Greatest Olympian

[Jerry]

I also have to agree with Jim Thorpe. Phelps is the greatest swimmer of all times though, but I feel that to be the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, one has to be great at more than one thing.

[TheKiltedWonder]

I also have to agree with Jim Thorpe. Phelps is the greatest swimmer of all times though, but I feel that to be the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, one has to be great at more than one thing.

I've noticed this is a common argument, but I would argue that Phelps is great at more than one thing. How?

If I were evaluating a track athlete who ran 400 meters and also ran hurdles, I wouldn't say that those two events are the same thing. Yes, they both involve running from Point A to Point B, but the events require different technique.

Phelps doesn't just swim butterfly or just swim freestyle. He was the only person to appear in both the 200 fly and 200 free finals and he won both in WR time. In addition, two of his gold medals came in the IM which requires competence in four strokes. He may not have learned to throw the javelin, but you can rest assured that he was working hard on improving his breast stroke (something he wouldn't otherwise do).

He won a 100 m event and a 400 m event. He's definitely an all-around swimmer and I think it's unfair to lump all the strokes and lengths together.

So is he the greatest? I don't think it's even possible to answer that question. Thorpe and Phelps are from different eras. Thorpe competed in the Fifth Olympiad and there were only twenty some countries participating (all from North America, Europe and Australia [oh, ok and South Africa too]). Today's games have 7 or 8 times the number of participating countries and the level of competition is that much higher. Apples and Oranges.

Was Thorpe more versatile? Of course! But Phelps is no one trick pony...

[Jerry]

I've noticed this is a common argument, but I would argue that Phelps is great at more than one thing. How?

If I were evaluating a track athlete who ran 400 meters and also ran hurdles, I wouldn't say that those two events are the same thing. Yes, they both involve running from Point A to Point B, but the events require different technique.

Phelps doesn't just swim butterfly or just swim freestyle. He was the only person to appear in both the 200 fly and 200 free finals and he won both in WR time. In addition, two of his gold medals came in the IM which requires competence in four strokes. He may not have learned to throw the javelin, but you can rest assured that he was working hard on improving his breast stroke (something he wouldn't otherwise do).

He won a 100 m event and a 400 m event. He's definitely an all-around swimmer and I think it's unfair to lump all the strokes and lengths together.

So is he the greatest? I don't think it's even possible to answer that question. Thorpe and Phelps are from different eras. Thorpe competed in the Fifth Olympiad and there were only twenty some countries participating (all from North America, Europe and Australia [oh, ok and South Africa too]). Today's games have 7 or 8 times the number of participating countries and the level of competition is that much higher. Apples and Oranges.

Was Thorpe more versatile? Of course! But Phelps is no one trick pony...

I'm not saying that Phelps isn't a very good athlete. With his physique, he would probably do well in other things such as field events. He just hasn't done any yet. Maybe he should try participating in a triathlon or something similar. There are other athletes around today who could be considered in the same light. Look at Tiger Woods for instance. He is not yet the greatest golfer ever, but if he can come back from his knee problems he might be one day. His conditioning program has completely changed that game in the last 10 years. Is he a great athlete, no, he is a great golfer. Could he be? Maybe, but we will never know unless he decides to compete in other things.

[TheKiltedWonder]

With his physique, he would probably do well in other things such as field events. He just hasn't done any yet. Maybe he should try participating in a triathlon or something similar.

I guess I just don't see the need for him to do that in order to prove himself. He is a great athlete and has proven himself versatile within his won discipline. I don't think staying within said discipline says anything about his athleticism or his greatness.

I am afraid however that he is overshadowing plenty of other athletes having a wonderful Olympics, who "only" win two golds, or "only" one. Heck, even managing a bronze (or simply qualifying, for that matter) is such an achievement and I hope we (as in the viewers of the world) don't undervalue all those other athletes who are out there.

[Ayin McFye]

I've noticed this is a common argument, but I would argue that Phelps is great at more than one thing. How?

If I were evaluating a track athlete who ran 400 meters and also ran hurdles, I wouldn't say that those two events are the same thing. Yes, they both involve running from Point A to Point B, but the events require different technique.

Phelps doesn't just swim butterfly or just swim freestyle. He was the only person to appear in both the 200 fly and 200 free finals and he won both in WR time. In addition, two of his gold medals came in the IM which requires competence in four strokes. He may not have learned to throw the javelin, but you can rest assured that he was working hard on improving his breast stroke (something he wouldn't otherwise do).

He won a 100 m event and a 400 m event. He's definitely an all-around swimmer and I think it's unfair to lump all the strokes and lengths together.

So is he the greatest? I don't think it's even possible to answer that question. Thorpe and Phelps are from different eras. Thorpe competed in the Fifth Olympiad and there were only twenty some countries participating (all from North America, Europe and Australia [oh, ok and South Africa too]). Today's games have 7 or 8 times the number of participating countries and the level of competition is that much higher. Apples and Oranges.

Was Thorpe more versatile? Of course! But Phelps is no one trick pony...

I am going to have to completely agree with you on this point you made. I also do think that he is technically the greatest Olympian ever. If gymnists are able to compete in a lot of different events and have each of them considered a different event then I think Phelps falls into this catagory also with all the various distances and strokes that he demonstrated this year. Some of those swimmers only specialize in one stroke their whole lives yet Phelps mastered them all, and not just one type of distance either. Also having to compete that many days in a row is a huge demonstration of his athletic ability and endurance.

I definitely don't want to take away from the many other great olympians out there but in the end, the numbers speak for themselves. Not only does he have the most gold medals in one olympics but the most gold medals ever.

Just my humble opinion, but I feel that many people are trying to cheapen his accomplishments with arguements like this (I'm not saying anyone on this forum is, I've just read a lot of similiar threads online). Even if someone doesn't want to say he's the best athlete, I do believe he has proven to be at least the best swimmer in the world.

It's kind of like saying "Who's the best band?" You really can't compare that. You've got bands from every genre to try and incorporate and they all take a special skill. In the end the only way you could say "who's the best band" would be to look at number of albums sold, which still doesn't really answer the question, it just says who sold the most.

Also the point on era was brought up. Things change as time goes on. In the pool that Phelps swam in, there wasn't a "wake" for lanes 1 and 8, the pool was deeper, and their swimsuits are much higher quality. They didn't have these things many years ago, so all the swimmers like Spitz can't really be compared to Phelps either. Just like music, we have the internet now that allows people to buy/sell music online, allowing for a much higher fan base.

So based on that, I will change my vote a little to say "Ok, Phelps may not be the best Olympian of all time (because you can't really measure that), but he is the best Olympian in the 2008 Olympics. In my opinion only that is.