Greatest of all time - Round four

So, we are in the final round and after all the lovely comments I have had with everyone agreeing with me on every sportsman, I truly cannot wait to hear that I have included all the people that deserved their place. It is extremely difficult to leave out some great names, but I have done my best to come up with this list after reading every comment. In the original article, one name has come up which even caused me to change the 20th contender.

There is also the argument of which sports deserve to be recognised, for instance, should Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky, who are almost undoubtedly the best at their sports, deserve a place for their achievements in ice hockey and baseball despite their lack of popularity here? I am sure in the US, the question would certainly have been answered differently. But there you go.

The last round was extremely competitive, with the favourite Muhammed Ali winning. Perhaps surprisingly, Lionel Messi fared better than Pele did in the previous round but Usain Bolt took second place. Michael Phelps came in fourth place with Shane Warne last.

Muhammed Ali's victory sees him join Roger Federer and Michael Jordan in the final. However, we can still fit two more sportsmen in the final, one of which will go to the person with the most votes. The final nominees are as follows:

5
Jack NICKLAUS (Golf)
Has the record for most majors won at 18, and has won 73 PGA Tours. He had longevity in his career, finishing in the top 10 of a championship every year for 24 seasons. The Golden Bear is considered by most to be the greatest golfer of all time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Nicklaus

4
Diego MARADONA (Football)
We have seen Pele and Messi both fail to win their heats, can Maradona be the footballing representative? Most known for the 'Hand of God' but just in the very same match, he scored possibly the greatest goal of all time and probably single-handedly won Argentina the world cup.


3
Steve REDGRAVE (Rowing)
He won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic games, over a 16 year period which shows his longevity. He is certainly the best rower of all time, and probably one of the best Olympians of all time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Redgrave


2
Jesse OWENS (Athletics)
He won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic games, the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay. An Olympic legend after the Berlin Olympics, and infamous for the 'handshake' incident with Adolf Hitler.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Owens


1
Team HOYT (Athletics)
I wasn't going to include these, but I read a comment suggesting their inclusion after I had decided my 20 and their story, which I had heard before has really touched me. While not sportspeople in the traditional sense, their achievements are outstanding, competing in marathons, triathlons and other similar events.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Hoyt

Previous Rounds
Round one http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/326069
Round two http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/326437
Round three http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/326861

Please vote for your favourite, with the final to go up next week.