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Each Canadian is aware of that Wayne Gretzky is one in all Canada’s biggest athletes of all time, however do you know he was additionally a world-class sprinter? In 1982, a 21-year-old “Nice One” lined up in opposition to among the finest athletes of all time on the World Sports activities Masters occasion in Göteborg, Sweden. Gretzky placed on a clinic, beating them throughout 60m, in a surprising time of seven.24 seconds.
Gretzky may be seen within the video beating the likes of Pelé (soccer), Sugar Ray Leonard (boxing) and Björn Borg (tennis). Though Pelé was twice Gretzky’s age on the time, the 42-year-old gave a stable effort to beat Leonard and end third after Borg. After the race, Pelé conngratulated The Nice One in a heartwarming vogue.
Leonard, who was 26 on the time, didn’t even use the beginning blocks, and appeared as if he regretted lining up as quickly as he began.
Whereas it’s exhausting to disregard the funky 80s uniforms, there’s one other video from the identical occasion of Gretzky once more beating Borg, plus Swedish Olympic snowboarding champion Ingemar Stenmark and English footballer Kevin Keegan.
Gretzky was well-known for his consciousness and anticipation on the ice. He scored 894 targets and 1,963 assists in 1,487 video games, averaging practically two factors per recreation throughout his 20-year NHL profession. One other of his strengths was his quick and nimble skating, which helped him keep away from contact and beat defenders. The movies clearly showcased a few of his uncooked velocity.
His time of seven.24 seconds for 60m in 1982 would have been sooner than the boys’s 60m nationwide data of Mexico, New Zealand and Kenya. Who is aware of what Gretzky might’ve run in right now’s tremendous spikes, or if he skilled for the dash disciplines, or mounted his kind so it doesn’t seem like he’s preventing off Canada geese together with his forearms?
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