Thugwane vs Ovett
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Thugwane wins: Peak
Ovett wins: Longevity, Statistics
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Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Thugwane leads in 3 of 5 weighted categories. The first Black South African to win Olympic gold, in the 1996 marathon.
Category breakdown
Season form · Major golds per season
Career timeline · Major golds per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Major golds per season| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇿🇦 Thugwane | 0 | 0 | 35 | 79 | 265 | 621 |
| 🇬🇧 Ovett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 26 |
Careers are aligned at debut, so a rookie's first 5 seasons are measured against the same window in a legend's career — Yamal against Messi at the same age-stage, a tour rookie against Tiger Woods in 1996.
| Metric | ThugwaneRetired | OvettRetired |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic gold medals | 1 | — |
| Marathon personal best in seconds | 7,642 | — |
| National titles | 3 | — |
| Olympic marathons contested | 2 | — |
| Marathon wins | 5 | — |
| Olympic golds | — | 1 |
| World records | — | 5 |
| European titles | — | 1 |
| Commonwealth golds | — | 1 |
| Mile best (sec) | — | 228.8 |
| Dominance w25% | 82 | 82 |
| Peak w20% | 94 | 90 |
| Longevity w20% | 78 | 80 |
| Honours w20% | 80 | 80 |
| Statistics w15% | 84 | 86 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
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