NEWS

Time For An Olympics Mini-Rant

Allyson Felix, who graduated from USC, is leaving the Olympics as “most decorated American Olympian in track and field” with 11 medals, surpassing the 10 medals won by Carl Lewis.

Some bandwagoners are also saying she is “USC’s greatest Olympian.”

Here is my problem with that: Felix has won 11 Olympics medals but only one gold medal in an individual event (gold medal, 200 meters, London 2012).

She’s won six gold medals in relays. She’s won three silver medals in individual events. She won a bronze in Tokyo in the 400 meters.

There is nothing wrong with any of that.

But is one individual gold medal in five Olympics better than Parry O’Brien winning the gold medal at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics in the shot put? Or Sammy Lee winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals in platform diving (1948 and 1952)?

Clarence “Bud” Houser was the first Trojan to win double gold medals in individual events at a single Olympics (shot put and discus in 1924). Ous Mellouli won an Olympic gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle in 2008 and the open water 10K in 2012.

I think winning gold medals in two different Olympics is better than racking up a bunch of relay medals.

In 2019, Felix won her 12th medal at the track and field World Championships and all media reports said she broke Usain Bolt‘s record of 11 medals?

I admire Felix but this comparison bothers me. Felix won 4 gold medals in individual events at the World Championships along with 1 silver and 1 bronze. The other six medals were in relays.

By contrast, Bolt won 7 individual gold medals at the Worlds and 4 in relays.

Maybe Felix should be called the greatest relay runner in history.

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36 thoughts on “Time For An Olympics Mini-Rant”

    1. I think we left the pitiful station months ago with the blogger, and have headed south from that non-stop. Sad to say, but Scottie seems to have morphed into the kind of guy who after getting a free ice cream cone, would complain that it wasn’t his favorite flavor. For months, the blog has been carried by a few posters. I thought this would change once training camp started, but thus far, the only content I have seen is a one-linear that Dart completed a long pass to Michael Trigg.

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      1. You have to believe Scott was smiling to himself as he typed that out …whispering to himself, “this oughta get Pudly!”
        #….ButIt”Got”67&M.G.Too

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      2. BUT you have to agree with 1/2 being relay medals analysis it is really 1/4 of a medal, and a Gold is worth much more as ‘#1 beats #2 or #3 like winner beats every thing else…don’t want to call silver or bronze a loser, but that is what they are compared to the winner. His comment has some logic and validity, gold is worth 5 times silver and 10 times bronze.

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      3. That’s pretty much the way I’ve always seen it too, Tim.
        [I kinda wish they’d install those formulas as “The Official Olympic Grades” and publish them daily & cumulatively]…..

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    3. The main problem with me is that Allyson Felix never even ran one
      race for the Trojans. She opted for the money. Cost the Women of
      Troy one or two national titles. Coach Ron Allice diligently recruited
      Allyson to USC only to get shafted by her. Wes Felix, her brother is the real hero staying 4 years improving each season.

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  6. The douche-osity of Scott’s post here is deliberate. He got more comments out of it then he has anything for weeks.

    I thought he would actually go after all the Trojans on the Men’s Water Polo team, and bring up, with some accuracy, that some of the fall of is tied to the recent scandals, and that this could have even been a better Olympic medal haul, like 3 or 4 more medals, and even a couple of more SC women’s players on the winning USA team.

    But of course that is to forget that SC track is looking better than it has for a bit (both in current student and alum) and swimming and volley. I for one will be looking for the build up in the next few years as Watts achieves even more, and some of our other sports will recover from some of the upset. Speaking of upset, I think Scott is upset that Felix credited SC so much though she trained at SC but did not compete since she got that big Adidas contract (with the help of her bro, Wes, who ran at SC and SC track fans will remember for putting in work).

    I’m not pretending that there’s not a clusterfk with Gomer and Opie, and Folt, and the BOT, the PAC, and the “woke” bs, etc. but for God’s sake can Scott give some respect and a moment of joy and pride for Trojans? The only time he celebrates is now and then mentioning the past like he’s trying to rub it in. It’s almost like triumphalism. Maybe the bs is the new normal ’til ever, but maybe, just maybe, it ain’t. Fight on and congrats and thanks to the Trojan athletes who won a medal or tried their damndest.

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    2. even if scottie is right to some degree,I think writing what he did was not exactly a class act…just like hellton ,faulty and bones are not a class act ,nor the board, just millionaires money grubbers.

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  7. Personally, I think going out and running 100 yards after giving birth to a healthy baby is enough for a medal. Way to go Allyson! The Trojan Family is extremely proud.

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  8. I recall sitting in the Coli in 1984 watching Carl Lewis (et al) win the 4×100 relay. Electric.

    That said, Carl did not have to compete in 1984 against anyone from the Soviet Bloc.*
    While the medal count may have been the same for this great athlete, the 1980 and1984 Olys will always be tainted by the boycotts.

    *Of course winning a gold against the PED abusing Soviet Bloc athletes always made the victory sweeter, I suspect.

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  9. Everybody knows she never actually competed for USC in track & field? She turned professional straight out of high school and signed an endorsement with Adidas.

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    1. Since when has SUCC Rah-Rah’s (ex. Dear Pisley) been logical or truthful when appropriating athletic glory to Clown U.

      I mean Allyson Felix never ran a single SUCC NCAA/Pac-12 track event while attending Clown U – ZERO! Adidas showed her the $$$$$ and she went for it; she didn’t take it under the table, but up front.

      She’s had a great professional track career based on her own initiative, not SUCC track competition.

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      1. Dear Leader Folt was quite quick to Tweet herself onto the A. Felix bandwagon. The Athletic Information Minister Tessalone appears to have not properly briefed Dear Leader Folt. I’m sure Dear Leader Folt will sentence him the having to hang out with Enfield instead of having him executed by the Trojan Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade.

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  10. Another USC connection to tonight’s HOF enshrinement.

    John Lynch’s wife is Lynda Allred who was on USC’s women’s tennis team and is sister of John Allred.

    Another tidbit that Wolf will never know.

    Still crickets on Troy P in the hall.

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  11. Crazy that Lane Kiffin lost 30lbs and his football program is 100% fully vaccinated. Mean while USC leadership is taking credit for athletic accomplishments by people they’d never heard of until 2 weeks ago.

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