Diuretic
New member
I'm very happy to accept that Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer in history. He has performed remarkably at the Beijing Olympics. He appears to be a man who is able to contain his ego (if it was me I'd be going nutso) as well, which is a huge plus. Even we, in our one-eyed (when it comes to sport) country are lauding him (and rightly so) for his greatness.
But is he the greatest Olympic athlete ever?
I don't mean to demean Phelps, he is, quite simply, a phenomenon. In a way he transcends the focus of the Games on parochial national achievements (the medal tally is reported here almost on an hourly basis, if we start to fall then it's time for national breast-beating, wailing, gnashing of teeh, rending of clothing and swearing to stay off the beer for at least three hours) and puts the focus on the achievement of the individual. That's a great thing. If Phelps was an Australian though I can assure you that you would see the poolside engulged in people in green and gold wigs who were in the latter stages of intoxication and probably ready to take on the combined might of the police and the the PLA.
But let me move on.
As remarkable as he is as a swimmer I don't think he is deserving of the breathless accolades as the greatest athlete at an Olympics. Yes, as someone said today, he's got almost as much gold as Fort Knox, but it's in one Olympics in an anodyne sport that uses changes of distance to create competitions. I know that an 800m is different from a 200m (I worked this out today, the difference is 600m) but it's still swimming, it's just that the time changes.
And it's just one Olympics (although again Phelps' performance in terms of coming back after a record-breaking swim to do it again is remarkable).
No, my nominee for greatest Olympian is the late Al Oerter.
In case you don't know, Oerter was a discus thrower. He won gold in Melbourne in 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City in 1968. Twelve years. In twelve years he won four consecutive gold medals.
Anyway that's just my view.
Phelps has won more gold than any other individual in the Olympics but with all due respect to him I don't think that qualifies him as the greatest Olympian, just the greatest swimmer the world has ever seen.
Well, since Lloyd Bridges in Sea Hunt anyway (Phelps never had to fight knife-wielding baddies determined to cut his air hose).
But is he the greatest Olympic athlete ever?
I don't mean to demean Phelps, he is, quite simply, a phenomenon. In a way he transcends the focus of the Games on parochial national achievements (the medal tally is reported here almost on an hourly basis, if we start to fall then it's time for national breast-beating, wailing, gnashing of teeh, rending of clothing and swearing to stay off the beer for at least three hours) and puts the focus on the achievement of the individual. That's a great thing. If Phelps was an Australian though I can assure you that you would see the poolside engulged in people in green and gold wigs who were in the latter stages of intoxication and probably ready to take on the combined might of the police and the the PLA.
But let me move on.
As remarkable as he is as a swimmer I don't think he is deserving of the breathless accolades as the greatest athlete at an Olympics. Yes, as someone said today, he's got almost as much gold as Fort Knox, but it's in one Olympics in an anodyne sport that uses changes of distance to create competitions. I know that an 800m is different from a 200m (I worked this out today, the difference is 600m) but it's still swimming, it's just that the time changes.
And it's just one Olympics (although again Phelps' performance in terms of coming back after a record-breaking swim to do it again is remarkable).
No, my nominee for greatest Olympian is the late Al Oerter.
In case you don't know, Oerter was a discus thrower. He won gold in Melbourne in 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City in 1968. Twelve years. In twelve years he won four consecutive gold medals.
Anyway that's just my view.
Phelps has won more gold than any other individual in the Olympics but with all due respect to him I don't think that qualifies him as the greatest Olympian, just the greatest swimmer the world has ever seen.
Well, since Lloyd Bridges in Sea Hunt anyway (Phelps never had to fight knife-wielding baddies determined to cut his air hose).
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