe this is supported by the African results.

Really hope she's innocent of this as she always seems to be pretty decent and normal. It must be terrifying and infuriating to deal with all this if so.

Roman sebrle, tomas dvorak, erki nool but prob only remember them as they were decent at the same time as macey, so remember them by proxy. Made the same point earlier, if a decathlete had been particularly decent at any event they never even try 10.

Daley had a long jump in 1984 that would have got a bronze in the actual long jump competition and was only 1cm behind silver. And he was in the 4 x 100m relay team that year, although they didn't medal. Both facts though really do add weight to his claim to be the best ever British athlete.
But sprinting and long jump are linked and they were his key events. The 400m and 110 hurdles were probably helped by the same skill set, although hurdles are very technical.
It's a tough one but as it's so niche, not for me Clive :)

To my mind, being really decent at a range of sports is just as impressive as being excellent at a single discipline.

Agreed. Discarding the multi-discipline events would mean discarding St Jessica of Sheffield

(http://www.nebeep.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/jessica-ennis-688x910.jpg)

10 pages, any mention of Phil Taylor? :)

first page, follow by an instant clarification that darts isnt a real sport.

Ah right, there it is.
Course it's a sport.
If the question was greatest British athlete, obviously, that's different.