is Usain Bolt a top 5 athlete of all time?

[PistonsFan#21]

Has anyone else dominated in their sport the same way he did in his? He probably wont get as much props as some other guys because track events are not really talked about other than every 4 years during the olympics

[christian1923]

Idk but he's the fastest man ever. That title is already cool enough.

[dunksby]

Fastest man on earth with mad swag, Usain Bolt is surely the most influential too. I have never seen any other runner be talked about so much.

[GOBB]

Top 5 athlete? How about we stick with fastest man in the history of track? Thats about spot on. Also Michael Phelps doesnt qualify as someone who dominated his sport? Just curious given how many medals he racked up (especially gold).

[alenleomessi]

hard to say man there are so many that dominated their sport

jordan
phelps
federer
tiger
ali
messi
babe ruth
gretzky
....

[Snoop_Cat]

Fastest man on earth with mad swag, Usain Bolt is surely the most influential too. I have never seen any other runner be talked about so much.

To confirm, you don't mean most influential runner of all time right. Cause that belongs to Jesse Owens.

[dunksby]

To confirm, you don't mean most influential runner of all time right. Cause that belongs to Jesse Owens.

I'm talking about my own time, among those runners I have seen he has been the most influential and he still got time to become even greater.

[Snoop_Cat]

I'm talking about my own time, among those runners I have seen he has been the most influential and he still got time to become even greater.

Fair enough, just making sure you weren't talking about from a total historical standpoint lols.

[L.Kizzle]

Jesse Owens >

[Swaggin916]

To confirm, you don't mean most influential runner of all time right. Cause that belongs to Jesse Owens.

I suppose. It wasn't him though it was the situation.

Usiain Bolt is like Ali in that he is an amazing self promoter and is just so on another level in terms of ability and showmanship that all of his egomaniac acts don't even come off badly... they just make the whole show even better. VERY few people have been able to pull this off. I can't really think of too many on his level I would say Jordan, Pele, Ali, Phelps, and Bolt I think. Phelps is the only one who isn't a cocky bastard (or at least doesn't come off that way) so the fact that he is in there speaks volumes about his accomplishments. Lance Armstrong would have been in there had it not of been for all the doping speculation.

So yea I would say of all time yes in top 5 and in this order

1. Jordan
2. Ali
3. Pele
4. Bolt
5. Phelps

Top 5 greatest and most influential athletes of all time. They are the standard. Everybody will be compared to them in their sport until the next big thing comes along. Also everybody knows who they are too. Guys like Babe Ruth or anybody in football or other smaller sports just aren't well known enough. Everyone knows Messi and maybe he surpasses Pele when it's all said and done. But in order to be the best athlete and most influential, you HAVE to be a world wide name.

[Wally450]

Fastest of all time

[lakers_forever]

IMO, no. I don't think he has surpassed Carl Lewis

1. Pele

2. Ali.

3. Jordan

4. Sugar Ray Robinson (better boxer than Ali, but the greatest had more impact)

5. Roger Federer

6. Michael Schumacher

7. Carl Lewis (winning in 100m and long jump is more impressive than Phelps IMO).

8. Michael Phelps

9. Usain Bolt

10. Gretzky


Gretzky is low (and no Babe Ruth) like that because most people around the world don't give a f*** about those sports.

[Reef]

IMO, no. I don't think he has surpassed Carl Lewis

What has Lewis done that Bolt hasn't? Bolt's the fastest human ever.

[lakers_forever]

What has Lewis done that Bolt hasn't? Bolt's the fastest human ever.

For now. Someone will be faster than him in the future. Lewis won the long jump as well as the 100 and 200m. No one has done that.

[Reef]

For now. Someone will be faster than him in the future. Lewis won the long jump as well as the 100 and 200m. No one has done that.

Who gives a shit about the long jump? Nobody has been as dominant as Bolt, just crushing world records and winning every major sprint medal.