Thursday
Aug092012
Worlds Greatest Athlete
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Christian - Rope Climb
While watching track and field on the olympics tonight, an excerpt on the Olympic Decathalon came on. They called it the only true standardized test of "athleticism" and that whoever won could claim to be the "worlds greatest athlete".
For those who don't know, the Decathalon consists of:
100m Sprint
400m Sprint
1,500m Sprint
110m Hurdle
Pole Vault
High Jump
Long Jump
Discus
Shot Put
Javelin
Have you watched the decathalon competition? Do you think the winner deserves the accolade of "worlds greatest athlete"?
Workout of the Day
Strength -
Front Squat or Snatch MAX
Conditioning -
40 Burpees for time
Post weights and notes to comments.
Reader Comments (11)
I don't think there is such a thing as "worlds greatest athlete".
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I think its a great sales pitch to lure audience to watch program. Yes they must possess a rounded high level of skill to compete in Olympics. A old school ATF was Bo Jackson who could run track, throw a javelin, compete in Olympic lifting if that was his choice, but played professional football, and baseball at exceptional level.
I totally agree with Steve and Richard, there is no way you can call one sport the "greatest" or the most "athletic". Although decathlon is very impressive, and does require a variation of athletic and physical requirements, there is no way to measure if its athletes are the most athletic. Most any athlete will tend to say that their sport is the most difficult, for instance if you ask a swimmer who the greatest olympean is they will most likely say Phelps, but if you ask a Weightlifter or Track and field athlete for their opinion, they will most likely provide a different answer. To say one sport is better than the other, or that its athletes are better than the other is just absurd in most cases, for instance, a boxer gets punched in the head repeatedly over the course of a fight and a gymnast can do a backflip with a twist on a 4in beam with keeping perfect balance, all I am saying is that every sport has its own stresses and all athletes should be respected for what they do, except male crossfit athletes lol, the women are awesome though ;)
I agree with alex, most athletes will say that there sport requires the most skill/talent/effort which results in athleticism. As for decathlon and olympics in general, i'd much rather watch someone who specializes in the 100m as opposed to someone who has to stop training sprint work to go train javelin, then go train high jump, then train distance. I have alot of respect for decathletes but for me personally, I like to watch people maximize potential in one area, that is athletic to me
Ill vote for Buster Posey. Since All Star break batting average .446 also leads majors in rbi's, slugging percentage, on base percentage. T Lincecum also known as "The Freak" is on the mound vs Rockies tonight. Tim is a one of a kind athlete.
I want them to take out a few of the older events, like the javelin, discus, and pole vault! I want them to add-distance swimming, kayaking, and balance beam. That seems like a more well rounded definition of fitness!
Insert super witty joke about CrossFit, preferably referencing med ball cleans and butterfly kips.
Steiner drops 420 lbs on his neck, and somehow walks off on his own. Amazing!
Only if Jocelyn wins it :)