5 male sprinters besides Usain Bolt who deserve to be in the GOAT conversation

#1 Tommie Smith

Tommie Smith finishes first at the 1968 Olympics

If there ever was a complete sprinter, Tommie Smith would be it. Coached by the legendary Bud Winter, Smith could compete in any sprint event and be a serious contender.

During his career, he set a total of 11 world records. By contrast, Usain Bolt got to seven. And while Bolt retired at age 30, Smith did so at age 25.

Smith's track accomplishments contain quite a few firsts:

1. First man to run the 400m dash in under 45 seconds

2. First man to run the 200m dash in under 20 seconds

3. Member of the first 4x400m relay team to go below 3 minutes

Mere mortals would drop out of the Olympics after partially injuring their hamstring. But Smith showed up for the 200m final, competed, won the gold, and set a world record.