# Men competing against women in the olympics **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [August 2, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899 "2021-08-02T21:45:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/1 "2021-08-02T21:45:42Z")
There has been some discussion about transgendered people competing in women’s classes, but I don’t want to discuss that. What I am wondering is a hypothetical about how much of an advantage men have over women in the olympic events. If a man for some reason was allowed to enter the women’s class of every olympic event, how many gold medals could he win? Also, who would be the ideal athlete for this? Someone like Usain Bolt maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/2 "2021-08-02T21:48:12Z")
> [@](#): > > If a man for some reason was allowed to enter the women’s class of every Olympic event An untrained man is useless against a pro woman in almost every sport. A guy who plays table tennis only at a casual level, for instance, would be obliterated by a female Olympic table tennis player. Usain Bolt would be useless in table tennis, probably not much good in volleyball, certainly couldn’t ice-skate well, probably not much of a swimmer, etc. Unless I’m misunderstanding your question. Granted, in some instances, even young male teens (such as the Under-15 boy’s teams) have crushed players like the adult U.S. women’s national soccer team in soccer scrimmages, but again, those boys aren’t average; they’re highly trained soccer players. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/3 "2021-08-02T21:48:53Z")
Clearly Caitlyn Jenner, had she transitioned before 1976, would be the extreme example. She would likely have won even more gold medals at the 1976 Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/4 "2021-08-02T21:51:39Z")
He would certainly not win every event, but maybe he could win a couple more than just 100m. My question is how many could he (or some other athlete) win. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/5 "2021-08-02T21:56:21Z")
I see. Well… Let’s use Usain Bolt (and I can’t think of who would be better, although maybe Michael Phelps or LeBron James): All running events, except marathon - Bolt wins. Tennis - probably not. The pro woman wins. Golf - probably not, the pro woman wins. Archery - no way, the woman wins. Figure skating - woman wins for sure. Table tennis - woman wins. Basketball - the man miiiiiight win, if he relies solely on layups, using jumping ability, etc. Soccer - this is too much of a team sport, but the guy miiiiight be able to outrun female defenders. Volleyball - I think the woman can still spike, place the ball too well for Bolt to defend against. Rowing - a strong man would probably outrow a pro woman. Equestrian - I have no idea Shooting - woman wins. You don’t become a good shooter on short notice. Curling - woman wins. Taokwondo - woman probably wins, because this isn’t about strength but skill Water polo - no idea. Field hockey - I have no idea, but if it’s about finesse and skill, the woman probably wins Weightlifting - woman probably wins. She’s trained and this isn’t something even men can do casually Boxing - a strong untrained man might beat a trained, smaller woman ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/6 "2021-08-02T22:05:06Z")
I can speak to equestrian-- all events have both men and women competing in them. Sex is no advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/7 "2021-08-02T22:07:38Z")
Yes, but I believe the OP is asking about an _untrained_ man competing against a _trained_ woman. ---
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/8 "2021-08-02T22:10:54Z")
Well, untrained in that particular sport. You could also imagine Usain Bolt actually training for these events, but he would have very little time to train for each. So it would be more like just learning the basic skills of the sport. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/9 "2021-08-02T22:12:10Z")
The olympians who have won the most medals in a single games have been swimmers for many decades, because there are many swimming events, and they aren’t different enough from each other (the way, say, different running lengths are) that athletes are overly specialized. So, as a rough approximation, the best male swimmer would win twice as many (or more) medals if he could also compete in the women’s swimming events, and he’s already trained to swim in the many swimming events. I expect he would not manage to medal in any non-swimming event. ---
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/10 "2021-08-02T22:15:36Z")
What about bmx racing? Could Usain Bolt have won that with some basic competence? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/11 "2021-08-02T22:20:36Z")
Usain Bolt is not really likely to excel in events that take any kind of endurance. I wonder if he’d even win any of the running events that are 800m or longer. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/12 "2021-08-02T22:27:09Z")
One of the fundamental ways to run _faster_ is to practice running _further_ at top speed. I’m sure he’s not just running 100 meters over and over trying to get faster. Longer distances would also be part of his training. My guess is he’d still stand a good chance. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2021, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/13 "2021-08-02T22:27:38Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > all events have both men and women competing in them. Sex is no advantage. Yet as a curiosity, Julia Krajewski (GER) is the first woman ever to win the individual eventing Olympic gold. Placings at CCI events (Concours Complet International) are gender neutral. As to the sex, or lack of sex, status for the horses, am not sure easily accessible records are kept. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/14 "2021-08-02T22:42:10Z")
I’d probably pick the US men’s decathlon champ or a swimmer to get the most medals. Garrett Scantling won the decathlon at the US trials so I’ll use his times from there. 100m 10.53 - #1 women’s time all time 400m 48.86 - #11 best women’s time this year 1500m 4:57 - Not in the top 3,617 women’s times this year, by a bunch 110m hurdles 13.88 (I converted to 12.6 to compensate for the women only running 100m) - Time for 76th with this year’s women’s numbers High jump 2.05 - Tied for 10th best this year Pole vault 5.15 - #1 women’s all time Long jump 7.61 - #1 women’s all time Shot put 15.91- There is no good way to convert this since the women’s shot is half the weight. I can say I could throw it not quite double the distance I could a 16 lbs. He probably is #1 if not a world record holder. Discus 48.17 - Same problem as the the shot with the biggest challenge being its hard to throw the women’s disc straight after playing with the 2K. If he gets a week of practice he’d be number 1 comfortably. Javelin 64.21 - It’s even harder than the disc to swap to the women’s javelin since its shorter and lighter. Given some time to get used to it he’d be #1 he is really good at the thows so his technique is good its just a matter of getting adjusted. So he’d get 7 gold medals (above plus the heptathlon). I’m out of time to see how Dressel does against the women. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/15 "2021-08-02T22:42:39Z")
Bolt will mostly train on his starts and over 50m or less. And the gym. You can’t run faster than you can swing your arms. It’s about getting out of the blocks quickly, getting into stride, getting to top speed. Then for Bolt it is 40m in top gear and 30m of showboating. Bless him. I doubt he ever run a 400m, except as a warm down jog once he was established as a pre-eminent sprinter. If the 800m was just jog 700 and sprint home he’s win in a canter the Olympic final. But it’s not. There are changes of pace. There’s physical contact. There are other runners in your lane. There are tactical decisions. Hell, you barely need to actually breathe during the 100m. I remember seeing a multi-distance competition where Carl Lewis blew a gasket running 400m. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/16 "2021-08-02T22:49:24Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > If the 800m was just jog 700 and sprint home he’s win in a canter the Olympic final. Bolt ran a 2:05 for the 800m recently, without spikes. He thought he’d run under 2:00 with spikes. He’s also past his prime, I suspect a younger Bolt would be able to go a bit faster. That puts him in women’s world record range, which is 1:53.28. > **[Usain Bolt to run an 800m - Canadian Running Magazine](https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/usain-bolt-to-run-an-800m/)** > > The retired Olympic champion will be running the two-lap race as a promotion for CarMax ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/17 "2021-08-02T22:55:32Z")
This discussion seems like a better fit for the game room. Hope that’s okay. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2021, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/18 "2021-08-02T22:57:23Z")
The man is an athlete. If he’d trained for the 400-800m then he’d have been handy. He has tried a career in professional football which must have been some cause for the opposing wing-backs. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SuF6sxQcix4/hqdefault.jpg "Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt's soccer debut") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuF6sxQcix4) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/19 "2021-08-02T23:03:52Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > The man is an athlete. If he’d trained for the 400-800m then he’d have been handy. Oh, I agree. But the OP basically asks about taking an existing athlete and dropping him in other events without specialized training. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899/20 "2021-08-02T23:21:34Z")
Here’s Bolt running the 400m at High School (age 15). Pouring rain as well. Basically 2+ seconds under the Women’s world record (which has stood since 1983 as an ‘East German drug-assisted time’. No woman has run within 2.5 seconds of Bolt’s schoolboy time since 1983). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdvKcXciQ0g&ab\_channel=AthletixStuffChannel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdvKcXciQ0g&ab_channel=AthletixStuffChannel) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-competing-against-women-in-the-olympics/947899.md?page=2)