August 17, 200818 yr You can't compare any of it seamlessly. I would like to see each track event done backwards for gold... :lol: Hey, I was a DB, I'll backpedal all day!
August 17, 200818 yr I say best Olympic Athlete ever simply because of numbers alone....but the endurance to race that many times in a week with those type of results is amazing...
August 17, 200818 yr Author Hey, I was a DB, I'll backpedal all day! Only to turn in time to watch a TD... :banana:
August 17, 200818 yr You can't compare any of it seamlessly. I would like to see each track event done backwards for gold... :lol: In swimming you have events like breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly, etc. I'm sure if Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, or even Michael Johnson lined up in a running backwards contest they would win gold. They would also probably win gold if the Olympics supported a bunny hop or slide step event. I'm also sure that if a dunk contest, three point shootout, or horse was incorporated into Olympic, then MJ would have walked away with more medals. Phelps is great again, but there are so many events taylored to one common denominator. Swimming. The guy swims, its what he does, of course he will be good at whichever swimming event it is.
August 17, 200818 yr Author I say best Olympic Athlete ever simply because of numbers alone....but the endurance to race that many times in a week with those type of results is amazing... And there you have it. He had to be on 17 times over a week to get here. Very little rest or recovery. Just win? Check...
August 17, 200818 yr Who??? Edwin Moses. For as long as he went and as good as he did. Dan Gable? Dominated it for years in a pretty grueling sport. I dunno, its tough, but their sure have been a lot of great ones.
August 17, 200818 yr Author In swimming you have events like breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly, etc. I'm sure if Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, or even Michael Johnson lined up in a running backwards contest they would win gold. They would also probably win gold if the Olympics supported a bunny hop or slide step event. I'm also sure that if a dunk contest, three point shootout, or horse was incorporated into Olympic, then MJ would have walked away with more medals. Phelps is great again, but there are so many events taylored to one common denominator. Swimming. The guy swims, its what he does, of course he will be good at whichever swimming even it is. All those years, and NO ONE has mastered all four strokes like he has. Spitz was a 2 stroke wonder (pun not intended.....) and yet where is the assult on being that versatile over all four disciplines for almost 30 years? Claiming there are "too many swimming events" is a cop out. Where is the gymnist that won Team, All Around and every individual Gold? If I was Jamacia, I'd have Bolt working on the 100, 200, 400, 100H and 400H plus the sprint relays for London...
August 17, 200818 yr Claiming there are "too many swimming events" is a cop out. Where is the gymnist that won Team, All Around and every individual Gold? GT just think about this. In Gymnastics you have balance beam, vault, rings, bar, floor exercise, etc. How much different are these events in contrast to each other than say a butterfly swim and a breaststroke. That's my only point. Even though it is amazing he has mastered every event of swimming or every method, swimming styles are way similar to each other than any other genre of Olympic event.
August 17, 200818 yr Author GT just think about this. In Gymnastics you have balance beam, vault, rings, bar, floor exercise, etc. How much different are these events in contrast to each other than say a butterfly swim and a breaststroke. That's my only point. Even though it is amazing he has mastered every event of swimming or every method, swimming styles are way similar to each other than any other genre of Olympic event. What is so similar? Kicking your legs? We disagree 1000% on this one. Why has NO ONE else ever been able to master all 4 in the pool? How can that be downgraded because you've never experienced it???
August 17, 200818 yr I think of athlete more as the all-around type. Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Jim Thorpe. And then there is the athlete who just dominates within their realm. Michael Jordan, Muhammed Ali, Tiger Woods, Pele, Wayne Gretzky. Phelps is that to swimming.
August 17, 200818 yr The only thing I would have to say is in swimming getting injured is far less a problem than all the tract and field events. Phelps best swimmer, I would agree. Best athlete would be a reach. I got to go with the Tri-athlete myself.
August 17, 200818 yr Man, there are some haters in here....When another Olympian masters four different events, get back to me...
August 17, 200818 yr I'm going to go with: Best. Swimmer. Ever. Best athlete? I think that's impossible to compare.
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