Phelps: Best Athlete?

Michael Phelps has been the talk of the 2008 Olympics thus far, and rightfully so. Phelps set 7 world records during his 17 heat race to a record 8 gold medals. Phelps is a dominant intermediate distance swimmer. He blew away the field in the 400 IM, 200 butterfly (even with the goggle problem), 200 freestyle and 200 IM. He also showed he is the best butterflier in the world by edging Milorad Cavic in the 100 by 0.01 seconds in his most difficult individual test. He also swam the butterfly leg of the 4x100 medley relay for the US. While Phelps didn't swim any breast or backstroke events, his splits in the IM's demonstrated that he is more than adequate at both of those strokes.

Phelps is a great overall swimmer and he is terrific off the turn with his underwater dolphin kick. However, Phelps is hurt in some people's eyes (Skip Bayless, for one) by his inability to show that he is the fastest swimmer on the planet. He didn't attempt the 50 or 100 free, and his split in the lead-off leg of the 4x100 free relay showed that, while Phelps is fast, he's not in the same category in that event as the elite speed freestylers in the world. I imagine he'd be less suited for the 50 free because it doesn't allow him to use his superior endurance/speed combination or his great turns.

So, while Phelps' accomplishments are record-setting and should be applauded, they don't necessitate him being labeled as the greatest Olympic athlete of all time. In fact, I think making that claim based solely on the numbers does a disservice to every Olympic athlete, including Phelps. If you look at numbers of medals as the basis for your decision, you gloss over the actual accomplishments. The accomplishment is winning the 200 butterfly and setting a new WR, or the 200 freestyle, or the ... well, you get the point.

Phelps competes in a sport that allows him to win multiple gold medals. In fact, a swimmer could compete solely in the freestyle and win the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 4x100 medley relay, 4x100 freestyle relay, and 4x200 freestyle relay. So, without being able to do the breaststroke, backstroke or butterfly, a great freestyler could win 9 gold medals. Sure, it would take an incredible swimmer, but the best a basketball player can do is one gold medal per Olympics (in basketball).

Usain Bolt just set world records in the 100 and 200, laying claim to his position as the world's fastest man. Mark Spitz previously won 7 gold medals in swimming. Usain Bolt is the only man to ever win gold in both the 100 and 200 while setting new WR's in both. Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens never did that. So, you can't just dismiss Bolt because he isn't going to win 8 gold medals. He does what he does better than anyone else ever has, and he's not a one trick pony. He has terrific high end speed and a good enough start to dominate the 100. And, he has enough endurance to cruise to victory in the 200. Of course, Usain Bolt isn't an elite long jumper (to the best of my knowledge) like Carl Lewis was. And, can Usain Bolt sing? Remember Carl Lewis' rendition of the national anthem? Oh yeah, Carl Lewis couldn't really sing either ... but he was a heck of a track athlete.

Michael Phelps has to propel his body through water. While he's unmatched at what he does, he just has to swim. In the decathlon, you have to run the 100m, 400m, 1500m and 110m hurdles. You also have to throw the discuss, shot put and javelin. To top it off, you have to long jump, high jump and pole vault. So, you have to run fast and be able to run relatively quickly over a fairly long distance. Plus, you have to be able to clear objects while running fast. You have to throw three totally different objects. And, you have to be able to jump horizontally, vertically, and launch yourself into the air using a pole. The array of skills required for the decathlon, to me, is far more diverse than the skills required of Michael Phelps. But, you could argue that decathletes aren't able to win any of the 10 events by themselves, so they don't have to be as good at each of the skills as a swimmer who is swimming the 200 free or the 100 butterfly. But, you have to admit that being a good freestyler/breakstroker/backstroker/butterflier doesn't adversely affect a swimmer's ability in the other strokes. However, that isn't true for decathletes. Have you seen the world-class discuss and shot put throwers? They are much thicker than the best 1500m runners in the world, who generally have a much different body shape than the top 100m sprinters in the world.

And, I don't think you can neglect athletes from sports that force you to react to something that an opponent does. And, no, someone going out fast in the 400 IM doesn't count. Michael Phelps knew if he crushed world records, he would be hard to beat. So, it was all about swimming his race (and getting help from teammates in the relays). In his closest race, the 100 fly, he set a new Olympic record, but didn't set the world record. In baseball, basketball, boxing, soccer, volleyball, etc., you have to be able to react to actions of your opponents. Don't you remember that Rocky movie with Ivan Drago?!?

I'm not an Olympic history expert. I didn't see Carl Lewis in 1984. I didn't see Jesse Owens run or Mark Spitz swim. So, I'm not going to throw out a pick for the best Olympic athlete ever. But, I do know you need more than medal counts to figure out the best athlete. If a gymnast won 7 gold medals (individual all-around, and all six event finals), he'd (yes, it's a he because the women only have 4 event finals, so the most a female gymnast could win is 6 gold medals - 5 individual + 1 team) come up one short of Phelps' record. Do you want him to win the 100m and 110m hurdles as well? Come on.