Your athletics idols

BornToRun88

Who are your athletic idols?

For me it is Michael Johnson. A man who won both the 200m and 400m in the 1996 Olympics and broke world records for both, still holds the 400m and his 200m was recently broken by none other than Usain Bolt. Also a modest man who was never full of himself.

Pisco Sour

BornToRun88 wrote: »

Who are your athletic idols?

For me it is Michael Johnson. A man who won both the 200m and 400m in the 1996 Olympics and broke world records for both, still holds the 400m and his 200m was recently broken by none other than Usain Bolt. Also a modest man who was never full of himself.

Are you sure about that? When I was in Barca for the europeans I went to check out the area where the BBC were and I met this Dutch guy who was standing around with his camera waiting for them all to come out so he could get pictures. A bit fanatical but f$ck it, its he type of thing I would do aswell. He said the previous day when he asked MJ for a photo his response was that he'd only give him an autograph and no photo. As the Dutch guy wasnt interested in autographs he refused. Everybody else gave him a picture (Colin Jackson etc). I found that a bit arrogant.

For me its got to be Sonia O'Sullivan. Not only the way she dominated and was by the far the best in the world but also the fragile nature of her character let you realise that behind that fearless athlete was a human being, vulnerable just like anybody else. She was an inspiration to all Irish people, an to be honest was taken for granted, everyone just expected her to always win, and was never properly appreciated in our country.

Derval is another idol. Her attitude to the sport is so admirable and the way she peaks at the right time and brings her best when it really matters is something that a scary amount of people cannot do.

Others that I admire include Paula Radcliffe, Blanka Vlasic, Allyson Felix, Andreas Thorkildson, Carolina Kluft, Lisa Dobrisky (the worlds most positive person despite heartache in coming 4th and being robbed by a proven drug cheat).

To be honest theres too much to name. This is just a few.

donothoponpop

I grew up during the golden era of British milers- the Coe/Ovett rivalry (as well as Cram etc) produced great races. Then Said Aouita came along and took middle distance to another level. He was a joy to watch, such a smooth runner, and could run from the front, or kick with the best of them. First man under 13 minutes for 5k, before the sub-Saharan athletes came on the scene.

BornToRun88

From an Irish perspective, Derval O' Rourke is quite a hero. World Indoor Champion 2006, European silver medalist outdoors in 110m hurdles. She's had some high and lows and that has made her a mature and disciplined athlete. She keeps her head down and just gets on with the race in hand, she provided great hope for Irish athletics yet again with another great performance this year in the Europeans, fair play Derval!

Pisco Sour

donothoponpop wrote: »

I grew up during the golden era of British milers- the Coe/Ovett rivalry (as well as Cram etc) produced great races. Then Said Aouita came along and took middle distance to another level. He was a joy to watch, such a smooth runner, and could run from the front, or kick with the best of them. First man under 13 minutes for 5k, before the sub-Saharan athletes came on the scene.

Coe, Ovett and Cram wre immense and their times still stack up today, despite the advancements in training, nutrician etc, and the emergence of muh more top class Africans. In spite of that their times would still be right up there, even though they competed 25-30 years ago. Amazing in my opinion. Also makes you wonder why GB cant produce any like that now.

Aouita I'm a bit unsure of. Lost a bit of time for him when I read this http://www.sawfnews.com/Sports/7815.aspx however its the type of thing that can never be proven I guess.

Cool Running

At the moment I'd say Martin Fagan

Think he's a class act. Comes across very well in any interview I've seen.

Cool tatoos aswell

Brianderunner

Steve Prefontaine for me, the 2 films about him is the main reason i switched from sprints to road races. Without him Nike may well not be in existence nowadays.

ecoli

Brianderunner wrote: »

Steve Prefontaine for me, the 2 films about him is the main reason i switched from sprints to road races. Without him Nike may well not be in existence nowadays.

I think Phil Knight and Bowerman may disagree with you there:p

El G also is i think an athlete who we will not see the likes of for a very long time. His mile race against Noah Ngeny is one of the most prominent memories i have of athletics from my childhood up there with Sonia's silver in Sydney

Agree that Pre was an amazing talent with a huge range holding every American record from 2000m to 10000m at a time when USA were still competitive on a global stage before the dominance of the Africans

G-Money

Haile and Usain Bolt.

DULLAHAN2

For me it's Haile Gebrselassie an absolute legend there is no other athlete like him. The amount of record's that he has broken and he is still doing it.

donothoponpop

Carl Lewis is another one of my heroes. Great consistancy, the ultimate competitor. What he did at the 1984 Olympics (four gold medals) is the stuff of gods. His 1991 WC battle with Mike Powell remains one of the greatest contests between sportsmen, ever.

*I'm aware of the asterix;)

rainbow kirby

Joan Benoit - Olympic marathon champion the year I was born, and still running sub-2:50 in her 50s (2:47:50 in Chicago '10)

woodchopper

04072511 wrote: »

Coe, Ovett and Cram wre immense and their times still stack up today, despite the advancements in training, nutrician etc, and the emergence of muh more top class Africans. In spite of that their times would still be right up there, even though they competed 25-30 years ago. Amazing in my opinion. Also makes you wonder why GB cant produce any like that now.

Aouita I'm a bit unsure of. Lost a bit of time for him when I read this http://www.sawfnews.com/Sports/7815.aspx however its the type of thing that can never be proven I guess.

Why do people think science and nutrition play such a greater role in todays training.
A lot of top middle distance runners follow the same principles as those before them. There is nothing earth shattering about the five pace system that Peter Coe used. Why do people think Seb Coe was eating pizzas all day. He had a body fat index of something like 2% so he was if anything under racing weight not over it. How would todays nutrition have helped him any better. Coe did hills, weights and circuits during the Winter the same things many athletes do today. Sorry but it is not correct to suggest that Coe would be running any faster today. I admit in the marathon pacing has greatly helped to lower world records but the athletes do still actually train, its not all just anti gravity threadmils and garmin forerunners.

donothoponpop

woodchopper wrote: »

Why do people think science and nutrition play such a greater role in todays training.
A lot of top middle distance runners follow the same principles as those before them. There is nothing earth shattering about the five pace system that Peter Coe used. Why do people think Seb Coe was eating pizzas all day. He had a body fat index of something like 2% so he was if anything under racing weight not over it. How would todays nutrition have helped him any better. Coe did hills, weights and circuits during the Winter the same things many athletes do today. Sorry but it is not correct to suggest that Coe would be running any faster today. I admit in the marathon pacing has greatly helped to lower world records but the athletes do still actually train, its not all just anti gravity threadmils and garmin forerunners.

No-one said anything of the sort, or mentioned pizza's, that's a straw man argument! Before (yet another) athletics thread gets sidetracked into arguments and bickering, perhaps you could add a bit more positivity to the thread- who do you have as athletic idols?:)

Getonwithit

Bekele
Loses a spike in world cross stops puts it on and hammers back to the front.
Low 50 last lap in a 10km world championship final.
Grace and respect he still shows his idol the great haile.

Irish idol has to be Sonia for me. We sometimes forget how amazingly good she was. She dominated womens middle and long distance for so long, Olympic gold or not.

Pisco Sour

DULLAHAN2 wrote: »

For me it's Haile Gebrselassie an absolute legend there is no other athlete like him. The amount of record's that he has broken and he is still doing it.

What about Bekele? Has pretty much won as much now as Haile on the track, not to mention about 10 World Cross Country golds, something Haile could never excel in.

I do prefer Haile though, have great memories of watching hima s a kid, but I feel Bekele has pretty much overtaken him as the greatest ever, though perhaps we need to see him beat the marathon WR to eliminate all doubt.

Haile just seems much more likeable though.

Pisco Sour

Two more greats have come to mind, that were before my time, but who's achievements I admire a lot are the two Norwegians Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen. Waitz in particular is significant as she was a bit of a pioneer with regards the Womens Marathon. Her record is immense: 9 New York Marathons, 2 London Marathons, a World Championship Marathon Gold in 1983 and the Olympic Silver in 1984 along with numerous World Records. Such a shame she never won the Olympic Gold as she is one of the greatest female Marathon runners of all time.

BornToRun88

Getonwithit wrote: »

Bekele

Low 50 last lap in a 10km world championship final.


.

Woo! that's impressive

clubcard

Paavo Nurmi Nurmi won a total of nine gold and three silver medals in the 12 events in which he competed at the Olympic Games from 1920 to 1928.
Nurmi is also considered the best olympian of all time.
In 1932, Nurmi was unable to compete at the Olympics, as he had received money for his running and was thus considered a professional.
He was one of the first athletes to form a systematic approach to training.He was abit of an introvert as he had a one track mind on what he wanted to achieve.
The think I like about him was his hunger and love of the sport.he was abit cold and didnt show any emotions(abit like Bekele)except for his cheap imitation of Bolt's celebration.

For me a legend that set the standards for others to follow !!!
Irish athletes would be Mark Carroll,took the Irish records to a new level and had such a range from 800m up to the marathon.He was the 1991 European junior champion over 5,000m; 2000 European Indoor champion over 3,000m and won a bronze medal in the over 5,000m.
3.34 1500m pb,his 7.30 over 3k is amazing and for me his best record.
2.10 marathon and now coaches some of Irelands up and coming athletes including Mark Kenneally and Mark Christie.
Mark wouldn't be recognised by the public yet I think he has achieved more than most.A True Legend!!!

kincsem

Peter Snell

800m and 1500m Olympic double gold in 1964. 800m and mile world record holder. 800m gold in 1960 Olympics.

Kelly Holmes also did the 800m and 1500m double.

Pisco Sour

clubcard wrote: »

Paavo Nurmi Nurmi won a total of nine gold and three silver medals in the 12 events in which he competed at the Olympic Games from 1920 to 1928.
Nurmi is also considered the best olympian of all time.
In 1932, Nurmi was unable to compete at the Olympics, as he had received money for his running and was thus considered a professional.
He was one of the first athletes to form a systematic approach to training.He was abit of an introvert as he had a one track mind on what he wanted to achieve.
The think I like about him was his hunger and love of the sport.he was abit cold and didnt show any emotions(abit like Bekele)except for his cheap imitation of Bolt's celebration.

For me a legend that set the standards for others to follow !!!
Irish athletes would be Mark Carroll,took the Irish records to a new level and had such a range from 800m up to the marathon.He was the 1991 European junior champion over 5,000m; 2000 European Indoor champion over 3,000m and won a bronze medal in the over 5,000m.
3.34 1500m pb,his 7.30 over 3k is amazing and for me his best record.
2.10 marathon and now coaches some of Irelands up and coming athletes including Mark Kenneally and Mark Christie.
Mark wouldn't be recognised by the public yet I think he has achieved more than most.A True Legend!!!

Good shout with Nurmi. Lets not forget the amazing Emil Zatopek. 4 Olympic gold includng his incrdible 5000m, 10000m and Marathon treble in 52. I doubt that will ever be done again. Viren tried it in 76 but after winning the 5k and 10k could only finish 5th in the Marathon. How somebody can muster up the strength to win a marathon after 2 tough races (and heats) in his legs from the preious week is beyond me. Incredible. And the man came out with some wondrful quotes aswell! One of the all time legends of th sport.

Mark Carroll was a top class runner. His 13.03 for 5k, impressive, his 7.30 for 3k, incredible, and only ONE non african has ever run faster, I really believe that if Carroll was around in the late 70's and 80's then he would be talked about in the same way we refer to the likes of Coghlan and Treacy. It is just unfortunate that his time was during an era when East Africans had fully emerged and as a result he did not win enough to get much recognition in the Irish media.

longjump67

Has to be Carl Lewis for me, the man had class. 100m, 200m and long jump for a decade he was the king of track & field.

On the irish can't get Eamon Coughlin's 5,000m world championship gold outta my head, mainly for 2 reasons.
1. It was the first World Champs.
2 It was my 16th birthday, 14/08/1983, made my day :D:D

clubcard

Carl Lewis im not going to comment on:rolleyes:

RoyMcC

Delany - the legend who put Irish athletics on the world stage

Merry - just for the perfection of her running style

Tulloh - a childhood hero of GB track who went on to run the USA coast to coast

I'm happy to have met all of them in later life.

smmoore79

Ibebe Bikela. First Etheopian/African to win an olympic athletics medal. Won the marathon at the Rome olympics barefoot in 1960! And at a time when they thought Africans couldnt run as good as Europeans! The book on his life makes a great read..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vca1QGVAshM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQmqEIYI-GU&feature=related

ecoli

smmoore79 wrote: »

Ibebe Bikela. First Etheopian/African to win an olympic athletics medal. Won the marathon at the Rome olympics barefoot in 1960! And at a time when they thought Africans couldnt run as good as Europeans! The book on his life makes a great read..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vca1QGVAshM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQmqEIYI-GU&feature=related

Also won 4 years later in Tokyo pushed for 20 miles by a Limerick man:D

thirtyfoot

When younger it was Coe. As I got older I didn't have idols.

For any Irish kid they have great idols here right now with our Big Five.

Derval for pure bloody mindedness
Hession for focus and application
Heffernan for believing anything is possible
Gillick for never being afraid to follow your dreams
Loughnane for being such a great mother and also a world class athlete.

bluemusic97

although im irish and derval is such a hero, and role model for our country, i have to say my greatest athletics idol has to be allyson felix. shes so graceful and looks so relaxed while running. if you look at her 200m sprint in the london olympics and compare her stride turnover with shelley anne fraiser prices and veronica campbell browns the difference is amazing. to be able to run as fast, graceful and as relaxed as felix would be a dream!!

Timmaay

Good thread idea, for me its O'Lionáird, achieving the A standard for the 1500m really was a surprise and inspiration after so many years of a lack of any Irish male to breakthrough at middle distance. He always has great reads in any of his blogs/interviews, he appears to have a fantastic work ability and a never say die attitude, he still keeps it real by going back to leevale to the kids etc from time to time. His most recent interview last week was good also, the journalist highlighted the fact that Irish middle distance running has just exploded recently, with lads like Robinson/English holding theirown on the world stage, and a hold raft of youths progressing up, both boys and girls, O'Lionaird in my view certainly has been the start of all of that, and the inspiration for many of those athletes!

A fellow county man I am fast developing a particular interest in.

John Lenihan.

Didn't really appreciate what he was doing in his prime, now I see the stats and figures and hearing the stories and it's fairly jaw dropping stuff. I think of the line in Feet in the Clouds that it's easy to be fit but it's hard to be hard, he must have have almost redefined hardness.

ultraman1

for me,,its gotta be TRR....

Squeaker

Seamus Power... Legend.

Pisco Sour

It's gotta be Josh Harris. A 58 after 3 laps and 4 skulls is something I can't comprehend.

mikemcdeedy100

steve cram for me

michael johnson lol...........less said the better

Not one person has gone for Khalid Skah yet...

Not sure if the thread limited to runners, but Sergei Bubka must be up there if we're talking general track and field. He was just so peerless over such a long time, driving the sport skywards again and again.

rom

Yuki Kawauchi

A0

Freddy Lujan and rom

notsofast

Sonia
If she was male, she'd have got several mentions by now!

The Jman

For me it was Ato Boldon. He ran some world class times and always came across as such a likeable character. I never took to the likes of Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene who always gave off an arrogant vibe but Ato seemed like the man

PVincent

Sonia...watched her from an early age to her dominant years when she seemed to win every race she ran. That was when you could have idols because it was one Grand Prix after another on the BBC or whoever was covering it. You saw your idols week in ,week out racing. Now it's hard for any kids to have idols as seeing a Diamond League is just difficult these days. It's a real shame as those Grand Prix nights were amazing and not to be missed. And always the chance of
seing a world record go with the distinctive voice of David Coleman calling the races...magic days and nights

Esroh

I read Emil Zatopek s biography in 1976 and was completely taken by his story.
Lasse Viren
Eamon Coughlan
John Tracey. Limerick was a day Ill never forget.
Hugh Jones. He ran in Hollymount a few times so got to met him.

As for those of a younger generation Sonia and Catherina

pa4

Michael Johnson would be the main one for me. My first athletics memory was the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he won the 400m. I had it taped on a video tape and watched it over and over again and I used to try and imitate his upright style every time I was sprinting.

Sonia O'Sullivan would be another one. I still remember exactly where I was when she won the silver medal. I was in 2nd class and we were listening to it on the radio.

Kenenisa Bekele is probably my modern day idol. By far the greatest distance runner of all time in my opinion. After he won the world cross country in Dublin back in 2002 when he was only 19 was my first memory of him and I have followed him ever since.

wadacrack

Usain Bolt for me 2008 I just thought this guy is super human.2009 world champs was incredible also

The Jman

wadacrack wrote: »

Usain Bolt for me 2008 I just thought this guy is super human.2009 world champs was incredible also

Yeah super human is right, impossible for a human in fact one might say!

cosbloodymick

The 8 greatest runners of all time.



Seb Coe
Said Aouita
Carl Lewis
Michael Johnson
El Gerrouj
Haile Gebresailase
Kenenisa Bikele
Usain Bolt

Sanchez83

cosbloodymick wrote: »

The 8 greatest runners of all time.



Seb Coe
Said Aouita
Carl Lewis
Michael Johnson
El Gerrouj
Haile Gebresailase
Kenenisa Bikele
Usain Bolt

Not even one woman makes your list?

Growing up it would have had to be Sonia O Sullivan.I remember the tv being rolled into the classroom to watch her.Being from a hurling area we knew nothing about athletics so it was truely eye opening.It was also what got me interested in athletics.
In more recent times i would have to go with Felix Sanchez for his one time dominance and then his perserverance to stick at it through the tough times and come out the end.
Karolina Cluft when she was a heptathlete had the best attitude any athlete could ever have! Pity she didnt give it a few more years

RoyMcC

cosbloodymick wrote: »

The 8 greatest runners throwers of all time.

Aaargh, running is only part of athletics :mad:

Jan Zelezny
Parry O'Brien
Adam Nelson
Al Oerter
Barbora Spotakova
Valerie Adams
Martin Sheridan
Pat O'Callaghan

cosbloodymick

RoyMcC wrote: »

Aaargh, running is only part of athletics :mad:

Jan Zelezny
Parry O'Brien
Adam Nelson
Al Oerter
Barbora Spotakova
Valerie Adams
Martin Sheridan
Pat O'Callaghan

I know, thats why I said runners and not athletes. More into track than field myself.

RoyMcC

cosbloodymick wrote: »

I know, thats why I said runners and not athletes. More into track than field myself.

No worries, there's about three of us trying to keep the throwing disciplines alive in this forum I had a nice run myself this morning.

notsofast

Please why there are no women in your list of the greatest 8 runners of all time!!!

cosbloodymick

notsofast wrote: »

Please why there are no women in your list of the greatest 8 runners of all time!!!

Because no woman would run as fast as those guys.