Compared with the athletes in the first modern Olympics, today’s gold medalists can run faster, swim stronger, and jump and throw farther. But how slow and weak were the champions of yore compared with the best of the 21^st century? In which events could the cream of the crop from bygone eras keep up against their modern counterparts?

In the visualizations below, we’ve pitted the likes of Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser against winners from olden times. The eight contestants in each of our four events—the 100-meter dash, swimming’s 100-meter freestyle, the long jump, and the discus—were selected with an eye towards bringing together athletes from all different Olympic eras. Chariots of Fire’s Harold Abrahams—the 100-meter gold medalist in 1924—is at the starting line, as is the late-20^th-century great Carl Lewis. We’ve also decided to open our doors to cheaters: Marion Jones (who was stripped of her medals from the 2000 Games), Barbara Krause (who was given performance enhancers by her East German coaches), and their doping brethren are welcome here.

Click “Start” to see how these gold-medal winners compare when competing side by side. Let the simulated games begin!

Read the rest of Slate’s coverage of the London Olympics.