Top 100 Olympic Athletes???

[korbel]

Hello all,

Here is a list I found of the 100 greatest Olympic athletes...which unfortunately seems to start at number 94, and seems to have a missing piece or two. There are also short biographies on each athlete you can find by going to the website, which I deleted to save space here. Only biographies for the top 3 are provided here....with #1 being practically unknown. Of course, it will need revision due to the achievements of the latest legendary athletes.

Top 100 Olympic Athletes (Summer).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4423021.ece

Four years ago for Games in Athens, I devised a points system to rank the leading track and field athletes in the history of the Olympics. This year, the list has been updated and revised to include all the discontinued events that were left out in 2004.

The inclusion of such events as the standing long jump and 56-pound weight throw has made a dramatic impact on the top 100 rankings and produced a surprise athlete in the No 1 position.

Of course, it is impossible to compare the athletes of the early Games against the professionals of the modern era and such legends as Dick Fosbury and Bob Beamon, who made such dramatic impacts on the sport, are missing because they appeared in only one Games. But that's the beauty of a list - it gets people talking ... and fuming.

The points system.

Competitors in relays and team events are given half the points: 1st 6pts; 2nd 4.5pts; 3rd 3.5pts; 4th 2.5pts; 5th 2pts; 6th 1.5pts; 7th 1pt; 8th 0.5pt.

94=
Daley Thompson (Great Britain) 30pts
born 1958 Notting Hill, London
Gold decathlon 1980; decathlon 1984
Fourth decathlon 1988. Seventh 4x100m 1984

Bobby Joe Morrow (United States) 30pts
born 1935 Harlingen, Texas
Gold 100m 1956; 200m 1956; 4x100m 1956

Cornelius Leahy (Great Britian) 30pts
born 1876 Cregane, Limerick, Ireland; died 1921 Manhattan, New York, US
Gold high jump 1906
Silver triple jump 1906; high jump 1908

Alberto Juantorena (Cuba) 30pts
born 1950 Santiago de Cuba
Gold 400m 1976; 800m 1976Fourth 400m 1980. Seventh 4x400m 1976

Deon Hemmings (Jamaica) 30pts
born 1968 St Ann
Gold 400m hurdles 1996
Silver 400m hurdles 2000; 4x400m 2000
Fourth 4x400m 1996. Seventh 400m hurdles 1992

Maurice Greene (US) 30pts
born 1974 Kansas City, Kansas
Gold 100m 2000; 4x100m 2000
Silver 4x100m 2004
Bronze 100m 2004

Glenn Davis (United States) 30pts
born 1934 Wellsburg, West Virginia
Gold 400m hurdles 1956; 400m hurdles 1960; 4x400m 1960

Steve Backley (Great Britain) 30pts
born 1969 Sidcup, Kent
Silver javelin 1996; javelin 2000
Bronze javelin 1992
Fourth javelin 2004

83=
Miruts Yifter (Ethiopia) 31pts
born 1938 Tigray
Gold 5,000m 1980; 10,000m 1980
Bronze 10,000m 1972

Vilho Tuulos (Finland) 31pts
born 1895 Tampere; died 1967 Tampere
Gold triple jump 1920Bronze triple jump 1924; triple jump 1928
Fourth long jump 1924

Robert Richards (United States) 31pts
born 1926 Champaign, Illinois
Gold pole vault 1952; pole vault 1956
Bronze pole vault 1948

Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 31pts
born 1929 Sverdlovsk, Russia
Gold discus 1952; discus 1960
Bronze discus 1956

Micheline Ostermeyer (France) 31pts
born 1922 Rang-du-Fliers; died 2001 Bois-Guillaume
Gold shot 1948; discus 1948
Bronze high jump 1948

Edwin Moses (United States) 31pts
born 1955 Dayton, Ohio
Gold 400m hurdles 1976; 400m hurdles 1984
Bronze 400m hurdles 1988

Ralph Metcalfe (United States) 31pts
born 1910 Atlanta, Georgia; died 1978 Alsip, Illinois
Gold 4x100m 1936
Silver 100m 1932; 100m 1936
Bronze 200m 1932

Douglas Lowe (Great Britain) 31pts
born 1902 Manchester; died 1981 Cranbrook, Kent
Gold 800m 1924; 800m 1928
Fourth 1,500m 1924. Fifth 4x400m 1928

Maurizio Damilano (Italy) 31pts
born 1957 Scarnafigi
Gold 20k walk 1980
Bronze 20k walk 1984; 20k walk 1988Fourth 20k walk 1992

Ato Bolden (Trinidad & Tobago) 31pts
born 1973 Port-of-Spain
Silver 100m 2000
Bronze 100m 1996; 200m 1996; 200m 2000
Seventh 4x100m 2004

Thane Baker (United States) 31pts
born 1931 Elkhart, Kansas
Gold 4x100m 1956
Silver 200m 1952; 100m 1956
Bronze 200m 1956

Mamo Wolde (Ethiopia) 33pts
born 1932 DreDele; died 2002 Addis Ababa
Gold marathon 1968
Silver 10,000m 1968
Bronze marathon 1972
Fourth 10,000m 1964

Sara Simeoni (Italy) 33pts
born 1953 Rivoli Veronese
Gold high jump 1980
Silver high jump 1976; high jump 1984
Sixth high jump 1972

Yuri Sedykh (Soviet Union) 33pts
born 1955 Nova Cherkassk, Russia
Gold hammer 1976; hammer 1980
Silver hammer 1988

Tatyana Samolenko (Soviet Union) 33pts
born 1961 Sekretarka, Ukraine
Gold 3,000m 1988
Silver 3,000m 1992
Bronze 1,500m 1988
Fourth 1,500m 1992

Steven Lewis (United States) 33pts
born 1969 Los Angeles, California
Gold 400m 1988; 4x400m 1988; 4x400m 1992
Silver 400m 1992

Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) 33pts
born 1974 Berkane
Gold 1,500m 2004; 5,000m 2004
Silver 1,500m 2000

Mildred Didrikson (United States) 33pts
born 1911 Port Arthur, Texas; died 1956 Galveston, Texas
Gold 80m hurdles 1932; javelin 1932
Silver high jump 1932

Olga Bryzhina (Soviet Union / Ukraine) 33pts
born 1963 Krasnokamsk, Ukraine
Gold 400m 1988; 4x400m 1988; 4x400m 1988
Silver 400m 1992

Linford Christie (Great Britian) 33pts
born 1960 St Andrew's, Jamaica
Gold 100m 1992
Silver 100m 1988; 4x100m 1988
Fourth 200m 1988; 4x100m 1992

Continued...

 

[korbel]

Continued...

71=
Edvin Wide (Sweden) 33.5pts
born 1896 Turku, Finland; died 1996 Stockholm
Silver 10,000m 1924
Bronze 3,000m team 1920; 5,000m 1924; 5,000m 1928; 10,000m 1928

Wilma Rudolph (United States) 33.5pts
born 1940 St Bethleham,Tennessee; died 1994 Brentwood, Tennessee
Gold 100m 1960; 200m 1960; 4x100m 1960
Bronze 4x100m 1956

Annegret Richter (Germany) 33.5pts
born 1950 Dortmund
Gold 4x100m 1972; 100m 1976
Silver 200m 1976
Fifth 100m 1972; 4x100m 1976

69=
Gyula Zsivotzky (Hungary) 34pts
born 1937 Budapest; died 2007 Budapest
Gold hammer 1968
Silver hammer 1960; hammer 1964
Fifth hammer 1972

Matthew McGrath (United States) 34pts
born 1878 Nenagh, Ireland; died 1941
Gold hammer 1912
Silver hammer 1908; hammer 1924
Fifth hammer 1920

66=
Don Quarrie (Jamaica) 34.5pts
born 1951 Kingston
Gold 200m 1976
Silver 100m 1976; 4x100m 1984
Bronze 200m 1980
Fifth 4x400m 1976

Irina Privalova (Russia) 34.5pts
born 1968 Malakhovka
Gold 400m hurdles 2000
Silver 4x100m 1992
Bronze 100m 1992; 4x400m 2000
Fourth 200m 1992; 4x100m 1996

Irina Press (Soviet Union) 34.5pts
born 1939 Kharhov, Ukraine
Gold 80m hurdles 1960; pentathlon 1964
Fourth 4x100m 1960; 80m hurdles 1964. Sixth shot 1964

64=
Galina Zybina (Soviet Union) 35pts
born 1931 Leningrad
Gold shot 1952
Silver shot 1956
Bronze shot 1964
Fourth javelin 1952. Seventh shot 1960

John Ljunggren (Sweden) 35pts
born 1919; died 2000
Gold 50k walk 1948
Silver 50k walk 1960
Bronze 50k walk 1956
Fourth 20k walk 1956. Seventh 20k walk 1960

59=
Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) 36pts
born 1972 Bekoji
Gold 10,000m 1992; 10,000m 2000
Bronze 10,000m 2004
Fourth 10,000m 1996

Peter Snell (New Zealand) 36pts
born 1938 Opunake
Gold 800m 1960; 800m 1964; 1,500m 1964

Pietro Mennea (Italy) 36pts
born 1952 Barletta
Gold 200m 1980
Bronze 200m 1972; 4x400m 1980
Fourth 200m 1976; 4x100m 1984. Fifth 4x400m 1984. Sixth 4x100m 1976. Seventh 200m 1984. Eighth 4x100m 1972

Tatyana Kazankina (Soviet Union) 36pts
born 1951 Petrovsk, Russia
Gold 800m 1976; 1,500m 1976; 1,500m 1980

Nathaniel Cartmell (United States) 36pts
born 1883 Uniontown, Kentucky; died 1967 New York City
Gold 4x400m 1908
Silver 100m 1904; 200m 1904
Bronze 200m 1908
Fourth 100m 1908

56=
Jackson Scholz (United States) 37pts
born 1897 Buchanan, Michigan; died 1986 Delray Beach, Florida
Gold 4x100m 1920; 200m 1924
Silver 100m 1924
Fourth 100m 1920; 200m 1928

Mohamed Gammoudi (Tunisia) 37pts
born 1938 Sidi Ach
Gold 5,000m 1968
Silver 10,000m 1964; 5,000m 1972
Bronze 10,000m 1968

James Connolly (United States) 37pts
born 1868 Boston, Massachusetts; died 1957 New York City
Gold triple jump 1896
Silver high jump 1896; triple jump 1900
Bronze long jump 1896
55

Wyomia Tyus (United States) 37.5pts
born 1945 Griffin, Georgia
Gold 100m 1964; 100m 1968; 4x100m 1968
Silver 4x100m 1964
Sixth 200m 1968
52=

Parry O'Brien (United States) 38ptsGold shot 1952; shot 1956
Silver shot 1960
Fourth shot 1964

Herb McKenley (Jamaica) 38pts
born 1922 Pleasant Valley, Clarendon; died 2007 Mona
Gold 4x400m (1952)
Silver 400m (1948); 200m (1952); 400m (1952)
Fourth 200m (1948)

Kelly Holmes (Great Britain) 38pts
born 1970 Pembury, Kent
Gold 800m 2004; 1,500m 2004
Bronze 800m 2000
Fourth 800m 1996 Seventh 1,500m 2000
49=

Alain Mimoun (France) 39pts
born 1921 El Talegh, Algeria
Gold marathon 1956
Silver 10,000m 1948; 5,000m (1952); 10,000m (1952)

Gail Devers (United States) 39pts
born 1966 Seattle, Washington
Gold 100m 1992; 100m 1996; 4x100m 1996
Fourth 100m hurdles 1996. Fifth 100m hurdles 1992

Valeri Borzov (Soviet Union) 39pts
born 1949 Sambir, Ukraine
Gold 100m (1972); 200m (1972)
Silver 4x100m (1972)
Bronze 100m (1976); 4x100m (1976)

47=

Philip Edwards (Canada) 39.5pts
born 1907 Georgetown, Guyana; died 1971 Montreal
Bronze 4x400m (1928); 800m (1932); 1,500m (1932); 4x400m (1932); 800m (1936) Fourth 800m (1928); 4x400m (1936). Fifth 1,500m (1936)

Valerie Brisco-Hooks (United States) 39.5pts
born 1960 Greenwood, Mississippi
Gold 200m (1984); 400m (1984); 4x400m (1984)
Silver 4x400m (1988)
Fourth 400m (1988)

43=

Arthur Wint (Jamaica) 40pts
born 1920 Manchester, Jamaica; died 1992 Linstead
Gold 400m (1948); 4x400m (1952)
Silver 800m (1948); 800m (1952)
Fifth 400m (1952)

Marie-Jose Perec (France) 40pts
born 1968 Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe
Gold 400m (1992); 200m (1996); 400m (1996)
Fourth 4x100m (1992). Sixth 4x100m (1996)

Charles Paddock (United States) 40pts
born 1900 Gainesville, Texas; died 1943 Sitka, Alaska
Gold 100m (1920); 4x100m (1920)
Silver 200m (1920); 200m (1924)
Fifth 100m (1924)

Volmari Iso-Hollo (Finland) 40pts
born 1907 Ylojarvi; died 1969 Heinola
Gold 3,000m steeplechase; 3,000m steeplechase (1936)
Silver 10,000m (1932)
Bronze 10,000m (1936)

42
Frankie Fredericks (Namibia) 41pts
born 1967 Windhoek
Silver 100m 1992; 200m 1992; 100m 1996; 200m 1996
Fourth 200m 2004

38=

Jesse Owens (United States) 42pts
born 1913 Lawrence County, Alabama; died 1980 Tucson, Arizona
Gold 100m (1936); 200m (1936); long jump (1936); 4x100m (1936)
Volodymyr Holubnychy (Soviet Union) 42pts
born 1936 Sumy, Ukraine
Gold 20k walk (1960); 20k walk (1968)
Silver 20k walk (1972)
Bronze 20k walk (1964)
Seventh 20k walk (1976)

Betty Cuthbert (Australia) 42pts
born 1938 Merrylands, New South Wales
Gold 100m (1956); 200m (1956); 4x100m (1956); 400m (1964)

Sebastian Coe (Great Britain) 42pts
born 1956 Chiswick, London
Gold 1,500m (1980); 1,500m (1984)
Silver 800m (1980); 800m (1984)

37
Florence Griffith-Joyner (United States) 43.5pts
born 1959 Los Angeles, California; died 1998 Mission Viejo, California
Gold 100m (1988); 200m (1988); 4x100m (1988)
Silver 200m (1984); 4x400m (1988)

35=
Raelene Boyle (Australia) 44pts
born 1951 Melbourne, Victoria
Silver 200m (1968); 100m (1972); 200m (1972)
Fourth 100m (1968); 100m (1976). Fifth 4x100m (1968); 4x100m (1976). Sixth 4x100m (1972); 4x400m (1972)

Evelyn Ashford (United States) 44ptsborn 1957 Shreveport, Louisiana
Gold 100m (1984); 4x100m (1984); 4x100m (1988); 4x100m (1992)
Silver 100m (1988)
Fifth 100m (1976); Seventh 4x100m (1976)

34
Malvin Whitfield (United States) 44.5pts
born 1924 Bay City, Texas
Gold 800m (1948); 800m (1952); 4x400m (1948)
Silver 4x400m (1952)
Bronze 400m (1948)
Sixth 400m (1952)

Continued...

 

[korbel]

30=
Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic) 45pts
born 1966 Mlada, Boleslav
Gold javelin (1992); javelin (1996); javelin (2000)
Silver javelin (1988)

Melvin Sheppard (United States) 45pts
born 1883 Almonesson Lake, New Jersey; died 1942 New York
Gold 800m (1908); 1,500m (1908); 4x400m (1908); 4x400m (1912)
Silver 800m (1912)

Viktor Sanayev (Soviet Union) 45pts
born 1945 Sukhumi, Georgia
Gold triple jump (1968); triple jump (1972); triple jump (1976)
Silver triple jump (1980)

Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 45pts
born 1937 Kharkiv, Ukraine
Gold shot (1960); shot (1964); discus (1964)
Silver discus (1960)

29
Kipchoge Keino (Kenya) 46pts
born 1940 Kipsamo
Gold 1,500m (1968); 3,000m steeplechase (1972)
Silver 1,500m (1972); 5,000m (1968)
Fifth 5,000m (1964)

27=
Heike Drechsler (East Germany / Germany) 47pts
1964 Gera, East Germany
Gold long jump (1992); long jump (2000)
Silver long jump (1988)
Bronze 100m (1988); 200m (1988)

Fanny Blankers-Koen (Holland) 47pts
born 1918 Lage Vuursche; died 2004 Hoofddorp
Gold 100m (1948); 200m (1948); 80m hurdles (1948); 4x100m (1948)
Fifth 4x100m (1936). Sixth high jump (1936)

26
Gwen Torrence (United States), 47.5pts
born 1965 Decatur, Georgia
Gold 200m (1992); 4x100m (1992); 4x100m (1996)
Silver 4x400m (1992)
Bronze 100m (1996)
Fourth 100m (1992). Fifth 100m (1988). Sixth 200m (1988)

22=
Al Oerter (United States) 48pts
born 1936 Queens, New York; died 2007 Fort Myers, Florida
Gold discus (1956); discus (1960); discus (1964); discus (1968)

Alvin Kraenzlein (United States) 48pts
born 1876 Milwaukee, Wisconsin; died 1928 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Gold 60m 1900; 110m hurdles 1900; 200m hurdles 1900; 1900 long jump

Michael Johnson (United States) 48pts
born 1967 Dallas, Texas
Gold 4x400m (1992); 200m (1996); 400m (1996); 400m (2000); 4x400m (2000)

Archie Hahn (United States) 48pts
born 1880 Dodgeville, Wisconsin; died 1955 Charlottesville, Virginia
Gold 60m 1904; 100m 1904; 200m 1904; 100m 1906

20=
John Walter Tewksbury (United States) 49pts
born 1876 Ashley, Pennsylvania; died 1968 Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Gold 200m 1900; 400m hurdles 1900
Silver 60m 1900; 100m 1900; 200m hurdles 1900

Robert Korzeniowski (Poland) 49pts
born 1968 Lubaczow
Gold 50k walk 1996; 20k walk 2000; 50k walk 2000; 50k walk 2004
Eighth 20k walk 1996

21
Harry Hillman (United States) 50pts
born 1881 Brooklyn, New York; died 1945 New Hampshire
Gold 400m (1904); 200m hurdles (1904); 400m hurdles (1904)
Silver 400m hurdles (1908)
Fourth 400m (1906)

Renate Stecher (East Germany) 50.5pts
born 1950 Suptitz, East Germany
Gold 100m (1972); 200m (1972); 4x100m (1976)
Silver 4x100m (1972); 100m (1976)
Bronze 200m (1976)

19
John Flanagan (United States) 52pts
born 1873 Kilbreedy, Ireland; died 1938 Kilmallack, Ireland
Gold hammer (1900); hammer (1904); hammer (1908)
Silver 56lb weight (1904)
Fourth discus (1904). Seventh discus (1900)

18
Hannes Kolehmainen (Finland) 52.5pts
born 1889 Kuopio; died 1966 Helsinki
Gold 5,000m 1912; 10,000m 1912; cross-country individual 1912; marathon 1920; Silver cross-country team 1912

17
Elmer Niklander (Finland) 53pts
born 1890; died 1942
Gold discus 1920
Silver discus (both hands) 1912; shot 1920
Bronze shot put (both hands) 1912
Fourth shot 1912; discus 1912. Sixth shot 1924. Seventh discus 1924. Eighth 56lb weight 1920

Lasse Viren (Finland) 56pts
born 1949 Myrskyla
Gold 5,000m (1972); 10,000m (1972); 5,000m (1976); 10,000m (1976)
Fifth marathon (1976); 10,000m (1980)

Robert Garrett (United States) 56pts
born 1875 Baltimore, Maryland; died 1961 Baltimore, Maryland
Gold shot (1896); discus (1896)
Silver high jump (1896); long jump (1896)
Bronze shot (1900); standing triple jump (1900)

14
Emil Zatopek (Czechoslovakia) 60pts
born 1922 Koprivnice; died 2000 Prague
Gold 10,000m (1948); 5,000m (1952); 10,000m (1952); marathon (1952)
Silver 5,000m (1948)
Sixth marathon (1956)

13
James Lightbody (United States) 61.5pts
born 1882 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; died 1953 Charleston, South Carolina
Gold 800m (1904); 1,500m (1904); 3,000m steeplechase (1904); 1,500m (1906)
Silver 4-mile team race (1904); 800m (1906)

12
Irena Szewinska (Poland) 62pts
born 1946 Leningrad, Russia
Gold 200m (1968); 400m (1976); 4x100m (1964)
Silver 200m (1964); long jump (1964)
Bronze 100m (1968); 200m (1972)

11
Shirley Strickland (Australia) 62.5pts
born 1925 Perth, Western Australia; died 2004 Perth, Western Australia
Gold 80m hurdles (1952); 80m hurdles (1956); 4x100m (1956)
Silver 4x100m 1948
Bronze 100m (1948); 100m (1952); 80m hurdles (1948)
Fourth 200m (1948). Fifth 4x100m (1952)

10

Jackie Joyner-Kersee (United States) 63pts
born 1962 East St Louis, Illinois
Gold long jump (1988); heptathlon (1988); heptathlon (1992)
Silver heptathlon (1984)
Bronze long jump (1992); long jump (1996)
Fifth long jump (1984)

9
Ralph Rose (United States) 64pts born 1885 Healdsburg, California; died 1913
Gold shot (1904); shot (1908); shot both hands (1912)
Silver discus (1904); shot (1912)
Bronze hammer (1904)
Sixth 56lb weight (1904)

8
Meyer Prinstein (United States) 65pts
born 1878 Szczuczyn, Poland; died 1925 New York
Gold triple jump (1900); long jump 1904; triple jump (1904); long jump (1906)
Silver long jump (1900)
Fifth 60m (1904); 400m (1904)

7
Merlene Ottey (Jamaica / Slovenia) 70pts
born 1960 Hanover, Jamaica
Silver 100m (1996); 200m (1996); 4x100m (2000)
Bronze 100m (1984); 200m (1980); 200m (1984); 200m (1992); 4x100m (1996)
Fourth 100m (2000); 200m (1988). Fifth 100m (1992). Sixth 4x100m (1980). Eighth 4x100m (1984)

6
Ville Ritola (Finland) 75pts
born 1896 Peraseinajoki; died 1982 Helsinki
Gold 10,000m (1924); 3,000m steeplechase (1924); 3,000m team race (1924); cross-country team (1924); 5,000m (1928)
Silver 5,000m (1924); 10,000m (1928); cross-country individual (1924)

5
Eric Lemming (Sweden) 94pts
born 1880 Gothenburg; died 1930 Gothenburg
Gold javelin (1908); freestyle javelin (1906); freestyle javelin (1908); javelin (1912)
Bronze shot (1906); pentathlon (1906)
Fourth high jump (1900); pole vault (1900); hammer (1900); discus (1906); stone throw (1906); javelin both hands (1912); Eighth discus (1900); hammer (1908)

4
Martin Sheridan (United States) 104pts
born 1881 Treenduff, Ireland; died Manhattan, New York
Gold discus (1904); shot (1906); discus (1906); discus (1908); discus Greek-style (1908)
Silver standing high jump (1906); standing long jump (1906); stone throw (1906)
Bronze standing long jump (1908)
Fourth shot (1904); discus Greek-style (1906)

3
Carl Lewis (United States) 105pts
born 1961 Birmingham, Alabama
Gold 100m (1984); 100m (1988); 200m (1984); long jump (1984); long jump (1988); long jump (1992); long jump (1996); 4x100m (1984); 4x100m (1992)
Silver 200m (1988)

Probably the greatest athlete of the modern era, Lewis emulated Jesse Owens with the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m golden slam in Los Angeles in 1984. He never quite reached those heights again but added another five gold medals and a silver to his collection. Rumours about drug-taking, which have never been substantiated, have taken some of the gloss off his achievements in recent years. In 1999, he was voted Sportsman of the Century by the IOC and World Athlete of the Century by the IAAF.

2
Paavo Nurmi (Finland) 108pts
born 1897 Turku; died 1973 Helsinki
Gold 10,000m (1920); cross-country individual (1920); cross-country team (1920); 1,500m (1924); 3,000m team race (1924); 5,000m (1924); cross-country individual (1924); cross-country team (1924); 10,000m (1928)
Silver 5,000m (1920); 5,000m (1928); 3,000m steeplechase (1928)

The king of the Flying Finns, Nurmi dominated middle-distance and distance running during the 1920s, setting 29 world records from 1,500m to 20km. He won nine gold medals and three silvers, but it could have been even more if he had been allowed by Finnish officials to compete in all the events he wanted and had not been declared a professional before the 1932 Games. Nurmi became a successful businessman in Finland and carried the torch into the stadium at the 1952 Games in Helsinki.

1
Raymond Ewry (United States) 120pts
born 1873 Lafayette, Indiana; died 1937 Long Island, New York
Gold standing high jump (1900); standing long jump (1900); standing triple jump (1900); standing high jump (1904); standing long jump (1904); standing triple jump (1904); standing high jump (1906); standing long jump (1906); standing high jump (1908); standing long jump (1908)

Ewry won ten gold medals, but is almost unknown as his unprecedented achievements occurred in events long gone from the Olympic schedules. His records are even more amazing given that he contracted polio as a boy, spent time in a wheelchair and was thought to be paralysed for life. He began exercising, regained the use of his legs and became the greatest standing jumper in history. His clearance of 1.60m in the standing high jump of 1904 would have been good enough for a silver medal with a run-up in 1896. The standing events were scrapped after 1912, but Ewry's world record of 3.47m in the long jump lasted until the 1930s.

* Notes
Results for the 1906 Interim Games in Athens have been included although they are not considered to be official by the International Olympic Committee.

All athletes' points have been credited to the nation for which they were competing at the time.

The points for the Unified Team of 1992 are credited to the Soviet Union.

 

[future canadian]

If WWII didn't cancel the 1940 and 1944 games, I think Jesse Owens would have been #1 (IMO).

 

[korbel]

If WWII didn't cancel the 1940 and 1944 games, I think Jesse Owens would have been #1 (IMO).

Hello FC,

Yes, at least in 1940.

I guess they don't believe in swimmers here either. Mark Spitz won 9 gold medals between 1968 and 1972, Greg Louganis won 4 golds I believe, and Mike Phelps had 6 golds in 2004...not to mention other medals. So by the point system they would be near or at the top by 2004. Then there are many other swimmers who won multiple medals.

Curious,

Korbel

 

[eastender]

Longevity

Hello FC,

Yes, at least in 1940.

I guess they don't believe in swimmers here either. Mark Spitz won 9 gold medals between 1968 and 1972, Greg Louganis won 4 golds I believe, and Mike Phelps had 6 golds in 2004...not to mention other medals. So by the point system they would be near or at the top by 2004. Then there are many other swimmers who won multiple medals.

Curious,

Korbel

Korbie,

The list is a compilation of versatility and longevity not necessarily quality. Merlene Ottey never won gold but is highly ranked. Runners and swimmers competing in multiple events and in team relays are favoured over boxers or decathletes.

Certain sports - boxing, wrestling are ignored completely. Teofilo Stevenson, the great Cuban heavyweight comes to mind.

BTW Greg Louganis was a diver not a swimmer.

 

[korbel]

Korbie,

The list is a compilation of versatility and longevity not necessarily quality. Merlene Ottey never won gold but is highly ranked. Runners and swimmers competing in multiple events and in team relays are favoured over boxers or decathletes.

Certain sports - boxing, wrestling are ignored completely. Teofilo Stevenson, the great Cuban heavyweight comes to mind.

BTW Greg Louganis was a diver not a swimmer.

Hello Eastender,

Yes, it's an incomplete list. I tried to find another more comprehensive one and couldn't...yet.

Greg Louganis...there was never any mistake about that. I know his aunt.

Cheers,

Korbel

 

[SexyNadya]

at least there are no equestrian folks on the list... are there?

I dont think there is any ... however ... what happened to Ben Johnson ???

 

[shijak]

what happened to Ben Johnson ???

A quick search on wikipedia yields this tidbit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Johnson_(sprinter) March 2006, television spots featuring Johnson advertising an energy drink, "Cheetah Power Surge", started to receive some airtime. Some pundits questioned whether Johnson was an appropriate spokesperson for an all natural energy drink considering his history of steroid use. [9] [10]

One ad is a mock interview between Johnson and Frank D'Angelo, the president and chief executive of D'Angelo Brands, which makes the drink, in which he asks Johnson: "Ben, when you run, do you Cheetah?". "Absolutely," says Johnson. "I Cheetah all the time."

The rest of the article is actually funny at times, but sad as well...

 

[SexyNadya]

The rest of the article is actually funny at times, but sad as well...[/QUOTE]

I agree. I'm looking at it right now. Light humor before going to sleep, but
the story will remain the saddest end to what could have been a living legend.
Ben Johnson.

 

[korbel]

The rest of the article is actually funny at times, but sad as well...

I agree. I'm looking at it right now. Light humor before going to sleep, but
the story will remain the saddest end to what could have been a living legend.
Ben Johnson.[/quote]

Hello SexyNadya,

I think his legend would have been a Canadian one mostly. There are many gold medalists usually remembered longest by their own country. Others like Paavo Nurmi and Emil Zatopek are truly international and timeless. Unfortunately, this legend was built on steroids. Without it I doubt the name would have stayed in the minds of many.

Cheers,

Korbel

 

[cargo]

You have to specify that this list quote only the track and field athletes. So no swimmer, no gymnast and no other sports. That's why lots of great athletes were missing.

The list has the default to be simply mathematics. If we can mesure courage and other intangible factors, Jesse Owens will be much high ranked.

 

[korbel]

The list has the default to be simply mathematics. If we can mesure courage and other intangible factors, Jesse Owens will be much high ranked.

Hello Cargo,

Often that is the beauty of the achievement. But the actual courage in Owens was more in the situation with his own country rather than against the Nazis. What he had to go through in Berlin was nothing compared to life at home. One story is that in the long jump a young German athlete, doing better than Owens, actually helped correct his technique to help him to victory. That's courage.

Cheers,

Korbel