Who is the greatest athlete of all time?

[Buster Highmen]

Eddie Mercx?

[billyk]

Apparently it’s not Maher.

[ötzi]

Well he is in the record books

[Angle Parking]

If we add ‘contributes to the betterment of humanity’ to the list of criteria, I will add Terry Fox to the list.



Not really the spirit of the OP’s question I know, but someone asked for non American entries and Terry Fox is a god in Canada.


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[Art Shirk]

Terry Fox is a great mention.

I’m holed up after surgery and finally got around to watching Free Solo today while higher than giraffe junk. I know someone else mentioned Honnold, but what he did blew my mind. No doubt a mix of athleticism, strength, endurance, training and unmatched mental fortitude. Add in an accomplishment no one before him had bagged, and it’s a strong case.


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[Danno]

I don't know if he is the "greatest athlete of all time", but Honnold is a singular talent.

[BmillsSkier]

But did he bag Katerina Witt?

[Conundrum]

Fairness conversation point…if any athlete save a handful of people in the world tried what Honnold did, they’d die. Honnold could probably play most sports and even be a place kicker for the Dallas Cowboys and not be the best (or not worse than Dallas’s kicker) but also not die while trying. Alas, survival is only for bonus points in this little debate.

[ötzi]

I dunno, seems like there's lots of stuff that would probably kill somebody that didn't know how to do it if they just tried to do it. Competition flying, driving and motorcycle racing leap to mind, any technical climbing, skiing a downhill or doing acrobatics, I'm sure there's plenty more.

It doesn't matter anyways since I changed my mind to my old dog Sasha, she was unbelievable.

[Timberridge]

It doesn't matter anyways since I changed my mind to my old dog Sasha, she was unbelievable.

Are we sticking to mammals? Because I was watching a show on insects and if a flea was the size of a human it could jump over the Eiffel Tower.

[PNWbrit]

Could Sasha hit a fastball?

[mud]

Honnald is the extension of all the other free soloist before him. Hopefully he’s smarter and knows when to stop tho, some of the people that came before were more suicidal than athletic.

I’m going to add Togo to the list.

[waxman]

Terry Fox is a great mention.

I’m holed up after surgery and finally got around to watching Free Solo today while higher than giraffe junk. I know someone else mentioned Honnold, but what he did blew my mind. No doubt a mix of athleticism, strength, endurance, training and unmatched mental fortitude. Add in an accomplishment no one before him had bagged, and it’s a strong case.


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There's a pretty good interview with a navy seal about his time in combat and doing all sorts of "extreme" sports and he says the one of the scariest things he's seen is Free Solo. You know that Honnold lives but you're still crapping your pants the whole time.
Which sidetracks to does anybody care about him house shopping with his girlfriend?

[mcski]

That was the scariest part of the movie for me!

[HappyCamper]

How about Reinhold F’ing Messner? First to climb all 8,000 meter peaks and did it without o2. Maybe the most stubborn athlete ever.

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”

― Ernest Hemingway


Come on Papa....make an appearance here!

[Art Shirk]

Not to be flippant, but that guy is going to die falling from a rock before old age gets him. His quest for perfection is more important than anything else and no amount of wives, Las Vegas homes or children will deviate him. The fact that he fell at all (specifically at the Boulder Problem) while roped in during his training means he will do it again without a rope. I think he’s ok with that though because he thinks the juice is worth the squeeze.

That house buying scene was cringy but the dynamic between him and his then gf was a necessary part of the movie to help explain his emotional state and set up hypothetical conditions under which he needed to analyze his future. I thought it was funny how he had space for a regular fridge and still went minimalist.


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[BmillsSkier]

Could Sasha hit a fastball?

Honnald is the extension of all the other free soloist before him. Hopefully he’s smarter and knows when to stop tho, some of the people that came before were more suicidal than athletic.

I’m going to add Togo to the list.

Love Togo. I was huge into sled dog lore and all that Jack London kind of stuff growing up. My son is just getting into it now and those tales of survival and endurance are still so damned impressive.

[Dantheman]

Hopefully he’s smarter and knows when to stop tho, some of the people that came before were more suicidal than athletic.

FWIW, except for John Bachar all the the dead soloists mentioned in the movie died doing something other than soloing. I think the arc of his life is more likely to play out like Peter Croft's than Dean Potter or Dan Osman, but time will tell.

[Danno]

Not to be flippant, but that guy is going to die falling from a rock before old age gets him. His quest for perfection is more important than anything else and no amount of wives, Las Vegas homes or children will deviate him. The fact that he fell at all (specifically at the Boulder Problem) while roped in during his training means he will do it again without a rope. I think he’s ok with that though because he thinks the juice is worth the squeeze.

You may be right, though I hope you are wrong. And think you might be wrong, as following him on FB, he doesn't seem to be looking for the "next free solo" project, he seems to be looking for new challenges that are less likely to lead to death while still providing him with notoriety (i.e., doing his "job").

[XXX-er]

Pre Marathon-of-hope I seen Terry Fox training on the highway and at the time thinking wtf is that guy doing ? terry fox was larger than life he raised a lot of $ for cancer reasearch in fact he probably raised more $ by not making it across Canada, Steve Fonyo made it but he didnt really have the same charisma

Since we are suposed to be skiers how about Greg Hill ?

[mud]

FWIW, except for John Bachar all the the dead soloists mentioned in the movie died doing something other than soloingl.

Cause cliff jumping and wingsuit flying got them more press.
Wow guys thanks for the reminder gravity still works, hope it was worth it.

[Art Shirk]

You may be right, though I hope you are wrong. And think you might be wrong, as following him on FB, he doesn't seem to be looking for the "next free solo" project, he seems to be looking for new challenges that are less likely to lead to death while still providing him with notoriety (i.e., doing his "job").

That’s good to hear, honestly.

And not that I could distill this guy down from one movie, but he struck me as eerily similar to a few now deceased friends. Hope I’m totally wrong


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[dunfree]

FWIW, except for John Bachar all the the dead soloists mentioned in the movie died doing something other than soloing. I think the arc of his life is more likely to play out like Peter Croft's than Dean Potter or Dan Osman, but time will tell.

I think you could fill out accidents with Derek Hersey and on if you wanted because free climbing is like Himalayan mountaineering was not the safest of things. Personal belief is risk reduction leads to better athletic performance- good gear and knowledge leads to absurdly athletic climbers, race car drivers and maybe bull fighters to abuse the Hemingway quip

[Cruiser]

Betcha that, by the numbers, driving to the th is as dangerous as Alex's actual climbing

[The AD]

I don't think excelling in a sport that could easily kill you should get you bonus points. The best athlete is the best athlete, not the athlete willing to take the most risk.