Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #36 - Justin Rose

Justin Rose

Great Britain

Golf

Overall Ranks

#1 among British Olympians

#1 among Golfers

Olympic Results

2016

Men - Gold

Total

Events - 1

Gold - 1

Justin Peter Rose was born on July 30, 1980 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to British parents, and they returned to England when he was 5 years old. He took up golf at an early age, and at age 11, he shot a round under 70 for the first time. He competed in the British Open just before his 18th birthday as an amateur, and after a 4th place finish, he turned pro.

It took a while for him to get comfortable as a pro, and he missed the cut in his first 21 events after making the jump. He finally started to break through in the early 2010s, finishing 3rd in the PGA Championship in 2012, then winning the US Open in 2013. He finished tied for second in the 2015 Masters, and was selected to represent Great Britain in the 2016 Olympics, when golf was added back to the program after more than a century away.

On the first day of competition, Rose made history as the first golfer ever to record a hole-in-one at the Olympics, on the 4th hole. He was tied for 4th and 4 strokes off the lead after day one, and was in 4th place by himself after day two. He shot a 6-under 65 on day three, while the two leaders both shot over par for the day, catapulting himself into the lead going into the final day, one stroke ahead of Henrik Stenson of Sweden.

On the final day, Matt Kuchar of the USA shot an incredible 63 to move up into third place, but he had started from 7 strokes behind, and didn't have enough to catch up. Stenson and Rose battled back and forth throughout the day, and were tied going to the final hole, each 15 under par. Rose hit his approach shot just feet from the hole, while Stenson hit his well short, and a short birdie putt clinched the win for Rose, while Stenson finished off with a bogey, and Rose won by 2 strokes.

His overall score for the tournament was 16 under par, which has been beaten in subsequent Olympics twice, but is still far ahead when compared to the average score. The average score in 2016 was just 2 under par, and it has been at least 6 under par in the two most recent events. He was also one of only 3 golfers to break 10-under in 2016, while there were 26 and 16 in the more recent games.

Rose has not competed in the Olympics since his gold medal win, but he has finished 2nd in four more major golf tournaments, and held the world #1 ranking for 13 weeks starting in 2018. Even though it was just a single event, Rose had such a great tournament, shooting at least 2-under-par each day, that he made himself one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

 

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #37 - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

USA

Athletics

Overall Ranks

#12 among American Olympians

#9 among Track & Field Athletes

#7 among American Track & Field Athletes

#4 among Female American Olympians

#3 among Female Track & Field Athletes

#2 among Female American Track & Field Athletes

Olympic Results

2020

400m Hurdles - Gold

4x400m Relay - Gold

2024

400m Hurdles - Gold

4x400m Relay - Gold

Total

Events - 5

Gold - 4

Sydney Michelle McLaughlin was born on August 7, 1999 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, into a family of track stars. Her father was a 3-time All-American and competed at the Olympic trials in 1984, and her mother ran the 800m in 2:12 in high school, so it was no surprise that she started running at an early age, and excelling at it.

When she was 15, she won the 400m Hurdles at the World Youth Championships, then the next year took third place in the US Olympic Trials, earning her a spot on the team at age 16, the youngest American track Olympian in more than 30 years. Her first Olympic experience ended with a 5th place finish in her semifinal heat, but there was a lot more to come.

In 2019, she came in 2nd at the World Championships, just 0.07 seconds behind defending gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad (#62), and in 2021, she not only beat her at the US Olympic Trials, she broke her world record as well, lowering it to 51.9 seconds, making her the first woman ever to break 52 seconds. 

The two would face off again a couple months later at the Tokyo Olympics, where both easily advanced to the final. In that race, Muhammad took the early lead, and was a step ahead of McLaughlin at the 8th hurdle, but McLaughlin caught up by the final hurdle, then had a stronger finishing kick to beat her rival for gold, while also lowering the world record again, this time to 51.46 seconds.

She also ran in the 4x400m relay later that week, with a powerhouse team expected to dominate. She ran the first leg in 50.2 seconds, handing off to Allyson Felix with a tiny lead over Poland. Felix, Muhammad, and Athing Mu (#85), stretched the lead throughout the rest of the race, and by the end, the Americans had won by 3.68 seconds.

In 2022, she won her first World Championship gold medal, and broke her own world record again, setting it down to 50.68 seconds, making her the first to ever break 51 seconds as well. She injured her knee shortly before the 2023 World Championships, and was unable to defend the title, but she was healthy before the 2024 Olympic Trials, where she broke the record again, this time by just 0.03 seconds.

In Paris, she was the clear favorite to win the 400m hurdles again. She reached the final easily, then after a brief early challenge from Femke Bol of the Netherlands, she pulled away before the halfway point, and came across the finish line 1.5 seconds ahead of anyone else, and setting a new world record for the 6th time in just over 3 years. 

She also competed again in the 4x400m relay, where they were again favored. She took the second leg, and was given a lead of 0.77 seconds when she started, which she expanded to 2.63 seconds by the end of her lap, which was the fastest of the entire competition by almost a full second. The final two runners also ran great times, and the USA won by 4.23 seconds in another dominant showing for gold.

McLaughlin was married in 2024, and now competes under the hyphenated name Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She gave birth to her first child less than 3 months ago, and is naturally taking a break from competing, but she expects to be back on the track next year, aiming for more gold medals in Los Angeles in 2028. Even if she doesn't get there, her performances at the last 2 Olympics have already made her one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Football Predictions - 6 thru 12 Oct

Upset picks are in italics.

Tuesday

Southern Miss at Troy - Trojans by 14

Wednesday

Jacksonville State at Kennesaw State - Owls by 4

New Mexico State at FIU - Golden Panthers by 9.5

Thursday

Sam Houston at Liberty - Flames by 14

Missouri State at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 3.5

South Florida at UTSA - Roadrunners by 10

South Alabama at Arkansas State - Red Wolves by 7

Tampa Bay at Dallas - Cowboys by 3.5

Friday

Florida State at Louisville - Cardinals by 0.5

(20) Iowa at Washington - Huskies by 1

Washington State at Utah State - Aggies by 8.5

Wyoming at San Jose State - Spartans by 12.5

Iowa State at (8) BYU - Cougars by 18.5

Saturday

(7) Indiana at Nebraska - Cornhuskers by 6

Texas A&M at (14) Missouri - Tigers by 14

UCF at (18) Oklahoma State - Cowboys by 5.5

North Carolina at (25) Pittsburgh - Panthers by 11

Arizona at West Virginia - Mountaineers by 0.5

Wake Forest at NC State - Demon Deacons by 2

Tulane at Army - Black Knights by 15.5

Sacramento State at Bowling Green - Falcons by 6

Ball State at Northwestern - Wildcats by 28

South Carolina at (16) Florida - Gators by 12

Old Dominion at App State - Mountaineers by 13.5

Miami (OH) at UMass - Minutemen by 12.5

(1) Texas vs. Oklahoma - Longhorns by 15

Stanford at (3) Notre Dame - Irish by 45

(9) Ole Miss at Vanderbilt - Commodores by 0.5

(21) UCLA at (13) Oregon - Bruins by 1.5

(22) Houston at Kansas State - Cougars by 6.5

Duke at Georgia Tech - Blue Devils by 8.5

Virginia Tech at California - Hokies by 2.5

Illinois at Michigan State - Spartans by 11.5

Charlotte at North Texas - Mean Green by 31.5

Tulsa at Navy - Midshipmen by 3

Eastern Michigan at Akron - Eagles by 5.5

Buffalo at Toledo - Rockets by 26

Central Michigan at Ohio - Bobcats by 11.5

Kent State at Western Michigan - Broncos by 13

UConn at Temple - Owls by 8.5

Rice at East Carolina - Pirates by 8.5

Maryland at (5) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 23.5

(15) Tennessee at Arkansas - Volunteers by 9

San Diego State at Oregon State - Beavers by 18.5

(10) LSU at Kentucky - Wildcats by 0.5

UAB at Memphis - Tigers by 21

Nevada at UTEP - Miners by 6

North Dakota State at UNLV - Bison by 4

Coastal Carolina at Marshall - Thundering Herd by 3

(2) Georgia at (6) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 19.5

(19) USC at Penn State - Nittany Lions by 9.5

Syracuse at Virginia - Cavaliers by 8

Air Force at Northern Illinois - Falcons by 8.5

James Madison at Georgia Southern - Dukes by 5.5

Louisiana at Louisiana Tech - Bulldogs by 8.5

Minnesota at Purdue - Boilermakers by 9

Kansas at (12) Utah - Utes by 21

(23) Boise State at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 1.5

Hawaii at Arizona State - Sun Devils by 17

Sunday

Philadelphia vs. Jacksonville - Jaguars by 20.5

Chicago at Green Bay - Bears by 17

Houston at Tennessee - Texans by 2

Cincinnati at Miami - Bengals by 5

Las Vegas at New England - Raiders by 2.5

Minnesota at New Orleans - Vikings by 11

Cleveland at NY Jets - Browns by 2.5

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh - Steelers by 3

NY Giants at Washington - Giants by 5.5

Denver at LA Chargers - Broncos by 13.5

San Francisco at Seattle - 49ers by 10

Detroit at Arizona - Lions by 1.5

Baltimore at Atlanta - Falcons by 2.5

.

Monday

Buffalo at LA Rams - Rams by 4

Results

NCAA: 45-14 (.763) 311-79 overall (.797)

Upsets: 8-6 (.571) 23-46 overall (.333)

NFL: 13-3 (.813) 37-27 overall (.578)

Upsets: 4-1 (.800) 5-9 overall (.357)

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #38 - Lyubov Yegorova

Lyubov Yegorova

Russia

Cross Country Skiing

Overall Ranks

#3 among Russian Olympians

#2 among Cross Country Skiers

#1 among Female Russian Olympians

#1 among Russian Cross Country Skiers

Olympic Results

1992

5 km - Silver

15 km - Gold

30 km - Silver

Skiathlon - Gold

Relay - Gold

1994

5 km - Gold

15 km - Silver

Skiathlon - Gold

Relay - Gold

Total

Events - 12

Gold - 6

Silver - 3

Lyubov Ivanovna Yegorova was born on May 5, 1966 in Seversk, USSR, which is now part of Russia, and began competing internationally in cross country skiing when she was 17 years old. It took her several years to get to the level where she could compete in the Olympics, but once she did, she was dominant.

She made her first Olympic team in 1992, competing for the Unified Team shortly after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Her first event was the 15 km, and she destroyed the field, leading at every checkpoint on the course, and she ended up winning the gold medal by a minute and 9 seconds, a sign of what was to come.

The next event was the shortest, the 5 km, and this one was raced in a heavy snowstorm. She was slightly behind the leader at the midway checkpoint, and was able to close the gap a bit, but not quite enough, as she ended up losing by 0.9 seconds, and had to be content with a silver medal.

The next event was the skiathlon, where skiers took off based on their finish in the 5 km race the previous day. Since she was less than a second behind, she started at the same time as the leader, and both were quickly overtaken by Stefania Belmondo of Italy, who had started just 12 seconds later. She led for 6.5 km of the 10 km race, at which point Yegorova was able to take the lead, which she extended to 24 seconds by the finish, earning her a second gold medal.

A few days later she competed in the relay, skiing the anchor leg for the favored Unified Team. They held a decent lead after the first leg, but Norway caught them on leg 2, taking the lead by 9 seconds at the next exchange. Larisa Lazutina (#67) gave them back the lead by 2 seconds before Yegorova took off, and she close the door on Norway, bringing home the gold by over 21 seconds.

The final event was the longest, the 30 km, which was being contested by women for the first time. Yegorova started off a little slowly, but picked up the pace after the first checkpoint, and ended up spending nearly the entire race in second place, but she was never able to get closer than 8 seconds behind Belmondo, who would take the gold, while Yegorova ended up with another silver.

The next Olympics would happen just 2 years later, thanks to the schedule change to stagger the Winter and Summer Games. She competed in the same 5 events, this time representing Russia, starting with the 15 km, where she was the defending champ. This time, she would stay in second place for the entire race, unable to catch up to Manuela Di Centa of Italy, who built a lead of more than 37 seconds at the final checkpoint, then coasted in for an easy win, finishing 18.5 seconds ahead of Yegorova.

In the 5 km, which she had narrowly lost 2 years earlier, Yegorova changed the script. She had a slight lead at the midpoint, just under 4 seconds, but then pulled away in the second half, ending up 19.5 seconds ahead of Di Centa to take her first gold in Lillehammer, and 4th overall.

The skiathlon was held later that afternoon, and Yegorova got a nice headstart thanks to winning the 5 km. Belmondo skied the fastest time of the competition, 13 seconds faster than Yegorova, but she started out nearly a minute behind, and never truly challenged. Di Centa was able to close the gap slightly, but Yegorova still won the race by just over 8 seconds to win another gold medal.

The relay was next, and it was again a close competition between Russia and Norway. Russia held the lead by 8 seconds after the initial leg, but Norway had pulled ahead by nearly the same amount after leg 2. Russia close the gap to just one second after the third leg, then Yegorova took over for the anchor leg, and left no doubt who would win the gold medal, as she finished 30 seconds ahead of her Norwegian foe.

Her final event was the 30 km, and up to that point she had never finished worse than second in an Olympic race, but that would change in this one. She was in 8th place at the first checkpoint, and made steady progress upward throughout the race, reaching 4th place at the final checkpoint, but she was still 20 seconds behind the medalists, and was unable to close the gap, finishing up in 5th place.

In 1997, she won the gold medal in the 5 km race at the World Championships, but afterward she failed her drug test, testing positive for bromantan, a stimulant. Her medal was stripped, and she was banned from competition for two years. She retired at that point, but did decide to attempt a comeback for the 2002 Olympics. 

She competed in 2 events in the 2002 Olympics, starting with the 10 km. She was one of the faster skiers in the event, but was still nowhere near the medalists, at least 30 seconds behind the entire time, and finished in 7th, though that was eventually moved up to 5th after 2 of her teammates were disqualified for failed drug tests. She also competed in the sprint event, but failed to advance out of the quarterfinal round, ending up ranked 11th. She retired for good in 2003.

Though she was caught doping after her Olympic successes, there is no evidence that she was cheating while winning all of those Olympic medals, although the history of Russian Olympians suggests that she may have. Still, it was never proven, and the fact that she won 9 total gold and silver medals between the 1992 and 1994 games makes her one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

NFL Rankings - 7 Oct

There have been enough games to rank all of the teams in the NFL, so here we go. There are 3 undefeated teams left, and all of them are in the top 5, but none of them is #1, because Jacksonville has been very good, with their only loss coming at home to Denver, who is ranked #7. San Francisco is the best of the undefeated teams, but they haven't played a true road team yet, which, along with beating two very weak opponents, is the only thing holding them down so far. Here are my full current rankings and playoff picks:

				Actual		Proj
Rank	LW	Team	Rating	W	L	W	L	Seed
1	7	Jacksonville	-14.03	3	1	14	3	A1
2	6	San Francisco	-13.1	4	0	14	3	N1
3	13	Kansas City	-11.76	4	0	14	3	A2
4	11	Chicago	-11.37	3	1	13	4	N5
5	22	Minnesota	-7.92	4	0	13	4	N2
6	31	Las Vegas	-6.49	3	1	11	6	A5
7	9	Denver	-5.535	2	2	10	7	A6
8	27	Carolina	-4.137	2	2	10	7	N3
9	18	Cincinnati	-3.319	2	2	10	7	A7
10	1	LA Rams	-2.752	2	2	10	7	N6
11	5	New England	-2.577	2	2	9	8	A4
12	2	Seattle	-1.767	3	1	9	8	N7
13	21	Atlanta	-0.762	2	2	8	9
14	30	Cleveland	-0.196	3	1	10	7	A3
15	4	Buffalo	-0.088	3	1	9	8
16	10	Baltimore	0.4307	3	1	9	8
17	19	Pittsburgh	0.7877	2	2	9	8
18	12	Indianapolis	2.4932	2	2	8	9
19	15	Dallas	2.69	2	2	8	9
20	28	Miami	3.0053	0	4	6	11
21	3	Detroit	3.0214	2	2	8	9
22	32	NY Jets	3.6346	1	3	6	11
23	25	NY Giants	3.7446	3	1	9	8	N4
24	20	Tampa Bay	4.592	0	4	5	12
25	24	New Orleans	4.675	1	3	6	11
26	26	Arizona	5.8202	1	3	6	11
27	16	Philadelphia	6.2411	2	2	7	10
28	14	Green Bay	7.0839	2	2	6	11
29	8	Houston	7.3719	0	4	5	12
30	17	LA Chargers	9.1183	0	4	3	14
31	29	Tennessee	10.512	0	4	3	14
32	23	Washington	10.574	1	3	4	13

Playoff Picks

Wild Card

(2) Chiefs over (7) Bengals

(6) Broncos over (3) Browns

(5) Raiders over (4) Patriots

(2) Vikings over (7) Seahawks

(3) Panthers over (6) Rams

(5) Bears over (4) Giants

Divisional

(1) Jaguars over (6) Broncos

(2) Chiefs over (5) Raiders

(1) 49ers over (5) Bears

(2) Vikings over (3) Panthers

Conference

(1) Jaguars over (2) Chiefs

(1) 49ers over (2) Vikings

Super Bowl

(1) Jaguars over (1) 49ers