IMAGINARY SUMMER OLYMPICS - Poll #42 - Athletics - Women's 200m; Athletics - Women's 3000m Steeplechase; Swimming - Men's 200m Breaststroke; Judo - Women's Half Middleweight; Judo - Women's Middleweight

[rafalgorka 1,375]

Poll #42.

 

These are olympic champions in certain events.

Imagine that all these champions are on the top of their game at the very same moment in time.

Who would have won gold?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_athletics_(women)#200_metres

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_athletics_(women)#3000_metres_steeplechase

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_swimming_(men)#200_metres_breaststroke

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_judo#Half_middleweight_2

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_judo#Middleweight_2

[Dragon 1,699]

OK, these are the most difficult selections so far

 

Athletics - Women's 200m

I won't vote for the GDR runners or Flo-Jo because of the doubts everybody has about their integrity.

So that leaves the four earliest winners, the three most recent champions and Szewińska of Poland.

I was tempted to vote for Szewińska but in the end I went for Wilma Rudolph who dominated the Rome Olympics.

 

Athletics - Women's 3000m Steeplechase

Chemutai because the event was much stronger in 2021 than previous Olympics

 

Swimming - Men's 200m Breaststroke

I might be biased here. 

Usually I go for repeat champions like Kitajima but in this case David Wilkie's performance was so damn good in 1976 I can't ignore it.

The Americans dominated men's swimming in Montreal, winning all but one gold medal, and reigning champ John Hencken broke the world record by nearly a second. Unfortunately for him, Wilkie broke the world record by three seconds. It's one of the greatest performances in Olympic swimming.

 

Judo - Women's Half Middleweight

Judo - Women's Middleweight

And I go back to favouring repeat champions again.

[rafalgorka 1,375]

@Dragon I found your old post here. Yes, you have invented this whole thing :-) Thanks for an idea!

 

And thanks for bringing up stories like David Wilkie 1976 win. That's what I was hoping for, that we will remind ourselves some less popular and less known olympic stories!

[phelps 6,858]

Athletics, women's 200m...I agree with @Dragon and I won't take into any consideration Flo-Jo and the East Germany's women, I was also tempted to go with Wilma Rudolph for all she represents (not only on the track), but in the end I feel I have to choose  Elaine Thompson-Hera, hoping not to have to regret this choice in a few years.

 

Athletics, women's 3000m SC...once again, I agree with @Dragon...the Tokyo race was just on another level, so I go with  Peruth Chemutai.

 

Swimming, men's 200m Breaststroke...here I'm also biased, therefore my pick is  Domenico Fioravanti, the first man in history to double up 100m and 200m Breast in the same Olympics (only Kitajima did the same...and he did it twice). And if it wasn't for the doctors that ended prematurely his career, who knows?

 

Judo, women's Half-Middleweights (currently -63kg)...this is a no brainer,  Clarisse Agbegnenou is surely the best judo player ever in this class (5 world titles, 5 european titles and so many international tournaments) and Tokyo was the apotheosis of an amzing career.

 

Judo, women's Middleweights (currently -70kg)...difficult choice...

so, I also have to go with the only woman who repeated herself in this weight class,  Masae Ueno

[rafalgorka 1,375]

Well, the biggest problem for me now is that I would like to continue with some polls about some popular team events, but there was USSR team winning at least one gold in each of them.

 

As I count all the medals to the nowadays NOCs , i think in these events the medals will need to be counted to Russia as majority of the team members of USSR teams were Russian. I will try to count it, how many Ukrainians, Armenians etc. were there and if majority will be other than Russians, I will change it. Like in rowing, men’s Yugoslavian fours team was all Croatian, not Serbian.

 

So next poll or two are all about team sports… Stay tuned.

Edited November 10, 2022 by rafalgorka

[rafalgorka 1,375]

Voting in this one ends today at 8 p.m. CET. :-)

[rafalgorka 1,375]

Results

 

ATHLETICS - Women's 200m

 

1. Elaine Thompson-Herah JAM

2. Marie-Jose Perec FRA (T)

3. Veronica Campbell-Brown JAM (T)

 

ATHLETICS - Women's 3000m Steeplechase

 

1. Peruth Chemutai UGA

2. Habiba Ghribi TUN

3. Gulnara Samitova-Galkina RUS

 

SWIMMING - Men's 200m Breaststroke

 

1. Kosuke Kitajima JPN

2. Daniel Gyurta HUN (T)

3. David Wilkie GBR (T)

 

JUDO - Women's Half Middleweight

 

1. Clarisse Agbegnenou FRA

2. Ayumi Tanimoto JPN

3. Tina Trstenjak SLO

3. Severine Vandenhende FRA* (T)

 

JUDO - Women's Middleweight

 

1. Masae Ueno JPN

2. Lucie Decosse FRA (T)

3. Chizuru Arai JPN (T)

3. Sibelis Veranes CUB (T)

 

Thanks for voting!