Yuzuru Hanyu voted by AIPS 6th best male athlete of the past 100 years

[TallyT]

To mark their 100 year anniversary, the International Sports Press Association/Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive, the professional body representing the international sports media, ran a vote among members in 137 countries for the greatest athletes in that entire century. Among all the big worldwide sports, Yuzuru was the youngest, the only Asian athlete and the only winter sports athlete, which is quite something at a time when fans are worried about the status of our sport. In a vote by professional sports journalists, he's inbetween Roger Federer and Michael Phelps (!!!)

Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali crowned AIPS Best Champions of the Century: As voted by 913 journalists

www.aipsmedia.com

 

[Mathman]

Hooray for figure skating!

An interesting list. For the ladies, three gymnasts in the top ten. For the men 4 Association Football players. I don't know for sure but it seems like the journalists who voted were most impressed by those athletes who had the greatest impact both on on their sports and in general society beyond.

I was surprised to see the name Margaret Abbot (not the wife of the former Prime Minister of Ausrralia ) as the only lady golfer. For one thing, as for as I can tell she her career as a golfer ended in 1900 (she won the Olympic gold medal that year; her mother finished 7th), which put her outside the 100-year window of the AIPS (founded in 1924).

 

[Magill]

To mark their 100 year anniversary, the International Sports Press Association/Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive, the professional body representing the international sports media, ran a vote among members in 137 countries for the greatest athletes in that entire century. Among all the big worldwide sports, Yuzuru was the only Asian athlete and the only winter sports athlete, which is quite something at a time when fans are worried about the status of our sport. In a vote by professional sports journalists, he's inbetween Roger Federer and Michael Phelps (!!!)

Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali crowned AIPS Best Champions of the Century: As voted by 913 journalists

www.aipsmedia.com

View attachment 8204

This is great news indeed! Seeing Yuzuru Hanyu recognized as 6th greatest male athlete of all sports of last 100 years as voted by nearly 1000 sport journalists from all over the globe - wow, this is something not just to cheer but also to respect. It is crazily huge! Especially as it comes from people who surely know a thing or two about sports and athletes, and cannot be easily dismissed!
The Best Champions of the Century Top 10 list being announced at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris during the Olympic Games, at a huge gathering of the media where most prominent Olympic sport journalists were receiving their lifetime awards, is not bad either
Huge congratulations to Yuzuru and hope he has some time to celebrate, too!

 

[Magill]

To mark their 100 year anniversary, the International Sports Press Association/Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive, the professional body representing the international sports media, ran a vote among members in 137 countries for the greatest athletes in that entire century. Among all the big worldwide sports, Yuzuru was the youngest, the only Asian athlete and the only winter sports athlete, which is quite something at a time when fans are worried about the status of our sport. In a vote by professional sports journalists, he's inbetween Roger Federer and Michael Phelps (!!!)

Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali crowned AIPS Best Champions of the Century: As voted by 913 journalists

www.aipsmedia.com

View attachment 8204

From trendsalad.com - Japanese web outlet following high-trending topics in the social media universe

【過去100年のベストアスリート 】羽生結弦が過去100年のベストアスリートの6位に選出 - トレンドサラダ

国際スポーツプレス協会(AIPS)が1924年から2024年までの過去100年間におけるベストアスリートを投票で選出し、フィギュアスケーターの羽生結弦選手が男性部門6位にランクインするという快挙を達成しました。錚々たるアスリートの中にあって

trendsalad.com

As translated by DeepL/Google:
"Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu was ranked sixth on the list of best athletes of the past 100 years. This is a true epoch-making / landmark event. The fact that only one athlete from the winter sports was selected for the ranking, amongst renowned athletic legends such as Muhammad Ali, Usain Bolt, Michael Jordan, Pele and Roger Federer, shows how highly Hanyu is regarded in the world.
With 913 sports journalists from 137 countries taking part in the voting, the results of the poll have global prestige / are globally authoritative. It is extremely rare for a winter athlete to be selected in the Top 10 of all time, and this achievement truly shows Hanyu's overwhelming power and influence. The fact that Hanyu has transcended the boundaries of sport and is highly regarded around the world is precisely the reason why he is known as the "YUZURU of the world".
This result has been a big topic of conversation in Japan, with many fans congratulating Hanyu on his achievement, which has captivated the world for more than a decade and has finally earned him historical recognition, which should be a source of pride not only for sport fans but also for the Japanese people as a whole. Hanyu's achievements will continue to mark a new page in the history of the sport."
"

 

[TallyT]

All such records and polls and votes do, I know, tend to lean to the more recent rather than those of the past century or more... but also body of work (remember that recent thread?) Also, this one was worldwide. Not fans, not just Japanese or even Asian reporters voted for him, it must have been professional journalists all over the world.

Following on from the recent ESPN list of greatest athletes in the world of the 21st century, very US-centric but still showing Yuzuru as number 10 (and Virtue/Moir as number 11! good stuff) it does make the historian in me happy as well as the fan, it shows where the historical narrative is going to be.

And that figure skating, when the skaters are just that good, can show up and be noted inbetween the highest-profile sports.

 

[Rebecca Moose]

Congratulations and god bless.

 

[Magill]

All such records and polls and votes do, I know, tend to lean to the more recent rather than those of the past century or more... but also body of work (remember that recent thread?) Also, this one was worldwide. Not fans, not just Japanese or even Asian reporters voted for him, it must have been professional journalists all over the world.

Following on from the recent ESPN list of greatest athletes in the world of the 21st century, very US-centric but still showing Yuzuru as number 10 (and Virtue/Moir as number 11! good stuff) it does make the historian in me happy as well as the fan, it shows where the historical narrative is going to be.

And that figure skating, when the skaters are just that good, can show up and be noted in between the highest-profile sports.

Yes!!! The fact that AIPS list comes just a few weeks after the ESPN best Olympians of 21st century list (male and female across all sports ranked together on 1 list) makes Yuzu ranking even more remarkable as you can see the consistency, so valued in our sport

 

[Magill]

Congratulations to Yuzuru from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on their official sports-dedicated X (formerly Twitter) account!
Here's translation by Google
" The International Sports Press Association, which celebrated its 100th anniversary, announced the best athletes for the 100 years from 1924 to 2024. Figure skater Hanyu Yuzuru placed 6th in the men's division. Even after his retirement, Hanyu continues to fascinate fans both in Japan and overseas. Congratulations! "

 

[Mathman]

All such records and polls and votes do, I know, tend to lean to the more recent rather than those of the past century or more...

I think that this is entirely natural. In all measureable sports, well, sprinters run faster these days than they did in the past, pole vaulters jump higher, weight lifters get stronger. We would expect that this would also be true in sports where the only thing we can "measure" is, did one guy beat the other guy or not.

In U.S. baseball, the fastest fast-baller of a hundred years ago was Walter "Big Train" Johnson. How do we know this? Opposing batters swore that when Johnson delivered the ball you could hear it whistle -- no else's did. Modern times? Aroldis Chapman of the Cinncinnati Reds was clocked at 105.8 mph. But did it whistle?

The other factor, in this particular poll, is that the voters are sctive sports jouranlists who not only got to witness the careers of many recent outstanding athletes but also probably had the opportunity of interviewing them and interacting in personal ways, adding another dimension to the equation.

... but also body of work (remember that recent thread?)

In figure skating especially, I have to wonder what body of work means then and now? Back in the day there were actually very few major competions, so you couldn't build up your medal count and declare yourself "most decorated." Plus before You Tube. before the era of sports on TV. people had scant opportunity to praise a performers' lyrical choreograpy and the "oh be still my beating heart" emotional impact that looms so large in our personal evaluations now.

 

[TallyT]

In figure skating especially, I have to wonder what body of work means then and now? Back in the day there were actually very few major competions, so you couldn't build up your medal count and declare yourself "most decorated." Plus before You Tube. before the era of sports on TV. people had scant opportunity to praise a performers' lyrical choreograpy and the "oh be still my beating heart" emotional impact that looms so large in our personal evaluations now.

I know what you mean, I did try very hard when talking of 'body of work' in that 'greatest' thread to concentrate on actual factual facts. the awards and records and numbers (though he is not the only one who makes that difficult, Shoma and Jason come to mind too in the 'never mind the scores just loooooook', the ones who do art and emotional impact in a way most people everywhere can't even in their dreams). Because opining that one's very own favourite skater should get kudos for making too many others look like Worzel Gummidge On Ice.... is neither objective nor nice, nor (even to someone as biased as me) something that can be used in a list such as this or the ESPN one.

Mind you, I read somewhere that the music superstar Pharrell Williams said that they should bring back the arts that were once part of the Olympics. Now I don't know that he was at all serious (it might be that having squillions of fans and dollars and everything, he just fancies an OGM as well... or he was trolling) but as fans of one of the major artistic sports it made me laugh. Maybe 'be still my beating heart' should have a place these days.

 

[Mathman]

Because opining that one's very own favourite skater should get kudos for making too many others look like Worzel Gummidge On Ice....

I think I should put this on the "You know you're a figure skating fan when .." thread. You read "Worzel Gummidge on Ice" and you rush to Google to find out if this character ever tried ice skating in any of the books or movies.

No luck om that score, but I did learn a new song to post on our next "What music do you want someone to skate to" thread. Here is the Worzel Gummidge them music. (Trombone music is so underrepresented in figure skating.

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

www.youtube.com

TallyT wrote: "Mind you, I read somewhere that the music superstar Pharrell Williams said that they should bring back the arts that were once part of the Olympics."

I believe break dancing was included in the 326 BC Olympic Games. Some guy named Socrates "Boogaloo" Adonis won the gold medal.

 

[DancingCactus]

Really great for Yuzu. I think as fans of the sport who all have our more niche favourites we sometimes forgot the impact Yuzu made on people who only watch FS occasionally. He just was/is the whole package.

Also, kinda, happy that Beckenbauer is in the Top 10 and Messi/Ronaldo aren't.

 

[Magill]

Really great for Yuzu. I think as fans of the sport who all have our more niche favourites we sometimes forgot the impact Yuzu made on people who only watch FS occasionally. He just was/is the whole package.

Also, kinda, happy that Beckenbauer is in the Top 10 and Messi/Ronaldo aren't.

You could not say I watch FS only occasionally. And yet I have no more favourite skater than Yuzuru, niche or not. This is how complete package he is.
But I get your point, for many casual viewers Yuzuru is the sport, they do not really remember anyone else. Still I do not think you can say that about sport journalists who were voting here. Probably in any sport discipline they know a few more names than one, and in quite a few cases not just names, but the persons themselves, as Mathman rightly noticed a few posts back. That's the main reason why this ranking is so prestigious, unlike those involving just fans or the general public. Still, the resulting final Top 10 embraces many of the legendary and brightest stars. As it should really, if we talk about the Best Champions of the Century, as they named the list.
I also noticed the absence of Messi and Ronaldo, quite telling and, yes, it might serve as a proof of what I said above, the voters expertise in the sports area. Any current casual fan of soccer would name one of them for any award. They were ranked differently here, with voters reaching out to the legendary players of the past.
The retired Japanese journalist, Kenji Ogata, formerly from The Asahi Shimbun, noted here with pride, though, that Yuzuru was placed higher than "the 'Kaiser" Beckenbauer and the 'Hand of God' Maradona'' which seemed to have filled him with additional satisfaction.

 

[Magill]

Someone on Twitter linked a translation of an interview with a Turkish sport journalist/TV commentator, Zafer Akyol, who covered 11 Olympic Games, including figure skating events in Sochi and Pyeongchang, among others. I think it is a very interesting read in the context of this voting despite coming from 2021 as it offers some insight into the way sport reporters and commentators perceive athletes in general and Yuzuru in particular, and what they care about apart from the scores. Only fragments regarding Yuzuru have been translated here.
A side note is that the sport commentators who covered more than 10 Olympics received special lifetime awards in Paris this week during the very same ceremony where the Best Champions of the Century Top 10 lists were announced for male and female athletes. It is quite possible then that he was there too.

 

[Mathman]

I wonder if Wayne Gretsky got any votes in the winter Sports category.

 

[Magill]

I wonder if Wayne Gretsky got any votes in the winter Sports category.

I don't think they voted separate winter sports and summer sports categories, just male and female. I have no idea about the vote distribution, though, and whether it is available anywhere. Would be interesting, for sure, and for more names than one.

 

[Magill]

Some Japanese poster has created a visual time chart for top 10 men showing their lifespans in time to see how far / close the voters reached while deciding on the winners. I thought it might be interesting to share here in the light of the discussion a few posts above (and knowing some of us just love some stats).
As the chart is in Japanese, here's the list for easy reference when deciphering who is who on the chart
TOP 10 MALE ATHLETES OF THE CENTURY:
1. Muhammad Ali (USA), Boxing
2. Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Athletics
3. Michael Jordan (USA), Basketball
4. Edson Arantes do “Pelé” Nascimento (Brazil), Football
5. Roger Federer (Switzerland), Tennis
6. Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan), Figure Skating
7. Michael Phelps (USA), Swimming
8. Diego Maradona (Argentina), Football
9. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany), Football
10. Zinedine Zidane (France), Football

 

[Mathman]

Pele lived to be 82.

 

[TallyT]

As a lifelong football notevenvaguelyafanandavoidifatallpossible person... Pele is probably the only one I would recognise. Always, always brought up in discussions when I was young.

A Japanese photographer has offered some more details about the voting, and the organisation which is dominated (big surprise, not) by NA and European journalists, so a lot of them must have cast a vote for Yuzuru as well, above their own. I would love to find out where other winter sports stars, or skaters such as Michelle Kwan, Torvill and Dean and Virtue/Moir were ranked (okay, and where the stars of sports popular here in Australia were! probably not very high) but never will...

x.com

x.com

 

[Mathman]

I was actually somewhat surprised that so many footballers were chosen (4 out of 10). Is it really true that 40% of the worlds greatest athletes just happen to be great at the sport of football rather than some other sport? I would have expected that the sports journalists taking part in the voting would make an effort to cast as wide a net as possible, acknowledging that there are many different areas where one might stake out a claim for all-time-greatness.

Also, there seems to be a gender gap. Three out of ten (in fact 3 out of the top 6) of the greatest female athletes of the last hundred years were gymnasts. For men, 0 out of 10.

Well, I guess that's fair enough -- I, for one , would be hard pressed to name a single male gymnast ever, but I love, love, love Olga Korbut.

No male golfers made the list -- not Jack Nicklaus, not Tiger Woods -- but 1 female did (but not Babe Didrikson ???). I guess golfers are not really athletes, more like weekend goof-offs. At least figure skaters, well, there is no question about the challenge of excelling in that super-arduous athletic endeavor.

Even discounting golf, Babe Didrikson also competed in track and field (winning two Olympic gold metals and one silver at the 1932 Olympics), baseball and softball, basketball, diving, roller skating, and bowling. She also won competitions in sewing, singing and playing the harmonica. (and had a recording contract).