# Best athlete ever. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 1, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245 "2019-12-01T21:10:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CastletonSnob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ea924/32.png) [@CastletonSnob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/1 "2019-12-01T21:10:01Z")
Who would you say is the most athletic person of all time? My vote goes to Ashton Eaton, 2 time Decathlon Olympic Gold Medalist. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2c4Lm3M2RJI/maxresdefault.jpg "Best of Ashton Eaton 🇺🇸 Olympic Decathlon | Athlete Highlights") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c4Lm3M2RJI) Do you know how hard it is to win a gold medal in the Decathlon, let alone win 2? You have to be great at 10 different events. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/2 "2019-12-01T21:21:17Z")
Actually, you only have to be mediocre at 10 wildly different events. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CastletonSnob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ea924/32.png) [@CastletonSnob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/3 "2019-12-01T21:24:44Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Actually, you only have to be mediocre at 10 wildly different events. > 😉 OK, but you’re still competing against other world-class athletes. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/4 "2019-12-01T21:35:48Z")
As an Oklahoman, I feel obligated to say Jim Thorpe is better. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/5 "2019-12-01T22:23:57Z")
> [@CastletonSnob](#): > > Who would you say is the most athletic person of all time? My vote goes to Ashton Eaton, 2 time Decathlon Olympic Gold Medalist. > > Do you know how hard it is to win a gold medal in the Decathlon, let alone win 2? You have to be great at 10 different events. I agree that the Decathlon is the ultimate test of an all-rounder. However there were two athletes (Bob Mathias and Daley Thompson) who also won two Olympic Gold medals in the Decathlon. How do you compare them to Eaton? My vote for your (rather vague) title goes to **Jesse Owens** : - he set three world records and tied another, all in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan—a feat that has never been equalled and has been called “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport” - he went on to win 4 gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany ( 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4 × 100 meter relay.) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/6 "2019-12-01T22:36:11Z")
Babe Didrickson should be in the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Anglachel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Anglachel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anglachel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/7 "2019-12-02T01:59:58Z")
I’ll second Jim Thorpe. Played three major sports professionally and was a gold medalist in the Olympics. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim\_Thorpe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe) ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/8 "2019-12-02T02:14:43Z")
Lionel Conacher > **[Lionel Conacher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Conacher)** > > Lionel Pretoria Conacher, MP (/ˈkɒnəkər/; May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), nicknamed "The Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. His first passion was football; he was a member of the 1921 Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. He was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team that won the International League championship in 1926. In hockey, he won a Memorial Cup in 192... ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/9 "2019-12-02T04:08:29Z")
> [@Anglachel](#): > > I’ll second Jim Thorpe. Played three major sports professionally and was a gold medalist in the Olympics. > > [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim\_Thorpe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe) This has come up in threads before and Jim Thorpe is always a top contender. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/10 "2019-12-02T06:49:42Z")
My first thought was Babe Didrikson, but Jim Thorpe is probably the better choice. I’d maintain the best athlete at one sport is Wayne Gretzky. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/11 "2019-12-02T22:25:05Z")
If the answer to this question can be immediately followed by who?, then it’s prob not the right answer - re Ashton Eaton. TWO gold medals in the decathlon is really significant, though, agreed. The injury toll the decathlon puts on an athlete’s body is brutal, so to peak twice and beat the best of the world on the biggest stage really does take outlandish ability. Canadian Bill Werbeniuk was an international dual sport athlete - world level snooker and pool player, albeit a level below the very best, but an elite, world champion bevvy merchant. Could drink 40-50 pints of lager a day. > **[Bill Werbeniuk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Werbeniuk)** > > William Alexander Werbeniuk (/ˌwɜːrbɛˈnɪk/ WURR-ben-IK; 14 January 1947 – 20 January 2003) was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill". Werbeniuk was a four-time World Championship quarter-finalist and also a UK Championship semi-finalist, reaching a career high world ranking of #8 for the 1983–84 season. > William Werbeniuk was born on 14 January 1947 in Winnipeg. His paternal grandfather had immigrated to Canada from Ukraine; hi... ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/12 "2019-12-02T23:17:48Z")
Three men have won 2 Decathlon Olympic golds so i would go for someone else. For me it’s Michael Johnson. It wasn’t just the amount he won, it was his domination of the races. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/13 "2019-12-02T23:25:55Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > My first thought was Babe Didrikson, but Jim Thorpe is probably the better choice. I’d maintain the best athlete at one sport is Wayne Gretzky. Best at one sport for me is Lionel Messi. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/14 "2019-12-03T03:13:01Z")
The greatest pure athlete I ever saw was Bo Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/15 "2019-12-03T03:37:48Z")
You also need to bring Jim Brown into the discussion. Not only is he in both the NFL and Lacrosse Halls of Fame, but in college he was also an excellent basketball player, and was on the track team. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/16 "2019-12-03T07:59:06Z")
For a single sport, In terms of being so far above his peers then Don Bradman has to be in contention. What he did is 50% better than anyone else has ever done. A statistical freak ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/17 "2019-12-03T12:25:03Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > For a single sport, In terms of being so far above his peers then Don Bradman has to be in contention. What he did is 50% better than anyone else has ever done. A statistical freak If the competition as “winning the most Olympic gold medals,” then Michael Phelps did it, what, 150% better than anyone else has ever done? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/18 "2019-12-03T12:29:59Z")
Best athlete at what? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/19 "2019-12-03T19:53:13Z")
Add me to the Thorpe list. Keep in mind that, when the Olympics had both a track & field (athletics, for those of you outside of North America) pentathlon for men as well as the decathlon, he won both in the same Olympics. I have a feeling the best athlete “ever” is somebody whose name, and possibly feats as well, has been lost to time for centuries. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245/20 "2019-12-03T23:46:51Z")
Some exceptional sporting polymaths who weren’t US professionals and way prior to the TV age [CB Fry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._B._Fry) > [@](#): > > Captain of the England cricket team during the first Golden Age. > Joint holder of the world record in the long jump. > Played for England in Association Football also, and played for Southampton in the FA Cup final. > Played at top club level in Rugby Union. > Also known as a golfer, shot-putter, ice-skater and hammer thrower, and sprinter, hurdler and high-jumper. [Max Woosnam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Woosnam) > [@](#): > > Wom Olympic gold and silver in tennis at the 1920 Summer Olympics, won the doubles at Wimbledon, compiling a 147 break in Snooker, making a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, captaining the British Davis Cup team, captaining Manchester City F.C. and captaining the England national football team. With honorable mentions to: [Cuthbert Ottaway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert_Ottaway) [Alfred Lyttelton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Lyttelton) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-athlete-ever/844245.md?page=2)