Greatest British Sports Man/Woman

[DaveShoelace]

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

[arbboy]

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.

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.

[JohnCharver]

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

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.

[arbboy]

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

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)

[DaveShoelace]

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

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.

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

[arbboy]

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.

[Doobs]

Surely this is easy, Mo Farah LDO

[AndrewT]

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

[arbboy]

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.

[jakally]

I would say Mo Farah. Not even close imo.

[arbboy]

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

Too good!

[arbboy]

I would say Mo Farah. Not even close imo.

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.

[Marky147]

Might start calling you 'Piranha', Arb

[DaveShoelace]

I would say Mo Farah. Not even close imo.

Why?  Back up your case?  I have made mine.  he has beat all time cart horses to win 6 golds.  Who cares?

All them medals he's won

[arbboy]

I would say Mo Farah. Not even close imo.

Why?  Back up your case?  I have made mine.  he has beat all time cart horses to win 6 golds.  Who cares?

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.