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Based on how they rank amongst their peers, the profile of the sport, and consistency I'd have to go for Andy Murray. Competing in at a time when quality has never been higher, hes without fail a top 4 player, currently number 2.
I'd considered Mo Farah, with his vast array of gold medals, but for me Murray pips him due to the sport he competes in.
I've discounted Wiggins as, despite being an absolute legend and still active, his best achievements have been in the past, and I'm going on current form, ie over last 12 months
Discuss...
Rachel Atherton!
It is always hard to say when someone is so dominant if its a period of low quality or if they are that good, IMO for Rachel it is the later.
Atherton. Top of her game and absolutely dominant
Got to agree withMSP there.
Surely Froome has been consistently at the top more than Murray?
Cav too has been head and shoulders the best for a long time and is still mixing it at the top. Murray has never been the worlds best.
That F1 fella too.
Lots with greater standing in yheir sports yhan Murray
Alastair Brownlee. Head and shoulders above everyone else.
Lewis Hamilton back to back world championships and well placed to make it 3. Gareth Bale huge part of Real and Wales success in the last year.
Whilst undoubtably brilliant, Atherton's success comes in a fairly minority sport, hence why I never considered her. Thats no disrespect to her, but I don't think there are many ladies whove ever given down hill biking a go.
I also think we may be a bit bias given its 'our' sport. There are probably equally dominant people in other minority sports that we've never heard of, although dont ask me to name any
Its all opinions however - I personally think Rach is brilliant.
Why does there have to be an out and out best (imo)?
I think it's great that there are so many that we should be celebrating the collective.
It's Nigel Owens btw. 😉
As for Lewis Hamilton...really? All that is conclusive is he is mildly better than his team mate. Remember Jenson won a world title when he had the best car as well..
Lizzie Armitstead's in with a shout.
I'd go for Cav especially if he wins tomorrow's stage of the Tdf.
ps...I knew this topic would get the collective juices of the forum flowing!
Jasmin Paris. A female runner mixing it up with the men. Inspirational.
its definitely not the person who consistently comes second in the world....though he is still scotland's greatest sports person 😉
Alastair Brownlee. Head and shoulders above everyone else.
THIS
Shit sport though 😛
Big sport: Kell Brook
Little sport: [url= http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/motorsports/offroad/stories/1331797271148/erzbergrodeo-2016-daily-report-sunday-hare-scramble ]Graham Jarvis [/url] (watch it, it's incredible.)
Hands down Eddie The Eagle accept no substitutes .
Kell Brook
You mean the Kell Brook who has one decent name on his ledger? you might as well say Tyson Fury!
Thinks hes got amazing talent, but far from proven himself yet in a division packed with talent.
Elbry
I think Hamilton's wins in his 1st few seasons in F1 show what a fantastic driver he is.
Phil Taylor?
I think Hamilton's wins in his 1st few seasons in F1 show what a fantastic driver he is.
Fair point - hes been better than all his teammates in his career, and is right at the top of his game.
Hamilton definitely 3 world champs! equal to senna's record.
Greg Rutherford.
Gareth Bale? World class in the sport with by far the highest professional participation?
Otherwise Mo Farrah
Murray without a doubt. No sport is as mentally tough or as technical more lonely and as physical as tennis. Lots of sports as tough on one or maybe even two levels but no other sport in my opinion is as tough on multiple levels.
Lizzie.
canny be an F1 driver, F1 is keek. plus if you need to use an engine it's no a proper sport.
I'd go with Bale if he takes wales into the final.
Whoever gets paid the most money, so Murray, mcilroy or Hamilton.
No sport is as mentally tough
Apart from golf which another level altogether!
Whilst undoubtably brilliant, Atherton's success comes in a fairly minority sport, hence why I never considered her. Thats no disrespect to her, but I don't think there are many ladies whove ever given down hill biking a go.
How many have given formula 1 a go, or even open wheel racing? If you start discounting athletes in less popular sports then nobody counts unless they are a footballer.
IMO if british cycling promoted our mountain bikers as much as they do our tracj cyclists (which is even more minority than mtb) then Rachel would be a national hero, up there with Hoy, Wiggins and Boardman.
Jess Ennis-Hill
It's a bit sad if we pick someone who is not proven top of their sport, so that rules out Murray and Bale for me. I'm no big fan of motorsport, but it's hard to argue against Hamilton and much as I dislike the bloke, Froome is right up there in a sport that britain isn't traditionally great in isn't he? McIlroy is UK rather than GB isn't he?
IMO if british cycling promoted our mountain bikers as much as they do our tracj cyclists (which is even more minority than mtb) then Rachel would be a national hero, up there with Hoy, Wiggins and Boardman.
very good point. Better to watch too.
Best competitor? Greg Rutherford hands down I reckon.
Most dominant? Rachel Atherton, but as already said in a minority sport so could equally go to Farah.
Little sport: Graham Jarvis (watch it, it's incredible.)
I agree but unfortunately few have heard of him. He's won the 2 hardest trials in the world a few times, the SSDT 4 times & the Scott 9 times (grown men cry doing the Scott) British trials champion 5 times.
Now he's changed to extreme enduro & is doing quite well.
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😆
Ben Ainslie.
Multiple world cup and world champion, across multiple classes and 15 years. 5x Olympian, 4 gold and one silver medal.
America's cup skipper and winner. Let's see what this summer brings.
Without having read the previous replies I'd have said Lewis Hamilton or Rachel Atherton. Nice to see some of you agree 😀
Lewis due to him arriving on the circuit with a bang, 1 point off world champion at the first time of asking while up against a ruthless Alonso, then being one of the eminent drivers for every season since. He's currently the standard others are judged by.
Rachel as she's winning everything despite pressure from the top 3 or 4 other ladies, mainly Manon btu there's others who could beat her on any weekend if she has a bad one. Her consistency is astounding over a few seasons, even changing manufacturer didn't put her off!
Out of those two I'd go for Rachel as she's in a minority sport without the huge trappings of fame and she has invested in growing the sport by sponsoring grass roots events.
I’m kind of hoping it’s Chris Coleman in about 45 minutes…
Rachel
I genuinely feel sorry for Gareth Bale having to go back to training seeing Ronaldo's smug face.
Murrays ranked third or fourth, motor racings not a proper sport.
The only one considered No1 worldwide is Froome, but I s'pose to some he's not really British.
Andy Murray
Jessica Ennis-Hill
Rachel gets a very honourable mention
If motor racing is not a proper sport then neither is golf, archery, sailing, cricket, downhill mountain biking and many many other activities we currently call sports.
Ben Ainsley for me. Proper inspriation. Excels whether sailing a single handed dinghy or leading a team on a top class racing yacht.
I don't follow many sports these days, but I'd put Ronnie O' Sullivan and Reanne Evans up there.
AP McCoy
Rockape63 - Member
'No sport is as mentally tough'
Apart from golf which another level altogether!
Nah, any numpty can play golf well. I tried it once and got a really good score - well over 200, and the so called pro didn't even get to 72.
Can't see what the fuss is about. 🙂
Bradley Wiggins or Lizzie Armistead.
Much as I'm a Hamilton Fan, F1 ain't what it used to be. The fastest drivers always get the best cars which're provided by the best teams, with the largest budgets. Just look at Verstappen.
The overall reliability of the cars, kills the variability.
not bale then!
Thatcher
I'd vote for Mo Farah, best in the world at his discipline for a decade.
And my 'minority' sport nomination, Alan Scotthorne
Joe Root or m/any of the current England cricket team - all excelling too.
Then there's the RU team as well - Owen Farrell especially.
The only one considered No1 worldwide is Froome
Froome's not "No1 worldwide", the only really big race he competes in is the Tour. When he goes for (and wins) two grand tours in the same year, or maybe (say) the Paris-Roubaix and Le Tour - then he'll be a true great.
My vote goes to Hamilton, I can't think of any more successful active Brit in sports. (While I'm sure Atherton's results are amazing, it's just too much of a minority sport for me!)
Lewis or the boat feller Ainslie.
radley Wiggins or Lizzie Armistead.Much as I'm a Hamilton Fan, F1 ain't what it used to be. The fastest drivers always get the best cars which're provided by the best teams, with the largest budgets.
F1 has ever been thus.
Richie McCoy.
Jess Ennis-Hill
Absolutely world class, but with a technical mastery of seven different events as well.
Others may be more dominant but in doing one thing generally. And the question was who's the best sports person, not the most successful.
+1AP McCoy
4000+ wins. Watch the Doc.
Surely the best is the most successful????
Rachel Atherton or Jade Jones. Jessica Ennis-Hill is a good shout.
Mrs Fettlin wouldn't let this thread go without mentioning Zara Phillips ne: Tindall.
Certainly not froome, never been ranked world no1, he's just a one trick pony with let's be honest questionable ethics at best.
Rachael Atherton as she's been destroying the competition!
[quote=wilburt ]motor racings not a proper sport.
ahem, it's more proper than anything else other than bullfighting or mountaineering
For me it's Farah - indisputably number one in a sport which has far more competitors from far more countries than any of the others mentioned. I like Ainslie, but it's not like that many people have ever tried competitive sailing.
Farah is a good shout. Motor racing's still not a proper sport though! 😉
Surely the best is the most successful????
No. Maybe if comparing the same sport (even then there's a different era perspective)
You could be head and shoulders above anyone else from a different sport in comparative terms and barely win a thing if for example you're from an era where someone else from another nation is dominant.
You can argue for example that murray would have had a dozen major tournament titles by now were it not for the fact he's from the same era as Federer and Djokavic and Nadal. How do you compare him against a different sport where you ARE the dominant individual and DO have a dozen world titles (say - for sake of argument and ignoring if it is a sport, Phil Taylor)? Taylor might not still in absolute terms be 'as good as' Murray but he's far more successful.
Thankfully, there isn't right and wrong, only opinions, otherwise we'd all sit in silence in the pub without the chance to debate these weighty topics.
And FWIW, much as i admire Phil Taylor for his microtoxophilicity, I'd far rather watch Jess Ennis.
Hamilton is hard to argue against as is Ben Ainsley, both set the standard.
I'm having difficulty with Froome and Farah, neither were born here or live here, I think you need at least one of those requirements. Good though as they are and thanks to them for representing GB!
As for Lewis Hamilton...really?
He's the only driver to have won a race in [b]every[/b] season he has competed in. And unless he moves to Manor (or Ferrari!) he could retire with that record.
People do tend to have a Marmite reaction to him though! 😀
I think Murray is a good shout.
Modern tennis is very gladatorial and he has to work fantastically hard to be where he is, and is extremely consistent at playing to his seeding.
It is just unfortunate that he is around at the same time as the phenominally talented Federer and the more consistent, but arguably less talented, Djoc.
Am I right in saying that LH is the only driver on the grid to win at least one race in every season he's competed in? And he's had some cack cars as well as some beauties.
Multiple poles a season also. It's this that marks him out as a great to me more than just the last couple of seasons.
Cricketers? I'd put Jimmy above Root.
Cav has to be on the list-very near the top. 3 stages already in a year he was pretty much written off and he's up against some top sprinters.
Right now a tie between Cav, Aaron Ramsey, Greg Rutherford, Andy Murray and Ben Ainsley.
It can't be Hmailton, as too much depends on having a decent car and it can't be Rachel Atherton, because only about 3 other people properly race womens DH.
Steve Cummings?
Aaron Ramsey, isn't even the best player in his team, never mind the country. The only thing he is likely to come first in is an unfortunate hair style competition.
Not sure I would cav in there - all he has to do is go fast on a bike for a short while - none of all the mental challenges that Murray faces during a match...
Aaron Ramsey
Eh? Hes not even the best footballer in wales.
Bale is probably as good shout as any though. Biggest sport in the world and hes arguably in the top 5 players.
Lewis is obviously great, but I can't have him at the top as clearly its not a level playing field when he competes.
1) Cav doesn't just have to go fast for a short while, if you've been near the front end of a road race you'll know it is a stressful place to be and he does it day in day out, with big consequences if it goes wrong.
2) Aaron Ramsey was a beast for Wales at the Euros' huge work rate, clever passing, linking defence and attack and generally great all round midfield play. It was no coincidence that Wales lost without him.
End of the day it's all subjective.
Not sure on Ben Ainsley at the moment, he was outstanding in dinghies, not sure he has really established himself enough in big boats yet to say he's outstanding.
AP McCoy has retired.
Mo Farrah is a decent shout at the moment as is Greg Rutherford (although he never convinced he's going to win even when he's last jump left and in the lead). Andy Murray is making a pretty compelling case at the moment.
Only one way to find out, we need a new series of Superstars.
Somebody up there suggested Chris Froome targeting Paris-Roubaix...
WHAT?!
Somebody up there suggested Chris Froome targeting Paris-Roubaix
Right now, it's a terrible idea. But. He is a good time trialler, can handle a bike well and is quite tall so bulk him up a bit and he would go well I reckon. It's not as stupid an ideas as you may first think.
Aaron Ramsey was a beast for Wales at the Euros' huge work rate, clever passing, linking defence and attack and generally great all round midfield play. It was no coincidence that Wales lost without him.
Yep he was great at the euros, as were the entire team. But even if he was the best footballer in Britain, he is still far far behind the best in the world. You can't say the same about the others mentioned on this thread.
But all subjective as you say.
Tennis is a bit meh for me. It all smells of middle class advantage. To be top of a sport when it counts, where there are a huge number of people competing and to win in all sorts of ways puts Mo Farah at the top of the list for me. To patter out a last lap as quickly as he does, after fast races, and pushing the other guys to exhaustion. He's not head and shoulders better than the rest, nor is he out and out faster, but he wins.
He shows the ability to dig deep and put himself in a world of pain and suffering to do what he does.
And running must have more people partaking than any other sport in the world. Greg Rutherford has won some things, but how many people in this world do long jump? He's also not been dominating the summer meets this year or previously.
I'm going for Cav
When Lewis joined Merc they'd won one race in three years and everyone thought that he was mad. Best cars don't develop themselves, testing, test feedback, etc help alot.
Tpbiker do you actually follow F1 or just make top three Google hit comments?... 😉 Button won in a design unique double diffuser car. That was part of the reason the car was streets ahead until as the season went on other teams adapted their own versions and his lead eroded constantly from mid season onwards.
Hamo beat a top rated driver in his rookie year and is known as a real wheel to wheel racer.
All title winners win in the best car. You need that combo otherwise number2 drivers would win in the same machinery too.