posted Aug 13, 2008

I am in the States what are they showing on the BBC coverage right now.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Phelps greatest Olympian ever???? Although he has won more Golds than anyone else not many sports allow you to win more than 1. Can you not say Redgrave is better as he won over more Olympics which is harder to keep it at the elite level for so long...

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he is the winning most olympian ever so he has to be considered as one of the greats. however he will need to reproduce a similar performance again one would imagine to become the greatest of all time as winning longevity has to be a key factor in evaluating greatness.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Let's remember Thorpedo, albeit he had illness issues but he retired at 24..

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Last for Ellen Gandy, not for the want of trying though.

What time is Phelps back in the pool?

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Greatest swimmer ever, yes. Olympian? No. That goes to Carl Lewis for his longevity and variety of the events he won.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

I'm not sure - 25 miles instead of 26...? Should knock a bit of time off you would have thought...

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Phelps is deffinitely the greatest swimmer ever. but theres really no such thing as the greatest Olympian if u think about it. every sport has its limits to how many gold u can win. swimming is an exception where u can win many golds in the olympics.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

other events dont allow to be able to get that many medals in one olympics so surely he carnt be the greates olympian just the most successful. there is a difference

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posted Aug 13, 2008

comment by Golden Boots Robbie Keane (GBRK) (U11234676)
posted 3 Minutes Ago

Last for Ellen Gandy, not for the want of trying though.

What time is Phelps back in the pool?
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4:19am

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Greatest ever olympian does depend on events. Many swimmers do lots of events making it easier to get more medals. Other athletes are immense at just their one event, of which there is not necessarily anything similar, and so can only win one gold medal. That doesn't make them a less great olympian - if they get 5 of those, they are superior.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

The thing that seperates Phelps from other swimmers is that he doesn't just have one event that he dominates in. Most swimmers have a particular area in which they dominate, whether it be freestyle, butterfly or whatever.
Where as Phelps... he can do it all!! and better!!

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posted Aug 13, 2008

"Greatest swimmer ever, yes. Olympian? No. That goes to Carl Lewis for his longevity and variety of the events he won."


except Carl Lewis openly admitted to failing drug tests... does that allow him to be the greatest Olympian ever?

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posted Aug 13, 2008

If Darts (or 'arrows') was an olympic sport, Phil Taylor could be up there as the greatest ever olympian

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Some of the swimming strokes are punishing though. Anyone can jump as far as they can, anyone cna run as fast as they can, but do the butterfly under immense strain due to the water, and with top-class competitors on both sides of you? Take a lot of hard work, and for that reaosn I think he's the greatest olympian.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

If Phelps want to be the best olympian ever, come to 2012 and enter the archery or one of the track and field events. If he medals, he's the greatest ever. No question.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Won't Phelps be past it come the next olympics (aged 27)? The amount of work he has done and would have to do, surely will burn him out completely. This could be as good as it will get.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

even if phelps did get his 8 medals this time round i will still not class him as the greatest olympian until he has been consistant over more olympics than the same one.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Some of the swimming strokes are punishing though. Anyone can jump as far as they can, anyone cna run as fast as they can, but do the butterfly under immense strain due to the water, and with top-class competitors on both sides of you? Take a lot of hard work, and for that reaosn I think he's the greatest olympian.
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At world class standard, any event is difficult. Using that logic, surely something like winning weight lifting should mean more?

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Phelps has already won his golds over three Olympic games and I can see him going on to win gold in 2012 and 2016 as well. He is just unbelievable. I can't understand how he can get his body to peak for eight different sprint events and then there are all of the heats and semis to contend with as well. He's just phenomenal.

If he gets all of his golds this year, I can see him attempting to master completely different events for London 2012. We may see him breaking world records in the backstroke in 4 years time, I wouldn't put it past him.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

i think that phelps could possibly get 20 by the end of his career.

if so that would surely give a pretty good claim as the greatest Olympian ever.

your thoughts?

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Ben_luvs_cricket

I thought 27 was around the age most people in most sports hit their peak.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Anyone can jump as far as they can, anyone cna run as fast as they can
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Morning all. Following this logic, anyone can swim breaststroke as fast as they can...

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posted Aug 13, 2008

the reverse can be said about swimming with so many variations on stroke. It requires an awful lot of time, and dedication, to master all the different techniques required for the various strokes. they may all count as swimming yes but they are all very different. one event Olympians in that regard have an advantage because they can become a master of one event, whereas a swimmer has to become a master of lots of events(strokes)

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Dear God, Phelps is only 23?! He won 6 golds when he was 19?! I'm 19, and I haven't even got my first yet... Should probably get started soon.

Is it bad that I'm hoping he's got really bad BO or something, just to even it up a bit?

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Greatest olympian is carl lewis without a doubt. 9 golds 1 silver, only 2 golds in a relay. Golds in 100m 200m and long jump. Compare that to Phelps, all his golds are in the pool and 3 of the 10 are relays. When he gets on the diving board and wins a gold in that maybe ill change my mind.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Why does swimming have so many disciplines? We donīt have a variety of running types, or ways of covering the track. So why the pool? Surely if we can have breastroke, butterfly, backstroke etc, we should have hopping, skipping and running backwards events on the athletics track? Any thoughts Mark?

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Greatest ever? Depends how you define greatness I suppose. However it can't just be a measure of how many golds, you have to look at other factors like number of Olympics competed in, strength of the opposition etc. Furthermore you can't deny that swimming does lend itself to winning multiple medals with all the different permutations of stroke and length. Still, for me Phelps is definitely up there in the top 5 or so.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Michael Phelps

He is arguably the greatest swimmer there has been.

He will probably be the greatest Olympian at these games

However unless he can stay at the top of his game for at least approaching the 20 years that Steve Redgrave achieved, then no he is not the greatest Olympian ever.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

but to swimmers the strokes come naturally they already developed good enough fitness to be able to do each event and strokes aren't all that much different only the distance and times change which they all prepare for

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Won't Phelps be past it come the next olympics (aged 27)? The amount of work he has done and would have to do, surely will burn him out completely. This could be as good as it will get.

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He is so talented, I'm sure he will still be dominating in four years time. He'll just probably do less events.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

D'ya know what? I'm gonna hit the sack early tonight. A few too many pints in my system and a football match tomorrow evening... not a good combo. Then A-Level Results D-Day and then my driving test on Friday. Not a pleasant week coming up for me. Adios.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

comment by deasy00 (U10448991)
posted Just Now

but to swimmers the strokes come naturally they already developed good enough fitness to be able to do each event and strokes aren't all that much different only the distance and times change which they all prepare for
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even the most naturals talents have to work on technique etc.....

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posted Aug 13, 2008

the reverse can be said about swimming with so many variations on stroke. It requires an awful lot of time, and dedication, to master all the different techniques required for the various strokes. they may all count as swimming yes but they are all very different. one event Olympians in that regard have an advantage because they can become a master of one event, whereas a swimmer has to become a master of lots of events(strokes)
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Everything requires time and dedication - it is like in the canoe, they have to train to go through forward and backward gates; in gymnastics, they do more events that are much more varied than the swimming.
I refuse to accept swimming is any more difficult than anything else.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Annybody saw Chinese female gymnasts?? Don't they look smaller comapred to age showed on telly??

Is there any age limitation for gymnastics partition?

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posted Aug 13, 2008

same sort of performance at the 2012 Olympics and then he'll be the greatest Olympian ever

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posted Aug 13, 2008

andrepeter

The Chinese make themselves and their children small.

Being small is seen as a sign of beauty in China.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

andrepeter

The Chinese make themselves and their children small.

Being small is seen as a sign of beauty in China.

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Yao Ming must be the ugliest man in china then.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

comment by nemesisNasri (U12927385)
posted Just Now

the reverse can be said about swimming with so many variations on stroke. It requires an awful lot of time, and dedication, to master all the different techniques required for the various strokes. they may all count as swimming yes but they are all very different. one event Olympians in that regard have an advantage because they can become a master of one event, whereas a swimmer has to become a master of lots of events(strokes)
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Everything requires time and dedication - it is like in the canoe, they have to train to go through forward and backward gates; in gymnastics, they do more events that are much more varied than the swimming.
I refuse to accept swimming is any more difficult than anything else.
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never said it was "more difficult". Swimmers just have to learn varying strokes(breaststroke, fly, freestyle etc....) whereas someone like Steve Redgrave only had to work on one thing (rowing)

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Golden Boots Robbie Keane (GBRK) (U11234676)
posted 1 Minute Ago

andrepeter

The Chinese make themselves and their children small.

Being small is seen as a sign of beauty in China.
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Ty Robbie.. I thought they are stealing thir age for age limitation problm..

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posted Aug 13, 2008

i think they have to turn 16 the year they compete... don't quote me on that though lol!

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Any aussies here? Go Steph Rice!

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Good race from Kitajima, another record goes down albeit only an Olympic one

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posted Aug 13, 2008

In my opinion Steve Redgrave is the greatest Olympian but how long did it take for him to get recognition ?
After his win in 1996 how many people turned up to greet him at the airport on his return home ?
That sums up British appreciation pretty well.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

but to swimmers the strokes come naturally they already developed good enough fitness to be able to do each event and strokes aren't all that much different only the distance and times change which they all prepare for

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To be successful at this level and speed, it is incredibly difficult to master various stokes. Of course they can all swim each stroke, but to master each significantly enough to be the fastest in the world is very tough to do!

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posted Aug 13, 2008

comment by andrepeter (U6821295)
posted 2 Minutes Ago
Annybody saw Chinese female gymnasts?? Don't they look smaller comapred to age showed on telly??

Is there any age limitation for gymnastics partition?
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They've got to turn 16 in the olympic year. There's been some controversy over some of the Chinese.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

happy to see my post making the front page....nice

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Phelps is certainly the greatest swimmer of all time, Spitz didn't have to do as many heats to reach his finals in '72 when he won 7 (but he did have a mustach to slow him down). But in how many sports can you enter 8 diff' disciplins. Steve Redgrave for me.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

comment by Stroller95 (U12935591)

posted Just Now

Any aussies here? Go Steph Rice!

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Im half Australian, half British.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

never said it was "more difficult". Swimmers just have to learn varying strokes(breaststroke, fly, freestyle etc....) whereas someone like Steve Redgrave only had to work on one thing (rowing)
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yeah, all i was trying to say is that swimming requires no more 'time, and dedication' than the others, even if there are more strokes. they all train differently, spend more/less time on different aspects etc.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Michael Phelps? Brilliant at what he does.
greatest Olympian? No.

Sir Steve Redgrave.
Brilliant Olympian? Yes. Greatest ever? No.

Daley Thompson. The BEST Olympian ever!

Thompson excelled in 10, different, events whereas the above only excelled in their own, specialized, event.

Not only that but he did it twice.
Who could, possibly, claim a greater achievement?

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