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Top Ten 400 Meters of the Modern Era – Men
Here we go with the 400’s. Definitely a bit tougher task, because as the distance increases, so do the odds that things may not be so close at the finish – making the task of evaluating much more difficult. That said, there were races that shone through – because competitors find a way to make things close no matter the distance. Ironically, this list has several Trials races on it. Not that I am a “homer” in this regard – as the previous lists should attest to – but the greatest concentration of high level quarter milers have come through the US, so naturally there have been some great races…
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Top 200 Meter Races of All Time – Women
The men’s event was tough, the women were even tougher. The biggest problem being depth, as most races over the years have suffers from lack of great depth. Just as in the 100, the great female sprint crews of the 90s have a presence on this list, but there is a nice sprinkling of some of the greatest female sprinters of all time with Evelyn Ashford, Valerie Brisco, and the New Millennium group of Felix, Campbell Brown, Jeter, and Fraser Pryce, among others are also heard from. There have been great 100 meter runs and great quarter miles, but after reviewing things of 200 meter races, I’m convinced that this…
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Top Ten 200 Meter Races of All Time – Men
Now that the 100 is out of the way it’s forward to the deuce – and frankly the 100 was easier! Here’s the deal. The issue is that this is not about individual performances, it’s supposed to be about the race – the entire race. That said, there have been many great performances where the overall race didn’t match up. Then there are some outstanding races where the times were not stellar – at least by today’s standards. So I’m guessing, even before I finalize this list, that there will be issues with it for some people. In the end, I think the list is solid and defensible. This event…
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Top Ten 100 Meter Races of all Time – Women
This was a very interesting exercise. The men’s list was relatively easy to put together, as there have been some very memorable races for the men. As I started putting this list together however, I found that getting the top women together AND performing as a group at a high level has not been as frequent as one would have thought. Especially when it comes to the final times. The one exception was the 90s where a group of Gail Devers, Merlene Ottey, Gwen Torrence, and Irina Privalova dominated most of the decade and this list with four races – and another just narrowly missing the cut. That race being…
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Top 100 Meter Races of the Modern Era
A reader had a great idea, to go through and create lists of the top 10 races by event. Nice idea, so I decided to give it a shot. So I’m starting with the 100 – first the men then will follow with the women – and will work my way up in distance if its something that people like/find interesting. Obviously my rankings will be based on races that I’ve had a chance to see, which means live, TV, or video. If there are others that I’ve not been privy to, please bring them to my attention. I’ve also tried to look at overall races and results – not…
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My Favorite All Time Intermediate Hurdlers
Ok, now that the high hurdlers are done, let me give thought to the intermediates – another difficult list. Once again, I find I have a list that is heavy on one era. In part because I’m not including current competitors, but largely because that era was simply the best ever in my humble opinion.I also find myself listing a couple of athletes that may draw question. Once again these are my favorites and not necessarily reflective of a GOAT list, because I agree that a GOAT list should be a bit more "restrictive". All that said, here are my favorite intermediate hurdler’s. Have at it. 1. Edwin Moses - …
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My Favorite All Time High Hurdlers
I was ‘re-watching the final two Diamond League meets of the year this past weekend, and was just as impressed by Merritt’s WR run as I was when I first saw it. So much so that I began comparing it/him to icons of the event’s past. So while it is all fresh in my mind, I’m going to take a quick detour and put together my all time favorite hurdlers list. Because while Merritt just set a tremendous record and standard, there were several athletes before him that lead to this achievement. I have to say that this was a difficult list to compile – perhaps the most difficult yet…
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No Changes for Bolt in 2016
I’m going to continue with my “Favorites” lists, but there is news that crops up even when things are “quiet”. So for those wondering what Usain Bolt plans to be doing in the year 2016, apparently it will be the same as in. 2012. Word out on Twitter in the last couple days is that Bolt will not be changing events, and is looking to attempt to repeat as sprint king in Rio de Janeiro. Personally I don’t find the news astounding. Bolt has always shied away from the 400 throughout his career in spite of showing promised in his youth. And the move to something like the long jump…
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My Favorite All Time Female Middle Distance
Well I see my female sprinters list raised a few questions. But then the history of women’s sprinting is full of superstars, which make trying to come up a with a list of 10 is difficult regardless of the criteria. I’ve found the same to be true when taking a look at the history of women middle distance runners. Same basic rules apply. No current athletes are eligible. Only athletes whose careers are over. And I must say, that perhaps even more than the sprints, drugs have had an impact on these events – making it difficult to separate "fact from fiction" so to speak. So with that lets go…
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My Favorite All Time Female Sprinters
I was going to continue in order and take a look at distance runners next, but decided to give the women their due and not wait until the end. So let’s take a look at my all time favorite female sprinters. The tough part for me as I look back is that my favorites mostly come from the same time period – 70s through 90s. Unfortunately that was the heart of the drug era for women and the peak of the Eastern Bloc. So there will be some women on here that some may find questionable. I will simply give my reasons for including them and hopefully you will understand.…