Michael Phelps greatest olympian ever?

Zordak Ragefire · 08-12-2008, 10:04 PM

With the gold won in the 200 Butterfly, Michael Phelps became the most successful olympian in the history of the games.

There is no arguing that he is probably the best swimmer the world has ever seen but do you agree that he is the 'greatest' olympian to have existed?

11 gold medals doesn't lie and he is most likely to add to that even more in the coming few days, however although he has won more Golds than anyone else not many sports allow you to win more than one.

Can his achievements be compared to say, Daley Thompson? Decathlete Thompson excelled in 10, different, events whereas Phelps only excelled in his own, specialized, event. Not only that but he did it twice by winning golds in two successive games. But he 'only' has two gold medals to show for his success.

Discuss

Kaosu · 08-12-2008, 10:09 PM

In terms of medals; sure.

Its a great achievement and it impresses me as someone who swims regularly.

But impresses me to be the greatest Olympian ever?

No.

Just because they added dozens of events for doing the same thing different ways, in essence, you are still doing the samething.

I'd be more impressed with someone that can even have a chance at winning among those different events and even getting close. He doesn't even have to get medals.
Of course, thats just me.

Jovec · 08-12-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zordak Ragefire

however although he has won more Golds than anyone else not many sports allow you to win more than one

Not to take anything away from him, but this detracts somewhat. You have basketball, soccer, tennis, etc all earning one gold for multiple games over 2-3 weeks, etc. Then there are also events (like the aforementioned) where your opponents can directly effect you. This is also the reason why I have trouble placing Tiger as the best over someone like Federer, since no one is hitting golf balls back at him.

Rush · 08-12-2008, 10:29 PM

They need to put in the backwards run in track and field. The Backwards 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 800 meter dash, mile, marathon.

No doubt, he is one of the GREATEST Olympians, but I would not go as far to say that he is the greatest Olympian.

Jesse Owens could have been the greatest Olympian of all time had he competed in more than the 1936 Berlin Olympics (which was a great feat in itself).

Celebrindal · 08-12-2008, 11:08 PM

I'll go with Zeus as the greatest Olympian.

Dumar · 08-12-2008, 11:17 PM

doesn't even come close to jesse owens.

Jedite · 08-12-2008, 11:22 PM

Im leaning towards the greatest.. Consider that he has broken the World Record in every single final race he has swam this olympics. 5 Gold medals so far, and 5 world records, not to mention the US team Destroyed the 4x200 record tonight by a ridiculous 5+ seconds.

The guy is a machine, an Athlete that comes along once in a lifetime to a sport.(like Tiger, Jordan, Rice)

chu · 08-12-2008, 11:27 PM

He is no doubt great but I have a problem with a swimmer ever getting that honor. The number of different competitions is way overinflated. Imagine if they had 60m, 80m, 100m springts, 100m sprints starting with your left foot, 100m sprints starting with your right foot and then various combinations of team rally and you'd get a picture of what the swimming competitions are like.

I'd give it to a gymnast over a swimmer anyday; there's a very distinct difference between a competition on a balance bar and a high bar for example

I think it'd have to go to Larysa Latynina (18 medals total, 9 gold, spread over 3 olympiads).

Zarcath · 08-12-2008, 11:32 PM

If he took gold in different sports I'd say he's one of the greatest olympians. Since he only swims i'll say he's the greatest swimming olympian. And how many chances to other athletes get at winning gold? especially ones that participate in team events? A soccer or basketball player will never come close to winning as many golds as Phelps. Maybe they should start having free-throw events? slam dunk events? 100m throw?

Yutnopash · 08-12-2008, 11:50 PM

I dunno given the amount of swimming he's done/has left to do counting Preliminary races, semifinals, and finals...he's a beast of an athlete and probably a genetic anomaly.

Something like 18 races in under a week, with multiple races in different disciplines being run within usually an hour of each other...Thats the thing, it's not all one style of stroke. It's virtually everything since he's doing/has done the Individual Medleys.

Swimming or not I'd have to put him at least on par with Jesse Owens as the best Olympic athlete.

Grooverider · 08-13-2008, 12:20 AM

If he wins gold in his three remaining races, and breaks the world record in each then i would say that he is the greatest olympian of the modern era.

I'm surprised people are devaluing his achievements, by saying that swimming techniques are basically the same thing. The distances are extremely different and so are the strokes.

He is beating people who specialize in middle distance only, he is beating people who specialize in sprint races only. He is beating people who specialize in a single stroke and in all strokes.

400m IM is a middle distance race. 200m freestyle is a sprint. etc etc.

It's just phenomenal. We're witnessing something incredibly special this week; that's why the media is going crazy about it. Here in England, we're cheering Phelps on and hoping he gets the golds and world records.

If he gets 3 more world records.. well.. forget Mark Spitz..

Ailu · 08-13-2008, 02:34 AM

The amount of gold medals he has means nothing if you want to compare it to any other sport where you can't get that many, obviously. It's better to compare how superior he is next to the ones he's competing against. All the world records doesn't mean that much either imo since everyone is swimming so much faster with the new swim suits.

He's definitely one of the greatest Olympians ever, but I don't know really. It's one of those things time will tell.

Nebuchadnezzar · 08-13-2008, 02:52 AM

You people acting like track and field (100, 200m, 400m, 800m+hurdles in all those, and the relay), shooting (tons of different distances), and gymnastics (team competitions, plus individual medals for the all around, and each event) are any different than swimming need to quit hating. Its the same exact shit and the amount of races Phelps has run is HARDER not inflating himself with gold medals. Jesse Owens won his golds in the 100m, 200m, the 4x100 relay, and the long jump. How is that so much different than Phelps swimming different distances using different strokes?

Seo · 08-13-2008, 03:24 AM

he is pretty awesome. but i always wonder how much modern tech helps.

the pool they swim in is fucking awesome this year.

its deeper and it has no waves at all from its gutter system. those speedo body suits are also pretty crazy.

Kiely · 08-13-2008, 03:25 AM

No.
Decathaletes and Heptathaletes are the 2 main catagories that I would say count for the title of "best Olympian"
Theres something off putting about watching people train all their lives only to win by a 0.01s margin in some sports.
Phelps may be a phenomenal swimmer, but hes just that. It's nice for him that there are so many events for him to swim in so he can dominate them all.

08-12-2008, 10:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Zordak Ragefire Straight 200+ hr old skool camp = teh suck Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 63 -2 Internets	Michael Phelps greatest olympian ever? With the gold won in the 200 Butterfly, Michael Phelps became the most successful olympian in the history of the games. There is no arguing that he is probably the best swimmer the world has ever seen but do you agree that he is the 'greatest' olympian to have existed? 11 gold medals doesn't lie and he is most likely to add to that even more in the coming few days, however although he has won more Golds than anyone else not many sports allow you to win more than one. Can his achievements be compared to say, Daley Thompson? Decathlete Thompson excelled in 10, different, events whereas Phelps only excelled in his own, specialized, event. Not only that but he did it twice by winning golds in two successive games. But he 'only' has two gold medals to show for his success. Discuss

08-12-2008, 10:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
Kaosu Lost in the Twilight Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gilbert/Chandler, Arizona Posts: 982 -4 Internets	In terms of medals; sure. Its a great achievement and it impresses me as someone who swims regularly. But impresses me to be the greatest Olympian ever? No. Just because they added dozens of events for doing the same thing different ways, in essence, you are still doing the samething. I'd be more impressed with someone that can even have a chance at winning among those different events and even getting close. He doesn't even have to get medals. Of course, thats just me. __________________ Like a frenzied horse that is driven. An unseen wind of plague shrieks across the border. Pandemonium, wailing, and stench of carnage fills the air. There is no place to run. No hope of escape. Those who are mourned will never return. The hands of time cannot be turned back.

08-12-2008, 11:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
Celebrindal The Hunter Join Date: May 2003 Location: NYC Posts: 1,244 +18 Internets	I'll go with Zeus as the greatest Olympian. Attached Images __________________ Join the FoH Rosetta@Home team & check out the Science Video Thread.

08-12-2008, 11:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
Jedite Am I pissing you off fafa? Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 669 -3 Internets	Im leaning towards the greatest.. Consider that he has broken the World Record in every single final race he has swam this olympics. 5 Gold medals so far, and 5 world records, not to mention the US team Destroyed the 4x200 record tonight by a ridiculous 5+ seconds. The guy is a machine, an Athlete that comes along once in a lifetime to a sport.(like Tiger, Jordan, Rice) __________________ Jedite Neshtal , Paladin Vanguard(HillsBury) ,EQ2 (Faydark) Disturbed ,EQ1 Tarrew Marr (R.I.P), Hunter LOTRO Vestal Paladin WoW(Eoner), Conqueror AOC(Zug)

08-12-2008, 11:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
Zarcath Lead Farmer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hawaii Posts: 5,067 +12 Internets	If he took gold in different sports I'd say he's one of the greatest olympians. Since he only swims i'll say he's the greatest swimming olympian. And how many chances to other athletes get at winning gold? especially ones that participate in team events? A soccer or basketball player will never come close to winning as many golds as Phelps. Maybe they should start having free-throw events? slam dunk events? 100m throw? __________________ Last edited by Zarcath : 08-13-2008 at 12:39 AM.

08-12-2008, 10:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Rush Kenneth Kaniff, professional molestor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 500 +5 Internets	They need to put in the backwards run in track and field. The Backwards 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 800 meter dash, mile, marathon. No doubt, he is one of the GREATEST Olympians, but I would not go as far to say that he is the greatest Olympian. Jesse Owens could have been the greatest Olympian of all time had he competed in more than the 1936 Berlin Olympics (which was a great feat in itself).

08-12-2008, 11:27 PM	#8 (permalink)
chu Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 954 -24 Internets	He is no doubt great but I have a problem with a swimmer ever getting that honor. The number of different competitions is way overinflated. Imagine if they had 60m, 80m, 100m springts, 100m sprints starting with your left foot, 100m sprints starting with your right foot and then various combinations of team rally and you'd get a picture of what the swimming competitions are like. I'd give it to a gymnast over a swimmer anyday; there's a very distinct difference between a competition on a balance bar and a high bar for example I think it'd have to go to Larysa Latynina (18 medals total, 9 gold, spread over 3 olympiads).

08-12-2008, 11:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
Yutnopash The Mexicant Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 756 -1 Internets	I dunno given the amount of swimming he's done/has left to do counting Preliminary races, semifinals, and finals...he's a beast of an athlete and probably a genetic anomaly. Something like 18 races in under a week, with multiple races in *different* disciplines being run within usually an hour of each other...Thats the thing, it's not all one style of stroke. It's virtually everything since he's doing/has done the Individual Medleys. Swimming or not I'd have to put him at least on par with Jesse Owens as the best Olympic athlete.

08-13-2008, 12:20 AM	#11 (permalink)
Grooverider hildog Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 810 -2 Internets	If he wins gold in his three remaining races, and breaks the world record in each then i would say that he is the greatest olympian of the modern era. I'm surprised people are devaluing his achievements, by saying that swimming techniques are basically the same thing. The distances are extremely different and so are the strokes. He is beating people who specialize in middle distance only, he is beating people who specialize in sprint races only. He is beating people who specialize in a single stroke and in all strokes. 400m IM is a middle distance race. 200m freestyle is a sprint. etc etc. It's just phenomenal. We're witnessing something incredibly special this week; that's why the media is going crazy about it. Here in England, we're cheering Phelps on and hoping he gets the golds and world records. If he gets 3 more world records.. well.. forget Mark Spitz..

08-13-2008, 02:34 AM	#12 (permalink)
Ailu Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: EU Posts: 294 +0 Internets	The amount of gold medals he has means nothing if you want to compare it to any other sport where you can't get that many, obviously. It's better to compare how superior he is next to the ones he's competing against. All the world records doesn't mean that much either imo since everyone is swimming so much faster with the new swim suits. He's definitely one of the greatest Olympians ever, but I don't know really. It's one of those things time will tell.

08-13-2008, 02:52 AM	#13 (permalink)
Nebuchadnezzar Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,571 -3 Internets	You people acting like track and field (100, 200m, 400m, 800m+hurdles in all those, and the relay), shooting (tons of different distances), and gymnastics (team competitions, plus individual medals for the all around, and each event) are any different than swimming need to quit hating. Its the same exact shit and the amount of races Phelps has run is HARDER not inflating himself with gold medals. Jesse Owens won his golds in the 100m, 200m, the 4x100 relay, and the long jump. How is that so much different than Phelps swimming different distances using different strokes? __________________ I eat grass like an ox and shat like a fox.

08-13-2008, 03:24 AM	#14 (permalink)
Seo First Posted on 02-06-2006 Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 422 -13 Internets	he is pretty awesome. but i always wonder how much modern tech helps. the pool they swim in is fucking awesome this year. its deeper and it has no waves at all from its gutter system. those speedo body suits are also pretty crazy.

08-13-2008, 03:25 AM	#15 (permalink)
Kiely He who dares, wins Rodders. Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,071 +1 Internets	No. Decathaletes and Heptathaletes are the 2 main catagories that I would say count for the title of "best Olympian" Theres something off putting about watching people train all their lives only to win by a 0.01s margin in some sports. Phelps may be a phenomenal swimmer, but hes just that. It's nice for him that there are so many events for him to swim in so he can dominate them all. __________________ Ban deep thought.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread: