If people wish to discuss the greatest athlete by cross comparing there has to be some metric.
What metric would you use?
Please show me where I wrote gymnasts are NOT athletes. I didn't write that.
I wrote I couldn't consider them the greatest because their skill sets don't translate to other sports.
Eric Heiden was the greatest male speed skater at the time. His skill sets translated to cycling where he became world class.
Bo Jackson was world class in football and pro class in baseball. Deion Sanders was also great in football and good in baseball.