Was Eric Heiden's 5 Individual Gold Medals at 1980 Lake Placid greatest Olympic performance ever?

Big Bank Hank
Big Bank Hank Seattle, WA Posts: 8,639
edited February 2018 in All Encompassing Trip
Eric Heiden swept all 5 of the men's speed skating events, no one has ever come close to doing it in swimming or sprinting, he won the sprints & the distance events, he absolutely crushed all his competition
Eric Heiden 1980 Lake Placid Olympics results:
500M Gold-Olympic Record
1000M Gold-Olympic record
1500M Gold-Olympic record
5000M Gold-Olympic record
10000M Gold-Olympic Record

Eric Heiden - ESPN's SportsCentury 50 Greatest Athletes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyfUh1wA96o

Was Eric Heiden's 5 Individual Gold Medals at 1980 Lake Placid greatest Olympic performance ever? 17 votes

Yes
17%
Given to...JK_LivinBig Bank Hank 3 votes
No
82%
darwinstheorygregkitefanbootlegger10EnkidujosevolutiontbergsHesCalledDyerKC138045BLACK35eeriepadavergambsnortherndragonehbaconConorKavanagh 14 votes
«13

Comments

  • josevolution
    josevolution Posts: 31,790
    No
    No one compares to Phelps it’s not even close ...
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841
    I’m guessing that whatever I answer will be wrong in some way. 
    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    No
    He skated fast.
    Phelps swam fast.

    Sure, they both dominated hardcore, but they only did 1 thing with minor tweaks.
    A single gold medal in the decathlon or all-around gymnastics is more impressive than either of their very impressive Olympic runs.
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  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    No
    Winning both the 500 and the 10,000 is quite a feat though, and I do think it's a greater accomplishment than Phelps.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • F Me In The Brain
    F Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,877
    dankind said:
    I’m guessing that whatever I answer will be wrong in some way. 
    :lol:
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • Big Bank Hank
    Big Bank Hank Seattle, WA Posts: 8,639
    edited February 2018
    Yes
    josevolution said:
    No one compares to Phelps it’s not even close ...
    dude, there is zero chance Michael Phelps could win the 1500M which is what he would have to do to be equivalent, to sweep all the events and set olympic records in everyone, but whatever, you obviously don't understand the difficulty of winning the sprint & endurance events because no swimmer has or probably could ever win the 50M & 1500M and no track athlete could win both the 100M & 10,000M in fact no athletes even enter both events, he had to beat the world record holders who specialized in those events, so that is what makes Heiden's 5 golds more impressive than Phelps 8 or Spitz's 7, we are talking a single olympics and not an olympic career.
    Post edited by Big Bank Hank on
  • pjhawks
    pjhawks Posts: 12,956
    edited February 2018
    I'd say Carl Lewis 1984 winning gold in the 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay and the Long Jump

    or

    the 1980 USA Men's Hockey team for beating the greatest team in the world with college players in the biggest upset in the history of sports.
  • Hobbes
    Hobbes Pacific Northwest Posts: 6,438
    Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin games.

    4 gold medals
    Broke or equaled 9 Olympic records
    Set 3 world records

    and...

    A big "Fuck you!" to Hitler.
  • Big Bank Hank
    Big Bank Hank Seattle, WA Posts: 8,639
    Yes
    Hobbes said:
    Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin games.

    4 gold medals
    Broke or equaled 9 Olympic records
    Set 3 world records

    and...

    A big "Fuck you!" to Hitler.
    that was great and I think Jesse Owens was awesome, but he didn't win any distance events they were all sprints, for it to be equivalent he'd have to win both the 100M & 10,000M plus 3 other events in between
  • Hobbes
    Hobbes Pacific Northwest Posts: 6,438
    So, you side with Hitler?

    Neat.
  • Big Bank Hank
    Big Bank Hank Seattle, WA Posts: 8,639
    edited February 2018
    Yes
    Hobbes said:
    So, you side with Hitler?

    Neat.
    lol, no Eric Heiden is an American, and winning both the sprint & distance events is a unequaled feat because you are going up against athletes who specialize only in those events. Eric Heiden is as big as Michael Jordan in Holland & Norway, most of my fellow American don't really follow speed skating
    Post edited by Big Bank Hank on
  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841
    Hobbes said:
    So, you side with Hitler?

    Neat.
    It's your Cognitive Dissonance and sheep-like nature that causes you to say such a thing. I mean, why would siding with Hitler be wrong? Just because the Mainstream Media says so? 
    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • Hobbes
    Hobbes Pacific Northwest Posts: 6,438
    Hold on. I need to mute CNN for a moment so I can type this:

    Baaaaaa.
  • ehbacon
    ehbacon Posts: 1,972
    No
    Remember when Kerri Strug won the US gymnastics team gold with a sprained ankle? That.
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  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    dankind said:
    I’m guessing that whatever I answer will be wrong in some way. 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWduNomDqY
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    No
    ehbacon said:
    Remember when Kerri Strug won the US gymnastics team gold with a sprained ankle? That.
    That was an amazing moment, so glad I was watching live.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • HesCalledDyer
    HesCalledDyer Maryland Posts: 16,498
    No
    pjhawks said:
    I'd say Carl Lewis 1984 winning gold in the 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay and the Long Jump

    or

    the 1980 USA Men's Hockey team for beating the greatest team in the world with college players in the biggest upset in the history of sports.
    The latter wasn't for a medal, though.
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  • pjhawks
    pjhawks Posts: 12,956
    HesCalledDyer said:
    pjhawks said:
    I'd say Carl Lewis 1984 winning gold in the 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay and the Long Jump

    or

    the 1980 USA Men's Hockey team for beating the greatest team in the world with college players in the biggest upset in the history of sports.
    The latter wasn't for a medal, though.
    the original question was greatest Olympic performance not medals won. beating the greatest hockey team in the world with amateurs was a pretty amazing peformance.
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    It’s beginning to look like the two options actually are:

    1) Yes
    2) I’m obviously far too stupid to understand the wider implications of this question so shouldn’t even register a vote
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • F Me In The Brain
    F Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,877
    Thread name should be changed to

    Eric Heiden's 5 Individual Gold Medals at 1980 Lake Placid was the greatest Olympic performance ever


    The love he receives is the love that is saved

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