Greatest athlete since 1945

[idahoblues]

Me
Best fat **** out there

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Posted this on the Olympics thread, but Mijain Lopez has to be up there.

Just won his fifth Olympic gold medal in consecutive games for greco-Roman wrestling. The only person ever to do that in an individual sport.

 

[yankblue]

In terms of pure dominance in his sport - Wayne Gretzky

 

[PragueBlue]

Emil Zátopek.

 

[PragueBlue]

Emil Záropek - won the 5 000m, 10 000m and marathon at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.

Set world records in all 3 during the games too and that was the first time he'd ever run a marathon!

 

[RobMCFC]

Seems a few people have missed the important criteria in the first post: track and field athletes - i.e. athletics.

I think most of the best have been mentioned but how about Ed Moses?

Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles in 76 and 84, and would have probably won in 80 but for the boycott. He was also unbeaten in 107 consecutive finals between 1977 and 1987.

 

[KS55]

Fanny Blankers-Koen - won four gold medals at London Olympics in 1948.

Hence the headline in the Express:
“Flying Fanny Stuns Crowd.”

 

[PaulPowerScreamer]

Carl Lewis has to be in the conversation just for being dominant in both sprints and long jump

 

[Shadz69]

Loved watching David Rudisha perfom, love the 800m and he was so impressive at times.

 

[SCEtoAUX]

There's a case for Daley Thompson but then like all multi-discipline athletes, he wasn't the world's best at any of them.

Like all of these things it depends on how you define "Greatest", but I'm going with Usain Bolt.