The Greatest Track & Field Athlete?
This is a discussion of a poll of the Greatest Track and Field Athlete of All Time conducted on the ESPN Sport Science website in 2013. The voting was based on the best athlete with attributes that make an athlete elite.
There are a wide range of events in track and field, requiring specific abilities to be successful, making comparisons difficult. See more about the ESPN Sport Science poll to determine the Greatest Athlete of All Time. See also our discussion of the greatest ever track and field athlete.
Nominees
Who is the greatest Track and Field athlete of all time?
- Usain Bolt— Only man to defend Olympic gold medals in both 100m and 200m. Current world record holder and Olympic Champion in the 100m.
- Ashton Eaton — Current world-record holder in decathlon and heptathlon.
- Michael Johnson — Held world record in 200m for 12 years from 1996 to 2008, and is still the current world-record holder in 400m (set in 1999).
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee— Six-time Olympic medalist in the heptathlon and long jump, including three gold medals. She still holds the heptathlon world record she set at the 1988 Olympics.
- Carl Lewis — Lewis had 65 consecutive victories in long jump, including four straight Olympic gold medals. In total he won 9 Olympic gold medals. He held the 100m world record for many years.
And the winner was ...
Carl Lewis
Related Pages
- Our discussion of the greatest ever Track & Field athlete.
- About Track and Field
- The ESPN Sport Science poll to determine the Greatest Athlete of All Time.
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Old Comments
Commenting is closed on this page, though you can read some previous comments below which may answer some of your questions.
- Honestly, Usain Bolt wins this without question. Lewis comes in a distant second. The Bolt description above does him no justice. From 2008-2009, he set world records in 6 consecutive Championship races. He is the most transcendent Track and Field athlete EVER. Lewis had longevity going for him, but he was speculated for doping and did not dominate in the way Bolt did. He has had the greatest impact EVER on the sport and he is only 26 years old, with another Olympic domination forthcoming. There is no question on this one. (from Jeff, Feb 2013)
- Seriously? Ashton Eaton one of the greatest track and field athlete of all time? If you are going to select an decathlete, how about Daley Thompson, or if it needs to be an American, Dan O'Brien. (from Rob, Jan 2013)
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