Usain Bolt vs. Michael Phelps

[kihei]

I was hoping that someone would make this poll. I voted Bolt. Both athlete's accomplishments are Olympian in every sense of the word, but Bolt's record seem somehow god-like, a slighter higher level of wow.

 

[Jack Straw]

We're discussing Bolt and Phelps. One is able to participate in a lot of events both due to schedule and due to the physical style of his event. The other is limited by his schedule, and the physical style of his events also make it far harder to participate in multiple events.

Phelps has won a ridiclous amount of golds/meals. An outstanding athlete. However, Bolt literally can't compete with the haul/numbers domination because it's impossible. It's easier for a swimmer to elevate themselves above their historical piers than sprinters, for obvious reasons.

You seem to have missed the entire point of my post. The point is not that Phelps has more medals than Bolt. The point is that he has more than twice as many medals as any other swimmer. So the use of the word "easier" to describe what Phelps has done is ridiculous. We all understand the fundamental differences between competing on the track and competing in the pool. We all know it's common for swimmers to compete in more events. What Phelps has accomplished is extraordinary, even for a swimmer. The question asked was, "who is the most dominant Olympic athlete?" Swimmers can't dominate track athletes, track athletes can't dominate swimmers. You dominate your own sport. Both Phelps and Bolt have completely dominated their respective sports.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

You seem to have missed the entire point of my post. The point is not that Phelps has more medals than Bolt. The point is that he has more than twice as many medals as any other swimmer. So the use of the word "easier" to describe what Phelps has done is ridiculous. We all understand the fundamental differences between competing on the track and competing in the pool. We all know it's common for swimmers to compete in more events. What Phelps has accomplished is extraordinary, even for a swimmer. The question asked was, "who is the most dominant Olympic athlete?" Swimmers can't dominate track athletes, track athletes can't dominate swimmers. You dominate your own sport. Both Phelps and Bolt have completely dominated their respective sports.

I understand your point, but it's going to be a lot easier to open up seperation in medals for swimming than it is at athletics. Phelps competed at 5 Olympics (some swimmers tend to retire early), and from an early age. Bolt has competed at 3 games, and won every competition he has entered, and it's still "just" 9. Opening up seperation regarding total medals is far far harder, and thus, in a cross comparison between Bolt and Phelps, is an unfair indicator of dominance, because Bolt literally can't dominant in that particular fashion the way a swimmer COULD. Yes, nobody else has come close to Phelps (because he is an incredible athlete with incredible longevity), but Bolt doesnt have this option, so why are we using it to argue a case against him in this thread?

Let's compare dominance over their peers at the given time regarding times and distance. Any other measurement is unfair on Bolt given the nature of his event.

 

[Jeffrey]

I think Bolt could and should have aimed for more than 3 events.
He seems to win all his race with quite ease. But the 400M might be quite harder on your body versus a 100M.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

What a tough question.

I think Phelps is a better ahtlete but we will never see anyone dominate like Bolt has in 100M and 200M

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

I think Bolt could and should have aimed for more than 3 events.
He seems to win all his race with quite ease. But the 400M might be quite harder on your body versus a 100M.

There's no "might" about it.

 

[HanSolo]

If Phelps was competing for Jamaica would he have as many medals? I doubt it
How many in individual freestyle?

What.

 

[Jeffrey]

What.

Phelps won a lot of his medal in the relay.

If he was not from the US he might not have won as many medals. As great of a swimmer as he is.

 

[skillhockey]

Phelps won a lot of his medal in the relay.

If he was not from the US he might not have won as many medals. As great of a swimmer as he is.

As far as i recall 10 of his olympic gold medals are relay.

 

[Kurtz]

I think Bolt could and should have aimed for more than 3 events.
He seems to win all his race with quite ease. But the 400M might be quite harder on your body versus a 100M.

How many sprinters do more than 3 events in this age?

 

[Jeffrey]

As far as i recall 10 of his olympic gold medals are relay.

How many gold medal for individual freestyle swimming event?

 

[Jeffrey]

How many sprinters do more than 3 events in this age?

Not many but he could have been the exception with his easy domination of the 100m and 200m.

 

[Knave]

He also retired at the age of 22 (or 21?). We'll never know what his total medal count could've been.

By that same token Jesse Owens only had one Olympics because of World War 2 and he was faced with racism and a lot of other issues.

We'll never know what his total medal count could have been.

There are always going to be "what could have beens" - just look at Lemieux or Lindros. How far could they have gone with less injuries?

I think it's safer to limit yourself to what you've seen. Bolt and Phelps have done it. They aren't "if circumstances were different they would have likely done it".

 

[Captain Bowie]

Whats the argument over Phelps then? 23 versus 9 gold medals and 28 medals overall versus 9 says it all really. You could argue as a sprinter that Bolt is even more dominant but the numbers are clear Phelps is the greatest and most succesfull Olympian of all time.

Those are two very different things.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

We're discussing Bolt and Phelps. One is able to participate in a lot of events both due to schedule and due to the physical style of his event. The other is limited by his schedule, and the physical style of his events also make it far harder to participate in multiple events.

Phelps has won a ridiclous amount of golds/meals. An outstanding athlete. However, Bolt literally can't compete with the haul/numbers domination because it's impossible. It's easier for a swimmer to elevate themselves above their historical piers than sprinters, for obvious reasons.

Bolt trained as a 400 runner. He very much could figure out how to run the 400 and the 4 X 400. Heck given his frame he also could figure out how to run the hurdles or do the long jump.

Bolt would very likely lose a lot more once he jam-packed his schedule though. That is a part of what makes Phelps' feat amazing, the idea that it is easily repeatable is fairly ridiculous. If you exclude Sydney where he only did one relay where USA disappointed. Phelps averaged 7 medals an Olympics.... So he averaged the second best medal haul for an individual in single Olympics ever for four Olympics.

 

[MrFunnyWobbl]

People really don't appreciate Rudisha

 

[Morozov]

I like Bolt more, I'm really not all that interested in Swimming. The idea of the "fastest man on earth" is such a cool thing to watch, it's the highlight of every Olympics for me, and the way Bolt seems to dominate it with such ease is so impressive.

But.

The fact that if Phelps was a country he would be 32nd all time in medals, and that "country Phelps" has competed in just a small fraction of the 120 years of Olympics is pretty staggering.

There's 160 countries that have less golds than Phelps.

And yes I get the whole there's more possible medals "available" to him as a swimmer, but no other swimmer has come close to replicating the feats he has. This wealth of gold isn't really available to all swimmers, it's only available to Phelps because he's the only one who has been capable of actually achieving that or even coming close.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

Phelps won a lot of his medal in the relay.

If he was not from the US he might not have won as many medals. As great of a swimmer as he is.

If Bolt was from Iraq you could say the same stupid, irrelevant thing.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

I like Bolt more, I'm really not all that interested in Swimming. The idea of the "fastest man on earth" is such a cool thing to watch, it's the highlight of every Olympics for me, and the way Bolt seems to dominate it with such ease is so impressive.

But.

The fact that if Phelps was a country he would be 32nd all time in medals, and that "country Phelps" has competed in just a small fraction of the 120 years of Olympics is pretty staggering.

There's 160 countries that have less golds than Phelps.

And yes I get the whole there's more possible medals "available" to him as a swimmer, but no other swimmer has come close to replicating the feats he has. This wealth of gold isn't really available to all swimmers, it's only available to Phelps because he's the only one who has been capable of actually achieving that or even coming close.

Posters make it sound like its common for swimmers to win medals in multiple disciplines in swimming, but its extremely rare for that to happen. Phelps is the only one since 1992 to have medals in both freestyle and butterfly.

The track equivalent would be Bolt being both the best sprinter and hurdler. There's a reason why Phelps is so far ahead of even other swimmers in medals and that's because he is capable of swimming two disciplines at elite levels when nobody else can.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

If Bolt was from Iraq you could say the same stupid, irrelevant thing.

How is it irrelevant? If people are going to resort to simplistic medal counting, it needs to be pointed out that by virtue of being American, Phelps had a huge advantage over everyone else (besides the Aussies) when it came to racking up relay medals. Bolt as well had two of the greatest ever in Powell and Blake aiding him in the relay. IMO relay accomplishments are of little importance when comparing these two. Other athletes were responsible for 75% of what happened in those events.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

How is it irrelevant? If people are going to resort to simplistic medal counting, it needs to be pointed out that by virtue of being American, Phelps had a huge advantage over everyone else (besides the Aussies) when it came to racking up relay medals. Bolt as well had two of the greatest ever in Powell and Blake aiding him in the relay. IMO relay accomplishments are of little importance when comparing these two. Other athletes were responsible for 75% of what happened in those events.

You make it sound like Bolt didn't have the same advantage in sprinting by virtue of being Jamaican. Its such a ludicrous argument.

 

[Jeffrey]

You make it sound like Bolt didn't have the same advantage in sprinting by virtue of being Jamaican. Its such a ludicrous argument.

Bolt dominated his individual events.
Phelps dominated the butterfly and medley so he is the best butterfly and medley swimmer of our time.

As Phelps ever won the individual freestyle competition?

 

[Trap Jesus]

Most dominant is Bolt for sure. He legitimately can't be beat, and he does it in a seemingly effortless fashion.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

Bolt dominated his individual events.
Phelps dominated the butterfly and medley so he is the best butterfly and medley swimmer of our time.

As Phelps ever won the individual freestyle competition?

Yes he has, he is the former world record holder in the 200m freestyle and won the Gold medal in 2008 in this event.

 

[Jeffrey]

Yes he has, he is the former world record holder in the 200m freestyle and won the Gold medal in 2008 in this event.

So he is the former world record holder.. somebody beat his world record time since 2008 nobody has even come close to beat bolt time of 9.58 in the 100m set in 2009!