Jester,Feb 19 2006, 10:53 PM Wrote:Is there a test of "athletics" that transcends the individual sports?
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How about either the decathlon or heptathlon? Those are both pretty good tests of pure all-around athletics. There is also the triathlon, the biathlon, nordic combined, etc. The problem with those is that the very best athletes in those particular sports are "jack of all trades" and don't really excel in any one particular aspect. The very best decathlete will never hold a candle to the best 100 metre sprinter in a race.
Your point is completely valid though. It's impossible to try to rank athletes that compete in different sports. Who was the better athlete, Wayne Gretzky or Micheal Jordan? The answer is of course Bo Jackson, but only if he had won a gold medal as a brakeman in the 2 man bobsleigh.
I kind of like the story of Clara Hughes. She won medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Cycling and speed skating. That's a pretty good all-around athlete for you.