# Who are the least-fit Olympians? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 19, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268 "2016-08-19T02:04:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/41 "2016-08-19T21:29:17Z")
Probably the least fit Olympians would be the officials, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/42 "2016-08-19T21:37:10Z")
Air rifle seems like the most obvious answer. So long as you don’t have palsy you should be able to do it. Heck the woman who got the gold has only been shooting for 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/43 "2016-08-23T08:58:19Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > A good way to end this debate once and for all would be to make darts an Olympic sport. 🙂 Winner! [But then the Brits would win all the time forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHnBppccI0o) That’s a “Not the Nine O’Clock News” sketch from the early 80’s You may have to know a little about Brit pub culture and professional darts from that era to fully appreciate it. Nice touch is the way the competitors are actually throwing darts in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/44 "2016-08-23T11:57:21Z")
> [@TPWombat](#): > > Winner! > > [But then the Brits would win all the time forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHnBppccI0o) That guy playing the scorekeeper, I feel like I’ve seen him before. Deja Vu. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/45 "2016-08-23T13:09:06Z")
> [@TPWombat](#): > > [But then the Brits would win all the time forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHnBppccI0o) Blatant aside alert! That one scene caused a complete reform of televised darts. It caused them to realise that they had a real image problem. It’s also an object lesson in the power of comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/46 "2016-08-23T14:31:11Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > That’s an awful list. Kevin Stadler, the one guy who could be considered fat and out of shape hasn’t been a member of the PGA tour for a couple of years. But even if he were, half of the rest of the list are Senior Tour (50+) golfers, and the others are listed by weight, which is not a reflection on fitness. If so, most of the US Men’s basketball team wouldn’t qualify, nor wrestlers, or athletes in track and field, volleyball, various martial arts, among others. Inbee Park, who won the gold in women’s golf, doesn’t look to be very fit. That said, looks can be deceiving. But I don’t think that being fit, however you define it, is a necessity for golf. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/47 "2016-08-23T14:36:47Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Inbee Park, who won the gold in women’s golf, doesn’t look to be very fit. That said, looks can be deceiving. But I don’t think that being fit, however you define it, is a necessity for golf. Assuming they have to walk, it’s just over 4 miles for the men. However, you can’t be so unfit that fatigue plays a factor in later holes. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/48 "2016-08-23T17:19:13Z")
Ryan Lochte might be mentally unfit. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/49 "2016-08-23T17:42:54Z")
So, it turns out that there is an authoritative answer to the OP’s question, and the [least fit](http://www.sbnation.com/2016/8/19/12467438/rio-olympics-2016-athletes-small-nations-richson-simeon) Olympians are to be found in the 100-meter dash and the 50-meter freestyle swim. Every nation, no matter how small, can send two athletes to the Olympics, without those athletes actually having to achieve a qualifying time or score in their event. And it turns out that most countries in that situation send their athletes to one of the two events I mentioned, primarily because they require the least investment in training. ---
**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 23, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/50 "2016-08-23T18:32:45Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > So, it turns out that there is an authoritative answer to the OP’s question, and the [least fit](http://www.sbnation.com/2016/8/19/12467438/rio-olympics-2016-athletes-small-nations-richson-simeon) Olympians are to be found in the 100-meter dash and the 50-meter freestyle swim. The slowest time in the Men’s 100 Meter Dash in the 2012 London Olympics was by Timi Garstang of the Marshall Islands at 12.81. For the women it was Tahmina Kohistani of Afghanistan at 14.42. Both times are extremely slow for top runners, but still probably significantly ahead of many athletes in archery and the shooting sports, as well as many/most heavy weightlifters, field athletes, wrestlers, etc. In other words, I still don’t think they’re the least fit. In swimming, they are probably equally fit, but simply haven’t had enough training in swimming technique to be fast. Their time in the pool isn’t a measure of their fitness level. The slowest woman (from Lesotho) swam the 50M in 42.35 seconds, compared to the gold medal winner who finished in 24.05. That is far and away the worst outlier. But I’m not sure it says much about her fitness level. > **[London 2012 100m men Results - Olympic athletics](https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-2012/results/athletics/100m-men)** > > Find out who took home gold, silver and bronze in 2012. Official results of the athletics 100m men event at the London Summer Olympics. > **[London 2012 100m women Results - Olympic athletics](https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-2012/results/athletics/100m-women)** > > Find out who took home gold, silver and bronze in 2012. Official results of the athletics 100m women event at the London Summer Olympics. > **[London 2012 50m freestyle men Results - Olympic swimming](https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-2012/results/swimming/50m-freestyle-men)** > > Find out who took home gold, silver and bronze in 2012. Official results of the swimming 50m freestyle men event at the London Summer Olympics. > **[London 2012 50m freestyle women Results - Olympic swimming](https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-2012/results/swimming/50m-freestyle-women)** > > Find out who took home gold, silver and bronze in 2012. Official results of the swimming 50m freestyle women event at the London Summer Olympics. But the original question was _Say I am physically out-of-shape, but I want to be an Olympian. What should I go for?_ The answer to that is you should go for citizenship in a small nation. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/51 "2016-08-23T21:53:34Z")
Ding. Ding. Winner. Citizenship in the Marshall Islands it is. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/52 "2016-08-24T00:32:45Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Assuming they have to walk, it’s just over 4 miles for the men. However, you can’t be so unfit that fatigue plays a factor in later holes. Course Yardage does not include the yards walking from Green to the Next tee which is often not Trivial on newer courses. And Pro-Golfers seldom walk in a straight line from Tee to Green. I think a fitbit would record well over a 5 mile walk for a 7200 yd course. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/53 "2016-08-24T03:35:02Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > A good way to end this debate once and for all would be to make darts an Olympic sport. 🙂 That is until they add poker as an event. Hey, they show Texas Hold’em on ESPN, it must be a sport… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/54 "2016-08-25T00:53:52Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I would guess archers, shooters, and curlers. **RickJay** has already addressed this, but I would just add: have you ever slid sideways on ice, sweeping a rock with a broom, while avoiding touching that rock or any other rocks, for about 100 feet? And then throwing a rock that weighs around 44 pounds, without slipping on the ice, while giving it just the right weight and turn to have it go over 100 feet and end precisely where the skip has called for? Physical fitness is crucial for high-level curling. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/55 "2016-08-25T03:52:35Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > **RickJay** has already addressed this, but I would just add: have you ever slid sideways on ice, sweeping a rock with a broom, while avoiding touching that rock or any other rocks, for about 100 feet? > > And then throwing a rock that weighs around 44 pounds, without slipping on the ice, while giving it just the right weight and turn to have it go over 100 feet and end precisely where the skip has called for? > > Physical fitness is crucial for high-level curling. Yeah, it helps to be fit, and at the Olympic level you need every advantage you can get, but curlers aren’t in the same league as marathoners or swimmers, fitness-wise. However, I’m probably the fittest I’ve been in ten years. We’ll see if my game improves once the season starts again this fall. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/56 "2016-08-25T21:02:47Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Course Yardage does not include the yards walking from Green to the Next tee which is often not Trivial on newer courses. > > And Pro-Golfers seldom walk in a straight line from Tee to Green. > > I think a fitbit would record well over a 5 mile walk for a 7200 yd course. I walk about 3.5 miles in a round of golf when playing with a cart. Of course, I go in a straight line from tee to green much less than the pros. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/57 "2016-08-25T21:04:11Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > That is until they add poker as an event. Hey, they show Texas Hold’em on ESPN, it must be a sport… Don’t laugh, but the mission of the World Bridge Federation includes getting accepted into the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/58 "2016-08-26T01:42:23Z")
OK, fight my ignorance here. I understand that the coxswains usually train with the rowers so are usually fit, but is there any reason why the cox could not be somebody who is just naturally small and thin but completely out of shape? Not trying to be insulting, but is there a part of their job that requires physical strength or agility? ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268/59 "2016-08-28T16:34:25Z")
I know people in this thread have already argued that even the heavyweight weightlifters are fit, but when I saw this thread title, this is the first thing that came to mind: when we were kids, my grandmother got my brother a subscription to Sports Illustrated for Kids. The cover story of one issue was on some Olympic weightlifter, and it seemed bizarre to me. He was some big fat guy! It didn’t make sense. I thought if you were a really strong person, i.e., an Olympic weightlifter, you looked like a bodybuilder, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. I thought “this guy’s not strong, he’s fat!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-fit-olympians/763268.md?page=2)