Billy Slater from the Melbourne Storm rugby league club has dominated the past two seasons of Rexona’s greatest athlete. His versatility proved superior against the other athletes, some of whom amazed me how they actually make a living out of sport.
However, that’s what makes this competition so intriguing: bringing athletes out of their comfort zone and exposing them against athletes that excel at a particular task.
Slater is not competing in this year’s event, and the spot for rugby league player has gone to Newcastle Knight, Kurt Gidley.
Gidley, a 90kg fullback for the Newcastle Knights, is well know for his cardiovascular fitness, often outrunning the beep test in Knights pre-season training.
However, with the absence of Slater the favourite is world ironman champion, Shannon Eckstein.
Eckstein’s ability to excel in the water-based events gives him an immediate advantage over the rest of the competitors. However, I see Eckstein remaining the bridesmaid for at least another year.
Current Olympic K1000 Kayak champion, Ken Wallace, comes into the competition as an underdog and unknown to the majority of the sporting public.
Kayaking not being a mainstream sport in Australia, Wallace carries virtual anonymity when outside the kayak sphere. Most footy fans would stroll past Wallace on the street and not even think twice about his ability as an athlete.
The truth is, Wallace has a number of strings to his bow.
Growing up on the Gold Coast, Wallace – like Eckstein – excelled in Ironman racing. In fact, they competed against each other for many years before Wallace’s ability as a ski paddler was harnessed in the realm of kayaking.
Like many of our former Ironman champions such as Grant Kenny, Clint Robinson and Trevor Hendy, Wallace followed the Olympic dream. Kayaking is a sport that not only displays upper body fitness, but power, speed and endurance in a dynamic fashion.
Kayakers spend hours in the weight room and a considerable time on the running track, not to mention the hours in the canal building their engines.
Funnily enough, this is not what makes Wallace so unique as an athlete.
Unlike the majority of competitors, Ken Wallace’s favourite hobby outside of kayaking is riding his jet ski, which features as one of the events in this season’s show.
His ability in the jet ski event (one which is targeted towards the motor sport competitor, Mark Winterbottom) will surprise people, and I suspect it will be the difference in being crowned as Australia’s greatest athlete.
In my opinion the top three will be Wallace, Eckstein and Gidley. The rest of the competitors will display ability in their chosen event, but lack the versatility to adapt to the other events.
Rexona – Australia’s Greatest Athlete – sponsored post
John
Guest
It has to be speed-skating gold medallist Stephen Bradbury: the perfect combination of skill, dedication and the ability not to fall over. (Link is to video discussing his win)
tigger madness
Roar Rookie
I think the question of whether the NRL or AFL produce the better athletes has been well and truly answered.
Guido
Guest
I would have liked to see Chad Reed in his prime (a couple of years ago probably) in that comp. Pro motocrosssers are super fit.
jameswm
Guest
True about the technique of weightlifting John, but I wold have thought all these sportspeople do weight lifting as part of their training. I did for athletics - cleans and snatches more than jerks. Squats are more about leg strength than leg power though. Maybe stationary bike tests this better.
JohnB
Guest
Agree in principle, although the Olympic lifts (snatch and clean and jerk) involve an awful lot of technique. Maybe some of the power lifts (squats or deadlift) would be a better test. There is still technique involved, but it's a bit simpler and any serious sportsman would have these lifts in their training so would have a reasonable handle on the technique. Have to say, how jet-ski-ing could get a guernsey in something like this will remain one of the puzzles of the ages to me.
Jimi
Guest
Kurt Gidley has definitely not outrun the beep test
Jiggles
Roar Guru
add an egg and spoon race and then i am sold!
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
All good points. But at the end of the day, it's fun and entertainment - it's not meant to be taken too seriously.
Zac
Guest
Hi James, Yes, this is a sponsored post. We don't run these often, but we hope that you understand they help keep our content free and we feel the content is relevant. Thanks for your feedback. Zac The Roar
jameswm
Guest
The tests should be something like this: - 100 freestyle (swimming ability) - 60m run (speed) - 3 or 5 km run (endurance) - snatch or clean and jerk - raw power. - Possibly also a standing vertical jump, or even high jump - climbing or chin-ups - to test strength-to-weight ratio - an agility test of some sort - a course could be set - even a rowing machine for a combination of power and endurance - a balance test - roller blading? Balance beam? - a test of hand-eye coordination - say catching high cricket balls, or hitting baseballs (in both cases from a bowling machine) I think there's a difference between athlete and sportdsman too. Purely as an athlete, does hand-eye coordination come into it?
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Absolutely - or we make it fair dinkum - kicks from outside 50m, and only allow those that make it on the full. Now I wonder why they don't do that?
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Decathlon program: Day 1 100 metres Long jump Shot put High jump 400 metres Day 2 110 metres hurdles Discus throw Pole vault Javelin throw 1500 metres Sounds good to me: Citius, Altius, Fortius
GrecoGuy
Guest
Or kicking at a goal where even if you miss you still get a point? Or an event where the competitor can fumble the ball the longest distance.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Absolutely - let's have a decatholon - I agree 100% - none of this jetskiing rubbish.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Do people on here take this thing seriously? One of the events is jet skiiing - no darts or hookey?
GrecoGuy
Guest
So how would you work out who represents each sport? Also which sport to enter? I admit I have my biases, but the best athletes, at the Olympics at least, are the Decathletes/Heptathletes, Gymnasts and Wrestlers/Judokas. I guess they just don't have the profile for a commercially driven TV show.
GrecoGuy
Guest
Are you saying that because the Aussie Rules guys never go any good?
Working Class Rugger
Guest
Would have liked to see James O'Connor back this season as apart from Eckstien he took it to Slater.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
The two pop ups give a bit of a hint. A man has to make a living.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Given the recent plastering of The Roar site with ads for this show I was waiting for the sycophantic article to appear. Gotta pay the bills somehow I guess, but at least I was able to block the invasive ads and can say I will not watch the show nor buy the sponsors products.