OT: Phelps or Bolt?
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:42 AM ^
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August 23rd, 2016 at 11:03 AM ^
Well except in 1984 he didn't compete against the USSR and German teams (or Cuba, or Hungary, or Poland, etc.).
He also failed several drug tests.
" He also set world records in the 100m and I think 200m."
He set the WR in the 100M 3 times (1987, 1988, 1991) - but his fastest (1991) was still slower than what Ben Johnson ran in 1987.
Lewis never set the 200m WR and his best time ever was only slightly faster than what Tommie Smith ran in the 1968 Olympics.
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:00 AM ^
I will interject and this is pure speculation but there may be some NFL players that could seriously compete with Bolt if they had focused 100% on track as their bodies were developing. A lot of these guys were world class sprinters that chose to mold their bodies in high school more for football (and NFL dreams = $$$) than track. Speaks to the different sports culture in the US.
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:07 AM ^
I'm speaking specifically to the fact that they are world class athletes. There is a different sports culture but also less opportunities available to kids in different socio-economic situations. Growing up in Detroit, just about every high school had a track team. Maybe two schools (CT, MLK) had the $$$ and facilities to have a swim team. I'd love to see more Olympic sports in the city schools (and ice hockey), but that costs $$$ that is not available.
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:40 AM ^
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August 22nd, 2016 at 9:58 AM ^
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August 22nd, 2016 at 10:00 AM ^
One isn't better than the other. They're two athletes cut from a similar cloth but ended up in completely different environments.
August 22nd, 2016 at 2:04 PM ^
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:05 AM ^
with that many stats i say they are even. very hard to pick.
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:24 AM ^
I'd say Bolt. Winning golds in all 3 events for 3 consecutive Olympics in the manner that he did, is legendary. But, both are athletes that you don't see come along very often.
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:27 AM ^
It hard to pick betweem the two, Bolt is more dominant but less accomplished, partly because you can compete in slighlty more in swimming but also because of choice. Alyson Felix competes in the 100,200, and 400 for example which also means she competes in two relays, the same number phelps does.
I give the slight edge to Phelps for doing what no person has ever done before in a singly olympics.
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:39 AM ^
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August 22nd, 2016 at 10:40 AM ^
zzzzzzzzzz
August 22nd, 2016 at 10:46 AM ^
The idea that others could have equalled or bettered Bolt if they only tried is unsupported asertion. Bolt is the better athlete, IMO, by a simple test: how much better is each than the second-best person at his sport?
Bolt is not only the only man to have won the triple three times, he is the only peson to have one it more than once. No one has been close to him in his races. He's never won an Olympic silver or bronze, only gold.
Now, you can argue that Phelps won in more events, but, while true, that just reflects the structure of the Olympic swimming competitions versus the sprinting. There are a hell of a lot more swimmers close to Phelps than sprinters close to Bolt.
But it's an absurd comparison.They are not in competition with each other.
August 22nd, 2016 at 11:47 AM ^
Who's the second-best swimmer, though? It's easy to say who the second-best is in each individual event, but what about overall? Lochte? Le Clos? Cseh? Saying "there are more swimmers close to Phelps" just means Phelps swims more events - in each individual event where Phelps has dominated - say, the 200 IM which he's won four Olympics in a row, nobody's any closer to Phelps than to Bolt. In fact, Phelps has consistently been about 2% faster than his competition in that event; Bolt, about the same or less in his.
August 22nd, 2016 at 11:07 AM ^
Close but I got Bolt
August 22nd, 2016 at 12:12 PM ^
I say tomato.
August 22nd, 2016 at 12:47 PM ^
August 22nd, 2016 at 12:52 PM ^
because he is probably not a drug cheat (US program, esp. in swimming, is really good at monitoring its atheletes these days).
while no evidence against Bolt, if you look at the ridiculous success of Jamaica, and some interesting physical traits (e.g., notice the ever-increasing gap in Bolt's teeth? a sign of testerone usage and the head growth it entails), I think drug cheating is likely.
Thus, Phelps.
August 22nd, 2016 at 3:37 PM ^