A few days ago the world once again witnessed greatness in sports. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt broke the world record (again) in the 100- and 200-meter dash. Bolt ran an inhuman time of 9.58 seconds, .11 seconds faster than his world record time set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was the biggest change in the 100-meter record since electronic timing was introduced in 1968.
The scary part? Bolt feels he can run a 9.4. After seeing this record fall so dramatically, it got me thinking, are we living in an era of unprecedented greatness?
Tiger. Federer. Tebow. Armstrong. These names are undoubtedly the best in their respected sport and maybe of all time. Are we witnessing (no pun intended, Lebron) the greatest era of athletes in all of sport history and not even realizing it? Let's take a look.
Tiger Woods. Watching this man (if he is indeed a man) is just mind-blowing. It's as if he plays poorly just to spite himself and prove he can win from any deficit. I know he just lost an epic match to Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship, but look at his track record and wins from this year. He trailed by five strokes going into Sunday at Bay Hill and won, trailed by four at the Memorial and won, made Anthony Kim look silly in the final round of his win at AT&T, played the last 54 holes 19 under to win the Buick Open and overcame a three shot deficit to win at Firestone. There really isn't much this guy can't do with a golf club. It's like he's playing as himself in Tiger Woods 2010 and can shoot a 55 if he wants. Needing only 12 more wins to break Snead's PGA Tour wins record and only four major wins away from Nicklaus' record, it's safe to say TW may be the best we've ever seen to light up the links.
Roger Federer. The records this man holds in tennis is beyond amazing. He has won 15 Grand Slam titles, appeared in 20 Grand Slam finals, including 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals, has 21 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals, not to mention four straight final appearances at the French, seven at Wimbledon and five at the U.S. Open, which will most likely turn into six this year. He won Wimbledon five straight years from 2003-07, has won the U.S. Open five years from 2004-08, (again, it may turn into six straight years) and holds the record for most consecutive weeks ranked as the No. 1 player in the world at 237. As with golf, tennis is judged by major victories and Federer has already left his mark on the sport well before it's his time to hang it up.
Tim Tebow. A man some have called a modern-day saint, Tebow has the opportunity to become the greatest college football player of all-time, maybe even better than my man Archie Griffin. Tebow, a two-time All-American, already has two national championships under his belt. He became the first true sophomore to win a Heisman trophy in 2007 and the only player in Division I-A to rush and pass for 20+ touchdowns in a season. Tebow even helps his father's orphanage in the Philippines and started his own prison ministry talking to inmates about God. With all these accomplishments he is still eyeing an undefeated season, which would be the first in UF history, a second Heisman and a third National Championship. After he graduates Tebow could potentially be the best player regardless of position to ever play college football.
Lance Armstrong. Not only has he won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, a race considered the toughest in sports, but he did so overcoming testicular cancer along with a tumor that metastasized to his brain and lungs all at the age of 25. Armstrong has inspired many with his courage both on and off the bike. He founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which helps those affected by cancer, and launched the LiveSTRONG bracelet as a fundraiser for the foundation. What sets Armstrong apart from his competition is his workout regimen and pure determination. Armstrong begins every workout stretching for 90 minutes - that's longer than most people's entire workout. Lance has used this to his advantage, beating riders half his age. Look out for Armstrong next year, as he will have a full year to train for the Tour and not just a few months like he did this year. Number eight could be right around the corner for Lance.
As you can see these athletes have set records upon records and made their sport look incredibly easy. Other names to consider for this era would be Lebron, Kobe, Puljos, Crosby and many more. All in all there is no shortage of greatness in sports today. We must take note and realize we are living and experiencing history every day. With the U.S. Open and football season approaching keep your eye out for history in the making.
