Do you think young Roshi was as strong as Tao?

[Warmmedown]

Ignoring Super, Tao would easily kill DB Roshi, unless Sir Roshi, the serial sexual offender, gets him with the lightning attack or maybe a full power kamehameha.

Of course, Tao's body is in a much younger state than Roshi's. He looks maybe 10-20 years older than the Roshi we see in flashbacks. So I wonder if he's so much stronger than Roshi because of his youth. Roshi seemed to be extremely out of shape at Ox King's mountain, as he struggled to climb a wall, suggesting his strength can decline a lot.
Young Roshi also climbed Korin tower and completed Korin's training, which is how Goku was able to surpass the same Tao who was miles stronger than 21stTB Roshi.

So was young Roshi much stronger than Tao, similar to how post-Korin Goku was?

Or is Tao just a human prodigy, much stronger than Roshi, Shen or Grandpa Gohan? The greatest human prodigy after Mutaito and before the Z fighters? (it is possible there were other fighters who were stronger too, but we don't know about them because they never drank the immortality elixir).

 

[SSJ2]

Roshi was actually leagues ahead of Tao in his prime. Roshi and Tsuru were strong enough to fight Piccolo Daimao with Mutaito and survived.

Chapter: 135, P6.1
Kame-sennin: “Despite the cute name, [Piccolo] was an outrageously fearsome person…His strength was extremely overwhelming…[ ] He was an opponent we were utterly unable to oppose; not only my younger self or Tsuru-sennin, but even our master, Mutaito. ”

Roshi uses himself and Prime Tsuru as a benchmark for why Piccolo shouldn't be challenged. Goku only just surpassed their level in the 22nd Budokai. Tao Pai Pai was surpassed 3 years prior.