Greatest British Sports Man/Woman

[kinboshi]

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

[bagel]

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

look at jonathan edwards for god sake.

[Marky147]

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?

[TheDazzler]

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."

[arbboy]

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!

[AndrewT]

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

[TheDazzler]

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

[arbboy]

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.

[TheDazzler]

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.

[arbboy]

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. 

[Doobs]

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.

“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

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."

[samurai]

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.

[JohnCharver]

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."

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.

[TheDazzler]

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."

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

[tikay]

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."

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.