The Bolt of Lightning has struck- Does it hit Phelps? | Golden Skate

The Bolt of Lightning has struck- Does it hit Phelps?

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
It just goes to show how fleeting fame is. Three days ago Michael Phelps was the greatest athlete of all time. Now it's on to the next hero.

Bolt has the advantage of being in the glamour event -- the men's 100 and 200 -- it's the ladies LP of the Summer Games. :laugh:
 

PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Who was greater ....... Hank Aaron or Michael Jordan?

It is very difficult to try to compare athletes from different sports. I don't like to simply count medals because some sports have several medals available, and some only have one.
 

jennylovskt

Medalist
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
No doubt that Both are rare athletes who have the amazing potential to brush off their own world records, but the 100m and 200m world records, and 8 golds in one Olympic record will not be rewritten by any other people in a long, long time.

To compare them objectively, I don't know who is the number one. However, Phelps' attitude towards winning had me. Besides, I like swimming better than track. (both are my favorite catigories in the summer game though) So in my heart, Phelps will always be the number one in this Olympic.
 

ChrisH

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Bolt's records may have been more impressive on a case by case basis, but in total, I think that the star is easily Phelps. Didn't 7 of Phelps's 8 gold medals also include a world record? Perhaps Bolt will set a 3rd one in the 4x100 relay. He'll need to do the same in London and add the long jump to match what Phelps has done IMO.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Natalie duToit (sp.?), despite finishing 16th in her event, is amazing. As if swimming 10K in open water is not enough, competing in it successfully with one leg is astonishing. Also, the winners of the heptathlon and decathlon - even if no records are broken. The skills required to compete in all the disciplines are so different from each other that I don't know how anyone can actually do decathlons. Seriously.

Bolt and Phelps are impressive, but I think the latter should get more credit for his wins than for his world records. Everyone was breaking world records in Beijing - I heard the pool design and the new swimsuits shaved a lot of time off people's personal bests across the board. As I see it, beating all those personal bests and staying focused enough to win eight golds is the real achievement. I have my doubts about Bolt - not because he's so fast because he's improved his personal bests in such huge leaps. It strikes me as too good to be true. I hope I'm mistaken.
 

Medusa

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
I have my doubts about Bolt - not because he's so fast because he's improved his personal bests in such huge leaps. It strikes me as too good to be true. I hope I'm mistaken.

I have my doubts too - but you've got to give it to the Jamaicans, at least they know how pass a baton in the relays. There is no doping for that particular skill as far as I know. Honestly, the US just gave the Jamaicans two more sprint golds.
 

silver.blades

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Country
Canada
What Phelps did is impressive and a huge accomplishment, but I think that what Bolt has done is even more increadible. Both records in the 100m and 200m havn't been broken for over a decade. I think he's going to dominate those races for the next 8-10 years.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Not only did Michael Phelps beat Mark Spitz' record of 7 gold medals, he also blew away the Emperor Nero.

Nero got six golds in the 67 AD games, delivering winning performances in heralds, tragedy, lyre, 10 horse chariot, "tethrippon" (four horse chariot), and foals tethrippon (chariot pulled by four horses under one year old -- HAH! a likely story. That one on the right looks every bit of 18 months!).

In the 10 horse event, Nero, drunk, fell off the chariot. All the other drivers reined in behind him and waited while his soldiers to hoisted him back aboard.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25831320/
 

Dee4707

Ice Is Slippery - Alexie Yagudin
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Country
United-States
Not only did Michael Phelps beat Mark Spitz' record of 7 gold medals, he also blew away the Emperor Nero.

In the 10 horse event, Nero, drunk, fell off the chariot. All the other drivers reined in behind him and waited while his soldiers to hoisted him back aboard.
Oh Math, you always make my day. :clap: :laugh: :clap:

Dee
 

romanoff81

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2004
Bolt no question, we have seen in the past swimming athletes win multiple gold medals, and track and field is more universal. Bolt broke 3 world records and two of those had been in existence for over a decade. Phelps is a great but with all the technological advances in swimming notably the equipment Sptiz had no goggles no swimsuit nothing.
 
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