PARIS — Katie Ledecky can dominate pretty much anyone on the planet in the pool, but what about on a horse? LeBron James is one of the world’s finest basketball players, but how would he do with a sword in his hand? Simone Biles is a magnificent gymnast, but what if she had to run a race while firing a laser gun?
The Olympics does a fine job of identifying the finest athletes in individual sports. But there’s only one event — a strange little outlier of an event — that identifies the best athletes in multiple sports.