Athletes of the Year

[philipo]

ETH and Warholm. Love Rojas but that technique is no technique. ETH is poetry in motion and to do what she did in two events with the stiffest competition from her home nation, she tops it for me.

ETH and Warholm for me. After all ETH ran a genuine WR in the 100m for me, not that nonsense of the 10.49 secs with zero wind.

[LoveSprints1]

ETH and Warholm. Love Rojas but that technique is no technique. ETH is poetry in motion and to do what she did in two events with the stiffest competition from her home nation, she tops it for me.

[wilbeerickson]

ETH for the reasons Sovietvest gave. Warholm's the one that astonished me.










Nox Vidmate VLC

[SprintRelayFan]

😂 see what you did there

[Ursus]

The biomechanic perfection of watching ETH run, takes my breath away, whereas Rojas is at the other end of the spectrum. I can see Crouser throwing further, I can't see Warholm improving that time, Benjamin maybe. For GB male athlete of the year I'd endorse Philipo's Prescod nomination.

Rojas is the polar opposite to the skimming stone Edwards. As impressive as she’s been (very) every time I watch her I just think what the hell is she going to do when she gets it right…..

[trevorp]

I’m just going to give it to Crouser on the grounds that 0% of his achievements can be explained by new technology. Can’t be said for anyone else.

My thoughts exactly. As for the Brits, it surely has to be Kerr and Keely, no?

[CAML]

The biomechanic perfection of watching ETH run, takes my breath away, whereas Rojas is at the other end of the spectrum. I can see Crouser throwing further, I can't see Warholm improving that time, Benjamin maybe. For GB male athlete of the year I'd endorse Philipo's Prescod nomination.

[Ursus]

At the other end of the scale who would your biggest disappointments be?

Vetter clearly for me.Totally bizarre season. I don’t like to use the word ‘choked’ but it’s either that or injured.

In a stiff British men’s field, Okoye.

Disappointed in Ujah. Disappointed for Dasher.

[alfie]

I am voting for Crouser - largely for the reasons Ursus outlined above. I absolutely do not wish to take anything away from Warholm , who was brilliant : but it had already occurred to me , even watching the Olympics , that the advances in preparing the track (quoted by the designer as having "a trampoline effect" ) would be likely to assist the 400 hurdlers in particular. Perhaps the fact that both men and women had outstanding results owed something to this - as well , of course , as the fact that both events also had more than one great athletes at the top of their game...

As I say , doesn't diminish Warholm's - or McLaughlin's - performance in the least. But I think Crouser's dominance , with no assistance from new technology , trumps it . For me , at least.

As for the women I have to side with ETH . Two distances ; two outstanding efforts. And she had some decent competition too. (as with the men , the others would be worthy choices ; but she is mine)

GB women has to be Keely , I think. With a nod to Muir (and Bradshaw perhaps ?) , her efforts in three areas makes her a clear choice.

Male GB ? Almost a "pass" ! But yes , Kerr did what no one else could do and won a medal in a very competitive event so has to be him. Guess all honours are not exactly equal...

[philipo]

I’m just going to give it to Crouser on the grounds that 0% of his achievements can be explained by new technology. Can’t be said for anyone else.

Good points made by Occasional and Ursus but I still go for Warholm just

[Grassmarket]

I’m just going to give it to Crouser on the grounds that 0% of his achievements can be explained by new technology. Can’t be said for anyone else.

[trickstat]

Warholm and Rojas for me. Although I think anyone arguing for Crouser and/or ETH has a reasonable case.

[Ursus]

I’d say all WR holders are physical freaks by definition and I’m not placed to comment on Crouser’s diet.

As brilliant as Warholm was, he’s not in his own personal stratosphere. He’s clearly the best but Benjamin runs him v close.

Crouser was in a league of his own and the WR he took down by some distance (and exceeded 3 times in total) came from an era of ‘enhancement’. Kovacs and Walsh are good opponents, v high on all time rankings and many would put them higher on legit lists.

In comparing performances the shoe and track technology that have taken track times to a new level have to be factored in. That’s fine - and tech always advances - but it means times must be looked at in a different context and those advances have not been available to heavy throwers. Also rewrites history - we saw the best 3 times in the 400h, but what might Moses or Young have done in this era? In contrast we can safely say that this year Crouser became the best putter ever and by a distance.

[philipo]

The man killer event as it is known had the WR broken twice by Warholm. Crouser is a freak of nature in an event with not too much competition compared to the best, unlike this years 400m hurdles competitors. I will never compare meat eating physical freaks with one the greatest performances ever seen.And breaking it out on his own in Oslo.

[philipo]

I would put ETH above Rojas and McLaughlin. Agreed, her time should be a WR. She faced far stiffer competition than Rojas and the event is generally far more competitive than the W TJ, where relatively few people take it up. McLaughlin simply didn't compete enough.

Warholm edges Crouser for me because I believe whereas Crouser's WR was something that looked within the realms of possibility prior to the season starting, Warholm's 45.94 was far, far beyond anything anyone could have imagined. The greatest athletic performance I have seen in my lifetime.

Full agreement on that post Soviet