What do you think? I would not agree before I read this...

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-oly ... full.story

Dude has too many Golds.

Overrated? Not if you're winning gold medal after gold medal. In terms of the best Olympic athlete in history, how can you even compare athletes from two completely different events.

The author keeps on about how fatiguing track and field is compared to swimming, so does that automatically mean the best Olympian can only be competing in the most physically draining sport?

There shouldn't even be discussion about the best Olympian ever. You're comparing top athletes in different events. It's like asking to choose between Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. 3 Gold medals in swimming doesn't make you a better athlete then someone winning one in gymnastics.

And you want to talk about difficult, it's easy to see performance level when comparing time, distance, or points scored; but what about events that are judged and scored on opinions. Scoring on a bent elbow on a high bar isn't the same to everyone.

I always find the competitions that end with a time or a distance to be the only ones I really trust. Phelps is a F*CKING ridiculous athlete, and a LOT of people would argue that swimming takes more out of you.

The gymnasts are F*CKING ridiculous athletes.

Put any of them out of their element and they probably eat dicks.

Put Phelps in a basketball game against a Chinese Gymnast. They suck the same.

$100 on phelps

Chinese gymnast could dunk easier.

Lies, they all need to be pushed up to the high bar (9.1') whereas the rim is 10' plus another 9" for the basketball.

Michael Phelps is 6'4"

Yang Wei (last night's all-around gold medalist) is 5'2"

I'm upping to $500 on Phelps

Best athelete of all time? F*CK no. Don't be a dumbass.

Overrated? No.

Excellent at what he does? Yes.

That guy in the article is a dumb shit. I did both Track and swimming and track wasn't even close to as exhausting as swimming. Anyways it doesn't matter Phelps is cheating because he is Aquaman in disguise.

I don't even know where this guy is getting his idea from; I haven't heard anyone call Phelps the "best athlete ever". What does that even mean?

they have called him the best olympian ever because he has more medals than any other athlete that has competed in the olympics. i wrestled through high school and college, and i'll tell you that i can wrestle a match and be tired, but i could never finish a 100m or 200m in a pool. swimming is far more difficult than it looks. plus, you can't breathe regularly like you can for any other event where your head is always above water. try sprinting a 100m while holding your breath... impossible!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viswanathan_Anand


Viswanathan Anand is the best athlete in the world.

Judi doesn't get basketball/dunking.

But, they get helped up to avoid injury.

Phelps Dominates. End of Story.

i was in swimming team in highscool that shit is effing hard

phelps is da man

Edit

that's what I like: discussion.

Seriously, Phelps is damn good, but I dont think there's a way to call anybody as best olimpian. Period.

BTW, the world's athlete of the century is called Edson Arantes do Nascimento, AKA Pelé. Google this. Or go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pel%C3%A9

He's the best at what he does. There's no mistaking that.

You can't claim anybody is the best athlete in the world unless they take individual records in a lot of events and do some team shit.

lezak or whatever bailed his ass out in the 4 x 100 relay. Phelps was in third or fourth at the end of his swim.

o yea man but that was one hell of a finish tho i saw the replay i give it up to him on hes one hell of a swimmer but i dare him to step on the football field with me ill tare him the F*CK up

lol but yea u cant compare ppl from a century ago to today it just don't work some many things have changed rules, they way the train, everything there are very few things that have stayed the same in all sports