[Closed] Greatest Sporting Achievement

Cycling is the only sport I am interested in TBPH so should what we all hope happens on Sunday he will, for me be the greatest British sports person.

It's been a long wait for Belgium 😆

No way is Wiggin's triumph the greatest sporting achievement by a brit, it's been way too easy for him to win (not that I'm not pleased for him), probably the most boring TdF I've ever watched.

[i]Serious nominations please. [/i]

are you new 😉

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Daley Thompson

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Eddie Izzard jogging himself half to death.

is southern ireland classed as great britain?
is wiggo's win any better than stephen roche's win?

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Big Wig's triumph (fingers crossed) in the Tour de France ranks as the greatest sporting achievement by a Brit ever in my opinion.

Why's that then? Genuinely interested to know. 😉

Is mountain climbing a sport?

Genuine question.

Calling it a pastime seems to demean it a bit but, equally, it doesn't fit my view of what a sport is.

Emil Zatopek winning the 1952 Olympic 5000m, 10000m and Marathon gold medals. Never done before likely never to be again.

Sebastian Coe retaining the Olympic 1500m title, also his 1:41 800m world record. A staggering performance.

Steve Ovett winning the World Cup 1500m with a finishing sprint so powerful that the then world record holder John Walker stepped off the track and didnt finish the race.

Just a few that spring to mind!!

is southern ireland classed as great britain?

Seriously? Does it include France too? No, not at all.

Great Britain doesn't even include Northern Ireland, it's "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

I dunno what is the greatest achievement, but it's not Wiggo IMO.

[i]it's been way too easy for him to win[/i]

Wow! EASY to win the Tour de France? Are you on drugs? Or is he?!

Greatest sporting achievement - Steve Redgrave.

Top of the heap for 16 years! In a sport as pysically demanding as that, is an incredible feat.

For sheer human endurance, Eddie Izzard's run would take some beating - from virtually nowhere to that for an old fat transvestite was amazing.

The England football team being so ineptly pittiful at the 'national' sport despite having allegedly the best domestic league in the world.
That's a hell of an achievement in my book.

Tanni Grey-Thompson. She's a girl.

11 gold medals
4 silver medals
1 bronze medal

2 world champion golds

Her legs don't work either.
[url] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanni_Grey-Thompson [/url]

If it's cycling, then I'm afraid i'd have to nominate [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl_Burton ]Beryl[/url]; read those palmares! Think she'd could have been a GC contender.

In 1967, she set a new 12-hour time trial record of 277.25 miles – a mark that surpassed the men’s record of the time by 0.73 miles and was not superseded by a man until 1969. While setting the record she caught and passed Mike McNamara who was on his way to setting the men's record at 276.52 miles and winning that year's men's British Best All-Rounder. She is reputed to have given him a liquorice allsort as she passed him. Apparently, McNamara ate the sweet.

EDIT: And for olympics, I'd second Daley. Somebody give him some tickets, for goodness sake. Steve's achievements are impressive, but he didn't do it alone 🙂

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I think my coming second in the world conkers championships in 2010 is probably the greatest sporting achievment ever... Well apart from tht of Ray Kellock the man who won it. Damn him!

Chris Boardman's olympic gold was a hell of an achievement - heard it described as classic British Alpinism in terms of doing it without any major support. Also left no trace for about 10 years. Very contrasting situation to Big Wig.

Edmund Hillary, first ascent of Everest, with Tensing, unless Mallory and co actually did do it.
Jackie Stewart. 3 capionships in probably one of the world's most competitive series. Fatalaties outnumber champions 10-1 in the last 60 years, it took some guts to do it in those days!
Roger Bannister maybe?
Does it have to be a person? How about the Mini which won the Monte?

jota180, you beat me to it. This is a foregone conclusion. No-one thought a sub 4 minute mile was possible. It was like putting a man on the moon.

Edmund Hillary, first ascent of Everest, with Tensing,

Not Brits though, A Kiwi and Nepalese respectively

[i]I think my coming second in the world conkers championships in 2010 is probably the greatest sporting achievment ever... Well apart from tht of Ray Kellock the man who won it. Damn him![/i]
That is actually awesome in my opinion, but it still comes 2nd to my 90th O/A as a solo in the 1999 Summer Polaris.

Or how about....

http://www.dougielampkin.co.uk/trophy-cabinet.html

EDIT, actually more than a single achievement.

Pretty sure Sir Edmund wasn't a Brit...

Wow! EASY to win the Tour de France? Are you on drugs? Or is he?!

I might be, don't think he is.

Nope Kiwi - google it, first result says so!

Phil the Power Taylor - 15 world championships under his sizeable belt. You've got a long way to go, Wiggo.